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Cultural Festivals

Shirley Setia ends day 1 of Mecca on a musical high

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Clad in a picturesque semblance of Dilli’s aesthetics and an aura of magnificence, Hindu College’s much anticipated annual cultural fest, Mecca, returns with enthralling events and riveting performances. This dastaan-e-dilli edition of Hindu’s annual extravaganza is a portal to transport the audience to the beloved dilli ki galiyaan and relish the nuances of the history-infused Delhi. The first edition of Mecca 2017 kick started on a musical and creative high, escalating the expectations for the next two days!

The fest was declared open by the profusely talented author, Mr. NeeleshMisra, who is currently hosting shows on Saavn. The inauguration was then succeeded by a brief reading of his book, followed by a motivating interactive session with the audience. Aria, the Western Music Society of Hindu College, organised Chorale, the Western Group Choir Competition. Captivating the crowd with their mesmerising performance, The Western Music Society, Lady Shri Ram College bagged the first award, withSynergy of Shiv Nadar University securing the second place, followed by Echo of Jesus and Mary College and Zephyr, The Western Music Society of Kamala Nehru College.

Under the umbrella of Aramya, the dance fest of Hindu College, the day witnessed the Western Dance Competition, Flair. The event saw participation from ten teams and invigorated all hearts with rhythms and tunes. V-DEFYN of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi secured the first place, followed by Zeal of Maitreyi College. The rhapsodic experience of music and dance ended with a performance by the Dance out of Poverty initiative. To touch the chords of art and creativity, the first day also saw the organisation of the Slam Poetry and Open Mic competition, along with exciting events of the English Debate and Photography competition.

The choreography society of Hindu, Srijya then hosted the choreography competition, Finesse. Yet another round of scintillating performances ensued with the performers playing on their imagination to conjure up the most beautiful performances centred around creative themes. The competition ended with special performances by Srijya themselves and by ex-members of the society. Not surprisingly, Gargi College bagged the first place while Hansraj College took the second prize home.

The eventful first day reached it’s crescendo with Shiley Setia entertaining the audience with the latest Bollywood and Hollywood numbers. While vlogging with the audience, interacting with them  and egging them on to sing along, Shirley made it a point that none was left out of the revelry of the first star night. The standards have been set high at Mecca 2017, as students look forward to two even more exciting days!

Saumya Kalia
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Swareena Gurung
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Feature Image Credits- Gerush Bahal for DU Beat

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Campus Central

Day 3 at Crossroads’17: Fashion Show and Dancemob take the spotlight!

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The annual fest Crossroads’17 of Shri Ram College of Commerce hosted the Indian Choir Competition Saarang on the third day which had participants from eight different colleges. The competition was judged by Renuka Arya where Samranjhini of Gargi College emerged as the winners. Swaranjali of Hansraj College and Geetanjali of Miranda House jointly bagged the second position in the competition. The Indian solo singing competition Alaap where Dhruv Pargai of IIIT Delhi sang the winning song. Vaishnavi Tyagi of Hansraj College and Lakshay Kapoor of Ramanujan College got jointly awarded the first runner up in the competition.

Picturesque, punchy and unabashedly stylish, the five colleges that participated in Crossroad’s Inferno, the Fashion Show, definitely made an impression. Judged by Harsh Khullar and Ashmita Jaiswal, Kamla Nehru College emerged victorious in this battle of the trends with the likes of fashion societies from Maitreyi, Keshava Maha Vidyalaya, SSSGC and GNIOT providing stiff competition. The overriding trend seemed to be dark lipshades and eccentric outfits. However, Glitz,the Fashion Society of KNC stole the show with its performance on the theme ‘Savage Mind’ in shades of blue, black and grey. This event was undoubtedly a feast for the eyes.

The MTV Campus Diaries Dancemob Faceoff started off with some power packed performances and energetic beats. Judged by the iconic Salman Khan, former winner of Dance India Dance, his personal commentary carried the entire event and inspired the teams to give some killer performances. He also joined one of the teams on stage for a little jig.

Participants included a total of 13 teams, but Zeal, the Western Dance Society of Maitreyi College bagged the winners’ cheque for Rs 50,000. A night promised to be full of excellent dancing and good music, this event definitely set the tone for the rest of the night. 

The night closed with a crowd-pumping performance by DJ Rave Crave, who mixed up various dance and EDM numbers to make the crowd groove to the beats!

Anagha Rakta
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Radhika Boruah
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Anahita Sahu
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Feature Image by Sahil Chauhan for DU Beat
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Campus Central

Armaan Malik mesmerises SRCC on Day 2 of Crossroads’17!

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The second day at this latest installment of Shri Ram College of Commerce annual cultural fest, Crossroads 2017, opened up with one of the most sought after events of the four-day fiesta with Raqus, the western choreography competition. In a tight sequence of dance showdowns, six participating teams from across the university came up with their maximal performances. The result of this event comes up later today.

To tickle the funny bones and stir up the comedic temperatures of the cultural fest, the Choreo Competition was followed by a Stand-Up Comedy Competition. With jokes and puns spilled over the lawn, varying in their laugh-o-meter scale, the event was a successful entertainment gig. The day also provided a platform for other talents of creativity to thrive, with the Ad-making and Short film making Competitions, and brought forward all shades of innovation and ideation!

The sine wave of the excitement at the second day at Crossroads crashed to new crests with the enthralling performance for the night by Armaan Malik. Currently one of the most popular Indian singer, this ‘Main hoon hero tera‘ fame came up with his top numbers one after another much to the delight of the enthralled crowd. With a playlist which included songs like Kabira, Wajah Tum Ho and Besabriyaan, Armaan Malik signed off the second day at Crossroads’17 at SRCC at the highest note possible.

Anagha Rakta
[email protected]

Saumya Kalia
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Nikhil Kumar
[email protected]

 

Feature Image by Kartik Kher

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Campus Central

Lost Stories and DJ CHETAS take SRCC by storm at Day 1, Crossroads 2017!

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With a palpable energy and anticipation running high, Shri Ram College of Commerce’s annual cultural fest, Crossroads, certainly brought the beat back with a confluence of enthralling performances and a colourful ambience. As the degree of the crowd pouring in amplified with every hour, the exhilaration levels were also met with satiation and pleasure.
The first-day kick started with Thirakh, the Western Dance Competition, which witnessed the energising performances by a motley of colleges. With a participation of eleven teams, each offering strong contention, the event was adjudged by the very famous, Desi Hoppers. Maitreyi College’s Zeal bagged the first award for their engaging moves, followed by Shri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce’s Misba.
After announcing the results, Desi Hoppers, the Mumbai-based dance crew who represented India at the World of Dance Championship, grooved on stage with the winning teams and addressed the audience.
As the sun set, the fahrenheit rose at Crossroads’17. The  EDM artist ‘Lost stories’ led the crowd into a frenzy as he came up with leading numbers one after the other. The jam-packed audience were on their toes throughout the hour as the DJ came up with chart toppers like ‘Closer’, ‘Boulevard of broken dreams’, ‘Yellow’ and ‘Bang Bang’ tuned to their best beats.
‘Lost Stories’ led the way to the awaited star of the night, DJ Chetas. Constantly ranked as one of the leading DJs globally,  he set the energy of the house to newer levels as he started with latest bollywood and global chartbusters  like ‘Kala Chasma’ and ‘Cheap thrills’. The crowd cheered throughout as followed next all time bollywood blockbusters like ‘Oh ho jaane jaane’, ‘Buleya’ and ‘Naadan Parindey’. The DJ concluded with a soulful streak finally ending  with ‘Channa Mereya’, marking the end of the first day at SRCC Crossroads.

Anagha Rakta
[email protected]

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

Nikhil Kumar
[email protected]

 

Feature Image by Kartik Kher for DU Beat

 

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School of Open Learning SOL

SOL Students protest against ‘mode of learning’ mention on degrees

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UGC

The students of Delhi University’s School of Open Learning (SOL) protested outside the office of University Grants Commission (UGC) in opposition to a UGC directive which deems specification of the ‘mode of learning’ on the degrees awarded by it.

The students demanded a roll back of this directive calling it to be a ‘devaluation’ of their degrees.  UGC had issued guidelines to make mentioning of “Mode of Delivery” compulsory on documents issued to correspondence students, including their degrees.

According to the UGC, this move has been taken “in order to erase ambiguities between conventional mode degrees and ODL mode degrees.”

Harish Gautam, member of Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, which is an association of SOL students said, “Those pursuing correspondence courses in different open universities across the country come from disadvantaged and marginalised sections of society.” Further, arguing that such a decision would decrease their already dismal chances of getting good jobs or admissions in regular post-graduate courses of different universities, since mentioning mode of delivery would mean that their degrees will be treated inferior to those pursued through regular mode.

The students have also submitted a memorandum to the UGC demanding the annulment of the UGC guideline.

Image credits: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Aditya Narang

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DUB Speak

Why Hype over Hollywood and International Awards?

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It’s commonly said that Bollywood makes movie stars and Hollywood makes star movies.

Bollywood and Hollywood rule hearts of billions of movie-buffs worldwide. Despite various similarities, both the movie industries draw their inspiration from varied sources, which provide basic ideas for commencing with a celluloid venture. Indians are always shy when it comes to comparison between Hollywood and Bollywood. Now, it’s fair to say that Bollywood is behind Hollywood when it comes to experimenting with a variety of genres. India has been making films for a hundred years; getting started just ten years later than America. Storytelling is a craft as much as anything else.  So is screenwriting.

As the film industry grows, so does the list of film festivals and awards ceremonies across the globe. What better way to spend two to three hours of your day than to watch a masterfully-written movie? From the good old movies to today’s featured flicks, film industry has something for everyone. From the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Cannes Film Festival in France to International Indian Film Academy Awards, there is an awards ceremony for various types of films. There are awards distributed by critics, the festival and industry professionals as well as the general public. But here comes another comparison between the Hollywood award shows and the Indian award shows. First, Hollywood is inclusive of films and artists from all around the world which tends to be encouraging for the artists for being recognized in a global platform. But, as the trend goes with awards of Indian Cinema, most of them include Bollywood actors only.

Of lately, Indian viewers have turned to appreciating Hollywood and to tuning to International Award shows to keep track of the best films released globally. Hollywood studios put out between 200-250 movies a year and own 85% of the world market share, while Indian movie industry puts out about 1000 movies and has 4% market share. This is not to say Hollywood always makes better movies than Indian industries.  It just means Hollywood is able to tell more universal stories. Not one Indian movie has been a mainstream movie that audiences all over the world have flocked to see.  Every year, Hollywood puts out a handful that the whole world, basically, pays to watch.  If a comparison is to be made standing on neutral ground, Indian film makers rarely venture out to tell universal stories that everybody in the world can understand. Thus, Indian viewers in the present time have turned to Hollywood as a large part of Indian Cinema is about conventional song and dance sequences whereas Hollywood rarely follows the trend of relying on music heavily, except for a few movies and it drives its motivation from a diverse set of emotional, fictional and non-fictional subjects with a universal appeal. Bollywood in general is a genre as recognised by the world but, Hollywood is a style. Also, B-Town actors like Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone are creating news because they got into Hollywood. It is an achievement to enter Hollywood. Is it true vice-versa? Not really.

Image credits: india.com

Radhika Boruah

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Uncategorized

Season of Boards: Remembrances of a Vexing Time

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Boards

Sleepless nights, daily bouts of anxiety, and a fearful anticipation of what is to come: remember what the month of March meant back in your 12th grade?

If I were a time lord from Gallifrey and possessed the ability to cross the barriers of space and time, in no universe would I choose to relive the daunting experience the Central Board of Secondary Education nefariously termed as the Board examinations (assuming other worlds had this system). All students undergo the privilege of viewing these examinations in precisely three lenses: the early stages of 12th grade where the idea of taking the ‘most important’ examinations in one’s life is spiced up in all shades of worry, undergoing the boards in real time, and reflecting back on the turbulent period with retrospection.

The beginning of the last year of high school sets the anticipation for the next twelve months, structured with incessant study warnings and cycles of mock tests. As months’ pass, the degree of nostalgia and affinity harboured towards the school premises begins to grow, for the latter has been the platform of a million memories. This fusion of fond remembrances and anxious forebodings forms the crux of the second half of the academic session. Enter phase two, when the month of March brings with itself an endearing spring and a haunting set of examinations. This period may be looked in different ways; for some may approach the Boards with a sense of stoicism and ‘come what may happen’ attitude, and some may enter the halls with trepidation and uneasiness. A trend which has been observed by batches alike is the relative directness in the way questions are framed in Boards. Our preparation often conditions us to try diverse questions to become accustomed to handling a variety, so the real question paper might not seem all that difficult. Five/six examinations and innumerable panic attacks later, there comes a brief period of relief before the college hunt begins (days of relaxation and nothingness must wait!) where their culmination would be absorbed, and a final farewell to the portals of the school must be bid. School farewell and scribble days are two pillars which sustain one’s sanity amidst the chaos, don’t they?

Months and semester later, when we’re engulfed in a life of SGPAs, attendance issues, society frolic, and celebrating with friends new and old, the events of our respective Board years are fresh in our memories as another batch prepares to take the exams this week. All the anxious fears of the heart which believed that a month would define their futures now stand in question; for the results, do have a slight bearing on where one goes to college. But what one chooses to make out of the opportunities is individually-tailored. After receiving abundant advice on the dos and don’t(s) for this season, here’s a reality check for the soon to be pass outs: There must be a feeling which is spilling across your body, mind, and soul right now. I remember the waves of anxiety and incessant worry cycles which shall overturn you till the very end of this examination cycle. I remember the restlessness, the expectations, and the fear of failing. Days and hours later, you shall be beginning the journey you have been preparing for the past year. Wrapped up in a veil of terror and overhyped anticipation, the reality is far less scary. This month will end before you know, and each examination will be a success story if you don’t let the fear grip your heart.

Be prepared, be brave, and be ready!

Image Credits: Outlook India

Saumya Kalia

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DUB Speak

Is Delhi Ready for Long Bike Rides?

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Last year, app-based two-wheeler taxi services such as Bikxie (in Gurgaon) and Baxi (Faridabad) were launched as effective means of easing congestion on the roads, providing commuters with an alternative to cabs and buses in the NCR (National Capital Region). While the reactions there have already been noted, Delhi still reels under heavy traffic and relies on cab services primarily. The app keeps a track of the route and distance covered, alongside the calculation of fare, working along the lines of a taxi’s metre machine. They also come with women drivers in many instances. So how does the student community react to the idea of such a scheme? Should it be inaugurated in Delhi too?

“Bikes and scooters are definitely more convenient. They will help with the Delhi traffic as well. But at the same time, one’s comfort level has to be kept in mind. I don’t think many people would be open to the idea of riding on a bike with a stranger. It’s not the same thing as travelling in a cab,” says Srishti Kapil, a student of Sri Venkateswara College, originally from Chandigarh. Another student from Lady Shri Ram College, however, sees no issues with the scheme if an equal number of women drivers were to be made available with a choice between drivers for each commuter.

Responses have been varied and wide-ranging, with some warming up to the idea and others absolutely rejecting it. There is, of course, also the issue of safety and necessity. While the app’s tracking feature makes it safe, it is not available on all operating systems. It is not available for Windows phones, which makes it inaccessible for several commuters. But the same could be said for several apps for cab-based four-wheeler services as well. In the case of Baxi, for instance, it is even possible to bypass the app and hail a bike directly, if the driver is not plying on any route and is standing free. Then there is the question of whether Delhi needs such a service in the first place. Several students also pointed out that with a robust public transport system, connectivity is not a major issue in the capital. According to them, with autos and cabs already plying on the roads unlike in the NCR, most of the parts of the city are well-connected. Besides, the Delhi Metro has been making in-roads rapidly too. The idea, however, is no doubt unique and one the capital could perhaps use as an alternative to cabs so as to cover shorter distances if not the longer stretches.

Image credits: Hindustan Times

Deepannita Misra
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DUB Speak

Why it is important to come out for protests

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Delhi University has seen a fair share of protests and marches in the past few weeks. While a huge section of the student community enthusiastically participated in rallies, another section chided the protesters for wasting their time and energy. If you happen to fall in the latter group and hold disdain for demonstrations, allow me to convince you otherwise.Here are five reasons why it is important to come out for protests:

1. Protests bring attention to issues and help drive the narrative forward. Media coverage keeps the issues at the forefront and makes people aware. The bigger the crowd, the better is the exposure. Therefore, it’s important to participate in protests rather than just click ‘Like’ on Facebook, as at the end of the day authorities only take cognizance when there are a huge number of people involved.

2. Protests often result in forging solidarities across different backgrounds and even ideologies. Such consolidation unites people against a common enemy and gives strength to the movement.

3. It’s better to attend a parade, rather than complaining and doing nothing. Surely, there are more effective ways of expressing dissent, but sometimes strikes and rallies are the only options left when all other attempts are met with apathy.

4. Protests inspire positive social change. Historically, all radical advancements have been achieved by sustained strikes and sit-ins. It was because of civil disobedience that we won our civil rights.

5. Protests strengthen representative democracy by enabling direct participation of the masses in public affairs. Basically, demonstrations display democracy in action.

I know, many of us maintain distance when it comes to our involvement in political campaigns. One major reason for such behavior is a simple notion that considers activism futile and inconvenient, but we live in times when we can’t afford our conveniences or the luxury of remaining apolitical. As much as we would like to believe otherwise, the fact is that all our personal problems are political problems as well. Politics is directly deciding our future, so it’s only logical to challenge the politics that distorts our social fabric. If we don’t dissent and remain indifferent then we’ll be guilty of complicity.

Niharika Dabral
[email protected]

Image Credits: jeanbarker.wordpress.com

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Top Picks

4 Reasons why the ‘WhatsApp Status Update’ is not a boon

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If a month ago someone had harmlessly proposed the idea born out of wishful thinking about WhatsApp diversifying into other domains of social media, I would have dismissed it as one of those redundant demands of a ‘dislike’ or an ‘I don’t care’ button for Facebook. But, when the morning/afternoon/evening of a sorrowful day brought the doomed ‘WhatsApp Status Update’ icon on our screens, minds were baffled and curses were directed towards WhatsApp for this unprecedented change. We give you 4 reasons why the new status feature is being subjected to the dislike of the world!

1.Adds to the Social Media Dilemma

Snapchat pioneered the convenient trend of uploading a story for 24 hours, sending it to a certain person, and the permanent (at least we’d hope so!) removal of the said picture/video from our mobile screens. Instagram hoping to grab a bite of Snapchat’s cake went on to introduce the Insta Story feature on its platform, leaving the users in confusion concerning what to put where. With WhatsApp releasing something similar, the dilemma stands escalated.

2.Transition into Visual Portrayal

Gone are the days where the bandwidth of your state of mind would be represented by a poetic combination of words, for, the ‘Status Update’ conditions you to post a picture/video/GIF/sketch to be the prime message. The same can be captioned with a message, but the focus falls on the visuality of what is being posted. All those soulful quotes or guessing the emotional state of a person will now fade away into stories of nostalgia.

3.The Lifeline of a ‘Status’

Earlier versions of ‘WhatsApp Status’ were time-absolute. The idea of changing it because the clock said so was never a worry; people even proudly had the ‘Hey there! I am using WhatsApp’ as their status for months and years on. But this pale version of a Snapchat-like update imposes a vexing time restriction of 24 hours. If a picture or a video appeals to us, its validity shall be hexed by WhatsApp within the period of a day.

4.The Sheer Needlessness

Change is synonymous with growth and success, accepted. But, not all change is desirable and needed by society. The masses were content with the voice and video call updates WhatsApp endeavoured to provide, but to give a similar feature as is already known to us reduces its worth, and leaves us with an app we have begun to whine about!

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

Image Credits: The Indian Express

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