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Cultural Festivals

Highlights from Ullas 2017 at Kamala Nehru College

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Ullas, Kamala Nehru College’s annual cultural fest, being held on 22nd and 23rd March 2017, began with a power-packed morning. There was an air of hustle bustle, along with several attendees who gathered within the college premises to give this much anticipated fest an energetic start.

The fest was inaugurated by Ms. Shikha Sharma, the CEO of Axis Bank and accompanied by the Principal, Dr. Kalpana Bhakuni. The inauguration consisted of lighting the lamp, followed by a keynote address by the chief guest and the Principal. After the fest was declared open, a variety of cultural events were all set to take place and enthral the audiences.

The enthralling western dance competition, Indian solo and group dance competition, and Indian choir competition were amongst the most popular events on the first day. The solo and group Indian classical dance event, hosted by Nupur, the Indian dance society of Kamala Nehru College, was one of the first events wherein the audience witnessed mesmerising dances from across the nation, be it Oddisi or Mohiniattam. The Indian music society of Kamala Nehru College, Sangeetika, held the Indian choir competition, which was a treat to the ears for all those who attended this musical morning consisting of ragas and taals. A thrilling event as always, the western dance competition had the entire auditorium packed to the brim, with students cheering for the participating teams. As the teams grooved along to catchy renditions of popular songs, the performances were a major hit.

indian-folk-dance ullas-winners indian-choir western-dance-competition

Day 1 ended with three musical performances by a number of celebrities. First, Hamsa Band got the audience all geared up and had them singing along to their renditions of popular Bollywood songs. Some of these included latest hits such as “Humma Humma” as well as some nostalgic numbers like “Hum Kis Galli Jaa Rahe Hain”.

Next up, Dhruv Sangari started the Sufiana Night with dim lights and soft sounds. After his soothing performance, the day was finally concluded by a performance from the renowned Nizami Brothers, who left the audience feeling calm and relaxed after such a full day. Ullas 2017 was off to a great start on its first day!

The second day of the annual cultural fest of Kamala Nehru College, Ullas’17, started off with the incredible performances of the Western Music Choirs of various colleges in the event Rhythm and Blues hosted by Zephyr, the Western  Music Society of Kamala Nehru College. Nrityakriti, a choreography competition curated by Adagio, the choreography society of Kamala Nehru College saw the participation of DU’s most exuberant dance creations which revolved around socially charged themes.

LaVogue, a fashion show competition organised by Glitz, the Fashion society of Kamala Nehru College saw glamour, poise and style of the best kind. The warm afternoon witnessed excited spirits with the electrifying performances exhibited at the Bass Drop, the band competition. The event saw motley of genres entertaining the crowd.

The musical high was carried forward by DJ Mash and Monkey Junk with the EDM evening. With groovy renditions, the contemporary hits mixed with adrenaline pumping beats were thoroughly enjoyed by the audience.

The two-day extravaganza pulled its curtains with the charged crowd dancing to the much-anticipated Star Night with the famous singer, Jubin Nautiyal, of ‘Humma Humma Again’ fame. As Ullas 2017 came to a close, the crowd exuberantly grooved towards the culmination of an enthralling fest.

Featured Image Credits: Sahil Chauhan for DU Beat

Saumya Kalia
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Vineeta Rana
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Joyee Bhattacharya
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Niharika Dabral
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Radhika Boruah
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The Auburn Umbrella

FAREWELL 101: Auburn helps you decode the farewell fashion conundrum!

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My earliest encounter with a saree was in twelfth standard. This was for the farewell. In the immediate period, running up to this grand day, I recall how one seemingly innocuous piece of clothing became the sole purpose of my existence; so much so that my priorities were drastically reorganised- acing the boards became second in importance to finding that perfect saree!

Three years later, I am faced by a similar fix: My college farewell is a month away and the challenge to look like an absolute diva (yes, I have great expectations from myself!) is upon me. Only this time, the task has become harder with time, age and the inimitable significance of the occasion.

Given the extreme importance that we as individuals and society connote to this single, most vital, mega celebration, it’s important we are absolutely on point on D-day when it comes to turning out to the best of our potential. ‘The Auburn Umbrella’ thus, presents to you a fuss-free guideline on how to rock your farewell: the attire, the make-up, and the works!

A. ‘Old is Gold’, and we’re not just talking wine
If you dream of turning heads and leaving an indelible mark with your saree, then wear something that you already own, or better yet, steal something from your mother’s wardrobe. If you buy something that Lajpat and Sarojini Nagar shop owners will sell you as ‘trending’, then chances are that you’ll end up looking like the next girl, who probably also fell for the same marketing trap. Heirloom clothing is indeed, unique and beautiful.

B. Give the salon a skip
Salons are like factories: they turn the fresh-looking and raw Plain Janes into made-to-order porcelain dolls. If you want your make-up to bring out your best features, do it yourself at home. Bring out your A-game and let originality and distinctiveness do the talking!

C. Go easy on the height
I’m short and I love my highest pair of heels. But, I’m not an idiot. Donning a saree in heels could send a clutz like me to the emergency room in a jiffy. So I’m going to stove away these insanely high pair of stilettos for another day, when I just have to sit and look pretty. Instead, I’ll opt for medium length heels, which will give me a decent elevation and comfort. My sincere advice: so should you!

D. Get the pose right
Alright, this might sound a little presumptuous. But even the prudes are allowed a field day when they can give in to social convention and pose for the paparazzi. To ensure that you have decent photographs from this ‘oh-so-important day’, practice a couple of your profiles (side, centre, upside down-whatever works for you!) before the actual day. Ugly mug shots just won’t do!

E. Keep Breathing!
Although I cannot stress the importance of farewell appearances enough, I do advocate that you reign in your OCD tendencies before you let them ruin your (and effectively everyone else’s) evening. So stay calm and keep breathing!

5906e6d53f6cd8a4c394c44be6697c91
Kriti Sharma
[email protected]

Feature image credits: WordPress.com
Image credits: Pinterest.com

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Hindu College

Colleges Under University of Delhi Planning to Seek Autonomous Status

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A few prestigious institutions under the University of Delhi, namely, St. Stephen’s College, Hindu College, Ramjas College, Shri Ram College of Commerce and colleges run by theDelhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, have expressed the desire of achieving a deemed university status. The proposals are at very initial stages, but if granted, these colleges will have the power to formulate their own rules and fee structures which will not adhere to the functioning of Delhi University.

The matter was raised in the governing body meeting of Hindu college, and it was declared that in later stages if a college wants a deemed university status, they must have an ‘A grade’ accreditation under NAAC for 3 consecutive years. A senior university official stated, “Few colleges like SRCC, Stephen’s, Ramjas, Hindu and the ones run by the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee want deemed university status. The Union Human Resource Development Ministry has also formulated some norms for providing more autonomy to colleges but deemed status will give them complete freedom of functioning on their own”. It has been speculated that if this status is granted to any of these colleges, they will not be bound by any of the rules and regulations of Delhi University, and thus there will be no need to seek sanctions from the University for any decision. Despite of all these proposals, it has also been speculated that the Student Unions of these colleges might oppose this move because the college will then have a liberty of deciding their own fee structure, and thus there might be a price hike in the fee which would make affordability a great reason of concern for many students.

St. Stephen’s College has already been in a tussle with the University of Delhi for the past couple of years regarding an autonomous status. Attempts to reach out to the Student Union of the college for their comments were unsuccessful.

 

By Joyee Bhattacharya ([email protected])

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Daulat Ram College

Daulat Ram College Organises Annual Sports Day

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The day before Manjari, the annual cultural fest of Daulat Ram College, saw a Sports Day be conducted. It started off with the entry of the chief guest, Dr. Kuljeet Kaur, who is an athletics champion and alumni of the college, and the Principal, Ms Savita Roy. A round of felicitations then took place, with the chief guest, the Principal, and the organising teachers being recognised. This was followed by recognition and appreciation of the students who excelled in the previous Sports Day. Their hard work was applauded while they were received by a warm welcome from the crowd.

The actual event was an exciting affair, with wide participation from not only the students, but also the teachers. Most surprisingly, even the Principal took part in a couple informal events, which truly lent an element of fun to the occasion. Some of the races included classic favourites such as frog race, spoon race, and three-legged race. Such events brought everyone back to their elementary school days, when these races were the highlight of the school year. Apart from this, there were the usual formal sports events. These included distance races such as the 100m race, long jump, and so on.

Once the competitive events were concluded, there was an awards ceremony where all the winners were presented with their prizes. All in all, the day concluded on a note of laughter and excitement, and got both the students and teachers all hyped up for Manjari in the consequent days. It was a successful event that left everyone with a high.

Feature Image: Daulat Ram College Cricket Team

Vineeta Rana
[email protected]

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Dyal Singh College

Expressions 2017: Annual Stage Play Festival of Dyal Singh College (M)

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Expressions

Astitva – The Dramatics Society of Dyal Singh College (M) organized Expressions’17: The Annual Stage Play Festival on 24th and 25th March, 2017. The preliminary round of Expressions’17 was held on 10th March, 2017 in which about 35 teams of various colleges auditioned. The two-day stage play festival saw the best 10 stage play productions out of the 35. The Judges for the festival were Sweety Ruhail – Theatre practitioner, director designer and a graduate from National School of Drama (NSD) who had worked with Kingdom of Dreams in past and Rajesh Nirmal – Ex Member of Kirori Mal college’s Dramatics Society, Masters from Hyderabad University in Design in Direction, Professional writer of Takseem which was performed at Constitution Club.

Maitreyi College’s 'Daag-e-Daaman'
Maitreyi College’s ‘Daag-e-Daaman’

The first day of the festival kick-started with Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS) stage play – A Shaggy Dog Story which tugged at the heartstrings of the audience with its simple yet, inspiring story of 15 year old boy suffering from Asperger’s syndrome. The visual treat continued as College of Vocational studies (CVS) presented Play That Goes Wrong, an epitome of ‘comedy of errors’ where Abhas Sharma from CVS managed to earn Best Actor accolade. Next in line was Maitreyi College’s Daag-e-Daaman, a play which rightly earned a Special Mention by the judges for unfettering the women issues and busting out the misogynistic undertones in our so called technologically advanced and modern times. Kirori Mal College’s – The Curious Incident of a Dog in the Nighttime, an adaptation of the novel by Mark Haddon and based on the script by Simon Stephens was staged next. Day 1 of the festival wrapped up with Hindu College’s – There Stands Another, a play which beautifully portrayed the relationship of two people.

Tsering lhamo of SGTB Khalsa in The Bear
Tsering lhamo of SGTB Khalsa in ‘The Bear’

Day 2 of Expressions began with SGBT Khalsa’s – The Bear in which Tsering Lhamo won the Best Actress Award for her performance. Following this was Delhi College of Arts and Commerce’s (DCAC) – Gasha, a play which represented the childhood innocence amidst kashmiriyat, CRPF,RAW, AFSPA and the consequent bloodshed. Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s (M) stage play – In Love With Shauhardh, an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ was staged next and Shubham Chaudhary received a Special Mention from the judges for his performance. Kirori Mal College’s – Pillowman, a dark comedy which asks some hard-hitting questions about the usurpation of rights and freedom while asking “if the pen is really mightier than the sword?” Pillowman won the Best Direction for its spectacular direction which glued the audiences to its seats till the very end. Expression’17 ended on a high note with Ramjas College’s Stage Play – Evam Indrajit which focussed on the existentialist question. Overall, Expression’17 brought myriad range of emotions and great performances on one stage, concocting an unforgettable experience for the audiences which left them asking for more.

 

Image Credits: Xposure – The Photography Society of Dyal Singh College, Morning.

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Indraprastha College for Women

Signs 2017- The Annual English Literary Festival of IPCW

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IPCW

The English Literary Society of Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW) organized its Annual English Literary Festival- Signs 2017 on 21st and 22nd March, 2017. The event being divided over two days included many events including competitions, talks, poetry reading etc. With celebrated guest speakers, the Literary Event was attended by students and teachers from across the University.

“Windows and Frames”, the annual theme for the English Literary Society, the first day included a paper presentation competition, where undergraduate students from across the University presented diverse perspectives on the given theme. With discussions varying from voyeurism to Chiaroscuro, the event saw a sea of ideas flowing in. From among the various papers presented, Muskan Nagpal and Ishan Mahendru from Hansraj College bagged the first and second prize respectively, while the third prize was won by Sumedha Anand from IPCW. The day proceeded by boosting the spirits of all the Potter Heads, through the Harry Potter Quiz where the all the fans of the series competed to prove their fandom.

The second day commenced with the release of the English Literary Society’s Annual Journal – Inkspill by the college’s Principal, Dr. Babli Moitra Saraf. Congratulating the Society and the English Department of the College on the release of the Journal, the Principal addressed the audience and threw light upon all the events organized by the society throughout the year. The address was followed by a heart warming poetry reading session by the famous Poet, Teacher and Lover, Hoshang Merchant. The poet being the author of numerous poetry books and the first gay anthology – Yaraana: Gay Writings from India captivated the audience by his poetry. Next was a talk by Ms. Sheela Reddy, the author of the book, Mr and Mrs Jinnah- The Marriage That Shook India. The author, being an active Journalist shared with audience her experience of writing the novel while peeping into the old and forgotten history of Jinnah. The event closed by a slam poetry competition organized in the College’s beautiful lawns. The event wrapped up with a vote of thanks.

Priyal Mahtta

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 Image Credits: Tamanna Rafique from IPCW

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Events

Taarunya ’17, National Youth Convention attracts intellectual minds from all over the country

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Zakir HUssain college

National Service Scheme (NSS) Unit, Zakir Husain College, University of Delhi organized its Second Annual National Youth convention Taarunya ’17 on March 23. It was organized in the memory of Swami Vivekananda; forming the central theme.

The event started with exhibition of a brief documentary about NSS events held in college last year and Zakir Husain Delhi College to enlighten the audience. Student participation from various colleges across University of Delhi and beyond was highly enthusiastic. Distinguished guests Maj Gen (Retd) P.K. Saighal and Mr. Sumeet Awasthi, veteran journalist, Mr. Navin Agarwal, I.P.S., Director General of National Anti-Doping Agency and National Level Director cum Advisor NSS; Mr. Rakshit Tandon, Cyber Security Expert and Mr. Nitin Mandal, Stand-up Comedian proved pivotal for the promulgation of Taarunya.

Speaking at the inauguration, NSS Program Officer Mr. Mukesh Kumar Jain stimulated the dynamic audience to embed the spirit of serving the society. Dr. R. Prabhakar Rao, College Principal, emphasized the importance of environment sustainability and cleanliness for the progress of our nation.

Sumeet Awasthi, the first speaker of the day filled the room with his positivity and inspired the youth to not only become the torch bearers of the country but also to become better human beings. He talked about the importance of social organisations in the country and applauded the NSS team of the college for the remarkable contribution to the society.

P.K. Saighal, talked about the various achievements of the youth in the field of science. He encouraged the youth to tap into their unrealised potential and take the country to the next level. He re- emphasized the vision of Swami Vivekananda and made the youth believe that the sun will never set on India if the youth never gives up. He gave various examples and made the youth believe that nothing is impossible if you set your mind to.

Mr. Nitin Mandel, Stand Up Comedian was well acclaimed by one and all.

Mr Navin Aggarwal, I.P.S., who served forseveral years in Jammu and Kashmir discussed the issues faced by the youth particularly in the state. He brought the perception of youth of different states to the convention and discussed the various social issues.

Mr Rakshit Tandon, the last speaker of the day not only brought great amount of knowledge but also filled the room with smiles and laughter. He imparted great amount of awareness amongst the youth about cyber crime and much needed security and instilled a sense of responsibility in the youth of today.

The event saw large presence of the youth who were keen to gain knowledge and inspiration from speakers. It proved beyond doubt that young minds are also willing to participate in the societal issues of the current age.

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Top Picks

Binging on Riverdale: A Review

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Riverdale, a name which brings back memories of the time when we somehow first got our hands on the beloved Archie comics and binged on the famous love triangle between Archiekins, Betty and Veronica, as they sat at Pop Tate’s devouring one milkshake with three straws! The Riverdale we knew paints a very pretty picture of a happy and content town which doesn’t seem to get itself into much trouble, except when it was Jughead eating more burgers than usual!

However, in 2017, most of us are rediscovering a new meaning of the term Riverdale. The new Riverdale still has the same characters, but with a dark past and a seemingly dark future. Now, the Riverdale of our childhood memories is Riverdale, an American teen drama television series based on the characters of Archie comics. The plot of this sitcom gravitates away from how we envision Riverdale and attributes the characters with traits which we do not imagine them ever to possess.

For instance, we grew up knowing this about the Lodges: Veronica and her comically strict father, Hiram Lodge live a lavish life at the Lodge Estates; Hiram is constantly trying to keep Archie and Reggie away from Veronica’s fancy.But now, we are presented with a scenario in which Hiram Lodge is jailed for fraud and embezzlement andVeronica lives with her mom (whom we never knew of), Hermione Lodge.

Archie is the only character in the sitcom that places a sense of similarity with the comic book character, as he is still a ladies’ man trying to juggle his busy life. However, Archie seems to have developed a keen interest in music and wants to keep himself close to his guitar (along with Ms. Grundy!). Betty is still a sweet, smart, eager-to-please and beautiful, with a long time crush on her best friend, Archie. She is tired of being the perfect daughter, student and sister, giving her a hidden personality, which contains itself with anger and resentment against her brittle mother. However, the most interesting character is Jughead, played by Cole Sprouse, the narrator of the series. He is a philosophically bent heartthrob, who was once the best friend of Archie. He is shown to still be dealing with the agony of the rift that came between them. His father is the leader of a local motorcycle gang called the Southside Serpents. All hell breaks loose in Riverdale when Jason Blossom is found dead in a lake, right after going boating with his sister, Cheryl Blossom on the 4th of July.

The sitcom features characters like Reggie, Moose, Josie and Dilton Doiley who are placed in personas unlike themselves and in situations which are very hard to decipher. The new Riverdale is a dystopian and dark version of the Riverdale we once knew, and it has everyone eagerly waiting for new development on the existing storyline.

Boy! Are we hooked yet?

 

Image Credits: slashfilm.com

Joyee Bhattacharya
[email protected]

 

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QWERTY

O for Oreo? Android O is the new 8.0 version!

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Google unveiled the latest version of its mobile operating systems code named ‘Android O’ on 21st March, 2017. The new design of the OS is aimed at improving battery life and the interactive performance of the device. The update puts restrictions on how apps run in the background. ‘Picture in picture’ (PIP) is the new feature that’ll be rolling out with the update. What that means is that a mobile user can watch a video while doing something else such as booking a cab or chatting with someone. Some other major highlights about the new OS update are :

1.BETTER NOTIFICATIONS

The notifications will come with snooze setting, wherein the user can set the time to deal with the notification later if they don’t want to deal with them at the moment. For instance, the user can select the snooze time from 15 minutes to 1 hour. Better control over handling the notifications will be provided to the user through the new notification ‘channels’. These channels will help user to have more control over notifications of storage and screenshots.

2.IMPROVED SETTINGS

The settings app has been revised completely. It’s much more condensed and about half as long as Android’s current version. It has been sectionalised more efficiently, providing a concise and logical view to the users. The colour scheme of the settings app has been changed to an all white theme, along with the icon as well.

3.SYSTEMS UI TUNER

The System UI Tuner has a new navigation bar. Users can do a lot of customisation on this: from selecting layout of the whole screen to adding two extra custom buttons on the bottom screen in addition to home, back and recent apps. These extra buttons will have three buttons : Clipboard, Keycode and Change Keyboard. Users can access all the text that they have recently saved via clipboard and change the keyboard they’re using with the other option. Keycode is a value in Android System to almost every input that the OS receives. This can range from buttons on keyboard to launching apps through the button click. The tuner also houses a lock screen customiser which will let the user to customise the apps to launch from the shortcuts on extreme ends at bottom of the screen. Possibilities range from opening Gmail on right swipe while unlocking to launching a game on left swipe.

There are many more exciting features that will be bundled in the update. Let’s hope it receives better response from the users than the ones before did!

Kavach Chandra
[email protected]

Image Credits: www.wikipedia.org

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