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AAW organises fundraiser for Kashmir flood victims

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Artist At Work Productions organised Pukaar, an event aimed at gathering funds for Jammu & Kashmir flood victims, at Dilli Haat, INA from 3rd to 7th October 2014.

The event bagged Rs.19,000 for the cause on day-one itself. On sale were paintings, donated by artists, which ranged from canvas paintings to Madhubanis and were priced between Rs.200 and Rs.3000. Besides donated paintings and photographs, products like kettles, bottles, bookmarks, badges and hand-made chocolate were also on sale. Other forms of art deployed at the event included live portrait-making and music, which was used to pull crowds at Dilli Haat. “Music can be used for entertainment and for the greater good at the same time,” said Kiratraj, a musician at AAW Productions.

The amount raised by the event surpassed Rs.1,00,000 by the end of the last day and will be sent entirely to Caritas India, an NGO, and will be used for relief purposes in Jammu & Kashmir.

DU Beat spoke to Kanika Agarwal, Director of Human Resource at AAW Productions, who recounted her experience of organising the event. “We got the approval to host the event in Dilli Haat merely 2 days before the event. We put in all our efforts and in the end it paid off. Hopefully our efforts will make a difference to lives,” she said.

Founded in 2013 by Rahul Maheshwari, a student of Hansraj College, AAW has organized numerous events for social causes in the past, shelter homes, under financed schools and the Uttarakhand flood tragedy to name a few.

Ishani Rajkhowa
[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

PVR bluO: Of bowling, beverages and gaming

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Are you looking for a place that treats you with a opulent menu, unprecedented deserts and a miscellany of cocktails and mocktails along with games like bowling and foosball with relaxation offered by a spa massage? PVR bluO at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon is the right place providing you with a perfect setting for get-together, quality family time or an unofficial business meeting.

DU Beat team recently visited their premise. The team enjoyed a hearty meal, a terrific bowling set, engaging video gaming trials, relaxing Spa sessions and much more. Our correspondents – Ishaan Gambhir, Iresh Gupta, Ishani Rajkhowa and Ishaan Sengupta share their experiences at PVR bluO!

PVR bluO, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon
PVR bluO, Ambience Mall, Gurgaon

Start with the tikkas and explore the drinks menu
– Starters and beverages at bluO

BluO offers a wide variety of alcoholic beverages along with a few regular non-alcoholic ones like ice-tea, aerated drinks and the mocktails with which we, the DUB team, started our tasting expedition. The drinks were a combination of innovation and flavour which were refreshing for our taste buds. The star of the lot was certainly “Sunday Morning” with its sudden bursts of sweetness and the right balance of mango. Trailing just behind was “Alaska Apple” which was quite unique for an apple drink. Do not judge it by the look though, behind the questionable appearance is a taste that will surely appeal to the taste buds.

The vegetarian appetizers ranged from Paneer tikkas (Chef’s recommendation) to Sandwiches and Chilli Paneer. The Garlic Bread basket contained four different types of toppings – Mushrooms, Tomato, Corns and Zucchini while the tikkas were quite savoury too. However, the plating itself takes the cake! The average price of the vegetarian appetisers’ section is Rs.249, the cheapest constituent being Quesadillas for Rs.199.

We started off with Californian Fish Fingers and Murg Malai Tikka. The malai tikkas, marinated in cream and cheese were juicy and tender and were easily passed as the tastiest dish we had during our time spent there. They were still on our minds while we were tasting other dishes making us desirous of ordering another portion (but we dropped the plan as we already had much on our platter!)
Fish fingers, the beer battered golden fried fish served on the bed on french fries took a back seat here as they didn’t complement the dip it was served with. The quality of fish and the way it was cooked forced us not to leave behind anything on the serving plate, but for a Rs.399 dish, we were’t satisfied. A standard non-vegetarian appetiser can be ordered here for Rs.349, fish appetisers naturally being the most pricey ones.

T20 : Cricket :: bluO : Bowling
-Gaming at bluO

The Manager introduced the DUB team to the USP of bluO with a quote –  “What T-20 has done to the sport of cricket in India, bluO has done the same to the sport of bowling!”


Welcome starters at Blu-O were accompanied by the vehement eagerness to bowl at India’s renowned bowling alley. Right after the chef’s savories, we moved towards the alley area to have a game of bowling. Accompanied by the right kind of music, bowling at Blu-o was the right activity to rejuvenate. With assisting staff and trainers right by the side of fresh bowlers and food delivered right at your bowling tables, Blu-O ensures its guests have a great time.

bluO's Bowling Rate Card
bluO’s Bowling Rate Card

Our team also ordered the main course food at the bowling tables, which we enjoyed partially with the game of bowling and then watching the ongoing T-20 matches. With the live screening of the ongoing games on AV screens, the ambience of the venue suits perfect to host all kinds of get together parties. However, the music collection may not suit the small number of people who just come to dine in at Blu-O as the peppy music just synchronizes well with the mood of gaming.

Apart from the 24 bowling alleys, Blu-O also offers Foosball gaming, Dart games, Air Hockey and Snooker, which makes it an ideal destination to de-stress and bond.

 You must be hungry again!
– World Cuisine and Dessert at bluO

For the main course, we decided to take the Italian route with Veg Alfredo White Sauce Pasta flavoured with Parmesan Cheese and 3 Cheese Pizza along with tasting the Chinese flavour of  Honey Chilli Potatoes, the honey and chilli proportions of which can be customized. BluO’s main course dishes are cheaper than its appetisers – the spread costed us Rs.1100, which in our opinion is reasonable. The food was satisfactory and the servings pretty generous as compared to other high-profile restaurants. The triple decker Chicken Classic Club Sandwich, again served with French Fries, was also our perfect companion at the bowling alley table when we were waiting for our respective turns. What made the dishes stand out was the beautiful presentation of the food. Portions were liberal.

Expect Servdeep Singh Malhotra, Executive Chef at PVR bluO, Gurgaon, to drop by at your table and ask for your opinion as well as help you choose your spread. The celebrity chef has been associated with Masterchef India and has an experience of 14 years.

Executive Chef, PVR bluO - Servdeep Singh of MasterChef India fame
Executive Chef, PVR bluO – Servdeep Singh of MasterChef India fame

Chef Servdeep, on discovering us clueless about our choice of dessert, presented us with fried Mexican Churros with chocolate sauce.  Churros is not a difficult dish to make, thus our focus was on the little efforts that go into cooking it and to our delight, we realized the little efforts had been emphasized on. The Churros were perfectly shaped and the amount of cinnamon and caster sugar was well balanced.

Would you like a  massage?
– Spa at bluO

After a lot that bluO offered us, we were really looking forward to try out the Spa. With no sound audible from the sold out crowd outside, the Spa Room was completely serene. Dimly lit with candles around, the place has a calm aura. The masseurs seemed exceptionally skilled in their ‘art’ of neck and back massage that we opted for. The room was well equipped with the customized seats for different kind of massage and hygiene was of top priority.

Looking for a personalized area?
– Lounges at bluO

Play Station Lounge
The premise also accommodates recently added Play Station Lounge in collaboration with Sony where one can experience latest games in the most suitable environment with closed space. The lounge also witnesses launch of new games which attracts a lot of crowd.

Customized Play Station Lounge at bluO
Customized Play Station Lounge at bluO

Platinum Lounge
With its high premium private areas, Platinum Lounge serves its special customers at Blu-O by providing spaces separate from the crowd with comfortable couches which  signifies embodiment of luxury.

Karaoke Lounge
Unlike other karaoke’s in Delhi, bluO offers a strictly sound-proof room and has a variety of sound tracks to offer ranging from Bollywood to western rock music. The spacious seats inside the room can accommodate up to eight people. The microphone and the sound system is of premium quality and the television provided us with lyrics in high definition. There is also an option of receiving food orders inside the karaoke room. We jammed to some Backstreet Boys while we munched on spicy potatoes with honey.

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DUB News

Economics dept. of Dyal Singh College hosts Campus Connect

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The Department of Economics, Dyal Singh College recently hosted Campus Connect, a TEDxGateway initiative in their college. The guest speaker was Mr Vicky Roy, a highly acclaimed international photographer.

Roy started off his speech by giving the students a glimpse into his early life and childhood. He seemed to remember every detail by heart, which he very generously and honestly shared. He had a very difficult upbringing and lived in a state of despair with his grandparents, from where he eventually ran away, ending up in Delhi. He stayed at a shelter home, lived on platforms, rag-picked and finally found himself under the solace of an NGO named  ‘Salaam Baalak Trust’. He matriculated and decided to pursue photography as a career because he wanted to explore the world. Under the guidance of various mentors, he traveled the world, understood the nuances of the skill and captured precious moments with his camera. His first job offered him a humble paycheck of Rs. 3000/- per month as an assistant to a Delhi-based photographer and soon he found himself achieving new heights on global platforms. He swept New York, Manhattan, Bahrain, London and every other corner of the world with his touching work and won many accolades. The way he talked truly reflected upon his humble and calm demeanor which took all of the students by awe.

Roy has successfully completed projects like ‘Street Dreams’ and ‘Home Street Home’ that have earned him wide popularity across the globe. He even photo-documented the reconstruction of The World Trade Center in New York City. Coming back to his home, Delhi, he established a  library consisting of books solely on photography as he aims to widen his reach to the younger, aspiring photographers who cannot afford these expensive books which his library provides free of cost.

At the end of his speech, students were given an opportunity to ask him questions which he readily answered, underlying his honest motive of earning a lot of money while traveling the whole world whilst changing people’s perceptions towards slum children, reflecting upon his story from rags-to-riches. This session was really inspiring and healthy, motivating the young audience to pursue their dreams.

Guest post by Kanika Kashyap

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Campus Central

DU kicks off Swachhata Abhiyaan, DUTA slams for cancelling holiday

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Untitled The programme began with the recital of ‘Ramdhun’ at 8.30 am after which the Deputy Dean Equal Opportunities Cell administered an oath to the gathering at Gandhi Bhawan. Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh launched the Abhiyan urging students and staff members to undertake the task of cleanliness themselves without depending on civic workers. He further urged the University to continue the campaign every week if not every day, for full five years. The gatheting consisted of about 750 students and teachers. The Abhiyan concluded for the day at St.Stephens College. South Campus also partook in the drive. In Motilal Nehru College, an oath was administered by the officiating Principal, Dr. J.N. Gupta, post which participants picked up a broom each and began cleaning the college. The bust of Motilal Nehru stationed in front of the gate was cleaned with water. A day earlier, a committee was formed to ensure cleanliness of the college throughout the year. Lady Shri Ram College, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College and Kamla Nehru College were among the off-campus participant college. The environment society of KNC, Green Beans Society, projected a presentation on cleanliness while the Indian dance society presented a Kathak performance. The Vice-Principal recounted the importance of the day and assigned various duties to departments for keeping the college clean in their plan of action. Meanwhile, Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) has accused the University of ‘maladministration’. The accusation came as a reaction to DU’s decision of cancelling a public holiday and making attendance compulsory for the cleaning drive. According to DUTA, the manner of issuing a ‘whimsical diktat’ demanding presence of teachers in their respective colleges on Gandhi Jayanti will reduce any serious effort to implement cleanliness to mere tokenism. The letter issued by the university administration included a copy of a letter from Ministry of HRD whose directions are, according to DUTA, “not ipso-facto applicable to university employees”. Ishani Rajkhowa [email protected]]]>

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Lady Shri Ram College for Women

At LSR, Nivedita Menon speaks on feminism- its language, purpose and myths

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“If you live marked as a man or marked as a woman, you live a life unmarked”.

Nivedita Menon came and captured the attention of one and all with her talk at Lady Shri Ram College on September 23. The discussion was organized by the Women’s Development Cell of the college and was primarily based her latest book, ‘Seeing Like a Feminist’.

Dr. Menon answered various questions about the ideology behind feminism. She said that feminism was scary because it dared one to look beyond the norms of the society and destabilized the established institutions of marriage and home. It made one’s life tougher but definitely more productive.

In course of the talk, feminism was addressed as a fierce tigress which could only be played with with utmost respect. Using education as an example, Nivedita Menon pointed to the paradoxical situation of 99% professors being male and 100% primary teachers being females, which showed how patriarchy has materialistic manifestations.

The fact that feminists don’t hate men was specified. It is the manifestations of patriarchy in individual men that they are against. Dr. Menon then spoke about the Hindu nationalist parties which are a threat towards feminism as they draw on the anxieties and fear of the society. She also added that she would be more worried about Islamist fundamentalism in predominantly Muslim countries as they could exercise more influence there.

She then took questions from the audience one of which was whether arranged marriage is equivalent to legalized prostitution? Pat came the reply that yes, in a way it was. She went on to say that on many grounds, marriage is worse as a married woman has sold her body to one man and has to take orders from the husband just for the security of his surname. The prostitutes on the other hand just sell their services at their will (mostly) and receive monetary benefits. She added that instead of legalizing prostitution, decriminalization is the way ahead.

Image Credits: crowdright.in
Ishita Sharma
[email protected]

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Uncategorized

An open letter to the leaders of India and Pakistan against nuclear weapons

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Here’s the open letter Global Zero released on the occasion of International Day for Elimination of Nuclear Weapons yesterday, on the 26th of September:

– See more at: http://www.globalzero.org/#sthash.UQagjNtz.dpuf

To Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef,

India and Pakistan, two nations, two identities but with one spirit, one culture and one desire to strive towards progress and peace. However it is not only our virtues but also our vices that make us one and the same. When it comes to our security, we are both nations with misplaced priorities. On this international day for the elimination of nuclear weapons, we ask you to revisit the inapt sense of security that the nuclear weapons have brought us as individual countries and as misunderstood neighbors.

Voicing the concerns of hundreds of young activists, volunteers, and leaders from India and Pakistan, we urge you to realize that amassing nuclear weapons will only lead to disaster, not military triumph. Some four decades ago, these weapons were acquired with the vision to enhance security and bring well being to the people of India and Pakistan. However, we have already faced each other multiple times since then, be it in 1987, 1990, 1998 (Kargil Crisis) or December 2001. All these instances have been periods of extreme tension between our countries, always shadowed by the impending doom of a nuclear war.

Each time, a catastrophic nuclear exchange between our two countries was narrowly averted. Four decades later, with a new generation, new ideas and new perspectives in place, we must question how safe these weapons really make us. We now have nuclear weapons that could cause 100 times the damage caused by the atom bombs used in Japan, which killed more than 200,000 in a blink of an eye. These shattering tragedies are not just historical events but portents of a possible future for any city, anywhere. Meanwhile, we spend less than 10-12% of our budgets on improving social welfare indicators like education, yet we spend billions developing weapons to trying to develop ways to prospectively destroy each other. We are a generation that does not need to cling to weapons that drain precious resources and assure our own annihilation. We ask you to lead the path to a nuclear-free world, which is a safe haven for our coming generations.

We are a group of volunteer leaders, advocates and concerned citizens who have all come together under the international movement for the elimination of nuclear weapons, called Global Zero, fighting for a nuclear-free world by 2030.

We both are nations with misplaced priorities, but we are also nations with an upcoming generation of leaders that truly believes that they can shift mentalities, break barriers and most importantly build bridges-not more nukes.

Yours Sincerely,
Global Zero leaders from India and Pakistan

Global Zero is an organization fighting for the elimination of nuclear weapons around the world. To know more about them, visit their website.

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Spo(r)tlight

DU teams shine on day 2 of Udghosh’14

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Udghosh, IIT Kanpur’s annual sport fest, is being held from 25th- 28th September this year. 2 days in, teams from Delhi University have performed very well! Here’s an update:

 

Udghosh_day2-4

 

DU teams won each of the following matches:

 

  • Basketball (boys)

Khalsa vs. IIT Kanpur (C)

Ramjas vs. Chitkara University, Chandigarh

  • Cricket

Sri Venkateswara  vs. Babu Banarasi Das, Lucknow

  • Volleyball

Ramjas vs. NIT Trichy

 

 

For more updates, visit Udghosh’s Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/UdghoshIITK

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DU Dhaba

College Canteens and Cafés around DU

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Gargi College

To the disappointment of many in and around Gargi college, the famous fruit juice is no more in the campus. But the delicious double layered “Tehelka” sandwich served in the Nescafe coffee shop saves the day for all the paneer lovers.

Gargi

 

Miranda House

Due to the college’s strict regulations, students from other colleges can seldom enter the Miranda House premises. Nevertheless, its canteen is known for its hygiene, decent facility and why not, the croissants at Nescafe.
Miranda House

 

Delhi School of Economics

Students from all over the campus would throng the DSE canteen, with its mutton dosa gaining popularity among non-vegetarians. JP Chai corner, located near the canteen’s entrance has the most popular tea on campus.

 

St. Stephens

At Stephens, they like to keep their menu interesting. Apart from the popular ‘Hot-Sams’, they have ‘G-Jams’ and ‘Sexy-Anda’ in their menu as well!

 

Lady Sri Ram College for Women

This quaint cosy café (Not ‘canteen’, mind you) offers a wide variety of lip smacking snacks for the non vegetarian junkies (Seekh Kabab, Chicken Pizza, Butter Chicken Naan etc.) to delicious vegetarian dishes (Masala Dosa and Paneer-Naan) being the most famous. They even have treats for the sweet toothed- Kulfis in at least 3 flavors and Chocolate Tarts.

LSR

Bharat Mohindru

[email protected]

 

Mugdha

[email protected]

Greta Khawbung

[email protected]

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Beyond the Obvious of Delhi University Colleges

Ram Lal Anand Evening College becomes Aryabhatta College 

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Ram Lal Anand Evening College has been renamed Aryabhatta College.

Aryabhatta College, the new addition to the long list of DU colleges, is located between Moti Lal Nehru College and Sri Venkateshwara College, adjacent to the South Campus. College is named after the Indian mathematician who invented zero and its location indeed is that of Ram Lal Anand College which is setting a path breaking example by shifting its evening slot including the RLA (E) students and staff members into a morning one.

Prof. Harish Dhawan from the Economics department says, “It is after 5 years of constant efforts that our dream of having a separate morning college is coming true. There was a lot of discussion and paperwork involved between the college and the UGC. The morning batch has to vacate the college premises early for the evening lot while the latter, especially girls, find it inconvenient to stay in the college till late. This deprives everyone of the opportunity of actively indulging in extra-curricular activities.”

Although legally in existence already, the classes in Aryabhatta College are currently taking place from 2.30pm due to non-completion of the new building’s construction. However, with its completion in the next 3 months, classes for all courses from will shift to the morning time enabling the lot of evening students to enjoy the benefits of a morning college. Although the current 1700 students on the rolls were admitted on the basis of evening college cut-offs, the cut off list for the batch of 2015-18 remains under speculation due to this change. The college is also expecting to incorporate new courses like Mathematics and Philosophy which were not offered earlier.

“Being free of the “evening” tag is extremely relieving. It has been a long, eager and super exciting wait since the announcement”, says Rajiv Dey, a student of Economics Honours, Aryabhatta College.

Ishani Rajkhowa

[email protected]

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Campus Central

In Conversation with DUSU 2014 Office Bearers 

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Delhi University’s election season has just concluded and the student fraternity has new representatives to look up to. DU Beat talks to the newly elected DUSU team as it gears up for the job.

Mohit Nagar, President, interviewed by Ishaan Gambhir 

_MG_2110

Q1. How does it feel to head the union?

A. I feel very responsible. I’ll be answerable if something goes wrong and I’ll take credit for the good we do.

Q2.What are your primary targets?

A. My primary target will be student problems that are ‘zameen se judi huyi’. To name one, I’m aiming at trying to commence evening colleges to address the problem of high cut-offs.

            I’m ready for the responsibility. 

Q.3 Do you think DUSU needs reforms?

A. DUSU performed well last year. We will continue to work on student issues. As far as DUSU representation in decision-making bodies is concerned, we will ensure we get that far.

Q.4 Is it a boon for ABVP to be in DUSU at a time when BJP is at the center?

A. It’s surely a boon. The BJP government has and will continue to pay attention to us, which is necessary as we raise important student issues. A different arrangement could have been problematic.

Q.5 Rent regulation and ‘right to accommodation’ have been hot topics this election season. What can we expect from DUSU in this direction?

A. The issue is in our manifesto. Currently only 2% students of DU live in hostels. We aim at increasing the ratio to at least 10% this year. A strong rent control law is an immediate requirement as landlords continue to charge what they wish. We will coerce the government in this regard.

Ishaan Gambhir [email protected]

Parvesh Malik, Vice-President, interviewed by Isheeta Sharma 

 Q1.How does it feel to not only win but win all four seats after 18 years?

A. For obvious reasons we are extremely happy. The students of the University have put in all their faith and voted for us and for that we thank them.

Q2. What will be your first target now that you are a DUSU office bearer?

A. As far as DUSU goes we are planning to circulate certain forms from college to college urging students to write about their problems, so that we can start working on the mutual problems that students face.

Q3. Do you think DUSU requires any internal reforms? If yes, what?

 I feel DUSU has already received its reform in the form of ABVP winning all seats. Now that we won’t have people from different parties pulling each other’s legs, we would be able to work more efficiently.

Q4. Students hardly know what is going on in DUSU, how do you plan to change that?

The reason students don’t know what is happening in DUSU is because nothing is happening in DUSU. We plan to change that, every month a few DUSU officials will visit different colleges and stay in touch with the student population.

Q5. DUSU hasn’t even received proper representation in the decision making bodies of the University, do you think you can change that?

 There is no point of being elected if we don’t get the power to be a part of decision making process. We will ask for our rights as representatives.

  Isheeta Sharma [email protected]

Kanika Shekhawat, Secretary,  interviewed by Ishita Sharma

 

Q1.What are your targets as office-bearers of DUSU?

There are a lot of issues we want to tackle. The first being women safety. We plan to start a special Women Development Cell in all colleges. The second issue will be reaching out to non- DUSU colleges so that we can cater to everybody’s needs.  Q2.How do you plan to get DU to the standards of other top universities? First of all, we plan to distribute forms in various colleges in order to know and understand the prevailing problems in various colleges. We also plan to look at the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the faculty and infrastructure. Q3. Looking at the growing attacks on the North-Eastern students, how does DUSU plan to curb this problem?

A. I think such attacks are a serious identity crisis for us. Through seminars, special canteens, especially serving North-East food are some ways we plan to bring the required change.

 Q4. Lastly, a certain film actress’s picture was used in your posters. Can you please tell us the truth behind that?

 I’m being a victim of political gimmick. Everybody knows who I am and I have no purpose of using such pictures. It is against the rules of elections, hence why would I want to get my own ticket cancelled? DU students are not stupid to fall for something like this.

  Ishita Sharma [email protected]

Ashutosh Mathur, Joint Secretary, interviewed by Shaurya Sahai 

Q1. What are the initial targets of DUSU 2014?

 We will try to fulfill the agendas which we mentioned during elections. Our main focus would be on building University Campus across West and East Delhi. Also, we will try to resolve issues regarding residence in the University .  
 I owe my success to the students from “dilli dehat” who could see a friend in me and thus, supported me.  
Q2.B.Tech courses in the University do not have AICTE approval, yet. So, is ABVP looking forward to seek approval? Yes, of course! In fact, we’ve already sent our team to talk to Smt. Smriti Irani regarding this matter. We assure that nothing will go wrong with those 7,000 students.   Q3.Do you feel that students tend to vote for parties instead of individual candidates? Is it fair? Yes, I think so and I guess it’s fair. See, when one’s name gets attached to any party, it shows the students what one is capable of. Individual candidates do not get much attention unless they are a part of some political group.   Shaurya Sahai [email protected]    ]]>

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