On 21st March, Shabana Azmi, the acclaimed Bollywood actress and famous activist visited Miranda House and held a discussion with young boys and girls about pressing issues like gender sensitization and women empowerment. The event was organized by the joint efforts of the Women Development Cell of Miranda House, Parivartan Gender forum of Kirori Mal College and NSS of Hindu College. As was expected, quite a large crowd turned up for the event.Although the boys were fewer in number, they participated in the talk and asked insightful questions.
The actress was late, as is usually the case with celebrities and the program which was scheduled to begin at 2, began at 3:20. The crowd cheered and clapped as Shabana Azmi made her way to the stage, clad in a white Anarkali suit and looking magnetic as she always does. She began by apologizing for making the crowd wait, defending herself by stating that she has come directly from the airport, without having even a sip of water and so she was hungry-to hear young minds speak. Her views about the recent rape case and equality of women impressed us all. She made it clear that ‘equal’ doesn’t mean ‘same’, equal means equality of opportunities, which is clearly lacking in Indian society and the change has to begin at home.
She also related many of her experiences that she had had in other countries as well as in India. She stresses on improving the attitude of the police and providing security to the victims so that they are spared the embarrassment and also to ensure that women can travel whenever they want, wearing whatever they want. Her comment on ‘item numbers’, that a song’s lyrics are no invitation to rape was another which received a loud applause. I was particularly affected by her observation about a course book of third graders, which says “where is the father? In the office. Where is the mother? In the kitchen.” She concluded that our society is taught this way, and change cannot be brought about in this generation, but that means that we have to keep working for it and raise our voice without giving up.
This was Delhi University’s efforts to fight violence against women. And I must say, Miranda house with all other organizers did a brilliant job in making it a successful one.
Aishwarya Chaurasia
[email protected]
Picture credits- Swadha Singh
Directed by Sudhir Mishra and starring Chitrangda Singh and Arjun Rampal, Inkaar takes us through the investigation of a case of sexual harassment in an Ad agency. A committee chaired by a social activist questions the victim, the accused and the staff. Both parties make a compelling case, but Rahul Verma’s (Rampal) version sounds more plausible than Maya Luthra’s (Singh).
As far as the actors are concerned, Chitrangda Singh looks beautiful throughout and Arjun Rampal looks dashing and suave. When it comes to the acting, none of them is able to create the energy needed to play characters that would go to any limits for their ambition. The movie is a little cold, where it should have been heated up and bubbling with energy. People who want to watch it, expecting something interesting due to its theme would be disappointed as it does not take the matter seriously. It looks a little confused, muddled up and the lead pair does not seem to know what they’re doing.
The movie screams for a different ending, considering the fact that the climax leaves nothing to imagination. The hero declaring his love for the heroine and leaving it all behind so that the damsel in distress can be spared is over-done in Bollywood. Sudhir Mishra could have avoided the stereotypical clichés by playing it safe and trying to highlight the chivalrous side of Indian men.
Among the supporting actors, Vipin Sharma (Gupta) steals the limelight for his take-it-easy nature; however, it helps in trivialising the matter of sexual harassment, adding to the irony.
Thankfully, the movie does not have any painfully long songs involving the lead actors crying their eyes out for each other or dancing around town. Absence of dance sequences make the time period just two hours, thus relieving the audience sooner, letting them go home and take a long shower to straighten their minds.
Inkaar was a very average movie, with no experimentation and bereft of any bold ideas. It could have been so much better with a different script. To sum it up, the movie posters are better than the movie.
Rating-2 out of 5
Shreya Mudgil
[email protected]
Amma, the guy I loved for the last two years just came out to me that he’s gay. I’m devastated. How do I deal with it?
It’s not his being gay that has got your Saree in a twist; it’s that his coming out was the thing that made clear that your fantasy has nothing to do with his or your reality. It is that you wanted something that he just didn’t and doesn’t-if there was any other reason it probably wouldn’t have hurt any less.
You haven’t lost anything, my sweet appam. He’s told you he is gay, so you need to work on isn’t approving or disapproving that, but accepting it. I’d also suggest accepting that even if he were straight, it doesn’t mean he would want what you want. There are a host of ways in which a person can be unavailable. Just because someone desires us doesn’t mean we share those same desires, even if we’re capable of it. As filmy as this sounds, your Amma is here to gently pat you on the head and tell you that the only thing you can do in such a scenario is to accept him the way he is and move on.
Have a query? But don’t know who to ask? Mail your queries to Sex Amma at [email protected].
Which movies made it to the list and what to look out for?
Since the Academy Award Nominees were announced recently, we bring to you a list- along with a short synopsis -of the Nominees in the Best Picture category.
AMOUR:
Synopsis: Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple’s bond of love is severely tested.
ARGO:
Synopsis: Argo is a 2012 American thriller film directed by Ben Affleck; it is a dramatization of the “Canadian Caper” based on an article published in 2007, in which Tony Mendez, a CIA operative, led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran,Iran, during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD:
About: Beasts of the Southern Wild is a 2012 American fantasy drama film directed by Benh Zeitlin and written by Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar from Alibar’s one-act play, Juicy and Delicious.
DJANGO UNCHAINED:
Synopsis: Set in the antebellum era of the and Old West, the film follows a freed slave who treks across America with a bounty hunteron a mission to rescue his wife from a cruel and charismatic plantation owner.
Les Misérables:
About: Les Misérables is a 2012 British musical drama film produced by Working Title Films and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is based on the musical of the same name by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg which is in turn based on Les Misérables, the 1862 French novel by Victor Hugo.
LIFE OF PI:
Synopsis: Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
LINCOLN:
Synopsis: Lincoln is a 2012 American historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as United States President Abraham Lincoln and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. The film is based in part on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s biography of Lincoln, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and covers the final four months of Lincoln’s life, focusing on the President’s efforts in January 1865 to have the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the United States House of Representatives.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK:
Synopsis: Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything — his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert DeNiro) after spending eight months is a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat’s parents want is for him to get back on his feet-and to share their family’s obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he’ll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.
ZERO DARK THIRTY:
Synopsis: For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty reunites the Oscar winning team of director-producer Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) for the story of history’s greatest manhunt for the world’s most dangerous man.
Credits:
http://oscar.go.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.rottentomatoes.com
Official websites of the respective movies.
Anugrah Gopinath
[email protected]
Tibet: A Historical Background
Tibet, located across the Himalayas, became a nation in the 2nd century B.C. From then on, till the 9th century A.D., a dynasty of 43 successive kings ruled over a sovereign, united Tibet of three provinces and emerged as one of the most powerful and prosperous nations in Central Asia. From 9th century AD, Tibet disintegrated into small principalities. From the 13th century to the 17th century, Tibet was ruled by a series of hegemonies such as Sakya, Phagdru, Rinpung and Tsangpa.
In the year 1642 A.D., His Holiness the Fifth Dalai Lama founded a government which ruled Tibet for the subsequent three centuries until the invasion of Tibet by Communist China in 1949. Until then, Tibet maintained its steady position as a peaceful buffer state between the two Asian giants – India and China.
In 1949, the Chinese Communists established their rule over Mainland China and as per their policy of expansion, started invading Tibet from its eastern borders. Hence, in the early 1950s, revolts against the Chinese occupying forces started erupting in Eastern Tibet, ultimately culminating in the 1959 National Uprising in the capital city, Lhasa. Thus, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, his government, and over 80,000 Tibetans sought refuge in India. As a result of the Chinese occupation of Tibet more than 1.2 million Tibetans have lost their lives and 6,000 monasteries were destroyed.
What’s going on in Tibet?
Tibet, ruled by China since 1959, has been under virtual martial law since the peaceful protests that swept across the Tibetan plateau in 2008. As a result of over 50 years of Chinese hard-line policies leading to political repression, cultural assimilation, Chinese population transfer, economic marginalisation and environmental destruction, Tibetans inside Tibet began protesting through self-immolation (the act of setting one’s body on fire) in 2009. In the absence of space for conventional forms of protest, Tibetans are left with no other option. As of January 10, 2013, 97 Tibetans are confirmed to have self-immolated and 82 of them have died. The whereabouts and conditions of the surviving 15 remain unknown. The self-immolations have taken place across geographical regions and social groups in Tibet including monks, nuns, students, nomads, farmers, intellectuals, and artistes. Though most of the self immolators are young, their ages range from 16 to 64.
China’s Response to Tibetan Self-immolations
Rather than objectively investigating the causes behind the self-immolations and re-evaluating their policies in Tibetan areas, the Chinese authorities have responded to the self-immolations with further repressive policies and dismissed them as “acts of terrorism incited by the ‘Dalai clique’”.
Besides complete regional lockdown, heavy-handed measures have been put in place to punish the self-immolators’ family and friends through criminal prosecution. Self-immolation is now classified as a criminal act and anyone who organizes, plots, incites, coerces, entices, or assists another to carry out self-immolations is to be held criminally liable for intentional homicide.
Why Tibet Matters to India
National Security
Historically, Tibet served as a buffer state between India and China. If the issue of Tibet is resolved peacefully, Tibet could serve as a bridge between the two most populous nations in the world.
Environmental Security
As the roof of the world and the water tower of Asia, irreversible environmental destruction in Tibet bears severe consequences for the entire world, particularly the neighbouring downstream countries. The PRC government plans to divert Tibet’s mighty rivers northward to feed the arid areas. These river waters are a lifeline to India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, Pakistan, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, which make up 47 percent of the global population.
Indian Cultural Heritage
Cultural and religious ties between India and Tibet are more than 13 centuries old. Tibet is an extension of Indian cultural heritage, with Tibetan Buddhism originating from India. The advent of Buddhism in Tibet had completely transformed the Tibetan people’s way of life. Tibetan script was also derived from India’s Devnagri script. Therefore, Tibetans often describe their relationship to India as that of a Guru (teacher) and Tibetans as chela (student).
Despite over 50 years of repressive Chinese policies aimed at eradicating Tibetan identity, Tibetans inside Tibet remain firm in their determination to pursue their aspirations. Most of the self-immolators are young Tibetans, who were born after the Cultural Revolution and have never met His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They were driven to self-immolate as a result of their direct personal experience with the Chinese hard-line and discriminatory policies in Tibet. In its efforts to find a lasting solution to the situation in Tibet, the Central Tibetan Administration remains fully committed to non-violence and pursuit of dialogue.
What Can You Do:
Join the Solidarity with Tibet Campaign by:
- Sharing the link to www.solidaritywithtibet.org on your facebook page and other social networking sites;
- Organize a presentation on the current situation in Tibet;
- Write to your local MLAs and MPs requesting them to raise the Tibet issue in the State Legislative Assembly and the Parliament;
- Write articles in your local newspaper and magazines about the current situation in Tibet;
- Set up a Tibet Support Group in your locality i.e. schools, colleges, universities;
- Organize rallies and vigils to show solidarity with Tibet and raise public awareness on the issue.
For more information, please visit:
www.solidaritywithtibet.org
www.indiatibet.org
www.tibet.net
Writer-
An organisation called ‘India for a free Tibet’
I am sure the title alone would make some of you think of quizzing as something to be afraid of. Well, many of us are. We think quizzing is only for the super intelligent or geeky people, don’t we? Well the age old plethora of serious questions would make anybody dread it. But not anymore.At Quiz society, SRCC, we make quizzing an enjoyable experience, which you would wish to relive year after year. Illume, the annual quizzing fest of QuizSoc SRCC is back, bigger and better. It will be a two day event from 28-29 January during which we will host seven quizzes in different genres. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t mugged up your history books or guzzled up G.K. journals. Whether you are a YouTube freak, Bollywood maniac, music lover or a nature enthusiast, Illume is the place for you. You name it, we have it. From biz domain to sporting world, from environment to Bollywood, from literature to cricket, we have it all. And the most challenging of all is the Fastrack Quiz, for those who know a little bit of everything. While the environment quiz is being sponsored by the Ministry of Environment, we have called in quizzing experts, Mr Vijay Menon and Mr Arnav Sinha for the other contests, to provide you with an enthralling quizzing experience. Registration is easy and quick, all you have to do is log on to the website, www.quizsocietysrcc.in, chose your preferred genre and register for a team of two. You could, and we would like you to, register for more than one genre. Do come, we have loads of exciting prizes to offer!!
Some of you may think that I am bragging a little too much, well yes I am, because I can afford to. The mega-success of the Quizignia, a general quiz, hosted by QuizSoc SRCC on 25th September 2012 saw the turnout of over 150 teams from different colleges in NCR. The huge response received during Quizignia and its subsequent successes, have inspired us to scale even greater heights for Illume. So hurry, don’t miss the chance and get yourself registered! As it is, we’ve already received over 100 registrations within the first week of the opening of the website!!
The schedule and a brief description of each quiz is given below:
January 28:
10:00 AM-Estadio, the Sports Quiz:We love sports, and we know you love sports. However, do you only watch the game, or do you actually know the game?
1:00 PM- Biz-Gust, the Business quiz:We’re a commerce college, and it’s only fitting that we host the best business quiz around. Come and explore new dimensions of the corporate sector!
3:30 PM- Mayapuri, the Bollywood Quiz: You watch movies, but do you REALLY watch movies? Yes, even Bollywood is filled with innumerable interesting facts. Come and find out more about it!
January 29:
9:30 AM- Biblios, the Literature quiz: No, this is NOT for Shakespeare and Munro fans. We want everyone to participate, so we’re keeping the list pretty standard. Harry Potter, Twilight, Lord of the Rings, Dan Brown, and Chetan Bhahat. That’s it.
11:00 AM- Edens, the Cricket Quiz: Do I really need to explain this?
1:00 PM- FasTrack, the General Quiz: The showstopper. Nothing is off limits. Hence there’s every chance of you winning it as much as the next person.
3:30 PM- Ambiente, the Environment quiz: We all know about the critical state of our environment, and in our own way we try to spread as much awareness about it as possible. This quiz is a step in that direction.
So there you have it! 7 different quizzes, 7 different quizmasters, 7 different experiences. Come, battle your wits, and above all, have fun. Looking forward to seeing you at SRCC!
Do you ever suffer from the common case of mild hysteria coupled with pangs of self derogation and just a tiny dash of “all-hope’s-lost”?
Well, then you’re probably a 3rd year student at any one of the colleges across Delhi University. But brace yourselves, for the waves of nostalgia that’ll wash over you in the final months of your life as an undergraduate are about to hit you, and hit you hard.
How could a poor soul deal with all of this at once without any sort of guidance and yet be expected to come out of it with flying colours (read marks)? We know it’s a stretch and that’s why we decided to help our brothers/sisters with a little sense of direction on how to go about this mammoth task.
- If you’re currently buried under a huge pile of projects/assignments/tests that need to be submitted within the next few days and the only way anywhere seems down;
- Do not panic. Take deep breaths and try to organize the work and get a strategy in place even if you eventually end up not following your game plan. It just feels good to think you’re growing up.
- For once, pay attention to the work and don’t just mindlessly copy from the nerd in class. This might be your last chance to take away something from three years of graduation.
- If the entrance exam results are driving you up the wall because you know you deserved more than that girl who didn’t even study;
- Blame it on your bad luck. Tell everyone around you how you burnt the midnight oil trying to crack this one and how it was unfair on God’s part to put you through this. Not only will it help you get over the pain, but God might just take pity and turn your luck around.
- Don’t depend solely on God’s benevolence and make alternative plans. Just because you didn’t clear this one entrance doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Be open to alternative avenues and a little exploration.
- For if and when nostalgia hits you;
- Throw a get-together/party/picnic that’ll be the best memory of the three years past and the one story that you’ll tell your future generations proudly.
- Accept that it’s almost over, tell the people around you that you’ll probably miss them and snap out of it. There’s no better way, honestly.
Disclaimer: These are general life rules and not written in stone. Try and mold them according to your needs/situation. The least that Delhi University teaches its students is ‘jugaad’.
Surya Rajappan
[email protected]
Image source- www.anxiety.com
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It’s been an interesting week at the South Campus of Delhi University. An upcoming large-scale conference has placed the authorities with a logistical problem. With the event reported to attract an unusually large number of scholars, students, and other flora and fauna. The trouble however is that as a large part of the campus is under green cover and a major number of the people attending the conference have stated they feel queasy around places that could be harbouring animals and birds in it, the authorities have now sought help from the students.
Starting Monday, students of the University are invited to help the officials out in clearing away some of the plant cover as the budget of the conference is not as much as would be needed to accommodate the expense that might be incurred to engage professional help for the matter.
One of the students interested in this drive has said that he views this as an opportunity to increase his bodily strength and also maybe become poetic, what with the interaction with nature this opportunity gives him.