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The new drill:Kill a dog, pay two grand

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-Paridhi Gupta, Mehroo Batra

Kill a dog, smash its head. Watch the blood trickle in your room. Hear the helpless animals wordless scream of agony. Unreal, inhuman, absolutely unacceptable? What about compensation for it: a little money?

On Tuesday, July 8; in the wee hours of morning, a female dog was beaten to death by a JNU student and his two friends, in his hostel room. Yoronso, the accused is a 30-year old from Nagaland who is about to complete his PhD in Political Science. The occupants of Kaveri hostel were woken up by the animal’s wails around 2AM. On demanding, Yoronso opened the door to his room only to reveal the dead stray dog lying in a pool of blood, with its head smashed.

In his letter of apology to the authorities, Yoronso asserts that the reason for this shameful act was merely ‘self-defense’. He claims that the dog had entered his room and when he tried to get it out, it attacked him. In order to penalize Yoronso, he was expelled from the hostel (which he was supposed to leave anyway) and asked to pay a fine of Rs.2,000/-

Meanwhile, animal rights practitioners have moved into campus with some calling JNU a “lawless slaughterhouse�. Lawyer Anjali Sharma of the Citizens for Animals — an association of animal sympathizers — said, “What happened in JNU is an offence under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and Sections 428 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code.� She added the police are also empowered to arrest such offenders without warrants.

Till when can these animal rights organizations keep fighting? Nothing can be fruitful without the police and faculty’s co-operation. Nobody in their right minds would not be be nauseated at the sight of such a grotesque incident. But our police has wisely chosen to sit back with their arms crossed. If you think that Yoronso is at fault, well then our police who thinks that killing a dog is worth just Rs.2000 is not much better.

The solution to this problem does not lie in penalty and eviction. An abashed act like this one needs to be treated with more seriousness. It has to be made clear that animal rights are a major issue.

An immediate attempt has to be made to gather people to stand up for this cause. Seema Kaemra of the Circle of Animal Lovers (CAL), a Delhi-based animal rights group, said that a mass protest against such incidents that would sensitize people is the call of the day.

“Merely taking action against the student or complaining to the police is not the solution. Informing people about the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and sensitizing them to a more humane behavior towards animals is what is required.In this case, a campaign with the JNU authorities and with help from the media is what would be more fruitful in the long run,” Kaemra said.

But the question that we would like to ask our readers are, do they care enough?

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Features

Ga-Ga over Mocha

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By Mehroo

A haven for all café lovers and a heavenly experience for the rest, Mocha casts its spell on all its visitors. The moment you step inside, you feel like you’ve finally found your own place – your little corner in the world. Located in the posh south-Delhi suburb of Defence Colony, Mocha attracts crowds from all over the capital.

Inspired by Moroccan and Turkish designs, the café is set in a style that reminds one of Arabian Nights. The walls are done in regal shades of gold, purple and more dramatic colours. With a combination of vivid couches, super-stylish chairs and bright mattresses; the furniture boasts of a class of its own. The picturesque lampshades reflect the magnificent aura of this immaculate café. Rest assured, the interior-designer for Mocha has to be a fastidious individual. The mellifluous music forces one to revel in its pleasure. On the whole, the atmosphere is warm and relaxed.

At Mocha’s, our childhood favourite Maggi Noodles are cooked in various innovative ways, preserving the nostalgia while adding a delectable touch of novelty.

The shakes are divine while being complete meals in themselves. A visit to Mocha’s is incomplete without a ‘sheesha’ (hukkah). They have fruit-flavoured sheeshas from Egypt. (Addiction guaranteed).

The most interesting fact about this place is that everything in sight (except the staff, of course!) is readily available for sale. Yes, it’s unbelievably true that from the magnificent sheesha to the striking furniture, everything is up for sale. This extraordinary experience ends in a unique manner, as the cheque is brought in a deep mug, half-filled with coffee beans; so you can savour in its aroma until your next visit.

Mocha ensures you a splendid time, without burning a hole in your pocket. In every manner, it outshines all other coffee shops in the country. There are no qualms about the fact that you’d feel this strange sense of alacrity to come back.

Well, the charm of the Middle-East, merged with the magic of Mocha, would anchor you to this mystic coffee shop!

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Reviews

Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic

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By Sushant Mishra Kids have truly become a force to reckon with in the battles of Bollywood sales. If a kid wants to watch a film then his/her respective parent has no choice but to come along. Films like Ghatotkatch, Krishna, Bhootnath, Hanuman show the economic viability of kiddie films. However I personally feel that a lot of these movies are just cheap cash-ins with mediocre production values. So the question arises is “TPTM� a mere cash in or is it a genuine attempt by the numero uno banner of India to produce a good film? After watching “Laaga Chunari Mein Daag�, I was truly disgusted with the much talked about Yash-Raj-Gloss. Only clichéd nonsense seems to move the box office, however in the past year things seem to have changed. Though the box office might not agree with me, its movies like Tashan and Chakh De which have been different.

To cut a long story short, “TPTM� is a good film and definitely deserves your attention.
The story is simple: Saif Ali Khan (a successful businessman) is appointed by the court to take care of four kids. To complicate matters he also has an irritating girl friend, namely Amisha Patel. The kids predictably resist Saif Khan’s attempt to bond with them. This is followed by a series of pranks which makes Saif’s life miserable and in turn makes him extremely sour. Essentially everyone cries and after witnessing such intense rona dhona, God sends his favourite angel down to mrityulok so that she can again make them all happy. � The movie starts off badly. The kids are irritating and are really difficult to sympathise with. Moreover their pranks just fall flat. But then, my beloved Rani makes a grand entry and like an angel, she weaves her magic around the viewer.
The second half is the cream of the film; it is in the second half where all the characters are properly fleshed out, and from its clichéd first half it transforms into a simple, sweet film.
The film never complicates the viewers with unnecessary plot points or bombastic dialogues. This simplicity is all too evident in the scenes where the film has tried to be didactic. It’s good to see some anti-war sentiments and concerns about inequality in a kiddie film like this. Another thing I really need to talk about the visual effects of the film. They are fabulous; it’s pretty rare to see a Bollywood film with good CG effects. The whole “Bul-bula� song where Rani makes her grand entry is really captivating. Rani flies in air, drives her bicycle through the rainbow. Rishi Kapoor (God) has his hi-tech, Minority Report inspired lab where he sees all the events. The ending is predictable but not melodramatic and ultimately makes the viewer go “Aww�, which is so essential for a film of this genre. Saif has carried his ‘sakth bahar, narm andar’ business man role with ease. Somehow, seeing a hard-cold man’s heart melting and being carried away in the tide of his emotions still makes me go aww. The kids are fine with Iqbaal being the stand out. Amisha is decent, but one wonders as to why she is doing a silly role like this. Now comes my favourite part, Rani Mukherjee is just brilliant. Period! I don’t need to say anything more. It’s really a pleausure to see this charismatic actress act in a film like this. People will say that it’s a copy of this, or it’s a copy of that, or this concept has been done to death, but ignore these cynics for once. Go out with your family and exit the hall with a smile on your face. Kids will love it, but I am sure with the right attitude and perspective – adults will love it too.
3.7/5
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Music: Antipodean symphonies!

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‘Project Smoke’-Blue Frog records

Ashutosh Phatak and Dhruv Ghanekar, celebrated names in the fashion music circles and ad jingle world have put their collective music talent together for Smoke Signals, the debut album of the duo’s Project Smoke.

Smoking Signals boasts of music that is beyond boundaries. It successfully and aesthetically brings together a very bohemian fusion of western symphonies, Sufi rock, Indian classical, electronica and even traditional Indian thumri. The diagonally opposite music interests of Ashu and Dhruv have resulted in this exceptionally interesting album.

For the uninitiated, they are the same duo which composed music for offbeat movies like Bombay Boys and White Noise. Ashu, a graduate in Western Classical Music Theory from University of Pennsylvania has been professionally composing music for the last 15 years. Dhruv began studying Indian Classical Music at the age of nine with Suresh Wadkar and also continued his study under great sarangi exponent Sultan Khan. He has performed and worked with great musicians like Karl Peters, Louis Banks and Adrian D’souza and continues to compose music in virtually all genres.

Interestingly, this album was actually made for a fashion designer’s show 5 years back and when their dues weren’t cleared, the duo came up with this idea of releasing the album and saving the effort of writing new songs.

There are nine tracks in the album. The opening track Windy is a nice soothing song and surely gives positive vibes about things to come. Another interesting track is Tsunami which sounds like an intoxicated Sufi rhythm and not like someone cashing in on the agony of the victims. There’s something for jazz lovers and even gothic metal fans.

All in all, its a contemporary album with all the right elements thrown in. So, if you need a break from the ear deafening hard rock and the dreamy Bollywood music, this is the album to look up to.

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Dead Human. Humane death?

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Death on road attracts only flies.

– Ishita Anand

A man, lying on the side of the road near a bus stop, sprawled on the pavement, his arms and legs in a weird position. It had rained some time before. And you can see dried drops of rain and mud on his face. He is lying so still that you can’t even make out whether or not he is breathing. All you can see is a boy, barely 19, probably dead, with flies all over him.

“He’s been lying like this for the last 3-4 hours!� says one man at the bus stop
“Did u call the police??� asked another man who had just got off his bus and had enquired about the boy.
“I don’t think anyone did� is the reply and the man walks off yet again, just like he had done before.
The other man was new to Delhi. He didn’t know what to do, how to contact the police. He stopped three girls on their way home from the college nearby.

“Beta, will you call the police? This man has been lying here for a long time and nobody has bothered to inform the police�

I turned around. I hadn’t noticed the boy. I looked at my friends unable to understand what was happening.

“Call the police??� I spluttered, “ WE? Call the police?�

I looked around at the 15 or so men sitting on the bus stop staring at us. I was hesitant, my friends clueless. Should we call? What if we get entangled in something? One of my friends just took out her cell phone and dialled. I stared at her.
“Are u sure?� was what I conveyed with my eyes.

She still dialled and told the police. They said they’d send someone to check. My other friend was getting psyched. I could see a series of emotions pass through their eyes – pity, helplessness, and a bit of shock at seeing a dead man.

I on the other hand felt nothing.
I stared back at the 15 people sitting on the bus stop. “What are you staring at?� I wanted to ask them but I didn’t put it into words. None of them had bothered to call the police. They just sat and wondered whether he was dead. A hundred people probably passed by him. And still didn’t bother to do anything about it.

“I think we should go.� My friend said, “ I’ve told the police. They should be here soon. And if they need us they have my number�

The truth was we couldn’t just stand there even a minute more. It made us want to look at the boy, hoping that maybe he’d show signs of life. But it was kind of evident that he was dead. Flies don’t scatter around a man sleeping. And the weird arrangement of his legs…
He could be drugged. But then he would’ve woken up when it rained. Several thoughts bounced in my brain. All I wanted to think of was getting back home. So I hired the next auto and bid goodbye to my friends, telling them to keep me informed if they heard anything from the police.
On my way back home I started thinking. Do we care about people enough to do something for a boy we don’t even know? It felt nice that we had done the right thing by calling the police. But why did I hesitate? Would everyone hesitate the way I did? I wanted to ask the next person I met,

“ What would you do? Would you call the police, or would you get on the next bus and then forget about it”

I guess the fact is that we’re all afraid. Afraid of getting unnecessarily involved. But was this unnecessary? A mother was waiting for her son somewhere, to return back home, probably getting worried. Was it unnecessary? That boy wasn’t just a body. Yet we hadn’t gone near him. Fearing what? That he would explode? People hadn’t called the police. They had just sat there and then got on the next bus, gone back home and forgotten about it. Hell, I hadn’t even noticed him before. WHY?

We’re taught all our life to be considerate to others. People talk about humanity and making the world a better place to live in. We talk about giving people opportunities. Of giving everyone an equal status. Of helping the aged and the sick. Of charity and goodness.
We just don’t think before supporting these causes. We think that we are sensitized towards the world today. It hurts to see people suffer therefore it’s time to do something about it. Yet, a young boy, probably dead. And no one did anything about it. And walked off without a trace of guilt. It seemed like the right thing to do. To walk off. How is it justified?

It makes me think…Are the to-dos and not-to-dos we are taught all our life actually feasible? They are �politically correct�. But are they the right thing to do? Frankly, I don’t know. But I do know that no matter how easy the decision to walk away was, it’s always doing something about it which is the right thing. It feels nice. At least in this case it was so.

If only people before us had realized that…

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Queer-iosity hits Delhi

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How the IPC and the Indian Media seem to be suffering from a case of chronic colonial hangover.

The British were the carriers of many things, the English language, the railways, the industrial revolution and a homophobic attitude literally interpreted from Adam and Eve’s heterosexual mutual transgression. This our governments and lawmakers have internalized and served to condemn in sec 377 of the IPC. It is in protest of this colonial outlook that about a 1000 people from the LGBT community and its supporters took to the streets of Delhi on 29th of June’08.

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News

The time to act is…

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By Saumia Takru

Its a literature course, not a language course.

The decision to do away with the entrance test for admission to English (Hons) this year has been defined by the Dean of colleges, Mr Nayanjot Lahiri as an “interim measure before any decision to hold a common entrance test is taken by the university�. The reasons cited for this range from undue pressure being imposed on the students as they have to face multiple tests and the clashing of the examination dates of various colleges. Thus students applying for Literature in DU will rely purely on the CBSE marks for the year 2008-09 or the ‘school-leaving’ marks.

Colleges have openly expressed concern about this as they perceive it as something that hampers the autonomy of a college. Anjana Dev, principal Vivekananda college, commented saying that “colleges should be allowed the leeway to admit students as they want.” In fact, the University is also against the concept of interviews being conducted, as has been routine for many colleges for the past many years. Ms Sanam Khanna, the Head of Department English, KNC, also believes that students may not have the correct idea of what a literature course constitutes off. Students often fail to realize that it is a literature course and not a language course. The laconic ‘question and answer’ format that is put forth by CBSE is quite simply an inadequate way of measuring the aptitude of a candidate for a course that focuses primarily on analytical and creative abilities. Admissions given under this new Act thus run the risk of being based on marks secured by rote and not on the candidate’s proficiency or aptitude for the language. There may be various aspects of academics that CBSE excels in but the promotion of a creative mind or one capable of intelligent criticism is not one of them.

A separate entrance exam for English is a good indicator of a student’s inclination towards the language and will prevent students from being mislead into choosing a course that their marks gives them access to but which is not in tangent with their aptitude. Also, their literary skills can be properly assessed through an entrance exam that is specially designed to test their creative thinking.

This Act is then clearly a malfunction of justice due to its inability to ascertain the identity of the deserving candidates who should be granted admission. This is further underlined by the fact that a lot of students who are protesting this Act in fact belong to colleges like Venky and Dayal Singh, where entrance exams for English never existed.

The body in power is clearly closing its mind to reality and shoving its distorted view on an unwilling system. The time to Act is now and all that’s needed is a united front opposing it. In order to raise a common voice of concern, DU Beat intends to mail to the Vice Chancellor of DU a petition with the signatures of students who believe the Act to be an inadequate measure of reform as it overlooks various important implications in an attempt to avoid inconveniencing students. The way to articulate the fears plaguing our mind has been opened through the petition and must be taken advantage of.

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Add-On Algebra

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By Oindrilla, Paridhi, Saumia

Add on courses are to be subtracted from many college prospectuses as DU forces colleges to be more transparent and also limit the number of such courses offered by them.

Organized with the help of private organizations or the University Grants Commission (UGC), these courses claim to provide the students with an edge in the intensely competitive job market. However, if a study of the courses offered is conducted then it may be found that colleges claim to offer a lot more than they are actually able provide. Extra courses need proper infrastructure and faculty to back them up while providing students with the care that they have paid for. Another area of concern was the high course fee charged by some colleges for the same course and thus a committee was set up to look into the ways these courses are used to attract students at the beginning of each year. The agenda was to force colleges to be more transparent and limit the number of courses offered by them to a more manageable 7 or 8.

The committee’s recommendations were that the content of the courses should be clearly mentioned along with the fee and timings as well as the faculty who would be responsible for the conduction of the course in question. It also pointed out that if a steeper fee was demanded for a course then it was important to clarify what other substantial material was offered to make it worth the students while and prevent them from being cheated.
In the midst of the inquiry it was also said that there was a basic flaw in offering courses like media studies and tourism due to the lack of adequate infrastructure to support the mandatory practical work.

Many of these courses sound interesting and incredibly fun but the truth of the matter remains that only a few are functioning properly and holding examinations.

Ramjas College for instance has a staggering 26 add on courses listed on their website out of which the classes for only the following were held last year: Development of Entrepreneurship Excellence, Bioinformatics– Future of Biological Research, Communication & Self Development, Biotechnology, Mass Media Ethics Studies,
Film Appreciation, Forensic Science, Peace and Conflict Resolution

It is therefore imperative to be sure of whether a college offers the desired course option before one joins the college. Students are advised to talk to students of the college. Alternatively students can write in to DU Beat at [email protected] .

Other Interesting Add-on Courses in different colleges

Hindu College: Acting Skills, Creative Writing
Miranda House: Course in Theatre Direction with the help of National School of Drama (NSD)
Hansraj College: Radio Jockeying and Travel and Tourism
Gargi College: Education for Peace Building
Sri Venkateswara College: Molecular and Biochemical Technology

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Big Brother is watching you

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By Mehroo Batra

The start of the new season will also mark the beginning of Delhi University coming under the secure lens of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras. These cameras will be installed in and around the campus. After repeated demands of teachers and student organisations, Delhi Police has decided to put up forty six CCTVs on the North Campus by the end of this month.

The police hope to install around sixteen zooming cameras and thirty fixed ones by June 15th. The cameras will be installed at strategic locations such as the college gates, the dean of students’ welfare and vice-chancellor’s offices and nearby areas that have concentrated PG accommodations such as Mukherjee Nagar and Kamla Nagar.

A handful of colleges already have CCTV cameras. For instance, Sri Venkateswara College in South Campus has these cameras since last 8 years. The cameras are located in the canteen, the lobby and the library. The college authorities say that the cameras have proven beneficial to the college as it helps in monitoring student activities. Hansraj College also has four CCTV cameras installed in their campus- one camera each in front of the main gate, the library, the field area and the canteen.

However the question that arises is whether or not this system of invisible omniscience aimed at ensuring the safety of students, is the right way to go about things. These glass lenses watch impassively as we move about our daily lives, recording, noting all. Surveillance innately lowers the trust and increases suspicion. Don’t students have rights to go about their lives without this level of suspicion? The implication being that students are no longer trustworthy, branded guilty before the act. After all if you have something to hide, then you must be guilty. Where does privacy exist in such a setting? Isn’t privacy a fundamental right of all human beings?

Remember the nightmare you once had? When you thought someone was watching you. Well its true-. Big brother is watching you, for your own safety.

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You can’t have your cake and eat it too, hints ICAI

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An unequivocal message to all CA aspirants that ‘dummy articleships’ shall no longer remain the clandestine truth (or rather the convenient escape route for CA students). As per articleship norms, every articled assistant is required to register under a chartered accountant/accountancy firm and complete the stipulated hours of training.

-Kriti Budhiraja & Sourovi De.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has, in a monumental announcement, decided to clearly earmark the working hours of articled assistants, thus jeopardising their chances of pursuing graduation and articleship simultaneously.

According to the ICAI decision, aspiring chartered accountants undergoing articleship (a.k.a. articled assistants/clerks in the professional jargon) have to begin a day at their firm not after 11 am or end before 5 pm, with stipulated weekly working duration of 35 hours (excluding lunch break).

In addition, the recent announcement also spells out the office hours of the Principal (mentors/trainers under who articled assistants train) as not starting before 9 am or ending after 7 pm. Further intricacies of this decision read that all articled assistants registered on or after 1 April ’08 and pursuing a parallel course will have to seek specific permission from ICAI by filling up form 112, within one month of joining the ‘other’ course.

However, the catch lies in the fact that form #112 requires the applicant to mention his/her college timings and must be counter-signed by the head of the institution. In fact, those registered for articleship before the aforementioned date also haven’t been spared the brunt of this decision, for they too have to submit the form, albeit within six months from the date of announcement (30 September 2008).

Therefore, what the ICAI has succeeded in achieving through this judgment is to send out an unequivocal message to all CA aspirants that ‘dummy articleships’ shall no longer remain the clandestine truth (or rather the convenient escape route for CA students).

As per articleship norms, every articled assistant is required to register under a chartered ccountant/accountancy firm and complete the stipulated hours of training, in lieu of which they receive a monthly stipend cheque. But the reality is that most students do not intern in their firms, return back the stipend received to the firm in cash and are awarded false articleship certificates by their firms; the reason being obvious- the impracticality of juggling too many balls at a time- graduation, CA coaching classes and articleship.

Says articled assistant Sanjhi Agarwal, a third-year B.Com student of SRCC, “Since I’m passing out this year, the new rule does not affect me. But, if I had to choose between graduation and articleship, I’d prefer continuing with college since that’s a safer option.� Indeed, the CA course is tough, considering the large number of students who enrol and the miniscule percentage who actually pass (a mere 3-5%). However, even amidst the student fraternity, voices are divided. Says Ankita Agrawal, another articleship student, “ICAI has every right to implement the new guidelines, considering how important articleship, per se, is. At least it’ll put an end to dummy articleships.

Choosing between articleship and a side-course is clearly a personal trade-off.� Students are using different criteria for sorting out their dilemma of choices. Says Mrs. Kalra, a chartered accountant, “Pursuing a B.Com over articleship makes sense only if one’s college is serious about academics and staying put adds value to one’s time and effort. That should be the topmost parameter while deciding which path to take.�

However, an unreported and silent glee on the new ICAI rule seems to be coming from a different quarter altogether- those totally unaffected by the ruling. Says a second year Economics student of a reputed college, “B.Com students would earlier demand higher pay packets during campus placements chiefly by virtue of having completed articleship, while we all knew that their certificates were dummy ones. Thanks to this decision, that is now a thing of the past.�

Clearly, one man’s poison is another man’s medicine.

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