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How relevant is George Orwell’s 1984 today?

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George Orwell in his book 1984 pictures a dystopian world where tyranny of a single party has led to the establishment of a totalitarian state where freedom of expression is curbed, sexual repression is rampant and continuous selective propaganda is fed to public in order to refrain them from revolting. This novel which was published about 70 years ago is still relevant today and reiterates lot of things happening right now in our world.

The most chilling aspect that we can feel right now is the continuous surveillance and breach of our data and privacy by the Government. With the recent Facebook data scandal and possibilities of Aadhar being used as a mass surveillance tool, it becomes imperative to question how much of our private data is protected. This raises bigger questions of control and power through constant surveillance.

In the book itself, the public were monitored to such an extent that even the Television screens acted as the cameras through which the party kept an eye on everyone. The same thing can be translated to our social media through which we not only interact with other people but also share our private information which can be easily accessed by the Government to determine who is against them and who is with them.

Our social media presence is much more revealing than our actual presence as the data we access and information we leave can be crucial details pertaining to our whole life. These databases can be accessed to spread a particular propaganda through selective transference of information.

In the book, the Party motto “War is Peace” alludes to constant state of war that the country Oceania finds itself in. They try to channel the public hatred away from the party and towards an evil foreign force in order to bring forth cultural uniformity amongst the citizens. This psychological manipulation is so similar to what is happening at present where Governments in order to stay in power introduces paranoia of “Us against them”, “immigrants against locals”, and so on.

The public is intolerant of immigrants and they are usually seen with suspicion and hatred. The Government in order to hide their incompetency and to feed the increasing feeling of nationalism will not shy from waging war. The war on terror started by Bush administration has no immediate end. The Kashmir crisis on which India wages war against Pakistan seems like an indefinite war used to amass feeling of hatred and distrust against “them” with neither side coming up with any plausible solution.

The recent cases of distortion of history by the people in power also seems much similar to what The Party did in the book. They would continuously erase facts, manipulate history and create new facts in order to brainwash the public. This was done by Ministry of truth which ironically worked to produce lies and distort truth. This created an environment where the members of the party were in constant doubt, uncertainty, ignorance and relied heavily upon the party for all the information.

In the book, the party also introduced a new language which was Newspeak and with each new edition of the newspeak dictionary the words were removed. The aim of limited vocabulary was to narrow the range of thought and in result stop the thoughtcrime which means to think anything that was in opposition to the party.

In present time as well, with text messages determining the way we converse with each other has brought forth a language which relies more on slang and short-forms. A varied vocabulary helps in giving shape to ideas and ideas have power to change the course of the world.

George Orwell with this far-sighted book was able to put forward really meaningful aspects of what our future might look like under a totalitarian regime. It is chilling to realize how accurate some of his concepts were and how a novel published in 1949 still holds important relevance in 2019 as well.

 

Image credits: Study

 

Antriksha Pathania

[email protected]

 

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Arts & Culture

How relevant is George Orwell's 1984 today?

By

George Orwell in his book 1984 pictures a dystopian world where tyranny of a single party has led to the establishment of a totalitarian state where freedom of expression is curbed, sexual repression is rampant and continuous selective propaganda is fed to public in order to refrain them from revolting. This novel which was published about 70 years ago is still relevant today and reiterates lot of things happening right now in our world. The most chilling aspect that we can feel right now is the continuous surveillance and breach of our data and privacy by the Government. With the recent Facebook data scandal and possibilities of Aadhar being used as a mass surveillance tool, it becomes imperative to question how much of our private data is protected. This raises bigger questions of control and power through constant surveillance. In the book itself, the public were monitored to such an extent that even the Television screens acted as the cameras through which the party kept an eye on everyone. The same thing can be translated to our social media through which we not only interact with other people but also share our private information which can be easily accessed by the Government to determine who is against them and who is with them. Our social media presence is much more revealing than our actual presence as the data we access and information we leave can be crucial details pertaining to our whole life. These databases can be accessed to spread a particular propaganda through selective transference of information. In the book, the Party motto “War is Peace” alludes to constant state of war that the country Oceania finds itself in. They try to channel the public hatred away from the party and towards an evil foreign force in order to bring forth cultural uniformity amongst the citizens. This psychological manipulation is so similar to what is happening at present where Governments in order to stay in power introduces paranoia of “Us against them”, “immigrants against locals”, and so on. The public is intolerant of immigrants and they are usually seen with suspicion and hatred. The Government in order to hide their incompetency and to feed the increasing feeling of nationalism will not shy from waging war. The war on terror started by Bush administration has no immediate end. The Kashmir crisis on which India wages war against Pakistan seems like an indefinite war used to amass feeling of hatred and distrust against “them” with neither side coming up with any plausible solution. The recent cases of distortion of history by the people in power also seems much similar to what The Party did in the book. They would continuously erase facts, manipulate history and create new facts in order to brainwash the public. This was done by Ministry of truth which ironically worked to produce lies and distort truth. This created an environment where the members of the party were in constant doubt, uncertainty, ignorance and relied heavily upon the party for all the information. In the book, the party also introduced a new language which was Newspeak and with each new edition of the newspeak dictionary the words were removed. The aim of limited vocabulary was to narrow the range of thought and in result stop the thoughtcrime which means to think anything that was in opposition to the party. In present time as well, with text messages determining the way we converse with each other has brought forth a language which relies more on slang and short-forms. A varied vocabulary helps in giving shape to ideas and ideas have power to change the course of the world. George Orwell with this far-sighted book was able to put forward really meaningful aspects of what our future might look like under a totalitarian regime. It is chilling to realize how accurate some of his concepts were and how a novel published in 1949 still holds important relevance in 2019 as well.   Image credits: Study   Antriksha Pathania [email protected]  ]]>

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Campus Central

Dear Urban College Students, It’s Not Just ‘Fascism’ and ‘Bigotry’

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The dominant response of the urban college-goers on social media to the BJP’s victory in the 2019 elections has been to cry foul at the electorate that voted for the party. It is not just incorrect but also lazy.

 

Disclaimer: I did not vote for the BJP. I have had heated discussions with BJP supporters trying to prove to them why I don’t concur with their views and why, in my opinion, the Modi-led government did not do a job good enough in its first term to deserve a re-election. I used to be a supporter initially but things changed.

Regardless, the typical response of the urban college-going students – who would mostly identify themselves as perhaps being more on the liberal and the non-right side – to the election results on social media was almost a uniform rebuke of anyone who voted for the BJP, accompanied by cries of fascism and predictions suggesting virtually the end of democracy.

Among the many social media posts, some called shame on the voters for electing this government back. Others showed images of Mohammed Naeem moments before being violently lynched to death, of Mohammed Akhlaq, Gauri Lankesh and others and were shared as Instagram stories with captions urging voters to remember them before they voted.  It is true that the multiple lynchings and killings of dissenting voices by groups sharing ideologies similar to the ruling party or those affiliated to some of its members, and the silence of the dispensation over such acts can be reason enough for someone to not vote back a government – this was one of my reasons, at least.

However, to say that these can be the only metrics of judging whether the government should be voted for or not is quite dogmatic. To say that those who voted for the BJP did not vote for ‘development’ but ‘hatred and bigotry’, even if the voters themselves say that the former was the determinant, does not just imply that only one kind of electoral preference – one that is anti-BJP – should exist but also denies the agency to the voters to make their electoral decisions themselves by condemning those choices. It’s also highly patronising and arrogant to tell someone that you couldn’t have voted because of X reason because I’m telling you that you voted for Y. Who are we with our high-handed privilege to tell people what is right for them?

There can be tons of reasons as to why people might have voted for Mr Modi’s party. As writer Mahmood Farooqui argued in an article published on The Wire, “Many voted for him (Modi) despite acknowledging his policy failures. Some voted for him because he could defend the country, some because he had made the country proud internationally, some because he worked very hard and they saw him as honest, and some because there was nobody else on the horizon. Many people voted for a leader who they genuinely believed was doing good for the country and would continue to do good. They voted for a leader who they believed deserved another chance.”

Or as NDTV‘s Aunindyo Chakravarty wrote in his blog, “The Modi government might have failed in the…various type of ‘measures’ through which modern nations gauge their government’s performance – GDP, industrial output, profit growth, employment, and similar ‘data’ that states produce. It has, however, been extremely successful in creating ‘touch-points’ between the government and the poor.

“Swachh Bharat, PMAY (Awas Yojana), Ujjwala, Jan Dhan, Ayushman Bharat, Mudra, PM Kisan, are all such touch-points, that aid the operation of ‘governmentality’.”

Of course, this doesn’t mean some people didn’t vote for the BJP precisely because of the bigotry and divisiveness, as shown by journalist Supriya Sharma’s piece on Scroll.in. Yet, I would argue that a greater portion of people voted because of many other reasons – governmental schemes, choosing stability over a weak and fragmented opposition, popularity of Mr Modi and other such considerations. After a single term, the anti-incumbency factor isn’t that high either and people might often be willing to give the government another chance.

Hence, the “fascist, communal, bigot” arguments are quite incorrect. But they’re more than that – they’re also lazy.

Apart from the clichés of how it is very easy to sit in our air conditioned rooms and condemn people’s preferences, there are also the dangers of ideology. Living in a box is easy but also dangerous for it blinds people in their ideological echo chambers. The left using labels of “fascist”, “hyper-nationalist”, “communal” for right-wingers is basically the same as the right attaching derogatory connotations to “liberal”, “secular” or “communist” or using labels of “anti-national”.

Both are different ways of using the same tactic of attaching labels to opponents while ignoring nuance all along the way. This thumbnail point of view never allows for nuanced understanding or debate because most people, irrespective of their ideological leanings, don’t accept the fact that they might be wrong. This lazy argument of limiting the other’s perspective to a couple of fancy words remains meaningless to some and incomprehensible jargon to others. Ultimately, the root of the issue isn’t tackled and evils of communalism and bigotry are allowed to get away. In any case, when has Insta-activism ever solved a problem?

I’m not trying to do armchair political analysis and fall into the irony of critiquing armchair activists at the same time, which is why I’ve quoted from people much more experienced in this domain. Instead, I’ve tried to have a non-thumbnail, non-lazy argument with people like me who I think are missing the point.

 

Image credits – The Hindu

 

Prateek Pankaj

[email protected]

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Admissions

DU Beat’s Guide for the ECA Quota

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Here is a guide for those applying through the Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) Quota, the list of ECA’s offered by the Varsity, and the admission process.

The colleges across the University provide admission through the ECA Quota for admissions in different courses.

The applicants seeking admission under ECA category will have to register online on the Delhi University (DU) Admissions Portal. There will be an additional registration fee of INR 100 to apply under the ECA category. Applicants may register for a maximum of three ECA categories and have to upload only one best certificate they have earned in that field. The students don’t get more than 15% advantage academically, so they should choose the course accordingly. The ECA trials are held at two levels, and are conducted by the ECA Admissions Committee appointed by the University, whose decision remains final. For further information, refer to the Undergraduate (UG) Bulletin of Information uploaded on the admission portal, or click here: UG Admission Bulletin 2019-20

Following is the list of ECA activities offered by DU and the venues of their preliminary trials as uploaded by the University.

         CREATIVE WRITING

  1. Creative Writing (Hindi) – Ram Lal Anand College.
  2. Creative Writing (English) – Ram Lal Anand College.

    DANCE

  3. Indian Classical – Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College.
  4. Indian Folk – Shyama Prasad Mukherjee College.
  5. Western – Rajdhani College
  6. Choreography – Rajdhani College

    DEBATE

  7. Debate (Hindi) – Kirori Mal College
  8. Debate (English) – Kirori Mal College

    DIGITAL MEDIA

  9. Photography – Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College
  10. Film Making – Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College
  11. Animation – Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College

    FINE ARTS

  12. Sketching & Painting – Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College
  13. Sculpture – Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm College

    MUSIC (VOCAL)

  14. Indian (Classical and Light) – Kirori Mal College
  15. Western (Classical and Light) – Kirori Mal College

    MUSIC (INSTRUMENTAL: Indian)

  16. Tabla – Kirori Mal College
  17. Mridangam – Kirori Mal College
  18. Dholak – Kirori Mal College
  19. Pakhawaj – Kirori Mal College
  20. Ghatam – Kirori Mal College
  21. Harmonium – Kirori Mal College
  22. Indian Flute – Kirori Mal College
  23. Sita – Kirori Mal College
  24. Indian Violin – Kirori Mal College
  25. Sarod – Kirori Mal College
  26. Santoor – Kirori Mal College

    MUSIC (INSTRUMENTAL: Western)

  27. Drums – Kirori Mal College
  28. Western Flute – Kirori Mal College
  29. Saxophone – Kirori Mal College
  30. Guitar (Lead) – Kirori Mal College
  31. Guitar (Bass) – Kirori Mal College
  32. Western Violin – Kirori Mal College
  33. Keyboard – Kirori Mal College

    34. THEATRE – Miranda House

    35. QUIZ – Lakshmi Bai College

    36. DIVINITY – Kamala Nehru College

    37. NCC – Ram Lal Anand College

    38. NSS – Sri Venkateswara College

    39. YOGA – Bharati College

     

    ECA List as given by DU's Website
    ECA List as given by DU’s Website

The details of ECA trial dates and college wise vacancies have not been released yet. Although, according to an article uploaded by India Today, the colleges under DU may increase the number of seats sanctioned under the ECA and Sports categories at the department level in case there is a higher demand, but without breaching the pre-existing 5% ceiling.

DU Beat will bring to you further details about the ECA trial dates and seat vacancy, stay updated.

 

Feature Image Credits: Amal Ujala
Image Credits: Delhi University

 

Sakshi Arora

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Looking at Changes in Admission Procedure Introduced by DU

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For this academic session, the University of Delhi has decided to bring in a number of changes in its admission procedure.

The University of Delhi has introduced a number of changes in various aspects of the admission procedure, which begun on 30 May for various undergraduate courses, for the academic session 2019-20.

Seats and separate cut-offs for EWS

Following the Central government’s decision to reserve 10 percent seats in educational institutions and government jobs for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) across caste and religious backgrounds, which came earlier this year, the varsity has decided to reserve 10 percent seats for the EWS category, taking the total tally to 62,000 seats.

The EWS category will also have a separate cut-off list, The Indian Express reported.

12 sports removed from sports quota list, added to ECA

PTI reported that twelve sporting activities have been removed from the sports quota list. These include yoga, archery (Indian round), ball badminton, baseball (women), softball (men), korfball (men), 4×100 m relay race, cross-country running, cycling, fencing, powerlifting and best physique.

On the other hand, “27 sports under the sports quota that are part of Olympics, World Championship, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Asian Championship and Paralympics have been included.”

Yoga has been added to Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) list instead.

Expansion in list of academic subjects

DU Beat had previously reported about the University’s decision to include all 22 Modern Indian Languages (MIL) – as mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution – in it’s list of ‘academic subjects’. Along with Hindi, these include Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

Moreover, some subjects offered by state boards, which were previously considered ‘vocational subjects’ have now been added to the academic list, Hindustan Times reported. Among these subjects are Biochemistry from the Jammu and Kashmir board, Civics from the Uttar Pradesh board and Statistics from the Maharashtra board. The list previously contained only subjects taught in class 12 in schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

Earlier, the inclusion of such subjects and some of these languages in the ‘best of four’ score would have resulted in a 2.5 percent deduction from the aggregate score of an applicant. Now, that provision has been removed.

Apart from this, in its ‘Bulletin of Information’, the University has mentioned that if the title of a subject studied by a student does not match with what has been specified in the varsity’s list of subjects, the applicant is required to provide a “content equivalence certificate from the Principal/Head of the Institution last attended, certifying that the paper’s content is equivalent to NCERT Class XII syllabus for that paper. This equivalence certificate must be accompanied by a copy of the syllabus of the paper attested by the Principal/Head of the Institution.” However, the University’s “decision on the matter will be final and binding”, it read.

Scholarships for students whose parents are deceased or unemployed

A press release made by the University on 29 May read, “The University of Delhi is considering to provide full scholarships to the students whose both parents are deceased/unemployed and half fee waiver to those students whose earning member is deceased in order to cover their college/University fee.”

Higher cancellation fee

The varsity has decided to increase the fee for cancelling a secured admission from ?500 to ?1,000 to “ensure students weigh their options and seek admissions” and “to discourage multiple cancellations”, The Indian Express reported. Only one cancellation per cut-off would be allowed.

Software changes

An online calculator would be available for students to fill their marks, which is being claimed to be mobile-friendly and workable on a 2G network as well.

At an additional price of ?100, students would be able to edit their forms after filling them during the registration process.

The University dashboard will also show the number of seats available and the number of seats taken for a course to which a student is applying so that students “do not end up applying to a college where seats have already been filled”, a report by PTI read.

The University has also tied up with the CBSE to access its database of results from 2014 to 2019, The Indian Express reported.
Image credits – Aakarsh Gupta for DU Beat

Prateek Pankaj
[email protected]

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Admissions

Course Profile: B.A. (Honours) in English

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Here’s a look at one of the most popular courses offered at the University of Delhi (DU). 

 

What is the course about?

With one of the highest cut-offs year after year, English Honours is one of the most popular and sought-after courses across DU colleges.

The curriculum spans over the entirety of the history of the subject, coming to modern times. English Honours doesn’t just cover English Literature, Proper; but has works of literature of various languages translated to English. A few of the core papers are Indian Classical Literature, British Poetry and Drama, British Romantic Literature, Women’s Writing and Postcolonial Literature. The electives, on the other hand, include Literary Theory, Literary Criticism, Partition Literature, Science Fiction and Detective Literature and multiple others.

 

What are some top colleges for this course?

English Honours is offered in more colleges than most other courses. Some of the most sought-after colleges, which also have had very high cut-offs include Lady Shri Ram College for Women, St Stephen’s College, Miranda House, Jesus and Mary College, Hindu College, Hansraj College, Ramjas College and Kamala Nehru College.

 

What are some good career options?

English Honours students have a variety of fields open to them ranging from creative writing, blogging and content writing, publishing, journalism, public relations, advertising, social media marketing and academia.

Some others also go on to choose fields like civil services or law.

 

Are there any notable alumni?

Because skills acquired in studying a course like English are so diverse, the course opens up many professional possibilities. Doubtless, many DU alumni who studied English have gone on to make a name for themselves and contribute to varied fields. Just a fraction of these include:

  • Anita Desai, Writer and academic
  • Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner of India and retired IAS officer
  • Barkha Dutt, Journalist
  • Urvashi Butalia, Writer
  • Vinod Dua, Journalist

 

What do students say about this course?

Haris Khan, an outgoing student of Ramjas College, says, “English honours teaches you not just the language but a worldview. It teaches you the subtle beauty and nuances of those who used the language to paint a picture of their reality, and most importantly of all it teaches you to do the same.”

The 2018 cut-off lists for different colleges can be viewed on http://www.du.ac.in/cut-off.html
Feature Image Credits: Pinterest

 

Prateek Pankaj 
[email protected]

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Campus Central

Top Societies of DU Fest Season 2019: Nrityakriti of Maitreyi College for Folk Dance

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A thing that brings all the aspirants of the University of Delhi in this country to a sense of fascination is the University’s engagement with the performing arts. With a plethora of opportunities in fields like dance, music, dramatic, students are exposed to the discipline and the adventure of the arts that interest them. DU Beat brings to you the first of the six installations of its analysis of the top society in DU. The hard work was persistent, and the competition heartening. Let’s delve into who made the cut and how.

Methodology

The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions that could be won at various events. The society that secured the 1st position was awarded 3 points, the society that secured the 2nd position was awarded 2 points, and finally, the society securing the 3rd position was awarded 1 point.

26 college fests were considered in the making of the tally. The selection of these 26 colleges was based upon an analysis done by speaking with members of numerous college societies, and tracking the fests they considered most prestigious. The considered colleges are:

Gargi College
Lady Shri Ram College
Kamala Nehru College
Jesus and Mary College
Sri Venkateswara College
Daulat Ram College
Miranda House
Hindu College
Hansraj College
Dyal Singh College (Evening)
Moti Lal Nehru College (Morning)
Keshav Mahavidyalaya
Shri Guri Gobind Singh College of Commerce
SGTB Khalsa College
SGND Khalsa College
Mata Sundri College
Ramanujan College
Bharati College
Maitreyi College
Indraprastha College for Women
PGDAV College(Morning)
Maharaja Agrasen College
Kalindi College
Deshbandhu College
Ram Lal Anand College
Shyama Prasad Mukherji College

Top Three Positions

Nrityakriti, the folk dance society of Maitreyi College, bagged the first position with 31 points. The Bhangra team of SGND Khalsa College followed at the second position with 29 points, while Nazaakat (Gargi College) secured 16 points.

Points Tally: Indian Music

The Winning Society at a Glance

Nrityakriti told DU Beat- “Nrityakriti has lot more, other  than just dancing, today if this success has been possible it’s only because of the dedication, the hard work, and the patience each member of the family has put in. Tears, sweat,  blood that we shed the entire season is all worth it at the end.  We have been trying to carry the legacy forward that our seniors and super-seniors have set. Lastly I would also like to thank our choreographer and instructor Mr. Sanjay Bagri for his immense contribution to the family.”

Performing Members

Sonali (President)
Anushka (Vice President)
Deepika Barman and Ayushi Gusain (Treasurers)
Madhini Subramanian
Meetali Tayal
Prachi Sharma
Mudita Singh
Smriti Chand
Shreya Sawhney
Ashwathy B
Gauri Dhancholia
Shweta Mehta
Mamta kumari
Vaishnavi khandelwal
Neha Bisht
Aanchal Bhati
Aishwarya Jaiswal
Shivangi Sharma
Aarti
Neha Yadav
Himanshi Mehra
Gayathri Ravikumar
Richa Gupta

Winners Tally

Out of the colleges included in the tally, Nrityakriti secured victorious positions at the following college fests:

1st: Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Mata Sundri College, Bharti College, Moti Lal Nehru College (Morning), Ram Lal Anand College

2nd: SGTB Khalsa College, Deshbandhu College, Hansraj College, Sri Venkateswara College, PGDAV (Morning) College, Maharaja Agrasen College, Shyama Prasad Mukherji College

3rd: Hindu College, IP College

Data Analysis and Compilation by:

Sakshi Arora

[email protected]

Anushree Joshi

[email protected]

Feature Image Designed by:

Palak Mittal for DU Beat

[email protected]

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Admissions

DU to Include MILs in the Academic List for the Upcoming Admission Session

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The University of Delhi (DU) has modified its list of academic subjects to include all 21 Modern Indian Languages (MILs) mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. These languages are Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.

The Admission Committee of DU has decided to relieve the students who have an MIL as one of their main subjects by forgoing the deduction in their percentage. Previously, there was a subtraction of 2.5% from the aggregate Best of Four (BoF) if the student had an MIL because these languages were not mentioned in DU’s academic subjects list.

The University’s Standing Committee of the Academic Council wanted to make the admission process more inclusive for the students who generally take the language they speak as an elective subject in class 12th. “This move would be advantageous to the state board students,” says Rasal Singh, a member of the committee as reported by Hindustan Times.

The Committee also decided to include a few state education board subjects, such as those of Uttar Pradesh (UP) Board, Maharashtra Board, Andhra Pradesh Board, and Jammu and Kashmir Board, in the academic list. Till last year, only those subjects which were taught in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) were included in the list. However, this move will bring state board subjects such as Biochemistry from the J&K Board, Civics from the UP Board and Statistics from the Maharashtra Board, etc. under this list. These subjects were treated as vocational subjects and now are considered main subjects.

The students can now consider their state board subjects, which were previously not included, in their BoF and this will not result in any reduction in their overall aggregate. The colleges, till now, were known to provide relaxation in cut-offs only when the candidates took up MILs as a subject while taking admission in B.A. or B. Com. (Programme).

The University has also directed the state board students to get an attested letter from their school in case their class 12th subjects are missing from DU’s academic list. Hence, this ensures that these subjects also get priority as given by the constitution.

 

Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat

Antriksha Pathania
[email protected]

 

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Arts & Culture

Reviewing an Engineering Dramedy from the eyes of a Humanities student

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Here is the review of an emotional roller coaster about IIT JEE aspirants by a regular Humanities student from Delhi University (DU).

Art is the imitation of real life, but rarely do we see reality and practicality displayed to its core. Our Ranbir Kapoor-like heroes are always running after their artistic ambitions, escaping the brutality of a 9-5 job. The students we meet are either geniuses like Rancho, stuck in the wrong space like Farhan (3 Idiots) or pining for love like Krish (2 States).

Seldom do we meet a Vaibhav or a Meena or even an Uday. These are the close specimens to real life students, gripped with encompassing student pressure in the harsh world of ‘Kota Factory’.

I would call Kota Factory, The Viral Fever’s (TVF) ‘s best creation after Pitchers. It is subtle yet unnerving. It resonates with everyone regardless of their background or professional choices. Maybe, because Kota Factory tells a story which we have either suffered or escaped. Our society has been conditioned in a way, that kids are set to become Engineers or Doctors, if not then Lawyers or Civil Servants, and for all of us who end up choosing Arts, we become the escapees who gave up on hard work and ‘Maths’.

We have all seen at least one person holed up in their homes all day, learning the Periodic Table by heart, passionate to get into IIT. For some, it is our siblings, for others, its might be our schoolmates. The struggle these kids go through is familiar to us all.

So, calling Kota Factory a show constricted to one set of audience, who have undergone these struggles is unfair to its makers. Yes, it might make that set of people relatively more emotional but it works for everyone. In the end Kota Factory is an example of a well-made show.

It has a brilliant cast, poignant cinematography, responsible direction and above all a heart-stealing script. Even the smallest of moments and characters leave impact.

It opens with a coloured montage of an advertisement about Maheshwari Classes, the top-ranking Coaching Institute in Kota for IIT-JEE aspirants. This is the type of advertising we are all familiar with, the one that has a voiceover by the overachiever of their passing batch to employ and attract more students for their next year’s batch in the capitalist economy. Things become interesting when in the first 40 seconds the colour fades away leaving the dark and gloomy black and white format which evokes a sense of emptiness in Vaibhav’s life at Kota in the next 5 episodes till he comes back to Maheshwari.

After getting rejected at Maheshwari, Vaibhav moves to Prodigy Classes. The journey between Maheshwari and Prodigy is highlighted with a monologue by the auto driver mourning the loss of an earlier city which has now just turned into a factory with huge ambitious coaching centres, student mess at every corner and PG’s and hostels on every street. He says “Big Boss dekhte ho?” when Vaibhav replies with an affirmative, he laughingly responds with a “Yahan koi nahin dekhta”.

This is the form of subtle commentary writers at TVF are masters in. This dialogue highlights the lack of childhood luxuries, students at Kota partake in, due to immense pressure of completing their syllabus, practice questions, DPPs and sheets at least thrice.

Prodigy Classes accepts Vaibhav, with full fees for the first and second year. With the manager of Prodigy Classes, Deepak, Kota Factory introduces its viewers to education as a money minting institute for many in Kota. At the same time, we meet the lovable all-time favourite TVF constant and the very dependable ‘Jeetu’, or as he is here called the student’s beloved ‘Jeetu Bhaiya’. He is an addition to the list of cool and life changing teachers of the industry standing along the likes of Aamir Khan in Taare Zameen Par. The first lesson he teaches to his new students is to come find him if there is any problem, be it personal or professional. From there, the five-episode series deals with education, friendship and romance. The time run of each episode gets lesser, but the content remains strong and keeps one hooked.

Another heartfelt character is Meena. He might be the most simplistic economically backward class representation I have seen in a long time.

Unlike Gully Boy’s Murad, he doesn’t have a humongous “aukaat se upar ka sapna” He is a true IIT aspirant at heart, who will study through an earthquake and whose economic backwardness takes a setback against his genius. His emotional sincerity and sensitivity bring out friendship in a new light because like a true Kota studyholic “Dosti revision thodi hi hai, jo karni hi hai.”

There are innumerable metaphorical shots in the show, the most prominent one being the overhead shots in the first episode. Throughout the episode we see Vaibhav fighting against all odds to get to a better batch than A10, he is running against time and his fellow students so we see him wearing a grey hoodie running opposite to the uniform wearing systemised students twice in the episode. While, in the end of the episode, once he gets to batch A5, he is also wearing that dark uniform, walking along the kids, moving in the same direction, and a part of the rat and mouse chase. Here, the camera moves upwards over the cage-like structure of the building, locking the kids in the claustrophobic and inescapable space of Kota and its stress. This form of shooting continues throughout the show where the students always seem constricted in their space, stuck without an escape.

The show nails the female scarcity in the competition of becoming an IITian. Meenal, a student from the batch A5 is the ‘girls’ topper at Prodigy which implies that there are absolutely zero female species in the first four batches of the institute. Uday’s girlfriend Shivangi is a medical aspirant because her father is an engineer, despite the fact that she hates Biology she is studying to crack NEET. Another notable plot device used by the writers is Meenal’s exit.

Last, she reveals that she is actually prepping for Columbia, Yale and NYU to the unassuming-most- probably-already-deciding-their-baby-names Meena, whose heart breaks at this revelation. He couldn’t digest that his two loves: IIT and Meenal are not in the same direction. Post this, Meenal vanishes, which implies that she is no longer in the race to IIT. She is an outsider and her presence isn’t threatening anymore.

Every episode brings an emotional turmoil to its surface. The mother’s minimal presence in the second episode almost drove me to tears. Jeetu’s monologue from the first and Uday’s rant from the last episode respectively are equally powerful. Meena and Meenal’s innocence and Vaibhav and Vartika’s naïve study dates are delightful.

If the show had one drawback, that has to be the constant product placement of the show’s sponsors in every episode. It’s ironical as the show itself mocks the advertising and capitalism of the JEE coaching sector.

Kota Factory comes with a cautionary warning for those who are prepping for IIT-JEE currently because despite its comedic tonality, it highlights the pressure and competition over and over again.

As Jeetu Bhaiya reinforces, IIT is not a destination for the aspirants, it becomes their life goal, their only solace and only dream. For two years these kids constantly work themselves to the ground to achieve that dream, and when they are unable to reach there, it turns into a life-long trauma of a broken heart which takes years to heal.

Image Credits: IMDB

Sakshi Arora
[email protected]

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Cultural Festivals

Top Societies in DU Fest Season 2019: Spardha, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College for Western Dance

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A thing that brings all the aspirants of the University of Delhi in this country to a sense of fascination is the University’s engagement with the performing arts. With a plethora of opportunities in fields like dance, music, dramatic, students are exposed to the discipline and the adventure of the arts that interest them. DU Beat brings to you the first of the six installations of its analysis of the top society in DU. The hard work was persistent, and the competition heartening. Let’s delve into who made the cut and how.

Methodology
The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions that could be won at various events. The society that secured the 1st position was awarded 3 points, the society that secured the 2nd position was awarded 2 points, and finally, the society securing the 3rd position was awarded 1 point.

42 college fests were considered in the making of the tally. The selection of these 42 colleges was based upon an analysis done by speaking with members of numerous college societies, and tracking the fests they considered most prestigious. The considered colleges are:

1. Gargi College
2. Miranda House
3. Shri Ram College of Commerce
4. Hindu College
5. Hansraj College
6. Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies
7. Zakir Hussain Delhi College (Morning)
8. Kirori Mal College
9. Jesus and Mary College
10. Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce
11. Mata Sundri College
12. Kamala Nehru College
13. Motilal Nehru College
14. Satyawati College
15. Ramanujan College
16. Indraprastha College
17. Sri Venkateswara College
18. Daulat Ram College
19. Lady Shri Ram College
20. Ramjas College
21. Dyal Singh College (Evening)
22. Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
23. Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College
24. Lady Irwin College
25. College of Vocational Studies
26. Sri Aurobindo College
27. Maitreyi College
28. Institute of Home Economics
29. Aryabhatta College
30. Bharati College
31. PGDAV College (Morning)
32. Shivaji College
33. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College
34. Zakir Hussain Delhi College (Evening)
35. Sri Aurobindo College (Evening)
36. Deshbandhu College
37. Shyama Prasad Mukherji College38. Keshav Mahavidyalaya

39. Janki Devi Memorial College

40. Ram Lal Anand College

41. Shaheed Rajguru College

Top Three Positions
The top society in western dance, with a total of 46 points, is Spardha (Shaheed Bhagat Singh College). A close second goes to Crunk (Sri Aurobindo College) with 42 points, and the third position has been won by Enliven of Gargi College with 35 points.

Points Tally: Western Dance

The Winning Society at a glance

Mayank Rathaur, the President of Spardha, shared his thoughts on this victory with DU Beat- “This team has always focused on hard work more than anything.  We have been known for being different and fearless with the styles we perform. Here in Spardha “we practice like we never won and perform like we never lost!” Two years back, we were absolutely nothing and when I read the article of the Best Western Dance Society of 2016-17, it was a dream to see Spardha’s name in the coming years. Feels amazing that my dream has finally come true and it is only because of our choreographers and the hard work of all the team members that we managed to reach to the top.
Started from the bottom, now we’re here!”

Performing members

Mayank Rathaur (President)
Anant Sharma (Vice President)
Anushka Shukla (Secretary)
Arvind Sarawagi
Akshit Lamba
Sumit Kumar
Kapish Sirohi
Shubham Tyagi
Alisha Solanki
Reetik
Priyanshu Khandelwal
Preeti
Aseem Aggarwal
Nupur Malik
Devyani Grover
Shreeja Yadav
Tamanna Saini
Shashank Rohilla
Rahul Ashok Thakur
Abhishek Dubey
Ashi Adhikari
Himanshi Deshwal

Winners Tally 

From the colleges in our consideration, Spardha won at the following college’s competitions:
1st: Zakir Hussain College (Evening), Indraprastha College for Women, Sri Venkateswara College, Lady Shri Ram College, College of Vocational Studies, Sri Aurobindo College, Daulat Ram College, PGDAV College (Morning), Ram Lal Anand College, Shaheed Rajguru College

2nd: Maitreyi College, Ramjas College, Hansraj College, Hindu College, Miranda House, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Janki Devi Memorial College

3rd: Mata Sundri College, Institute of Home Economics

Data Analysis and Compilation by:

Sakshi Arora

[email protected]

Anushree Joshi

[email protected]

Feature Image Designed by:

Palak Mittal for DU Beat

[email protected]

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