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Chetan Bhagat’s Novel Included in DU’s GE English Syllabus

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It has been speculated that Chetan Bhagat’s bestselling book, ‘Five Point Someone’ has been included in the DU syllabus for those students who choose English as their Generic Elective in their 3rd semester, which will commence in July 2017. The book will be taught as a part of the ‘popular fiction’ paper under the Choice Based Credit System.

The proposed modified syllabus has been forwarded to the English department heads of all DU colleges for feedback. Recommendations will then be submitted to the Academic Council and Executive Council for approval. If this proposal is approved, by July, students with English as their Generic Elective will be able to study J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, and Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women along with Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. This course will only be available to Honours and Programme students in their second year, hence students from any stream who want to choose English as their elective subject will be able to study this paper. However, students pursuing English Honours will not be offered this paper and will continue studying Shakespeare, Fitzgerald, and other such books that, in Chetan Bhagat’s words, ‘Elitistaan’ approves of.

The reaction towards Chetan Bhagat’s inclusion in DU’s English syllabus has been mixed across the student community. However, most of the students and faculty members feel that the inclusion of Bhagat’s book with the likes of Louisa May Alcott, Agatha Christie, and J.K. Rowling is rather bizarre. Chetan Bhagat reacted to this move on Twitter and said: “Am honoured DU added my book to their course. Literature is about being open minded and reading the classics as well as the contemporary”. He then went on to comment on the criticism this move has received by stating, “To me, good literature is writing that actually touches people, whether in the past or now. It isn’t something an Elitist Club decides”.

 

Feature Image Credits: Sadda Haq

Joyee Bhattacharya
([email protected])

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Exams

The Road to a Satisfactory Result

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Is your mind perturbed by the painful woes of passing/doing well? Here are our pearls of wisdom which might help you in steering this turbulent flight!

Wavering perseverance, faltering ambitions, and innumerable existential crises – welcome to college, where everything is not merry and wonderful. Owing to the human virtue of futuristic thinking, the journey through the months of November and May are spent foreboding the day the results would be out and your misery would be enhanced. To alleviate the stress and grapple with the boulders which might lie on your way, here’s a beginner level guide on how to navigate the worrisome cycle of examinations.

  1. Knowing the breakup of your grading system are the baby steps you need to take. Amidst your core papers, generic elective, and ability enhancement compulsory courses, the Choice Based Credit System can often lead to ambiguity regarding it all. Out of the 100 marks of a paper, 25 marks shall be credited to the Internal Assessments category and 75 marks to the Theory Examination. Out of the 25 marks, the ideal division of marks entails 10 marks for assignments, 10 marks for test, and 5 marks for attendance. This breakup might vary between courses and college.
  2. Valuing every mark is of essence. The main theory examinations are uncertain and have a penchant for surprising students. However, the opportunity to score presents itself in the form of the internal assessments; a hurdle which can be manoeuvred around. The tests and assignments have us exhausted and vexed by the end, but a dash of time management and effort can enhance your success recipe. The five marks of attendance which ultimately are not achieved can also make a difference in the total result.
  3. All play and no work makes Jack an on-the-verge-of-flunking-and-asking-for-notes-from-the-class-topper boy. Between the fest, farewell, and other sources of merriment, try to squeeze in the occasional study schedules.While every semester begins with high ambitions and ends with emerging unsuccessful at those and forming new ones, try to make this semester ‘the one where you soared high’.
  4. Between those extra classes and morning lectures lies the perpetual conundrum of every student of acquiring notes. Before you proceed to purchase the handy guides of your respective courses, the effort to self-study and comprehend what your education entails is more important than you can comprehend. Once you attain a full set of notes from every source of existence, try to connect the dots and begin the journey. Your teachers are your best friends during these troublesome times; hence, utilise their acquaintance and refer to their preparation strategies if needed.

 

Image Credits: 123RF.com

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

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Uncategorized

Percipience: The Eminent Alumni Lecture Series

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The second instalment of Percipience, the eminent alumni lecture series under the aegis of University of Delhi, North Campus, was held on the 21st of this month at the Convention Hall, Vice-Regal Lodge. The topic for the seminar was “Fundamental Duties under the Indian Constitution: Forgotten Virtues?” The guest speaker for the event was Honourable Justice Arjan K. Sikri, Judge, Supreme Court of India. The moderator for the event was Professor M.P. Singh, Honourable Chancellor, Central University of Haryana, with the august podium presence of Yogesh K. Tyagi, Vice Chancellor, University Of Delhi and Professor Sydney R. Rebeiro, Dean, Alumni Affairs.

The event began with the inaugural speech by Justice Sikri. He spoke of the modern context of the Buddhist idea of enlightenment and the role of good citizenship towards the fulfilment of the purposes behind the constitutional fundamental duties. Talking of the role of the citizen in the rule of law, he referred to the trinity of ‘reminder, warning, and inspiration’ for the materialisation of an envisaged society. In the same breath, he also stressed upon the requisite sense of respect for the national flag and anthem.

Second on the podium was Professor M.P. Singh. In his moderation speech, he spoke on the idea of ‘dharma’ in relevance to the modern perception of fundamental duties. He stressed upon the fact that religion is a secular concept as it is nothing but a way of life. He also cited Mahatma Gandhi when he said that if the fundamental duties are performed well, fundamental rights would be of little concern.

This followed the question hour as the house was opened to the audience which comprised of the alumni, professors, and students of the University. The two guests clarified the various nuances of Part IVA and Article 51 of the Indian constitution.

The all-awaited presidential address was conducted by Dr. Yogesh Tyagi. He subjectively summarised in a nutshell the essence of the two lectures prior to him. Talking of Part IVA which caters to the clause of fundamental duties, he said that this was the shortest, youngest, and arguably the least legitimate of the laws referring to the need of subtle revisions in the wake of modern times.

The event ended with the national anthem led by the choir of the University of Delhi.

 

Image Credits: Nikhil Kumar for DU Beat

Nikhil Kumar

[email protected]

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Reviews

Hello Meal- Food at a click away!

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Hello Meal for you! Founded by Tushar Kanti Das, Amandeep Singh, and Saraswat Mishra, the alumni of Swami Shraddhanand College, University of Delhi, the organisation serves a wide range of demands.   An app-based delivery service conceptualised with the goal to provide instant food anytime and every time, Hello Meal is a start-up which seeks to cater to the dual goals of excellent quality and sufficient quantity. With a vast menu and the vision to instil and diversify into new domains, the food-delivery service seeks to provide palatable food to all communities. Following a technical-oriented approach, Hello Meal has incorporated various services to allow a wholesome experience to the consumers. Operating through Zomato, it allows the user to pre-book orders, thus, tomorrow’s lunch or dinner can be decided and booked the night before itself! Along with this, through their quirky food jackets referencing ideas from pop culture, Hello Meal is a trendsetter in designing jackets which consumers can happily indulge in. Doing away with the usage of tissues to clean the hands, this start-up provides their customers with wet-wipes instead. [caption id="attachment_49326" align="aligncenter" width="225"]Friends on cover Friends on cover[/caption] Hello Meal is a budget-friendly source of exquisite pleasure with their affordable prices, and provide multiple options ranging from economy meals to thaalis and platters.  Their well-thought services are an added advantage, and they promote an ideology of ‘Mood Kia. Food Kia.’  They are the convenient solution to the woes of all college students. The co-founder, Tushar, remarked on this unique initiative, “This is a part which is not touched yet. For students, we need something more accessible and affordable to serve their daily needs.” [caption id="attachment_49328" align="aligncenter" width="300"]image2-1 Food on your plate[/caption] For quick, delicious, and pocket-friendly meals, this is your place. You can find Hello Meal on Zomato to book the food of your liking, and they shall take care of your wishes, be it pre or post meal! For more details, explore them on:   Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/hellomeal/ Play Store : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.invetechsolutions.hellomeal Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/hello_meal/         Image Credits: Saumya Kalia for DU Beat     Saumya Kalia [email protected]]]>

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Arts & Culture

Harry Styles releases his new single: Sign of the Times

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After a global speculation build-up which can only be termed masterclass, with a flash teaser commercial during the U.K.’s X Factor on March 25 and the title and cover art reveal on March 31, Harry Styles has finally rolled out his debut single Sign of the Times today.  Releasing the song on his pal Nick Grimshaw’s radio show only to be followed online, Harry formally ended his music hiatus. And as expected for the half of the world population and unexpectedly for the rest, this is an absolute killer from the One Direction frontman.

Things can be pretty easy if you are Harry Styles. Keep holding to your safe zone, bring out something sweet and cheesy, and you can well expect a chartbuster.

But Harry Styles does not like it easy. With this new ballad, in what can be seen as a major departure from the “boyband culture”, Harry has justifiably taken the musical fraternity on fire.

“If we never learn, we been here before
Why are we always stuck and running from..The bullets?”

A meticulous lyrics, penned down in the span of months by Jeff Bhaskar and Harry himself, combined with an electrifying background piano sequences in the opening seconds,  leading to the slow rock crescendo in something similar to the 90’s music, all in a brilliant sync with Harry’s heartthrob of a voice, relatively soft in the opening lines with awe-inspiring thundering high notes progressively; Sign of the Times is easily the best rock ballad  we have heard this year.

Later in the day amid music critics related Harry’s latest vocal lament venture to David Bowie, the single debuted #1 on US Billboard.

“Just stop crying

Have the time of your life

Breaking through the atmosphere

And things are pretty good from here

Remember everything will be alright

We can meet again somewhere

Somewhere far away from here”

 

Nikhil Kumar

[email protected]

 

Image credits- nme.com

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Arts & Culture

Beauty & the Beast and the Queer Sex

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The Beauty and the Beast maybe a ‘tale as old as time, true as it can be.’ However, the reactions of some conservationists over a singular ‘gay moment’ in the movie is perhaps, further behind time.

The Alabama Theatre has banned the screening of Disney’s latest live action adaptation of ‘The Beauty and the Beast’ over the featuring of Disney’s first gay character.

The musical score has also faced a setback in Russia where it has been slapped with a 16+ restriction. Even though the Russian Box Office has agreed to distribute the film’s license without any restriction, the ‘adult only’ viewership has stripped away a large section of the movie’s intended audience.

A Progressive attempt by Team Disney

In what is being hailed as a watershed milestone in the world of entertainment, Disney is finally embracing diversity. In an attempt to educate children on the different forms of love and equal representation in a pluralist society, the character of LeFou has been given a homosexual twist in the Beauty and the Beast.

LeFou, who has been dubbed as Disney’s first ‘unambiguously gay character’ is the chubby sidekick to the villainous Gaston. He is confused about what he wants and is just coming out of the enchanted wardrobe.

‘Just a Little Change, Small to say the Least’

Disney history has its fair share of ‘queer coding’ as villains like Scar from “The Lion King” , Ursula from “The Little Mermaid” and Jafar from “Aladdin” were modelled after drag queens and given effeminate undertones.

Despite several examples of Disney using queer coding to demonize its villains, there are other positive characters that have a large gay following. The iconic Genie from ‘Alladin’ has been adored and admired for his cross dressing tendencies and pop culture references.

The beautiful Elsa from “Frozen” is also speculated to be gay and the Oscar winning song “Let it Go” has been hailed as the ‘coming out anthem’ to break free from the shackles of confinement. A huge Disney fan base is rooting to #GiveElsaaGirlfriend to prove that a princess does not always need a prince to find her happily ever after.

Even though “The Beauty and the Beast” is not a giant leap for LGBT representation, it is however the first time that Disney has acknowledged that a character like LeFou is homosexual and has taken a small step towards inclusiveness.

Anahita Sahu
[email protected]

 

Image credits: Broadway.com

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Arts & Culture

Legends and Hues of Dreamcatchers

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Have you ever given a thought about the pretty dreamcatchers that you hang on the walls of your room?

dreamcatchers__        dreamcatchers____

Dreamcatchers are spidery ‘sacred hoops’ with feathers and have long been a part of Native American religion, lore, and art, originating with the Ojibwe, or Chippewa, and the Lakota, a confederation of seven Sioux tribes. Dreamcatchers were gradually adopted by some neighbouring nations through intermarriage and trade. As one might suspect, the purpose of a dream catcher is to catch dreams—that is, to trap bad or evil dreams and channel good dreams to the sleeper. Dreamcatchers are usually placed in a window or above the bed, allowing the good dreams to drip down the feathers onto the sleeper. Some consider the dreamcatchers a symbol of unity among the various Indigenous Nations, and a general symbol of identification with Native American or First Nations cultures. An Ojibwe legend recounts that the dreamcatcher originates with Spider Woman, known as Asibikaashi who took care of the children and the people on the land. As the Ojibwe Nation spread to the corners of North America it became difficult for Asibikaashi to reach all the children and the mothers and grandmothers wove magical webs for the children, using willow hoops and sinew, or cordage made from plants. According to many, using a dreamcatcher in its intended purpose is nothing more than a form of practicing occultism as Native people can sometimes see into the spiritual world of darkness, dreamcatchers, or anything to do with the occult, merely attract evil spirits and demonic activity and provide no protection from them.

Essentially, a dreamcatcher is intended to manipulate the spirit world. Some people believe in the efficacy of dreamcatchers. Others are unsure but are superstitious enough to keep one in the bedroom. Still others see dreamcatchers as part of a cultural history or a piece of art that looks good dangling from a rear-view mirror. Though dreamcatchers are available in all pretty colours, there are underlying meanings in the different colours which will help you decide what coloured dreamcatcher you would like to hang in your bedroom. Colour can indeed influence a person; however, it is important to remember that these effects differ between people. Not every colour is your colour.

  • A Red Dreamcatcher: Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense colour. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. In heraldry, red is used to indicate courage.
  • An Orange Dreamcatcher: Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.
  • A Yellow Dreamcatcher: Yellow is the colour of sunshine. It’s associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter.
  • A Green Dreamcatcher: Green is the colour of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated with money. Green has great healing power. It is the most restful colour for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance.
  • A Blue Dreamcatcher: Blue is the colour of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquillity and calmness. In heraldry, blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity.
  • A White Dreamcatcher: White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the colour of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. White has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry, white depicts faith and purity.
  • A Black Dreamcatcher: Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. Black is a mysterious colour associated with fear and the unknown. It usually has a negative connotation. Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious colour. In heraldry, black is the symbol of grief.

Choose for yourself, what colour you want to symbolise for your emotions. This has a psychological effect, and colour influences perceptions that are not obvious. Colours can also enhance the effectiveness of placebos.

Radhika Boruah
[email protected]

Image credits: etsy.com
Feature Image credits: wikipedia.com

 

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DUB News

Miranda House tops the list of best institutes in India released by NIRF

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National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), the institute ranking body under the Ministry of Human Resource Development released the rankings of the educational institutions of the nation today. Many Delhi colleges made to the prestigious list, with as many as three colleges in top five and six colleges in top ten from the capital. Miranda House emerged as the best college nationwide with Shri Ram College of Commerce on the third, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College on the fifth  and Lady Shri Ram College on the sixth position.  Many premier colleges of the capital like St. Stephen’s College, Ramjas College , Hindu College, Hansraj College etc. did not participate in the ranking.

As per a news report by the Hindustan Times, more than 3,300 educational institutions participated in the rankings, which took around 20 parameters into consideration. IISc Bangalore, which recently achieved an important distinction after being ranked eighth best small university of the world in the Times Rankings,  topped the overall list of the best higher education institutions in India. It was followed by Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM) at the second spot and IIT Bombay at the third. A total of seven  IIT’s found place in the top ten, which also saw Jawaharlal Nehru University grab the sixth and Banaras Hindu University at the tenth position. The University of Delhi has been ranked 15th in the list.

In the list of the top universities, JNU featured second emerging as the best central university of the nation and  Jadhavpur University was fifth in the list inspite of the various allegations and the political crisis surrounding these universities.

“Jadavpur and JNU haven’t got good ranking for raising slogan for Afzal Guru but for doing good work,” Prakash Javadekar, the Human Resource Development Minister under the Government of India was quoted as saying in a press conference following the release. He also said that the institutions which fared well in the rankings will be provided with more funding or grants, enhanced autonomy and other benifits.

Image Credits: DU Beat

Nikhil Kumar

[email protected]

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Around the Campus

UGC cuts funding for discriminatory research, news based on forged letter says UGC

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On 17th and 18th of March, various newspapers and online news portals carried the report of University Grants Commission (UGC) having decided to cut funding for research centres at several universities across the country that study social discrimination. According to a report  by the Telegraph, UGC has decided to cut funding for various research centers that were established under the 11th five-year plan (2007-2012) and then were later renewed in the 12th plan. While everyone was expecting a renewal of the same to take place in the 13th plan, various varsities that include such centres received circulars saying that their plan funding would end on March 31.

The Wire, reported  “According to ministry and UGC sources who spoke to the Telegraph, this order has been sent to all those centres that have not been upgraded to a full-fledged department by the universities.” It also quoted N. Sukumar, Ambedkar scholar and teacher of political science at Delhi University who said “It’s ironic that these centres, which research Dalits, B.R. Ambedkar’s philosophy, social exclusion and inclusive policies like reservation, are being closed down when the University Grants Commission (the higher education regulator) is funding courses on Vedic studies,”

 

However on 19th of March, NDTV reported that the UGC has said that the letter is “blatantly false” and “based on a forged letter. In its press release, UGC said that it has established Centers for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy in various universities in the Xth Plan on plan-to-plan basis provided these Centres give a satisfactory progress in the areas of their focus.  Keeping in view the same procedure the UGC would be extending these Centres from 1st April, 2017 onwards.   Reiterating what NDTV said, the UGC claimed that the letter in the newspaper is a forged one and has not been issued by Ms. Sushma Rathore, the undersecretary of UGC. It also reaffirmed that no records of theirs show such a letter being sent and that legal action would be taken against the person behind this forgery.

 

Image Credits: www.freepressjournal.in

 

Aditya Narang

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

How to win a general election in India

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In  a world where there are 5 steps for everything, be it flying to the sun, we come up with three, even lesser than 5,  infallible ways to win our elections.

Being the proud denizens of the great republic of India, we have had the unequal privilege of enjoying the unpredictability of the vibrant Indian democracy for almost 70 years. Our pious elections are won by the virtue of a candidate’s flawless track record, unquestionable honesty and  knack for development and public welfare, a manifesto which caters aspirations of the people and numerous other paradigms of dharma; so were you told by the political science textbook of class 10th.

Now these are difficult boxes to tick and hence results generally used to be a surprise.

But not anymore. Here we come with 3 foolproof tricks which are 100% guaranteed to make a party rise above the rest and come up with flying (saffron, preferably) colours in a general election.

 

  1.   The Time Factor.

You must have heard the saying that early bird catches the worm. So here is the trick- Hijack the social media and you have hijacked the minds. If you are ruling currently, start projecting your achievements, scarce they may be. If you are on the other side of the table, fret not. Start with bashing the ruling party. Next run to a poet and come up with some jumlas or some cool acronyms. The most important part, start selling dreams and other lures. Hesitate to nothing, even sky is not the limit anymore. (Need a hint- How about making petrol completely free? ). Fake data, false stats, or illegit allegations, all is fair.

 

  1.   The Mr. X. factor

Not having a very good candidate, worry not. Find a superstar campaigner. Or else hire one. Works magic if you have the prime minister campaigning for you.

 

  1. Vote Management.

Now that you are done with campaigns and false claims, it’s time for the finishing move a.k.a polarisation. But you don’t have to do the dirty work, just make an air of it. Media will instantly go gaga. Your opponents will consequently voice minority, hence irate majority and lo! your mission is accomplished. To hell with social fabrics, only winning counts.

 

Picture credits- rediff.com

 

Nikhil Kumar

[email protected]

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