Latest
DU Beat – Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper
Author

Arindam Goswami

Browsing
Features

Meet your friendly neighborhood app, Magicpin: Internships available now

By
Magicpin app

College students are some of the most energetic, mischievously motivated, sleep-deprived, eternally hungry, and utterly broke people in the whole world.

Source: Ham bhi kabhi college me the.

We might not be able to provide a solution for the former four, but the last problem we can take care of. So, if you have ever wondered what it would be like to have more money than sense, read on.

Magicpin is an Android / iOS app that helps people find out the interesting food, beauty & fashion outlets in their localities and gives upto 50% cashback at all food, beauty & fashion outlets. This cashback can be used to buy BookMyShow, Amazon, and local food and beauty vouchers.

We are currently working on an internship project where college going students have already earned INR 30,000 to INR 40,000 last month. It’s a simple download & transaction based internship where students go to popular national outlets around them (McDs, Pizza Hut etc.) and tell people about the app and get them cashback.

You will be a part of a growing community that is as motivated towards work as towards having the most fun while at it. We are looking forward to have you join us and super-hyped about sharing our vision and our stories with you.

If these unrealistic-looking promises have you dreaming of the freedom of giving the perfect expensive gift to your partner without having to ask your parents for some money to buy “books”, please feel free to reach out to [email protected].

Also, don’t spend it all on the gift. College romances almost never last.

 

About Magicpin:

Magicpin is a platform where users and outlets in a locality discover, interact and transact. For users, we are the one-stop destination for finding the best restaurants, fashion stores, spas, and salons in their localities. For every visit you make to an outlet, you get free cashback in magicpin points, which can then be redeemed at Amazon, Book My Show, for mobile recharges, and a lot more. 

  • Best Cashback App of the Year 2016
  • Backed by Google (Google Launchpad Accelerator Program)
  • Backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners (Other investments include OYO, Snapchat, Limeroad)
Keep Reading
By
Ramjas College

ABVP protests against Umar Khalid; disrupts two day conference

By

A two day seminar on Cultures of Protest, organised by Wordcraft, the Ramjas literary society and the English department of Ramjas college, was disrupted when members of the ABVP protested against Umar Khalid speaking at the conference. Khalid is a PhD scholar from Jawaharlal Nehru University and a student activist who was slapped with sedition charges last year. The two day seminar was set to explore the representations of dissent in literary productions, and Umar Khalid was invited to speak on the theme ‘The war in Adivasi areas’.

ABVP protested against Khalid’s presence inside the college campus. They went to the Principal’s office claiming that the majority of the students were against his speaking at the conference as well, and therefore the conference should be cancelled. “Majority of the students were against Umar Khalid speaking and they were calling us up, asking us to stop the event from taking place. Moreover, the organisers had no approval from the faculty. So we marched inside and managed to stop the conference from taking place,” said Priyanka Chawri, the Vice President of the Delhi University Student Union.

We spoke to one of the teachers-in-charge of the event, Vinita Chandra, who said, “We had approval of the principal and we had been planning this event for months now. We have official proof of the invitations as well. The Principal expressly said, ‘I believe in tolerance and I believe in freedom of speech’. I have always assured my students that when teachers are there, nothing is going to happen to the students. In my 30 years of teaching here, for the first time I feel no confidence at all in being a teacher.”

Apparently, the faculty was aware prior to the event that there could be some form of protests but the college union president assured that all protests would be peaceful in nature. Moreover, the police had said that they would not be able to provide protection to Khalid or the members of the organising team if any major disruption takes place. Apprehensive of any violent outbursts, members of the literary society decided to cancel Khalid’s talk and proceed with the conference. Before beginning, the teachers and students organised a short march around the campus, protesting against the disruption in the day’s events.

After the session was about to resume, the ABVP protesters turned violent and started throwing bricks and stones at the windows. Groups with lathis and rods were seen rioting around the area and the police had to resort to the necessary means to quell the violence. Students and teachers attending the conference inside the conference hall were locked in and the power was cut. The police had to barricade the entrance to the conference hall to stop the protestors from getting inside. After an hour of struggle, the police formed a human chain and helped the students trapped inside to exit safely through the backgate of the college. A student present in chaos said, “The protesters abused and threatened even the teachers of the college. Goondagardi hai yeh toh.’’

In the entire process, a few students were injured and one had to be taken to the hospital for immediate treatment. Umar Khalid in response to these events, posted on Facebook, “ Such open brazenness is only possible because of the institutional impunity ABVP goons enjoy in universities’’.

Feature Image: Arindam Goswami for DU Beat

Arindam Goswami

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
E-Issue

Old is Gold: The Comeback of Nokia 3310

By
Nokia handset 3310

Nokia’s iconic 3310, a model which needs no introduction owing to the reverence and glorification attached to it, is believed to re-enter the market with its modern version!

 

 

At a time when The Humma Song and Tamma Tamma are endeavouring to strike chords in hearts as modern renditions of their Bollywood classics, it is only natural that the world of technology shall also put in its nostalgic bit. A phone which is the inexhaustible source of memes, a phone which endorsed the snake game like no other, and a phone which proudly carries the power to emerge victorious in the event of a zombie apocalypse, the Nokia 3310 is the proud Wolverine in the telephonic world. Its speculated return in our lives has sparked excitement and anticipation as a wave of nostalgia hits the hearts!

The tumultuous trajectory of Nokia was rectified with its re-launch in January, with HMD Global acquiring its rights and introducing the Nokia 6 smartphone. According to reports, the Finnish company HMD Global Oy is planning to release a 2017 Nokia 3310 version by the end of this month. The iconic phone has been regarded with admiration owing to its simplified structure, days-long battery life, and the ability to survive anything and everything. Fast forward to today, an age where lives are perturbed by fragile glass-screen phones, the revival of Nokia’s legendary phone would serve the dual purpose of satiating nostalgia and ensuring easy phone management.

Previously discontinued in 2005, the phone has since been glorified in the pages of history as indestructible and inexorable. Priced at USD 62, roughly Rs. 4200, the phone shall be adapted to certain modern features whilst sticking to its core attributes. This will act as a major element of competition in the contemporary market flooded with minimally priced Android smartphones.

Along with the blast from the past, HMD will also be revealing two averagely-priced Android phones – Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 – to continue their project of re-establishment. The former is set to come with a 5.2-inch display, 2GB of RAM, 12 megapixel camera, and Snapdragon 430 chipset, and is rumoured to be valued at around Rs.14,000. Nokia 3, designed along similar lines, will be initially priced at approximately Rs.10,500.

 

 

 

Image Caption: The legendary Nokia 3310 is speculated to be re-launched by HMD this February

Image Credits: Hindustan Times

 

 

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DU Annual Fest Season

Fests as an Organiser: Of Worries, Whines, and Woes

By
Fests

Behind the curtains of the starry shows and the motley of events lined up lies the true endurance of the Organising Committee, for their perseverance makes the fest truly successful!

 

 Perspective is everything. An object of existence can be viewed with a mixed reception by a plethora of people – this is known. Having said that, the grand cultural affair organised every year by colleges which are home to the wanderers also harbour a melange of dreams and dedication. As students of the University of Delhi assimilate and revel in the glory of the fest season, a tiresome and consciously evaded entity of it is often pushed to the sidelines. Behind the brilliance of the spectacle witnessed and the magic created, there is the effort put in by the architects of the show which shan’t and won’t go unnoticed.

Months before the calendar indicates the period of February and March, their mind sets into a prudent mode of brainstorming, planning, and strategising the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ of their idealised cultural fests. Fancy the big fat Indian wedding, with the traditional pomp and clobber of an extravaganza which is delightfully put up for critique by relatives whose relation shall continue to remain a mystery. As viewers of the wedding ceremony, a million suggestions and points of criticism pervade our minds, with ideations of what could have been better. And as a member of the Organising Committee, the fest is their mini-shaadi where they are on the receiving end of these insatiable comments. The worries of what should and shouldn’t be done, of the whys and the hows, seem inescapable and inexhaustible, don’t they?

As the clock churns to move the wheels of time, plans are executed, and the weight of the work adds a tiresome sigh to their conversations. Mornings, days, evenings, and nights are spent in ensuring a successful implementation of what was promised. From team formation and task delegation to scavenging connections for sponsorship of any kind, their groans and despair in this period remain unmatched. A lack of sufficient funds, when combined with the incompatibility with the student union of the college or with another department, might add to the verses of whines narrated by them.

The final product of performances and hard work which grace the stage has a story of memories carved in it. The troubles and struggles endured in the making of an iconic fest are looked back as fond remembrances, for they were all worth it. The woes then fade away into waves of nostalgia, only to be transcended into anticipating a bigger and better fest next season!

 

Image Credits: DU Beat

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

Soap Operas to Reality Shows: The Absurdity of Indian Television

By
indian TV shows

From the very first Indian soap ‘Hum Log’ to present day soaps and reality shows, Indian television has grown undoubtedly, but not always for the better.

 

 

Indian television witnesses some of the longest running daily soaps with over 2000 episodes of over–hyped rhetorical drama. Their scripts have so far not been successful enough to conjure up a healthy dose of daily entertainment — without sending their audiences the wrong message. As the story of one serial after the other unfolded on screen, to be the “perfect” woman on Indian television, one needed to be a docile housewife and sacrifice everything for the family’s happiness. Drama is when people skip their meals, when someone is reincarnated with the same face, when even after taking leaps of six to ten years, they use the same technology that they used earlier. Mythological and historical series are somewhat information-bound, but paranormal shows are as unconvincing as forced smiles. Stories often drift away from the main plot. Adding to this are the visual effects used in shows like ‘Sasural Simar Ka’ aired on ColorsTV, ‘Baalveer’ on SabTV, and the conventional ghastly figurines in paranormal shows like ‘Aahat’.

Indian TV sow

 

With their upward sloping graph of TRP, reality shows are no less. The first reality show on Indian Television was ‘Bournvita Quiz Contest (BQC)’ which gained popularity in the 1980s. Reality shows not only break the monotony of drama series, but also serve as the perfect tool to satisfy voyeurism and, for some others, the irrepressible temptation to get their 60 seconds of fame. Though various shows have various formats, some of them have had their fair share of controversies and their credibility has occasionally been questioned with allegations that they are not as real as they claim to be. Shows like ‘Love School’ and ‘Emotional Atyachar’ are some reality shows that have often reeked of pretension and orchestrated drama. Shows like ‘The Bachelorette India’, ‘Mere Khayalon Ki Mallika’, and ‘Rakhi Ka Swayamvar’ are indubitably bogus.

Indian television entertainment will seemingly never change, or revolt, but it certainly offends. Its limits will be set by the ‘Indian’ morality, which will internalise and proselytise. The smaller screen is constructed in a way that is antithetical to the urban or modern life which has always pandered to what social scientists call ‘the agenda’ – issues of concern to the viewing audience.

 

 

Image Caption: While Indian television continues to provide us with a wide array of shows, it fails to be logical and convincing in the least

Image Credits: Youthbuzz.com

 

 

Radhika Boruah

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Events

LARGEST-EVER MASS CLEANATHON ORGANISED BY YOUTH IN DELHI

By
Leaders for tomorrow mass cleaning

Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT) Foundation is a not for profit youth movement working with 22,000 college students from 110 college campuses of Delhi NCR.  LFT  to awaken their social consciousness and encourage  them in volunteerism and skill development. LFT in the campuses conduct social action events and leadership programmes to create active leaders for tomorrow.

The largest ever mass cleanathon that brought together over 3000 youth was organised in Delhi University’s North Campus on Thursday, 31st January 2017. Youth from colleges across Delhi/NCR, including University of Delhi, Indraprastha University and other private colleges came together to clean prominent locations of North Campus, University of Delhi.

The event that saw excited youth joining in large numbers saw the presence of Assistant Commissioner of Municipal Corporation of North Delhi, Mr. Ravinder Saini, Sanitary Superintendent, K.C. Sharma; Ms. Bhanu Prabha, IAS and Leaders For Tomorrow Founder, Mr.Binoy Job. The event was organised with the support of the Delhi Police and MCD.

LFT
The guests of the day along with founder of LFT, Mr. Binoy Job.

The students who were divided into various groups walked around the campus, cleaning the roads and preventing others from littering. A freeze mob was also organised near the metro premises to motivate on-lookers to join in.

The ‘mass cleanathon’ was part of Leaders For Tomorrow’s endeavours to encourage the youth to become responsible citizens. The cleanliness drive is also being organised in 110 colleges of Delhi/NCR in an effort to engage college students to be a part of social action.

“It is a symbolic event aimed to inspire the youth to be the change and create a litter-free environment. The presence of so many youth here today, who have voluntarily come together shows that the youth want to make a difference and that we are willing to work towards creating a better world.” said Neha Tewari, one of the lead organising team members of the event.

The cleanliness drive is a part of a series of social action events that Leaders For Tomorrow organises on a regular basis in college campuses, including plantation drives, donation drives and visits for compassion.

 

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

Lakshya, KNC grabs first prize at PRATIBIMB 2017

By

PRATIBIMB’17, the street play fest of Sri Aurobindo College hosted by Moksh Dramatics Society, came to an amazing end with a string of memorable moments attached to it. It lived up to the expectations of the event and proved to be bigger and better. In fact, one of the best. With 15 top teams of the drama circuit of Delhi University performing at the event, the atmosphere was filled with a competitive outlook, a blend of creativity and dramatisation of facts and figures, all well described and depicted. The performances were astonishing and gripped the attention of the audience without breaking up their interest. They stood their to witness these performances straightaway without an interval. The battle of creativity, art of acting and the essence of drama were displayed at their best. Every team proved to be better than the other and thus, the judges found it difficult to choose a winner amongst winners.

shri aurobindo college
Lakshya from Kamala Nehru College bagged the first prize while Natuve from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (M) came in second.

But every competition needs a conclusion. Thus, the prizes were announced in spite of the cutthroat competition. The first prize was grabbed by Lakshya, the Dramatics Society of Kamala Nehru College. The second prize went to Natuve, the Dramatics Society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (M). The best actor was awarded to Divyam of SBSC(M) and the best actress was awarded to Tejaswani of Lady Irwin College. In order to honour the writers, Likhat sponsored the Best Script Award and Ayaam, the Dramatics Society of Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology won the prize.
This event was a well organised and coordinated one with a beautiful ambience and lovely hospitality of the hosts. It fulfilled the expectations and thus, indeed opened up the fest season of DU with a great beginning. Moksh- The Dramatics Society of Sri Aurobindo College proved to be humble hosts and with their skills and abilities, made PRATIBIMB’17 a memorable event.*

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

The Reel is Real!

By
based on a true story

The world of entertainment has borrowed motivation from reality since time immemorial. It’s time to indulge into how the events truly transpired!

They say real life inspires true art, and we couldn’t agree more. The masterpieces which have carved an indelible mark in the history of movies and shows are often pictorial projections of the events of reality. From Academy award-winning movies to trend-setting shows, the true events often transcend into the world of mainstream entertainment. Read on to uncover and discover the shades of realism in your favourite pieces of ‘reel!’

Catch Me If You Can

 

 Leonardo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leonardo DiCaprio kept us and Tom Hanks on toes with this 2002 biographical crime film, canvassing around the life of Frank Abagnale. By the age of nineteen, the latter had successfully managed to earn millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a doctor, a teacher, and a Parish prosecutor. The con artist after serving five years in prison, was then roped in by the FBI to assist in catching check frauds and went on to establish his own security firm.

 

Dallas Buyers Club

 

  Matthew Mc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2013 Academy Award nominee, directed by Jean- Marc Vallee, narrates the story of Ron Woodroof, who established the titular group in 1988. An AIDS patient diagnosed in the mid-1980s, a period when the disease was not wholly assimilated by the society and was stigmatised to a great degree, smuggled and distributed unapproved medicinal drugs in Texas for treating fellow AIDS patients. Woodroof passed away after seven years from pneumonia triggered by AIDS.

 

Spotlight

 

 

  Spotlight film

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The intriguing biographic drama, which unfolded a horrific practice within the realms of the sacred, went on to win the 2015 Academy Award for Best Film. It is based on the stories by The Boston Globe‘s “Spotlight” team, an operating investigative journalist unit in Boston. It investigated cases of child sex abuse by priests of the Roman Catholic Church, and earned the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. The team uncovered a list of places all around the world where cases relating to abuse by priests have taken place.

 

Stranger Things

 

TV Shows

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2016 internet sensation which garnered instant praise on Netflix is believed to be based on Preston B. Nichols’ Montauk novels, as the Duffer brothers initially created the show with the title ‘Montauk.’ The trilogy is constructed around his experiences at Camp Hero, a government premise where scientific achievements were being endeavoured by crossing all boundaries of reality and fiction. It talked about psychic warfare, time travel experiments and trials on children. Well, it does sound eerily close to the life of Eleven!

  

Narcos

 

Pablo Escobar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The recipient of two Emmy nominations, Narcos revolves around the life and times of the real-life drug leader Pablo Escobar. The drug kingpin became a billionaire and one of the wealthiest men in the world by producing and circulating cocaine. ‘The King of Cocaine’ branched out his drug network over years through corruption and intimidation of government officials. Often seen as a confluence of a hero and a criminal, he surrendered to the Colombian authorities in 1991 and subsequently escaped prison in 1992. Following his chase by different entities, Escobar was finally shot and killed by the Columbian National Police in 1993.

 

Orange Is the New Black

 

 women's prison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2013 Netflix hit is based on Piper Kerman’s 2010 memoir ‘Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison’.The protagonist was convicted on the charges of money laundering and drug trafficking, resulting in her stay at three different federal women’s prison for 15 months. The international bureaucracy, the poor prison system of the US, and Kerman’s moral retrospection form the primal motifs in her memoir.Since then, she has been appointed to serve on the Board of Women’s Prison Association and is working as a communication strategist for non-profit organisations.

 

 Image Credits: Wikipedia, Script Magazine, Empire, Den of Geek, The Inquisitr, IMDb

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Interviews

‘Becoming Assiya’ by Simran Keshwani

By
Assiya

Becoming Assiya is a book by Simran Keshwani, a third year literature student at Lady Shri Ram College for Women. The book is about a misplaced Syrian refugee who deals with her violent past and her journey for survival and finding herself.

The Syrian Civil War which has spelled confusion and chaos for the people living in Syria has caused one of the largest refugee movements in the history of the world. The death toll has been enormous. People lost their homes, their families, and for many, the will to live. Becoming Assiya tells the story of one such refugee and the journey she takes, dealing with fear, pain and anguish.

The book promises to be a reflection of the struggles of war-time Syria and ponders on the complexities and subtleties of human emotions. When asked about her inspiration for the book, she replied, ‘‘the reality of our times.’’ “It breaks my heart to say that there could be so many girls like Assiya out there, stuck in War torn Syria or Kurdistan, while we sleep in our ivory towers and comfortable blankets. Their struggles and their tryst with pain, loss and blood can never be compensated for. I wanted to capture the tragedy and in doing so, I realized it is not only theirs. It’s ours’’, she said.

For a first time author, touching upon an issue of such complexity and churning a book out of it, is certainly a brave attempt. She cites her inspiration as humans and human life. “That is what defines us as a race I think – our drive to overcome hate and hurdles and march on. We need to keep remembering we are all human, past the divisiveness and hate. That is what Becoming Assiya is a small endeavour towards.”

A brief introduction of the book: “Becoming Assiya is the story of a misplaced Syrian refugee and her trial with a past of Blood, wounds, War, Doubt and Hatred and the troublesome Hope of a better tomorrow. The woman’s journey encompasses through the landscape of Wartime Syria, through her mother’s journal and the rebuilding of a Post War identity for a land washed with blood, and what it meant to be alive, stuck in the middle with No Identity. Identity and Struggle, two complex concepts intermingle in this book and intersect at a common point, that of finding yourself.”

About the author: Simrann Keshwanii, 20, is a Final Year literature student at the Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi and the Founder of a start-up, Born Of a Million Thoughts, that deals in on-ground Social Activism. She plans on changing the world, one word at a time, for words are mirrors and swords.

The book is scheduled to be launched on the 27th of February, 2017.

Arindam Goswami

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Features

VEGAN MAGIC – PAID ACTIVISM

By
Vegan World Media

 

Most of us know Veganism to be a new fad that advocates not using animal products for food or lifestyle, including clothing, medication and cosmetics. What most of us don’t know about this new fad is that:

1. It has it’s origins as early as 10,000 B.C. and was the central ethic at the heart of Eastern Tantra and Western Magic, the mother of all modern religions today.

2. Not just that, it is the single thread, the moral lesson, that holds the story of creation together through the cyclic apocalyptic floods that come as Mother Earth detoxifies herself regularly over periods of time called Yugas or eons.

3. That ancient sciences of both Yoga and Alchemy hold veganism as a prerequisite to rise and shine like the Sun and summon our soul mates to satellite around us creating our own spiritual solar system here on Earth.

4. That the nuclear reactions in a star as it matures from its first main sequence of converting hydrogen into helium until its seventh main sequence of producing the heaviest element Iron, is a fractal equivalent of an individual here on Earth raising their Kundalini energy through their seven chakras, which cannot be done without veganism.

5. That as per the Law of Sevens, as we do raise our Kundalini through the seven chakras by practicing Ahimsa or Veganism, we are actually making our way through the seven levels of afterlife we will be sent to, the three lower Hells, the fourth transition level and the three upper Heavens as mentioned in many Vedic and Hermetic scriptures.

6. This law of sevens isn’t just limited to our seven Chakras and our spiritual place in Heaven or Hell, it pervades all of creation from the seven colors of visible light (VIBGYOR), seven sounds of the audible spectrum (Sa,Re,Ga,Ma,Pa,Dha,Ni), seven existential needs, seven levels of consciousness, to the seven main systems and master glands in the human body that make it function as a whole together.

7. That unless we go vegan, we will never experience the full potential of our personal and professional life because as the Kundalini energy moves along our spine it activates our chakras and their associated glands to peak performance one by one.

8. What we refer to as our elusive sense of intuition or sudden spurts of inspiration which account for our most magical experiences of being alive is actually our sixth sense, our ability to communicate with nature working pathetically. As our Kundalini moves up, those states of being guided by nature become more sustainable until we are in constant two-way communication with nature.

9. Normally we only see and hear about 1% of the bandwidth of the visible and audible spectrum. Many other animals see and hear outside of their spectrum and respond to it as well. We are kicked out of this network because of our violence towards other sentient beings, our spiritual siblings. Once we resume loving relationships with them we are welcomed back into this network by Mother Nature.

10. So, if you want to discover all your spiritual soulmates to fulfill your purpose of existence with them, experience the big L love or become the next great inventor or artist, there is only one way to go, and that’s Veganism.

Sukrat Bajaj, the Creative Director of Vegan World Media, a publishing house dedicated to producing cutting-edge vegan content says that – “Whether we know it or not, we are all tantrics, little magicians, doing tantra in our everyday lives, the question remains only of our awareness.”

Vegan World Media is looking forward to working with student activists from every college to help spread the beautiful and magical message of Veganism. They have decided to offer their books to students at 50% of their online prices on Amazon, while helping student activists make money on the side.

Interested students may write to them at [email protected] and leave their name, college, contact information and phone numbers.

Keep Reading
By