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Saying Goodbye to Family – Arushi Pathak (Associate Editor Web 2016-17)

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The most difficult goodbye you ever say is to your family: the family that moulds you into a person that is ready to face any obstacle head on. No matter how hard you try to prepare yourself, you just cannot come around to say it to them. And when the moment is finally there, all you can do is stand and admire how beautiful your family is, reminiscing all the beautiful memories you’ve gathered with them.

My three years in DU Beat have been the most awarding and inspiring years in life. The slightly scared enthu-cutlet, as called by her seniors, who begged the HRs to let her be a part of her dream team at DU Beat within the first month of joining college; is now graduating as a proud Associate Editor of the same. My college life has been all about DUB- the source of all of my happy memories. From coping with deadlines to drinking games at DUB parties, DU Beat has been every happy memory I have of college life. I’ve seen my mentors becoming my friends, my friends becoming my guides and my juniors becoming family. If given a chance, I’d redo all of it with as much affection and effort, if not more.

I have always boasted about being the oldest member of the DU Beat Editorial team. And very proudly so. But being the oldest member comes with its own responsibilities- people look up to you for everything, everyone expects you to be the know-it-all. I have, not once, felt these expectations to be a burden and responsibilities to be unrealistic. DU Beat has pushed me to challenge my limits and strive for the best performance I can bring out of me.

I walked into this organisation as a fresher looking for a purpose. I couldn’t be happier that I chose DU Beat, more importantly, DU Beat chose me; to design my college life into the enigma that it is today. I have made friends I know will last a lifetime, I’ve learned from people and experiences. The perks, you bet, have been nothing less than a plate full of Vanilla Oreos. Standing inside the barricades with a press card hanging around my neck has to certainly be the best incentive DU Beat gave me. From getting all close up to star performers to being pushed and shoved and stomped upon in stampedes, it’s been a pleasure.

There are a lot of emotions I am experiencing right now. Knowing that I won’t have a 100 messages in my phone from DU Beat groups, leaving 60+ WhatsApp DUB Groups, not getting to make the Web Layout every week, not having to reprimand correspondents and copy-editors to adhere to the deadline and most importantly, not having DU Beat next to my name.

Will I get through this? I’m not sure. But DU Beat has made me into a person who sure can deal with these emotions amidst all possible challenges life decides to throw at me. And to cope, I certainly have some informal DUB WhatsApp groups to hold on to and I am willing to be the creepy stalker of DU Beat on Facebook. Whatever keeps me close to this family.

Words will fall short in explaining the gravity of DUB in my life. And so, is it a goodbye yet? Well, it will never be. DU Beat shall always occupy the most comforting spot in my heart.

 

Signing off,

For the last time,

Arushi Pathak,

Associate Editor Web (2016-17)

DU Beat

 

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DUB Speak

Why November is the worst month to take exams!

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As many of us are busy gearing up for the semester-end exams, there are a few of us at debacle over nonchalantly skimming those textbooks or letting the reins free and giving up to the eternal conspiracy called fall. Care to pause?
Since we are halfway already, you might have as well perceived that November has a magic attached to it. It is a singular mystical month of vivifying charisma and enchantment. You may have realised why it has been aptly marvelled through centuries that this is a month of dreamy blends and ethereal transitions- The classical commixture of the growth with a pertinent hue of decline; fading elements of summer melting into the cajoling winter; the green canopies metamorphosing into the yellow perennial drizzle of leaves and the dryness of summer, restlessness of the rain all majestically making way for the calmness and with it, the silent hustles, the deepening melancholy. This is the time of the year which the fairy tales and dreams are made of. Think fall and you are reminiscent of the floating cloud, the faraway castles shrouded in mysteries, the vivaciously green meadows of some quixotically vivid shrubs dancing in the symphony of the western November breeze, the verdant mountains, the hills clad in the green blankets, the tranquil waters.. Lost, are you?
On the face of it, this is about what one identifies with the fall. This is about why November is a careless month.
But o the wretched fate, just when this euphoria starts caressing your minds, hearts and souls; the antidote of exam is waiting for you. What you just can’t help is giving yourself all those reasons which conclude that November is the worst time of the year for the exams. (P.S. I have no grudge against exams; I just have a fetish for November.)
First and foremost, this is the time of the year which, since eternity has been the most creative period in the eternal cycle of seasons. Come fall and the floodgates of ideas, dreams and visions are shattered open in a sort of conspiracy of the nature.

As Emily Bronte, observes, ” .. Ideas … have gone through and through me, like wine and water, and changed the colour of my mind.” It is only fair to conclude that if not for her ideas which conjured the withering heights, the world would certainly have been a less beautiful place.
So the examinations cruelly restrict the free play of the ideas. The opinions, dreams and ideas, before hitting their respective canvases, are sabotaged in the fear of the last week of November. The very existence of the acrid concept of exam lingering along the cobwebs in those unvisited vicinities of the mind, dissipate any parallel thought-process.

For the next reason, November is the best time for people among us who love to sleep. There, I said it. And believe me, it is a good enough reason, one of the best of reasons. Argue me if you haven’t felt your body surrender every time you close your eyes as much to a blink, to the fragrance of the invisible necromantic force as it sublimely lulls over you, narcotising you and hence taking you to its realms. And this happens invariably, no terms and conditions.

But now if you are done, get over. As the good ‘ol man used to say in schools, ”Go away. You have your exams.”

 

Nikhil Kumar

[email protected]

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Arts & Culture

Donald J. Trump is USA’s President-elect: Twitter’s coping mechanism

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Donald J. Trump is going to be the United States of America’s 45th President. We’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.

Amidst all chaos and an unexpected turn of events, the former (really, former?) business tycoon managed to sail the Republican boat to the shore of victory. And while this was certainly the least expected beginning to 9th November for most Americans, they and the rest of the world are relying on their best bets as coping mechanisms on Twitter.

Here’s a peek into how the social media exploded in the last twelve hours celebrating anxiety and confusion.

Let’s begin on a light note- 

 


There are some we know are voicing our worst fears-

 

We, here at DU Beat, have had our share of apprehension as we believe no nation shall be left unaffected with this huge turn in power. Here’s a glimpse of what the team had to say-

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3

2

 

How did you deal with the ground-breaking news today? Let us know in the comments section!

Featured Image Credits: the guardian.com

Arushi Pathak
[email protected]

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Fandom

The Great Gig on Earth: From Pink Floyd to Ed Sheeran

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FLOYD FANATICS aka “ The Lunatics”

 

When it comes to classic and progressive rock, not talking about Pink Floyd is a sin ! Found in 1965 by Syd Barett, this band made a humongous name for itself in the world of progressive and psychedelic rock. Starting with UK’s underground rock scene, they developed a striking psychedelic sound touching upon various other genres like Blues, Jazz and country music.

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After Barret’s departure , Roger Waters (Bassist) took charge of the songwriting and devising concepts for their albums.This era witnessed huge commercial and critical success and growth in their fanbase especially with the release of their two most popular albums, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and The Wall (1979) which topped the charts for years.

 

The band penned some heavily philosophical lyrics talking about truth, illusion, life and death, time and space, compassion, indifference and empathy. Breathe (1973) talks about the stark contrast between what the heart wants and what the postmodern society expects. The Wall narrates the story of an individual trapped in a war torn life followed by his domination by the society leading to his voluntary isolation.

 

By 2013, Floyd had sold more than 250 million records worldwide.Despite various creative disputes leading to members leaving the band to its dissolution in 1995 and the recent demise of two of its members, Pink Floyd continues to live in the heart and run in the very veins of ‘Floydians’ across the world.

 

 

About meaningful lyrics and soulful contemporary music: Ed Sheeran

 

Contemporary music fanbase list would be incomplete without including the recent alternative pop sensation, Ed Sheeran. Edward Christopher Sheeran was born in 1992 in Yorkshire, United Kingdom and dropped out of school at 16 to pursue a career in music. His first big moment came in 2011 when he played in ‘No. 5 Collaborations Project’ which caught the attention of legends like Elton John and Jamie Foxx.

 

Ed Sheeran is known for the element of rawness in his music. The crisp sound of his acoustic guitar is integral to almost all of his songs and the huskiness in his voice comes unfiltered to the fans adding on to the emotions attached in the song. With soothing  and soulful lyrics and comforting melodies, his music conveys a feeling of warmth and affection.

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From a pub playing troubadour to a large scale pop icon and a Grammy Award winner, Sheeran gained international popularity really fast. Apart from his music career, he also has a filmography to his name and has starred in films like Shortland Street (2014) and Undateable ( 2015 ) to name a few. Ed Sheeran continues to work with his upcoming projects and albums, collaborating with different artists and international tours which are lined up for the upcoming year and increasing his fan base day by day ( or album by album)

 

 

Aditya Narang

[email protected]

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Fandom

5 life lessons I learned from Breaking Bad

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Let’s face it, one of the coolest and most badass characters ever created on television is of Walter White, the docile-Chemistry-teacher turned outlaw-meth-dealer. And while he may be the danger, he’s taught his viewers (specially impressionable people like me) tonnes of life lessons.

  1. Hydrofloric Acid will make you a pro at getting rid of things: Whether it’s that annoying toy of a younger kid in the family or the body of your worst enemy (whom you may or may not have killed, let’s leave it at that?), Emilio’s death taught me that Hydrofloric Acid is the real MVP. Don’t believe me? Ask your Chem teacher about it’s power.

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  1. Life’s too short to not take risks and live in fear: While this doesn’t mean you get your hands into selling meth, you cannot simply waste your life wondering about the consequences of adventures and risks. The regret of not taking enough risks will be more than the relaxation of being in your comfort zone.

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  1. Diaper boxes are a good place to hide those not-so-cool things: No one checks or doubts diaper boxes. The emptier the box, the better. Rather, find any infant-related merchandise and no one will bat an eye!

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  1. Theoretic knowledge can take you far: You may not become as amazing as Mr. White, who made batteries out of coins and sponge, but if you can by around your head to use all the theories stuffed into it during lectures, you, my friend; shall go a long way!

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  1. Most importantly, appearances can be deceptive: That manager from your favourite chicken-eatery could be drug dealer. And you’ve got to be smart enough to know who’s who. Look around, be cautious.

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Author’s note: If you’re one of those unlucky people whose hard disks/laptops don’t have this show yet, you’re missing out on a lot of thrill (and high blood pressure) in life. Breaking Bad is all the good you need in life. Word!

 

Arushi Pathak

[email protected]

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Campus Central

Union Elections 2016 held in Kamala Nehru College

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th October, 2016.The last year’s Proctor, Komal Priya, of Geography Honours; was declared the President of the Students’ Union for this year. Unlike last year, none of the posts went uncontested; where the post of the President witnessed four contenders, Vice-President and General Secretary saw three and two contenders respectively. Ritu Yadav of B.Com (Pass), the Vice-President, has also formerly served in the union as a Proctor in her first year. There was a huge margin of victory for the President, Komal. Prasansha, a second year student, was tagged with the post of the General Secretary; who defeated her opponent by 300 votes. Vandaya from 1st year is the new Treasurer for Kamala Nehru College, who grabbed the maximum margin of victory of 400 votes. The Proctor Team for first, second and third years is headed by Monika, Aayushi Jain and Nidhi Sharma respectively. This election was preceded by a pre-election debate on 29th September, 2016 and an interview round presided over by college union authorities. Kamala Nehru College’s Union Elections were delayed by a few weeks due to the NAAC visit to college earlier last month. The team is currently preparing for upcoming Diwali celebrations in college. Arushi Pathak [email protected] Image by Ritu Yadav for Kamala Nehru College]]>

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Arts & Culture

Culinary Arts Society, Hans Raj College hosted Food Festival 2016

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What began as an idea a mere month and a half ago, was brought to life by the efforts of Culinary Arts Society, Hans
Raj College on 7th October, 2016. With a total footfall of more than 6000 students, this Food Festival 2016 was appreciated and enjoyed by all. The diversity of food was well showcased by over 30 stalls which included Keventers, Pizza Hut, WOW Momos, Fruitish Juice, Bootlegger, Sushiya, Whistling Spices and many more. Along with the food stalls, stalls by Enactus Hans Raj and Kalakriti- the fine arts society of Hans Raj College were also enjoyed by
many.
The event began at 11AM with arrival of students but the real celebration started after 1PM at the arrival of the chief guest Chef Machindra Kasture. He was felicitated first on the stage along with guest of honor Mr. Vikram Agarwal, MD of Cornitos. Following the felicitation, Principal Dr. Rama addressed the gathering along and Chef Kasture congratulated the Culinary Arts Society for organizing this event.
CAS launched on stage their monthly newsletter Food Times with the curtain being raised by the Chief Guest. Thereafter, performances by Swaranjali, the music society of Hans Raj College and Kavyakriti, classical dance society of Hans Raj College, left the viewers spellbound. There were also two competitions conducted- Main Bhi MasterChef, where the shortlisted students had their dish tasted by the Chief Guest and other guests, which saw Vrinda winning the hearts of all with their Kulhe ki Chaat and Garry Pahwa being the runner-up with her traditional sweet-dish. The other competition was Tacos Challenge, a no fire cooking challenge, conducted by Cornitos where people had to create a dish on the spot using delicious ingredients provided by Cornitos. The tacos challenge saw participation in huge numbers with even some faculty members trying their hand at cooking. Meher was declared the winner of the challenge.
Chef Kasture was delighted with the response of the Festival and reminisced, he  said, “At our times, we did not have access to anything. We didn’t have the knowledge of food the way people do now. It is all because of globalization that everyone is aware. One should take advantage of such information and build a career.
Food is a great career to be in.” He was also appreciative of students cooking and was emotional when asked about his favorite dish, “I have travelled the world but nothing can beat maa ke haath ka khana. She introduced me to cooking.” A fashion walk by Fashion Society of Hans Raj College in association with Max Fashions concluded the event on stage while people continued to pour in and savour the variety of dishes being served by stalls and availing great offers.
This was a first time a Food Festival was organized by any society in any college in Delhi, and it turned out to be a
roaring success. Huge footfall, satisfied students, happy guests will have this event being remembered by all who were a part of it and will go down in history for many good reasons!\
Images and content by Culinary Arts Society, HRC.
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Hans Raj College

MarkUs, HRC hosted a power packed duo of events: Brand Slaughter and Bidwiser

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Challenging the marketeer in each participant and incorporating the exhilaration of bidding, MarkUs, the Marketing Society of Hansraj College organized  ‘Brand Slaughter’ and ‘Bidwiser’ , the two unique competitions, on the 6th of October 2016.
After scrutinising hundreds of applications, a total of 12 teams were shortlisted for the final round of Brand Slaughter. On the other hand, 10 teams made it to the final round of Bidwiser. The ball was set rolling amidst a lot of nervous excitement, and the MarkUs’ first event for the session began!

Many brands such as KFC, shaadi.com, Endura mass were slaughtered in the first round of Brand slaughter. In the second round, the teams gave their unique presentations and marketed totally non-marketable products such as Patanjali cigarettes, MRF slippery tyres etc.! The other teams were required to invest in the presenting team’s product and the product with the highest investment won!

On the other hand, in Bidwiser, with prices being shouted, bids getting higher by every second and the hammer being struck, the room was tingling with exuberance. The teams went through several rounds, pitching for brands, taglines and brand ambassadors. Finally, they were given a fun yet challenging task of putting together all they managed to buy, and present it as an advertisement to woo everyone for their brand.

Both the competitions concluded with jubilation all around, and a deep sense of satisfaction with the largely successful event.

Images and Content by Marketing Society of Hans Raj College

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Reviews

Food Review: Raw Creams, Hudson Lane

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I scream, you scream, let’s all scream for ‘RAW CREAMS’! The sheer number of restaurants in the Hudson Lane and GTB Nagar locale of North Campus bewildered me when I was a fresher, and even today, two years later, I always feel like Alice in Wonderland when I go to this area of endless food opportunities. But as a die-hard fan of all things sweet, I’ve often complained that there aren’t enough places that exclusively sell dessert. However, in recent times, several dessert parlours and bakeries have come up that can satisfy anybody’s sweet cravings rather awesomely. And one among these is ‘Raw Creams’. Started by Sahil Gulati and Pushpath Oberoi, who famously run ‘II Fat Indians’, their very own food and beverage brand, ‘Raw Creams’ is a dessert parlour that’ll fascinate and stun even someone who doesn’t have a sweet tooth. It has an extensive menu that offers different varieties of chocolate and fruit ice creams, along with waffles, shakes, smoothies and coffee-ice blends. Although everything on the menu will make you instantly salivate, what this place is really known for is its nitro ice cream and ice creamlettes. Now, the concept of nitrogen ice cream is not new to Delhi. Azote in Safdarjung Enclave is probably the pioneer in this space. However, one visit to ‘Raw Creams’ and you’ll agree with me that it certainly gives an established brand like Azote quite a run for its money. We tried the ‘Nitro Chocolate Brownie’ and the ‘Nitro Guava Chilli’. While the former absolutely satiated the cocoa devil in us, the latter was a refreshing change and a definite favourite. Watching the preparation was a treat to our eyes, and we couldn’t stop awing over the intricacy with which our ice cream was made and served. In the creamlette variants, we tried the extremely popular ‘Strawberry-blueberry’. Who said this flavour was for girls only? Although pink and pretty, this one made our guy friends wanting more! As they made our creamlette from scratch, using milk poured onto a freezing steel pan, we couldn’t help but marvel at the procedure that turned a mundane liquid like milk into a spectacular ice cream, in a matter of minutes! Finally, we gave into our greed and ordered a ‘Fresh Strawberry Waffle’. The amount of customisation that they allowed us on our waffles blew us away. In a nutshell, our experience at Raw Creams was not just satisfying in terms of the flavour riot it created in our mouth, but visually rewarding too. We went home thoroughly contented. We highly recommend this place. Kudos to our friends, the ‘II Fat Indians’ Sahil and Pushpath! Kriti Sharma [email protected] Image Credits: Kriti Sharma for DU Beat  ]]>

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Campus Central

Digital Campaigning: An alternative approach for DUSU Elections

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How many times have we been handed pamphlets and completely ignored them? In the age of social media, where a tweet can be more effective than a hundred such pamphlets, the Delhi University political parties need to shift their focus to digital campaigning Campaigning tactics during the Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) elections, follow a recurring pattern almost every year. Enormous numbers of pamphlets bombard DU students and infrastructure alike, posters and hoardings litter the campus, party notebooks and pens fly from every direction and walls suffer from having to bear the alphabets of candidates’ names in the most glaring font. All parties put in massive amounts of money to make their presence felt and endorse their candidates. However, while the sheer intensity of party campaigning is ridiculous, social media isn’t still being utilised effectively in the DUSU elections. One need not look far in order to gauge the impact of smart social media campaigning. As the second most followed Indian on twitter, Narendra Modi has been titled the ‘first social media Prime Minister’ of India. In the 2014 elections, BJP carried out an aggressive social media campaign, harnessing the popularity and reach of digital media. Live interaction platforms like ‘Chai pe charcha,’ catchy slogans like “Ab ki Baar Modi Sarkar’, interactive twitter handles, youtube channels and facebook pages captured the attention of the 80 million Indian internet users. Almost 30 to 40 percent of the overall seats had been affected by social media. Similarly in Delhi University, capitalising on the social media frenzy and shifting focus to more of digital campaigning can pave the way for a more receptive election. As a two way communication platform, the queries of students can also be addressed by party officials. Extensive digital interaction will make party politics more transparent and keep the voters more informed. Sourcing of manifestos online, hashtag campaigns, live sessions and chat boxes could be more effective than thrusting a handful of pamphlets at random autorickshaws containing students. By sourcing party manifestos online and gauging the response of the voters, their suggestions can be included as well. Digital spaces will not only spark the interest of the voters but will make the elections more participatory in nature. By way of interaction, voters begin to feel like they’re contributing more to the election. Candidates become more than mere names on posters. By now, many students have grown wary of offline campaign tactics. With the NOTA option this year, parties need to gain the respect of the voters even more so than previous years. By situating people dressed in mickey mouse costumes holding party banners outside Vishwavidhyalai station or carpeting campus roads with paper, they’re in no way increasing their respectability. Voters need to be updated during the campaign as well as after the elections by means of a responsible and responsive social media presence on the part of various political parties. Image Credits: thehindu.com Swareena Gurung [email protected]]]>

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