- In building memorials and statues of Mayawati and her party members to show compassion for our downtrodden Dalit brethren.
- In the delicious samosas and khadak chai that is offered to the wealthy when they enter a policestation, after all the policewallah’s transfer is at stake!
- In the re-painting of the sidewalks and divider stones in bright yellow and jet black every 3 months, instead of, of course, lesser pertinent problems of covering pits and building roads.
- On the lavish cars and a dozen armed men who surround our precious MPs and their families even if they are out shopping for their grandson’s birthday.
- On the inconsequential assembly sessions, which are never, complete without microphones and footwear flying across the room.
The monkey rampage in several colleges of Delhi University has been a problem for the students and staff alike, the animals being the cause of major havoc and many complaints over the years. Recently, however, two colleges of Delhi University have come up with a rather odd method to get rid of this menace- langurs. St. Stephens and Delhi College of Arts and Commerce have employed langurs to help keep the college premises and surrounding locations free of monkeys. They are handled by keepers that have been employed by the college to take them on rounds everyday.
Drishti Anand, a second year student of DCAC states, “Initially it was difficult for students travelling by public conveyance to reach college as one couldn’t cross the long stretch from the main road to the college without encountering monkeys, who have even attacked students in the past. These cases have drastically come down since the college has kept the langur to keep them away.” Students of St. Stephens seem to gain relief with the arrival of the langur as well. Says Simi Sara Thomas, a third year student, “I remember the time when the monkeys created a nuisance and disturbed the whole environment of the college. That doesn’t happen anymore.”
However, this move by the colleges is highly questionable. While the langur in Stephens is owned and kept by the keeper himself, DCAC keeps the animal in a dark room, and rather inhospitable conditions. On enquiring about the same in DCAC, the guard reluctantly admitted to the fact that the animal was sometimes kept within the college premises in the absence of the keeper, and if let out, it was moored to a tree with a leash. The students confirm the same. The keeper himself was unavailable for comment. A case along similar lines took place in 2008 when PGI employed langurs to keep away monkeys from PGI and Punjab University. Consequently a case was filed against them in the High Court by animal activists on the grounds that the langurs are schedule- I animals. Hence their use for the purpose was deemed illegal as it violated the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act as well as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960. Also, special permission from the Animal Welfare Board of India, Chennai, needs to be taken to use the langurs for this purpose. This makes one question the conditions in which these animals are kept in our own university and whether if it is even right to keep them for such a purpose at all.
The excitement over the week was definitely sparked by the New Delhi Book Fair held at the Pragati Maidan from 29th August to 6th September.
Armed with an impressive array of books the place saw enthusiastic crowds on almost all days, the interest refusing to peter out till the end.
The usual Rs 100 stalls with stacks of popular reads were naturally the centre of attention, hiding as they did some gems buried beside their more commonplace brethren, absolute steals provided your eyes proved sharp enough to spot them.
Popular publishing houses such as Penguin, Harper Collins, Oxford, Random House, etc shared the floor with deemed ones such as Sahitya Academi Publications. Books written in every which language, Indian or otherwise were in good stock and children’s books too proved great crowd pullers, with the well loved Children’s Book Trust deserving special mention.
An interesting sight that greeted us was the Graphic Novel. Having arrived in large numbers, these comic adaptations of well known classics were definitely capturing a large portion of the spotlight, their prominent presence in the book fair suggesting that the Graphic Novel culture has finally made its presence felt in the great capital.
Jaswant’s Singh’s book signing sessions for his much talked about novel “Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence’” also received their fair amount of attention, probably benefitting from the court drama and finally the revoking of its ban by the Gujarat High Court.
All in all, the fair was a great success and left all enthusiastic shoppers eagerly awaiting the next one.
Dispels fear of racist attacks
On 31st August the Australian Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard visited Lady Shri Ram College (LSR) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) as part of her inaugural five-day visit to India to strengthen the ties between the two countries especially in the field of education.
Julia Gillard discussed Women and Leadership with the students of LSR addressing concerns regarding politics, the functioning of power and governments and the limitlessness of a woman’s potential to shine in any of these fields. She answered queries regarding the state of politics in India as well as her own country and explained how strong unshakable principles are essential to any good government. She tried to instill in everyone’s mind the belief that a good government is a must for a country to flourish and that women ought to play a role in the making of a good government.
She ended the interactive session by assuaging all the audience’s fears and doubts about the safety of Indian students in Australia, emphatically stating that the government was maintaining an attitude of “Zero tolerance” for any violence committed against foreign students. They were running regular patrols in sensitive areas and policemen were kept on high alert to prevent any undesirable event from occurring again. “There are now more police visible on the streets patrolling those areas where there has been problems”, she stated.
The engaging session with such a distinguished personage and fine example of a woman in power was an enriching and rewarding experience for all students.
Smack, crack, DMT, cocaine, LSD, mescaline, horse tranquilizers, nitros, valiums, opium, psilocybin and then of course marijuana; for some reason the very mention of this motley collection must have made a considerable number of you flinch, just like it did to your parents, their parents, teachers, interlocutors and so on. History shows that drugs have always been deemed ‘evil’ in civil society, and for understandable reasons too. They are known to be harmful, to muddle up your priorities and are apparently retrogressive in nature; and of course, they make one question the established status quo, and consequently disturb it. Yet, in spite of knowing this there has always been a sizeable faction, which has doggedly embraced this lifestyle .Why? Curiosity, rebellion, plain stupidity, apathy, frustration, the reasons are innumerable. The only way to really know for oneself is to be a party to the crime and indulge. Why are drugs derided and are made victim to such severe antagonism when at the same time they are purported to stand for love and peace? Case in point, Woodstock, isn’t it an impressive fact that such a large congregation of young people managed to live out three anarchical days of harmony and bliss amidst all the hardships? Our beloved leaders and statesmen cannot even bear to sit out an entire assembly session without chucking microphones and footwear at each other, and yet after all that inane bickering they are allowed to make rules, rules by which the rest of us are supposed to live by, but then these things have been going on since time immemorial.
Drug use and abuse, there is a thin line that separates them, or maybe a fat one, it is tough to clearly demarcate Also, I must stress that it is not about how much of a thing you consume but rather how much of the thing in question consumes you. We, the younger demographic in particular, tend to treat everything as inconsequential and in an utterly callous fashion thanks to our naiveté and the cushy self-centred lives we have been accustomed to. As for the detractors, they would inevitably be ones who know nothing about drugs except for what they have been told by equally ignorant and dogmatic folks.
If done in the right quantity and in the right environment, mind-altering substances can provide an unimaginably blissful experience The scriptures and wise men of old knew it all, and yet they chose to employ euphemisms, probably to keep the commoners devoid of this knowledge since their gullibility and functioning were essential for the workings of the corporeal world. Eventually came the new order, capitalism and commercialism further marginalized the whole phenomenon for it was redundant in this material world of ours. Drug abuse, just like any other excess is deplorable and tends to get get out of hand. Furthermore, substance abuse may severe the individual’s ties with reality, an enjoyable process but one which isn’t recommended because in the end when the stupor recedes, you open your eyes to the same dull world and its obtrusive ways, eventually becoming slaves to recreation itself.
Apart from the vagueness of the metaphysical and spiritual realms, it is in art, literature and aesthetics that drugs find their true value and purpose in the tangible terms of this world. Drugs enable one to think clearly from a different perspective and see the special in the familiar, which together form the basis of discovery and innovation. Hallucinogens and sedatives have served as the muse of many a gifted artist, the influence behind many a great musician, and the driving force of numerous literary figures. Beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder, or rather the state of mind. As Huxley, Blake and many others propounded, drugs help us explore the fascinating but dormant recesses of our minds, an activity that can also be undertaken through self-deprivation and meditation.
The whole debate is an endless one; are drugs bad, are drugs good? All I say for the sake of logic, is that one mustn’t let others judgments affect theirs, and not condemn things they know nothing about. As for the inquisitive souls, I would advise them to not get into things that they aren’t sure of since such endeavours could only lead to disastrous repercussions. Acquire adequate knowledge and suitable supervision regarding whatever you wish to try. Coming to those who think of themselves as enlightened, tread with caution for the path is a deceiving one because in the end, drugs are just vessels of recreation. They enhance your creativity, they fill you up with bliss but when you start centring your entire lives around drugs, you know you are losing it. It is here that one must exercise will and restraint, since life in all its totality is too precious to be wasted solely in the pursuit of hedonistic intoxication.
How important is your life?
Will you squander it over a dead Icon?
The hysterical mass suicide over the death of a prominent figure is not a new phenomenon. Upon the death of MGR heaps of so called loyal fans chose to follow suit. Was that really loyalty? Were their lives of so little value to themselves that they could give it up for an unrelated outside entity? Did all their lives have no meaning save as an attachment to Ramachandran’s?
I accept the sense of loss people must have felt upon losing a beloved star, as indeed I fully understand the loss YSR Reddy’s constituency and indeed the whole country must feel upon losing a significant political figurehead. We can all sympathize with his family’s grief.
Does it make sense then to end your life in order to have it synchronize with his? Should the fact of his premature death provide a reason for you to waste yours too? Surely the twenty three lives lost to suicide was the most flagrant waste possible!
If the report concerning the number of deaths due to heart seizures caused by news of Reddy’s death is true, it heavily reduces my faith in the common sense of the populace.
Perhaps it’s the media turning hysterical on us. Conceivably atleast part of the suicides and a significant portion of the other deaths are largely unrelated to the event, some of them being the normal toll the state faces but which goes undetected when not under the glare of an ‘important’ event. This wouldn’t be all that surprising considering that incidences unrelated to important personnel often tend to go entirely unnoticed. The last helicopter crash which wasn’t fortunate enough to be carrying a VVIP wasn’t discovered until three months later and that too by chance, while the recent one had everybody in the nation working overtime to seek it out.
When the helicopter crash had been confirmed the news mongers went hoarse announcing the death of YSR Reddy and four others. The “four other occupants” -to quote from a popular daily- didn’t even deserve to have their names mentioned when in the company of a much superior being.
Possibly all lives really aren’t equal. Maybe its fair to splash the headlines with a single name while leaving the rest of the lost lives to crowd one short sentence forgotten somewhere in the passage. Perhaps the 122 deaths were really just 122 deaths.
If the ones dying valued their lives so little who are we to treat them any differently?
We shall know when we reach the other side, whether there’s a separate golden gate for the important lives and a small wooden one for the insignificant unnamed ones. It will serve us right if that does indeed prove to be the case.
Children, delightful little creatures at times capable of the worst atrocities solely because they know their innocence shall shield them from the harsh punitive measures. However, this shall not be a rambling about child psychology simply because ideas such as this among many others should be left unattended, unanalyzed and as a result, fascinating. It was a child that caught my attention as I was making my way through the vibrant streets of Mehrauli. He must have been about five or six, standing at a temple gate, eyes shut, palms folded and fervently murmuring to his God. Perfectly oblivious to the world around him, he seemed impervious to the din of the typical rudimentary market. Such displays of pure faith can be as captivating to the passing observer as to the devotee himself. The boy had been duly fed on a steady diet of mythology and morals, he was probably told that the temple was home to God, the personification of the almighty with an inflated ego and with little scope for forgiveness; thus, he must be good and thus he paid his homage to the stone deity. There wasn’t anything special about this boy, he was just like any other child who willingly or unwillingly participates in the idea of worship, and in the larger collective, the only difference that remains is of religion.
Five minutes later, the boy ended his little ritual with a last obeisance; I had meanwhile acquired a set of blank DVDs after much negotiations.
Then there was this another regular day, the ‘Sermon on the Road’ episode. I was in an auto, the fellow upfront ripped me off as expected but I wasn’t all that agitated thanks to the interesting conversation I had had with him. It started out with him announcing that he was unique in this entire world, I told him I agreed and that everyone in this world is in fact unique. However, our man wasn’t satisfied with that, he proceeded to give me vivid details of his life and experiences which somehow seemed to make him believe that he was a cut above the rest, an opinion most of us are guilty of harbouring as well. In my usual jocular manner, I relented; his eagerness and constant demands of approval should take some credit of course. The conversation ambled on just like our little three-wheeled carriage. He decided to tell me about God and spirituality, adequately sprinkled with aphorisms from Tulsidas and Kabir. His dogmatic disposition continued to hunt for my agreement; I couldn’t do much so I complied, albeit with a belying smile on my face. He tried his best to convince me about the existence of God; that was when it was my turn to go on the offensive. It was quite a success too, as he finally accepted to an extent that God is just an idea, and that true spirituality exists in benevolence and good deeds. I further decided to pose him the mother of all questions, “Why do we exist?” His take was simple, to worship and praise God and he was adamant that I agree. I did, again with the sardonic smile in place, which for some reason seemed to have no effect on the man. Meanwhile, we had almost reached our destination; it was then that the ulterior motive was finally unveiled. He invited me to attend some Guru’s procession claiming that he was the only person who could put me on the path to enlightenment. I politely declined which only served to further heighten his persistence; he continued to cajole me until I gave him a blunt refusal.
We finally reached the destination and I fished out the only hundred rupees note I had. He returned it to me saying it was a bit torn on the side. I looked around, something had to be done. As for the supercilious philosopher with whom I had just shared a metaphysical discourse, he had transformed into the average auto driver by now, nagging me about the long distance, the meagre fare, the bad roads, the lack of passengers, and so on. I finally managed to get rid of the slighted note at a cigarette shop.
Hmm, I don’t know if it’s just me but all these notions and ideas about God seem terribly confusing. Hundreds of religions, hundreds of Gods, a fair number of discrepancies and an equal share of parallels, and then of course, all the scoffers. What should a young, confused and self-obsessed lad believe anyway? It is confusing, isn’t it? For these are the few grey areas that empiricists and logicians cannot endeavour to comprehend without leaving some scope for faith, which then defeats the entire purpose of analysis anyway. Fine, there was this big bang and yeah, things started to grow and then they kept growing, we all know that stuff. But then, how did it all just come together? What about that first spark which brought everything about? What about that first blue-green algae or whatever it was supposed to be; what about it, where did that come from? As if the world wasn’t enough, what about space, and stars, and constellations? How about reproduction as a miracle (even though the idea might have been incessantly mocked about in sitcoms and movies)? Just look at yourselves, your bodies and minds. Digestion, sentience, thought, your entire selves; it seems a bit unfair to attribute it all to coincidence and then that one dull definitive word, evolution. It took millions of years and practise for us to evolve into such complex organisms, or at least that’s what they tell us for now. That’s just one of my grouches with science and technology, it is all never-ending; and of course another being that it is all too frigging tough. As the old preachy joke goes; “Get your own dirt”, or something to that effect was God’s riposte to the scientist’s challenge. Then of course, how could one forget that immortal line, “Let there be light”; one thing’s for sure, God sure has an amazing wit and sense of humour if he’s there. Take the movies for instance, especially the new-age ones. God always seems to be this chilled out dude with lots of funny quips.
That’s where I start getting a bit queasy, why do we feel the need to personify the idea of God anyway? Why can’t we settle on it being a form of great energy or whatever, that sparked the whole world into existence and then just as suddenly vanished? Why do we feel the need to weave elaborate and clearly exaggerated tales to support our whims and fancies (Although, I must commend the imaginative skills of the people who wrote all those scriptures)? Is it because it makes the whole concept more relatable and as a result more marketable to the average ignorant man? God exists, tell that to the beggar tapping on your car window or the guy who sweeps the road below your house everyday at 4am and even they would probably smile in agreement, that’s the astounding thing about religion. Definitely, one of man’s greatest inventions, right up there alongwith money and the wheel. The very thought that this simple word controls a majority of this entire world is both amazing and ominous. Fact is if we were all true educated rationalists, we would have safely reached a unanimous conclusion, that there is no God, or at least the general idea associated with that particular word. Yes, I do not believe in Heaven and Hell unless you happen to be talking about trips. I believe that you are born, you live and then you die; it all just happens, and once you die, ZAP! That’s the end of existence, it’s all over then, baby blue! As for all those amazing stories about souls, ghosts and reincarnations, I tend to remain cynical. I’m like one of those sexagenarian rednecks, “I won’t believe’em till I see’em goddamn flying saucers myself, for crissake!”
And yes, I know that if all of this turns out to be false, I’m going straight to hell but that’s alright, I could do with some good company. Besides, there’s hopefully a lot of time for that, and until then there’s no way to find out so I might as well take it easy. On the flipside, maybe such means of mass brainwash are necessary for the workings of our carefully structured world. As I might have stressed before, everyone has a role to play (even that Dreamworks kid sitting up there on the moon). Besides, we would all like to pin our hopes on something, and then blame that same something when these hopes are dashed. So yes, I believe God too has a purpose because hey, someone’s got to take the blame right? Furthermore, no religion does mean no fundamentalists but it also means that a large chunk of the mango men (there, I just used that idiotic but tempting expression) would turn to crime since they would have no underlying fear of an omniscient and omnipotent overseer.
So yeah, in the end the moral remains the same as always: the status quo is just fine as long as people would stop killing each other and forcing their views on others. And as a parting thought for the spiritually inclined, if ever in doubt, turn to nature. There is no particular reason as to how it manages to drown out all the blasphemies of science, but then that’s the beauty of it, really. Of the birds that whizz past as you stand mesmerized, or of the vivid colours of sweet smelling flowers, of beaches and of mountains; that’s one grey or rather green area which truly humbles me. I guess there is a power or something of the sort, but I sure won’t get to know about it in this world so I believe it’s all cool. As for cleanliness, it is definitely not close to Godliness! That ridiculous statement is absolutely exclusivist, inconsiderate, fallacious and therefore, intolerable! Oh and I almost forgot, hail Gonzo!
A creative writing workshop was recently held at the Oxford book store, Statesman House on August 18th for students and teachers of Delhi University. The workshop called” Secrets of Good Writing’ was conducted by celebrated author Jaishree Mishra and witnessed enthusiastic participation from both North and South Campus colleges. Author of four books, including the best seller Ancient Promises, Mishra also spoke about her latest novel, ‘Secret and Lies”. Attended by the chief editor of Harper Collins India, the workshop primarily focused on the nuances of story writing, but questions pertaining to the field of publishing were also entertained.
Mishra spoke extensively about various writing techniques, genres of creative writing, and how to reach out to the intended audience . She also discussed at length the problems of this profession, right from tackling writer’ block to the difficulty in getting published. Calling resilience a virtue in the writing profession, she advised that prospective writers should consider getting day jobs to keep themselves afloat, since it’s largely impossible to live on an author’s income alone. This, she said would also serve in accumulating a range of interesting experiences, a prerequisite to any writer’s resume. Useful insights about the tone of narration, voice, characterization detailing and plot structure were also given.
Author : Janhavi Archarekar Publishers: Harper Collins, India Cost: Rs . 250 A crucible of thirty short stories, Janhavi Archerkar’s debut book Window Seat provides one an interesting contemplation of life in aamchi Mumbai. This relatively recent Harper Collins publication has been appreciation from critics and readers alike “Providing rush hour stories of the city” Window Seat attempts to portray the captured reality of the bustling city of dreams. Acharekar’s stories invest in the daily life and experiences of ordinary people. While a few stories may come across as overtly simplistic and slightly abrupt the incredibly flesh and blood characters and pithy diction make it an enjoyable read. The variety of narrative voices employed in telling the equally versatile anecdotes creative a colourful mosaic of Indian life . Great attention is paid to detail, which rather than making her stories boringly verbose provide an authentic and often hilarious note to them. Divided in two parts, Mumbai Montage and Mumbai Medley, her stories range from the introspective, poignant to the breezy. A harassed school teacher, a child of the twilight zone, cyberspace courtships, the bride with the distended nose, the weary jostled train commuters all manage to weave their way in her narration. Traversing the ground between fantasy and reality ,Window Seat, is an amalgam of imagined reality and lived experiences. Though she successfully captures the pneuma of Mumbai , her tales have an element of universality; some or the other sentiment that any reader who has lived in an Indian metro can relate to. A must read for those who appreciate short stories. For those who are not big fans of this form of writing, Acharekar’s novel could be a good start. Crisp but engagingly so The Window Seat should by no means be dismissed as “literature in a hurry”. Personal favourites: China, Freedom at Midnight, Miss! , Nose Job [email protected]]]>
What: QDs…love @first bite!
Where: Momo Street, Kamla Nagar, Delhi 11007
There are many things about college life that one would like to reminisce in his or her ripe old age, and probably one of those precious things that will definitely come to mind would be tandoori momos.
Located bang in the centre of Momo Street, Kamla Nagar, QDs has the warmth of a café, juxtaposed with the uber chic crowd that defines this place. With a relaxed ambience, it sets the tone for a good, well deserved luncheon. QDs is different from the other eateries lining this street; wall paper depicting fine food, popular cult musicians, and eclectic quotes, it makes for an interesting cultural point, in the true University sense. Its small, but we don’t mind.
More importantly, the food. It is delightful, to say the least. The crux of their menu though are the the very famous tandoori momos. Tandoori, as we all know is anything cooked in a tandoor, which gives it the very characteristic and intrinsic flavor. These are the usual momos cooked in a tandoor just before serving. And the result, ah, we like it! There is just something special which the tandoor does to these simple steamed dumplings, and coupled with garlic sauce, they soon fall into that category of irresistible treats. And now, try saying no to that! Impossible isn’t it?
For Rs 60 a plate for the veg tandoori momos, it’s a winner.”Veg” tandoori momos, yeah. This is perhaps every wannabe-carnivore-but-not-quite there personality’s delight. And of course, the chicken momos for a mere 10 extra rupees a plate is a sure fire success too.QDs serves both Chinese and Indian cuisines, but we recommend the former over the latter. And tandoori momos, more than anything else! This is the one and only place where you get them, and infact it seems QDs came up with this unique gastronomic invention following north campus’s infatuation with momos. Only this time it ain’t infatuation anymore, its love at first bite, literally!