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On National Youth Day, 12th January 2016, The National Service Scheme (NSS) unit of Zakir Husain Delhi College, University of Delhi commenced its two day youth convention ‘Taarunya’16’. The day also marks the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda who is known for being a torch bearer of Indian values and practices; which formed the central theme of the convention. Upon commencement, a brief documentary about the NSS and Zakir Husain Delhi College was played to enlighten the audience in every aspect. On first day itself, the convention secured enthusiastic student participation from various colleges across Delhi. The presence of chief guests Meenakshi Lekhi (Hon’ble Member of Parliament) and Swami Shantatmananda (Secretary of RamaKrishna Mission) proved pivotal for the promulgation of Taarunya. [caption id="attachment_37974" align="aligncenter" width="730"]Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi[/caption] The first session on day one comprised of welcome addresses by Mr. Mukesh Jain (NSS Program Officer) and Dr. R. Prabhakar Rao (Principal). Meenakshi Lekhi stressed on the importance of environment sustainability and cleanliness for the progress of our nation. Swami Shantatmananda counselled the students to wisely choose a role model as a base for their future and further implored the students to maintain a “never give up” approach to their every endeavor.  The last session, being a technical session, comprised of talks by four prominent speakers from various fields –

  • Prof. Sushma Yadav, Chairman of Indian Institute of Public Adminstration
  • Dronacharya Bhupender Dhawan, National Coach for Bodybuilding and Powerlifting
  • Dr. Devesh Vijay, Associate Professor, Department of History, Zakir Husain Delhi College
  • Dr. Shubnum Singh, CEO of Max Institute of Health Education and Research
The speakers shared their experiences and imparted a great deal of knowledge which was both inspiring and motivational. The first day of the event came to an end by extending a vote of thanks to all speakers who were honored with a mementos. After witnessing a massive footfall and support on first day, expected participation on second day has augmented for sure.   For more information: www.facebook.com/Taarunya16]]>

Ques: Amma, how can I possibly get my girlfriend to be intimate with me more often? I try and try but she doesn’t seem to want it as much as I do!

Ans. My succulent Adai, you can’t just simple ‘get’ someone to give you what you want, much less your lady love.

It is very common among dosas and vadas to have different attitudes when it comes to our sex drive. This does not mean that she doesn’t enjoy ‘it’ as much as you do, instead, she might just need it less often! The lady macchis like to be warmed up into the mood for dosa making and that is the trick to success. Flirting and dirty talk can take you a long way, top it with abundant foreplay, and she will be drawn to you, desiring for more.

Amma cannot emphasise enough on the importance of addressing her needs as well as yours. It is a two way street, and you both need to be on the same page in order to make it work, remembering that communication is the key.

More importantly, you can’t coerce or guilt-trip her into ‘doing it’ because not only will it make her unwilling but will also make things extremely unpleasant between the two of you. This is why you need to warm up your idlis just right, before you dip them into the hot Sambhar you both make together. *winks*

A university considered liberal when it comes to choice of attire, DU has now decided to pass a new notification that will ban skirts for girls early next semester. The reason for the same (according to our sources) is being sighted as the ‘cold days ahead’. DU, which has been in surprisingly close touch with the MET department these days, is closely looking at the temperature markings for the coming days and has decided that it is too cold for female students to wear skirts.

The decision came after an application was filed and submitted to the VC’s office by Professor Magan Daaruwala from the department of ancient studies. In the application, professor Daaruwala wrote, “Every year I see girls shivering in the winter while wearing skirts and my sympathy towards them is what has lead me to write this letter”, because apparently (as Mr. Magan thinks) the need to be fashionable overpowers the need to stay warm in today’s generation.

The notification, which came out yesterday evening has sent chills across the student community in DU. When we asked for reactions, Ms. Ghevar Mithai, who is currently pursuing Political Science hons. From JMC vented out her rue over the decision. “Who is the university to decide what we decide to wear or not; never expected such a notification” she said in a heated interview session with our correspondent. On anonymity, another girl from Hindu college told us how inappropriate it would be to ban skirts and how this will only lead to banning the same in summers as well.

Right wing activists on the other hand have welcomed the decision and are fully supporting it. “Wearing skirts is against bhartiya sanskriti and there should be a total ban on them”, one of the activists told us. Ms. Sadabahaar Khosla, a teacher from Laxmibai College who is among those known for having leftist views counterattacked the right wing organisations and stated that these organisations are responsible for sending our society back to medieval times. Among this debate, most students and teachers seemed to have forgotten the original reason for which the notification was issued which is not to attack our liberalism but simply to protect girls from the cold days ahead.

 

Disclaimer: Trust Bazinga, only if you will!

Vayam, the performing arts society, presented their play, ‘Ek Rishte ki Maut’ on 24th December 2015 at Akshara Theatre.

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The play is about the ‘never-ending fight for true love’, a philsophy which many of us fail to follow. The story beautifully portrays how giving-up on your soulmate can be the worst decision of your life.

The play starts with a couple filing for divorce and soon enters into a flashback of their happy times together as a married couple – sweet memories of how they used to care for each other and the dream of doing things they used to love and of the window where they both used to sit together during the rainy season and enjoy coffee together. After a series of events and realisation of how life was much better when they were together, they concluded it’s worth it to give their marriage another chance and to fight for something they never actually wanted to give-up.

The play is a masterpiece as far as direction goes. Very well crafted scenes are blended with apt use of stage set-ups. The director understood each actor’s strength and utilised it at the right places to bring out impactful performances.

It was the acting -the display of emotions – that stole the show. The timing of different scenes, lighting and the background score which kept the audience into the play. You know the characters are embedded so deep in the actor’s skin when you see the audience in tears.

By Prateek Singh for DU Beat

The Old Students’ Association (OSA) of Hindu College organised the 9th Annual Golf Tournament on Saturday, the 12th of December 2015, at The Qutab Golf course, Delhi. More than 100 Golfers participated in the tournament. Mr. Shashi Kant Sharma, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India inaugurated the Tee off.

The morning saw a lot of action on the greens with juniors and seniors exhibiting their prowess and skills with the clubs. Amidst rekindling of the College days memories and the alumni bonhomie, the players really enjoyed the thrill and fervour of playing Golf on a chilly Saturday morning.

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The result of the tournament is as follows:-

1. Closest to the pin Overall-Ajit Rana

2. Straightest Drive Overall- Neeraj Kaul

3. Longest Drive Overall(Ladies)- Mridula Tandon

4. Longest Drive Overall (Men)- Gurmej Singh

5. Winner Golden Years –Pradeep Bhagat

6. Best Dressed (Male)- Hemant Sarin

7. Best Dressed (Female)-Abha Jain

8. Runner up Ladies- Abha Jain

9. Winner ladies-Latika Thukral

10. Winner Invitee-Vikram Bakshi

11. Runner Up Nett- Arun Chaudhri

12. Runner Up Gross- Sanjay Singh

13. Winner Gross- Aman Sawhney

The winners were given trophies and souvenirs.

Among those present alumni, who enjoyed the fun and frolic of the gala event were Vivek Bhandari, an avid golfer; Murali Kartik, an Indian cricketer (Hindu College batch 1994-97); Dhruv Shringi, co-founder & CEO, Yatra.com (Hindu College batch 1994); Aman Sawhney, CFO, Swiss Military Worldwide, (Hindu College batch 1987-90); Ms. Latika Thukral, Ashish Bharat Ram, Managing Director, SRF; Sanjay Singh, Principal Resident Representative, Tata Sons Limited; Atul Chaturvedi, Joint Secretary, Ministry Of Commerce And Industry, Department Of Industrial Policy and Promotion; Samir Kumar Sinha, Joint Secretary, 7th Central Pay Commission, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance; Arun Chaudhary, former Director General, Sashastra Seema Bal; Air Marshal Naresh Verma, AVSM, VSM (Retd.), Director, India International Centre; Anup Wadhawan, Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT; Prabhavit Kumar Sood, Senior Manager (operations), Air India.

Murli Kartik
Murli Kartik

Of course, the ever joyful Ravi Burman, Secretary Old Students’ Association, Hindu College, Delhi University was there to coordinate the event with his usual grit and charm.

Achhe din arrived for students of DU today as Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, announced in an address to students at DU’s North Campus that Delhi University students will be exempted from the odd-even rule. The rule, which will come into effect starting January 1st, seeks to reduce vehicular pollution in the capital, by allowing vehicles with odd and even numbered registration plates to ply on alternate days.

While addressing students in Delhi University’s North Campus on Tuesday, CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “Several students have written to the CM’s office protesting against the implementation of this rule, as they will find it difficult to commute to college on days when vehicles with their registration number are not allowed. Some boys have said they won’t be able to show off in an effort to pick up girls without fancy cars. It was a very delicate matter, so we’ve decided to take this measure,” he declared. “Students of DU will have to show their ID cards at police checkpoints and they will be allowed to continue on the roads of Delhi”, said Kejriwal. His declaration was greeted with loud applause and cheering from the grateful students.

The exemption will only apply from 8:00AM till 4:00PM for morning colleges’ students and from noon till 8:00PM for students of evening classes.

Additionally, the government also announced that DU will award extra internal assessment marks (upto 15 marks) for students who travel via public transport or carpool, i.e. when more than 2 students of neighbouring colleges or the same college travel together.

“Education has always been the foremost priority of the Aam Aadmi Party, and the convenience of Delhi’s students cannot be compromised,” said a spokesperson of AAP. A student who had written to the CM lamenting the implementation of such a rule, said, “Attendance in colleges may fall if this rule is enforced. How will students reach college in time for their 8:40 classes?” she asks.

Mr. Kejriwal’s announcement has come as a breather for several students. DU teachers however, are now asking a pertinent question. Why has the rule not been extended to include DU teachers?

Disclaimer:Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news, follow at your own risk!

Featured Image Credits: wordlypost.in

Team Enactus Ramjas recently organised a free hugs campaign in Connaught Place as part of the ongoing Transgender Awareness Week.
The first ever Transgender Free Hugs campaign was a well received with 626 hugs collected in a span of 40 minutes.

More than the numbers, it was the enthusiasm of the transgender community members and other participants that made the event a success and gave rise to hope of a brighter and more inclusive future for transgenders in India. The event was a brainchild of Team Transcreations of Enactus Ramjas.
There is a bigger campaign in the works that will be undertaken in the coming few months. The team’s aim is to sensitise people and spread awareness about the plight of transgenders.

Find more information on their Facebook Page. 

Guest post by Soumik Roy, Ramjas College.

We all know what hair dryers, curling iron and straighteners can do to our hair. So here are 8 stunning no heat hairstyles that you can rock without damaging your hair even a bit. Its about time you bid adieu to the warmth of your Blow Dryer.

French Braid Ponytail

Steps :

1. Put your hair in a ponytail. High, low or side, it´s up to you! Then take a piece of hair and cover the elastic band and secure it with a bobby pin.

2. Start forming the french braid and incorporate hair only from the upward area.

3. Continue to braid normally without incorporating more hair.

4. Twist the braid around the ponytail on the back.

5. Continue the french braid on the front side exactly the same way as you did before.

6. Continue doing this around the ponytail as many times as your hair allows and then secure with a small elastic!

Tada, now you’re ready to go rock the day without causing your hair even a a tiny bit of harm!

Note : If you do this hairstyle on yourself it´s much easier to do it on a side.

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Upside Down Braid Bun

Steps:

1. Tip your head upside down, grab three strands of hair and begin to do a Dutch braid (Dutch just means you cross the outside strand UNDER the middle strand instead of over like you would a French braid!)

2. Once you have your dutch braid, secure it with an elastic and then pull your hair into a pony and secure that with an elastic.

3. To get rid of any grease and to give your pony some volume and texture, spray some Dry Shampoo and then wrap your hair into a messy bun and secure it.

4. To finish, you can pull apart your braid to make it appear thicker and spray with some Hold Hairspray!

 It is actually an easy hairdo, minus some blood rushing to your head!

hs_2Pinning Back Braid Style

Steps :

1. Grab a little portion of your hair from the front side.

2. Braid that portion of the hair .

3. Pull it back and figure out where you want to pin it and hold that section with your finger.

4. Open your bobby pin and instead of putting it right OVER the braid, push it into the braid.

5. If you want to tie your hair into a ponytail and give it a pop, then pull up your ponytail and push a bobby pin right into the centre of it.

This is THE perfect hairstyle for the times you want to look stylish yet a little neat.hs_3
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Overlapping Half-Up Half-Down Hair

Steps :

1. Take a small chunk of hair from above the ear.

2. Take a bobby pin and insert it 3/4th’s of the way down your hair section.

3. On the opposite side of your hair, take a chunk of about the same amount as your last one ( We’ll name this Section 2) and pull it in the opposite direction as Section 1.)

4. Section 2 should be overlapping section 1.

5. Take Section 2 and bobby pin it under Section 1.

6. Take a new section (Let’s name it Section 3) of hair from under Section 1 and pull it over Section 2.

7. Take Section 3, and bobby pin it under Section 2.

8. Repeat this 2 more times (or more if you desire) to achieve this look!

Voila! You have  finished. You can always spice it up by throwing your own little twist in it!

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Sunburst Ponytail

Steps:

1. Start on one side of your head and begin to french braid.

2. Continue to braid along the perimeter of your hair line until you have reached the opposite side of your head.

3. Braid the remaining hair into a regular braid.

4. Wrap the braid up and behind the french braid and use bobby pins to secure.

5. Loosen the braid a little so it is less tight around your head.

6. Now, it’s time to add some bobby pins!

7. You can use pins that contrast with your hair, or ones that enhance it.

Don’t you love the little bit of glitz in this classic hairstyle? We love the extra volume that happens naturally because of the bobby pins.

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An Easy Waterfall Braid

Steps :

1. Decide how big of a section you want for your twist braid, then clip everything else aside for later.

2. Backcomb the entire section.

3. After it’s backcombed use the comb to smooth down the top layer so it doesn’t look ratted.

4. Start by taking a thin section (about 1/4 inch) off of your part and splitting it in half.

5. Twist the front half over the back half, so the back half is now in front.

6. Take another thin section (just like the first one) and add it to the front piece.

7. Now just repeat the last two steps for the remainder of the twist braid – twist the front piece over the back piece, add a new hair to the front piece, twist it over the back piece, etc.

8. Secure it by inserting bobby pins up and inwards in the end of the braid.

And there you are, all set to rock the day!!

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High Messy Bun (In just 3 STEPS!!)

Steps :

1. First, pull your hair into a loose ponytail, as high or as low as you’d like it. Don’t use a comb or worry about your strands being perfectly slicked back—the look is effortless.

2. Separate the hair in your ponytail into two or three sections and tease. Teasing is the key step that totally changed our bun game—it gives you the volume and messy texture you need to pull off the look and keeps your bun from ballerina status.

3. Separate your teased hair into two sections and wrap the hair in opposite directions, as you would when creating a topknot. But, instead of pinning your hair neatly in, secure your hair with a bobby pin about an inch from the bottom of your strands, leaving the ends to fray around your bun and create a messy effect. If you feel like the body of your bun is too tight, gently pull it apart with your hands or the end of a comb. We also like to pull a few rogue pieces out around the face.

One of the best things about this bun is that it works well on dirty hair. Snooze button ON?!

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No Heat Curls!

Steps :

1. Begin with dry hair parted and combed the way you want it for the hairstyle.

2. Split your hair in 2 halves and begin by taking out a 1 inch section and clipping away the rest of the hair.

3. Spray a generous amount of water onto your hand using a spray bottle.

4. Run your hand over your hair a few times until the section is damp, but not too wet.

5. We will be using two of our fingers to act as our curling barrel. For tighter curls, use only one finger.

6. Wrap the damp section of your hair loosely around your fingers.

7. Use a combination of hair clips and bobby pins to pin the curls in place.

8. Gently pull the curl off of your fingers, holding its shape, and place a pin inside of it to hold it in place.

9. Continue with this same method in 1 inch sections on the rest of the portion, and spray on a generous amount of hairspray.

10. Use the same method on the other half of your hair and spray with hairspray. Let the curls set for 30-45 minutes or until dry.

11. Gently undo each of the hair clips/bobby pins and let the curls fall.

Voila! You’re ready to take on the world without causing any damage to your hair!!

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This year, Delhi University is planning to take out the results in a way which will totally revolutionize the procedure. Yes, no more blockages in the website and the subsequent anxiety which grips the students when the result is about to be showcased. In an unprecedented move, the university has taken out a notice adhering to the fact that it is planning to send a copy of result directly to the registered address of the student.

The notification which came yesterday has sent shock-waves across the student fraternity as a whole. A student agitation lead by PAISA (Progressive All India Student’s Union), has already been planned against the university’s move. The national secretary of PAISA told to us on a phone call, “This move not only threatens the privacy of students, it also makes them vulnerable to the thrashing back at home since the results will be sent to their respective addresses during holidays.” Then, we moved on to ask those who will be most affected by this decision. Yes, the students. Pran Thewala from Sri Venkateswara College had this to say, “I haven’t come across this news yet, but if this is true, I will plan a vacation with friends around the time the result might land up in the premises of my home.”

While the same tone echoed from all the students we approached for a comment, teachers gave us mixed reactions. Some seemed happy by the notification. Mrs. Kakku Narula, associate professor at the department of Modern Studies said, “We welcome such a move. Students these days have been hiding their results by giving one excuse or the other. Such a move will ensure this does not happen.” Those who seemed much more aware and practical discarded such a move by terming it as pure non-sense.

As seen in the past, the university largely remains unfazed by the reactions of its students and teachers and hardly goes back on its decisions unless the government of the country asks it do so. We at DU Beat think that this is another one of those special gifts VC Dinesh Singh is planning before he leaves office in January

Picture credits: edupristine.com

It is just startling how the sculptures that water, sky and rocks form, are all at their best in Kashmir. Rightly so, the cliche reigns:

Agar firdous Bar ru ye zamee ast.
Hami ast o hami ast o hami  ast.” 

If Paradise exists on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.

However, Kashmir being beautiful is the only fact that non-Kashmiris have gotten correct. Many people have a lot of misconceptions about Kashmir and Kashmiri people. Here are a few of the myths that need to be debunked:

Winter is Going

No, Kashmir is not always cold. Broadly speaking, Kashmir has four seasons. Spring in April is the Aslan to our Narnia winters. The colours are so mesmerising that through our eyes they seem to enrich and refresh the very spirit of our being. But spring bids an adieu soon.

Not only do we have summers, we have severe summers. The sun is lethal. However, Kashmir manages to look its best around this time. If snow isn’t your only lure, plan a trip around the time of spring and summer.
Autumn is sheer poetry on the fading green. The exclusive Chinar leaves burn in red and brown, leaving one wondering about the chiseled experiences of our lives.

Kashmir is not a Slope, it’s a Valley

Time and again people have placed Kashmiri houses on the tangents of an equilateral triangle. Those angles would make the city fall.  It’s true, Kashmir has a lot of mountains, but Kashmir is a valley amidst the mountains. A valley is very similar to a cup. It is a long depression surrounded by hills or mountains. In case of Kashmir, the mountains are the majestic Himalayas.

Kashmiris are not Conservative

How very far do you live from India?
You probably don’t live too far. So, it won’t take much time for most of us to recall the trend of being ‘conservative’. I don’t think any of us has really witnessed such a demise of being conservative that it will make it deserve some nostalgia. Very similarly, Kashmiri society is in a process of transition. In fact, Kashmiri society is to some extent very accommodative in letting people be themselves. However, I do not mean to make my words a panegyric. It is true that like in most of the small towns or cities of India the options offered are not as wide as those offered in metropolitan cities.

Not all Women wear Burqas

One of the most absurd stereotypes that I came across was related to Hijab and Burqas. People believe Kashmiri women to be in love with the black cloak or often make very lame claims that women in Kashmir are forced to wear it.
Kashmir being a Muslim dominated state, does have a plenty of women autonomously, decisively and proudly wearing Hijabs and Burqas. It has not been forced on them. A large number of women in Kashmir don’t wear Burqas and Hijabs and do so without much difficultly. In fact, the trend of wearing Islamic clothes is relatively recent. We see stylish mothers and aunts who don’t wear Hijabs, along with beautiful daughters who do and vice versa. This blend is quiet liberating.

Kashmir can be as safe as your Neighbourhood

The most saddening fact is that a lot of people would love to go to Kashmir but are scared to do so.
Streets in Kashmir are not filled with cross fire combats or a bomb blast every now and then. In fact, Srinagar, that is to say your Dal Lake dream place, has been very safe over a couple of years. Even before that, you would very rarely find yourself caught in some trouble. Scenes are very similar to those in Delhi or elsewhere- only prettier.

Not everything is normal in Kashmir

Yes the streets are normal, the beauty is exhilarating but Kashmiris are not living like most of the Indians or Americans or Pakistanis. Kashmir is still fighting its battle for an identity. The innocent Kashmiris have been caught up in, what has been termed by UN, AMNESTY international and various other popular voices, as a circle of Human Rights violation. Kashmiris are not violent people, they are victims. They don’t like throwing stones at random people. Kashmiris throw stones as a reaction. It is for the sane and just voices to decide what instigated or continues to instigate them.

 

Picture Credits: Towfiq Ahmad

                              Telegraph.co.uk 

                             Sharafat Ali/ParadiseKashmir

Tooba Towfiq

[email protected]