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BAZINGA: VC Gatecrashes Freshers’ Party!

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Disclaimer: Bazinga is DU Beat’s weekly column of almost believable fake news!

 

All was well on Friday at a café in Saket where the unofficial freshers’ party of a popular college was on, before the VC of Delhi University decided to gatecrash it; whether it became better or worse is up for speculation.

“I visited the college and thought I’d take everyone by surprise, but I was surprised to find the college completely uninhabited. I asked some teachers, “Where’s the protest tonight?” They told me everyone was at a freshers’ party. It sounded like a pleasant kind of protest, so I decided to go there,” the VC said.

The students in the café panicked and hid their hookahs and beer bottles in a hurry. Some coal from the hookahs fell on a few people’s feet, creating a more panicky situation. The VC took a while to understand the scheme of things there, but it wasn’t long before he asked the DJ to play 4 Bottle Vodka (some argue that they heard him sob and sing “4 Saal Ka Course Tha”) and grooved to the beats.

Reportedly, he even shooed away excise and police officers lurking around the café in anticipation of a share in the organisers’ profit, to the delight of everyone.

“These students who organise fresher’s parties make more profit than their total course fees. If someone had just told the students who could not have endured the cost of studying for an additional year that all they needed to do was organise a freshers’ party, perhaps my FYUP would have taken off!” said a disgruntled VC.

He also went on to suggest that internal assessment marks be given to the winners of titles like ‘Ms.Fresher’ & ‘Mr. Fresher’.

 

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News

Prof Carl W Ernst delivers lecture on Sufism and its contemporary relevance

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Lecture by Professor Carl W. Ernst: Sufism and its Contemporary Relevance

“A Sufi never claims himself to be a Sufi.”

Professor Carl W. Ernst, the professor of religious studies and director of the California center for the study of the Middle east and Muslim civilizations, USA, started out his lecture by defining the very term ‘Sufism’ and its Indian relevance.

Hosted in the main north campus’s conference center hall, the chief guest of the event was the very much debated vice chancellor of Delhi University, Dr Dinesh Singh who was curiously absent in the notices that were put up all over the campus, which announced the date as well as the venue of the lecture. In the neatly packed hall of the conference center then, the seminar saw attendance from the students of several departments of the university including Political Science, Philosophy, English Literature and of course the Persian department whose head, Professor Chander Singh was one of the members, chairing this seminar.

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One of such members, Professor Minni Sawhey, Dean of Faculty of Arts initiated the seminar by addressing Professor Carl W. Ernst and honoring him by a bouquet of roses. Professor Ernst, on the other hand thanked the Delhi university for inviting him simultaneously for the second time in the gap of an academic year.

He appeared very comfortable as he sailed across the distant origins of Sufism, standing tall at the podium, smiling and cross questioning the audience. His discussion ranged under subtopics like national attitude towards Sufism, Earlier European hostility towards its origins as well as the sacred relevance of Sufi shrines that derive their importance from rituality and the power of narratives.

“Involving. To the point. And extremely refreshing as compared to our routine lectures. I think such seminars should be held more often.” remarked Mohammad Abbas, a fresher from the Department of Persian. Refreshing indeed. The lecture delivered what was promised, leaving us all open minded and more receptive in the terms of understanding rather more deeper aspects of Islamic studies.

Priyanka Kapoor
[email protected]

Photo credits :Mohammad Shuaib and Ashita Chaturvedi

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Spo(r)tlight

Le Grande Boucle (Le Tour de France) – 101 concludes

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Currently run by the Amaury Sport Organisation, Le Tour de France is amongst the three Grand Tours along with the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana; though it’s the oldest and the most prestigious of all. The first edition of this event was staged in 1903 and won by Maurice Garin of France. This year Vincenzo Nibali from Italy was the winner.

A cancer survivor, Lance Edward Armstrong is one of the persons who are associated with this race. He was classified as having won the Tour for a record seven consecutive times, until he was stripped of all these titles and banned from competitive cycling for life, for doping offences. These sanctions were imposed on him by the Union Cycliste International in 2012, based upon the reports of United States Anti-Doping Agency. There are many such Cyclists who have won this race and also faced such actions.

This event usually is organised in the month of July. It roughly spans over 23 days and has around 21 stages, a distance of around 3,500 kilometres is covered during the race. The race is mostly based in mainland France but may enter other countries as well during its course; the race though always ends on the Champs Elysees in Paris (since 1975).  There are usually 20 to 23 teams every year, with nine members each. The winner is decided by compounding the timings of all the rounds. The one with the lowest aggregate wins the coveted Yellow Jersey (“Maillot Jaune”).

This year’s race started form Leeds, United Kingdom; had nine flat, five hilly, 6 mountain and one individual time-trial stage.  Vincenzo Nibali of Astana Pro team claimed the Yellow Jersey after clocking 89h 59’ 06” at the end of the race. The twenty-one day event was led by him for eighteen days.

The Green Jersey was won by Peter Sagan, for leading in the point’s competition. Whereas the Polka – Dot  Jersey went to Rafal Majka for leading in the mountain events of the tour, the jersey signifies the King of the Mountains title.

 

Rishabh Sharma

[email protected]

 

Image source:  http://www.southperthrouleurs.com.au

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Arts & Culture

TV Show Review: Mom

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Debuting as a full time lead on a television series, the Scary Movie star Anna Faris, as the newly sober Christy Plunkett, is the ideal crazy-lady-charmer of this new sitcom. But Allison Janey as Bonnie Plunkett, Christy Plunkett’s mother, isn’t to be underestimated- she is the Charlie Sheen of MOM!

Mom, the CBS sitcom, follows a sixth month sober Christy Plunkett who ironically settles for a solemn beginning in Napa, a valley in California which is practically the biggest wine hub of the state.

Nonetheless, as soon as Christy ‘mothers-up’ to raise her teenage pregnant daughter and a nine year old son (given that her ex husband was a stoner and basically just another result of a hangover ), her own mother (Allison Janey), who herself is recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction, shows up.

In a time when Hollywood studios are recycling movie ideas to make mediocre TV shows, it merely took some adult puns, witty one-liners and somewhat dark hangover gags to create a refreshing comedy out of a dysfunctional broken family, not to mention how relatable it is for the addicts. The classic ‘wide-eyed/tensed’ Christy regularly rants about her wasted childhood and not only manages to laugh at herself but also manages to tickle some funny bones.

Last, while this show is doing immensely well on the ‘LOL’ charts, it hasn’t succeeded in steering clear of pitfalls. For instance, Christy is able to afford a 3 bedroom apartment though she is the only working member of her family. Perhaps, in her own words- ‘perks of sleeping with her own boss’.

Secondly, since it delves into some serious familial instabilities, there is always a chance the joke falls flat because the situation feels too serious to joke about, as it happens when Baxter, Christy’s ex husband jokes about some ‘fatherly-issues’ with dumb guy-stereotype, Luke, the teenage boyfriend and the father of his unborn grand kid.

From the creators of The Big Bang theory and Two and a half men (Chuck Lorre), Mom is definitely something to look out for. And hence, even if this show makes you cringe, it is sure to make you laugh your way out of it.

 The official trailer of ‘Mom’ created by Chuck Lorre and starring Anna Faris and Allison Janney.


 Priyanka Kapoor for DU Beat.

([email protected])

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Biblio

Rowling Continues To Roll

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3 o’clock in the morning and I was still up, sitting on the bed, my head buried in a book. I could hear footsteps coming from the room above mine. It was gramps’, up for his mid-sleep ritual. Halfway through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, night after night I dig into it, getting barely enough sleep, yet not having the slightest concern about being caught dozing off in class, yet again.

I was just 10 when I fell in love with Harry Potter for the first time. But it wasn’t until I finished the last book in the series that I started to feel a constant urge for a dose of J.K. Rowling. 1997 saw the release of the first book, which was seven years after she conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series for the first time. Those seven years marked Rowling’s hardest times, tragedies only women of strength can live through. From writing in trains, on paper napkins to making every childhood magical, Rowling is one of the most influential women in Britain. 

Four years after the release of the last Harry Potter book, Rowling’s novel for adult readers, The Casual Vacancy came out. Despite critics’ opinion on it being lousy, the author’s way of making me fall in love with a character that died in the opening chapter of the novel was astonishing.

Rowling quickly followed her previously under received novel with ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling’, a highly acclaimed crime fiction, written under the pseudonym- Robert Galbraith. The second installment to her crime series, ‘The Silkworm’ came out later last month.  She said during a crime-writing festival that she wrote it under a fake name to see if she could “get a book published on the merits of the book”.

And as if my admiration wasn’t enough, she also got my respect.

With her birthday today, why not, give this creator of the-boy-who-lived, the author of the un-put-down-able stories, another tribute.

–Greta Khawbung 

[email protected]

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Top Picks

Volunteering for animal shelters: Because they deserve more than compassion

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Are you an animal lover? Do you get overwhelmed with ‘love’ when you see a puppy and ‘sorrow’ when you see a stray dog roaming the streets hungry? Do you get grief stricken when you read about the plight of animals taken to laboratories for experimentation ?

If yes, then mere compassion doesn’t help save these animals. Sharing posts of animal welfare organizations on Facebook does create awareness to an extent but it is not enough to rescue the animals from their misery.

Here is something a true animal lover can do to help animals in distress on a personal level . There are various animal shelters in the city which provide a home to abandoned and stray animals, or animals rescued from slaughter houses and laboratories. They also provide vaccination, sterilization and free medical treatment to such animals in case of injuries. These shelters take in volunteers who are assigned the task of looking after animals for few hours as per their choice.

It is similar to working in an orphanage, blind school or an old age home. The animals that need the most love and care are the abandoned dogs who are clueless as to why there landed up there from the comfort of their houses. They wait endlessly for their owners. For these dogs, their owners are their family whom they love unconditionally.

Here are some of the animal shelters in Delhi where you can help the needy animals –

1. Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre (SGACC)

  • Address: Near Shivaji College, Raja Garden, New Delhi 110027

  • Contact: 011-25448062, 25447751, 25919163

  • India’s oldest and Delhi’s largest all-animal shelter founded in 1980, inaugurated in 1983.

  • Chairperson: Smt. Maneka Gandhi. Currently run by Ms. Ambika Shukla

  • The centre houses about 2000 dogs, 300 cattle, 60 roosters, 40 ostriches, numerous donkeys, monkeys, peacocks, sheep, etc with separate facilities for puppies and adult dogs, sterilized and non-sterilized ones. Emergency facilities for cattle and dogs are available.

  • Being strict promoters of vegan-ism, SGACC workers refrain from milking mother cows.

  • Services: SGACC organizes numerous pup adoption camps and has a fleet of  Out Patient Department (OPDs), Operation Theatres (OT), ICUs and laboratories equipped with X-ray machine and sophisticated blood testing equipment and ultra-sound facilities. It also provides dental Care,  Gaushala and free treatment for animals brought in by people who cannot afford to pay. The service of animal cemetery is also provided.
  • How the volunteers could help: Volunteers are expected to work any number of hours as per their choice between 10am to 5pm. Tasks include walking the dogs, feeding the animals, ensuring availability of drinking water at all times and organizing fund raising events to foster abused and frightened animals.
  • The interested volunteers may contact Ms. Ambika Shukla at 9810054077 or visit the official website of the shelter group.      ( Click here.)

2. Friendicoes SECA

  • Address: 271 & 273, Flyover Market, Defence Colony, New Delhi 110024

  • Contact: 011 2431 4787

  • Established on 23 April, 1979.

  • Services: The group provides numerous services like Out Patient Departments, shelters , mobile equine clinics. It also runs programs like the Andaman and Nicobar spay neuter program.
  • What volunteers can do:
  1.  Shelter Volunteers: Walking dogs, feeding animals and providing them with water, nursing puppies and helping at the front desk. Shelter is open from 9.30am to 9.30pm. However, volunteers are preferred in the evening for about 2 to 4 hours. All volunteers above 12 years of age are welcome.
  2. Fostering: One of the biggest needs is fostering of healthy Indie puppies and kittens or abandoned dogs. If you are unable to keep a pet at home but would like to take care of one temporarily, you can foster an animal from the shelter for a minimum of 2 weeks and maximum as per choice.
  3. Field Volunteers: You can also help by bringing in injured or sick stray animals from your locality.
  • To volunteer, please contact- Mandie Seth  (+917838585401), Geeta Seshamani (+919810000254) , Tandrali (+919818201987)  or visit the official website of Friendlicoes. (Click here.)

3. PAWS (Pet Animal Welfare Society)

  • Address: C-9/7, Masudpur Market, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi – 70

  • Contact: +91 11 26895737

  • Non-profitable, non-government

  • Founded in 1998

  • Apart from animal welfare, also works towards environmental issues by discouraging use of plastic, encouraging people to plant trees and work towards preservation of wildlife.

  • Creates awareness about animal laws in India.

  • Services: The centre plays a pivot for numerous pup adoption camps, free anti-rabies camps, ABC (Animal Birth Control) and Immunization Program and Save our Strays (SOS).
  • What volunteers can do: The volunteers can involve themselves in numerous activities like bird care-taking, dog walking, kennel hygiene maintenance, pup care taking and wildlife care assistance. They can also work as the web team assistants, photographers for adoption/ rescued animals and animal welfare rights officer etc. The volunteer visiting hours start from 1200 hours to 1700 hours.
  • For the official PAWS website, click here.

Ishani Rajkhowa

[email protected]

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Humouroscope

Humouroscope: June 25th – July 1st, 2014

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Aries: This is the time when you will actually bring about world peace. Go ahead!

Taurus: The stars are conspiring to get you bitten by a dog. He/she may or may not have rabies. We sincerely hope for the best.

Gemini: You will be listening to only cheesy Bollywood songs this week. No “why” and “how”, just will. Be careful you don’t hum ones like Jalebi Bai in front of your crush, that’ll be awkward.

Cancer: Switch off your TV, uninstall Whatsapp and deactivate your Facebook account. Otherwise, you  are likely to get depressed by the FYUP row.

Leo: Your parents will buy you a Malibu beach house. Congratulations!

Virgo: The clouds of misfortune have dispersed. Anything you say or do this week will get you fortune and prosperity.

Libra: For you, the clouds of misfortune have just gathered. However, do not get tensed yet. You can escape them by avoiding World Cup this season.

Scorpio: Mystery intensifies, its hard to say what’ll happen to you. Apologies guys!

Sagittarius: You have still not discovered your potential that could change the world. Hence, somebody else will take the cake now.

Capricorn: Beware of your mother!

Aquarius: You are likely to get famous this summer. Take the first step by  joining the protest against FYUP. Make sure it is ‘aganinst’ if you mean any good for yourself.

Pisces: You share your stars with the legendary Delhi University Vice Chancellor, take care before your life achievements and accomplishments become the memoirs of bygone days, as well.

 

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