“Sambhavna”
Nidhi Yadav
LSR, Statistics (H)- II year
Suite 719 is the winter production of Dionysius Productions. This three act play is an adaptation and combination of two plays “Plaza Suite” and “Last of the Red Hot lovers” written by the witty American playwright, Neil Simon. Suite 719 is a comic satire on mid life crisis and it’s not so pleasant effects on marriage. All three acts of the play take place in Suite 719 of the Plaza Hotel in New Delhi. The first act revolves around a not-so-blissfully wed pair of a forgetful homemaker and an egotistic businessman who are revisiting their honeymoon suite to bring the park back into their marriage. The second act is about a smelly-fingered fish restaurant owner’s first attempt in 25 years to cheat on his wife with a sarcastic and intimidating mistress, a woman so cold she needs “gloves to take off her underwear”. The third act introduces a married couples idiosyncrasies on their daughter’s wedding day.
The play, directed by Ankita Mahabir and Rananjay Singh Bhandari, will be presented at LTG Auditorium on Friday, 13th November from 7.30 to 9.00 pm.
Event : Tarang
Venue: Lady Sriram College For Women
DU is yet again coming back to life with the onset of the fest season and with less than a week left for the LSR annual fest TARANG, dance, music and drama have already infected the air around!! The inaugural fest of DU promises a series of the most engaging events which shall see participation from colleges across DU.
The fest is a three day long affair commencing on the 13th of November. The first day itself has much action in store ranging from the western music competitions to the classical dance competition, from the street play competition to the western dance competition. A literary marathon and Hindi poetry recitation competition is also lined up for that day. The Indian music competitions shall be held on the following day along with the much awaited and much attended choreography competition. The second day also includes a Hindi debating competition, an elocution contest and an English creative writing competition. An interesting contest is the script writing competition held by the WDC (Women’s development cell) on the same day. There will be the most thrilling rock band performances on the first two days of the fest. The stage play competition will be held on the final day along with the rangoli making contest, English debating competition, movie making competition, the quiz contest and the Ad mad event. The fest will conclude with the DJ night, which is generally the most sought after LSR event.
The fest season is finally here and the colleges are gearing up to battle it out. It will be interesting and entertaining to see who reigns! The dance, drama and music has just begun so unleash the excitement, anxiety and ecstasy.
If you’ve ever been to a wilder party you’re under arrest!
‘The Party’ is just one of those brilliant, outright funny movies that came out in 1968 but didn’t really hit the box office then (premiering on the day of Martin Luther King’s assassination sure didn’t help). Since then The Party has just become one of those lesser known movies that are forgotten when reviewing Peter Seller’s film career.
Most of us know Peter Sellers and the first thought that strikes us instantly on his name is the famous ‘Pink Panther’ series that came in the 60’s. But what we all don’t know about him is that even though he got worldwide success with the Pink Panther, many of his other fabulous flicks just weren’t popularized much in India.
Co-Starring Claudine Longet (as Michelle), the movie revolves around Hrundi V Bakshi (Peter Sellers) who is a buffoonish amusing sort of an Indian character at a Hollywood party. The movie is mainly like a comedy of errors in which Hrundi manages to piss his fat cat producer off by over-dramatizing his dying scene, blatting a trumpet incessantly. The producer fires him, but Sellers manages to find out about a party being thrown at his house. He shows up, wackiness ensues; he even catapults the chicken into a lady’s wig. Later on, tripped-out hippie teenagers show up with a painted elephant, the house is trashed, and the owner’s wife faints while Hrundi finds the girl of his dreams in Michelle.
What really interested me about the movie is that it is thoroughly devoid of plot, which is a good thing. It’s perfect as a fun poke at “the establishment” of the 60’s. Peter Sellers is wonderful, as always. He even manages to play an Indian (not American) without any racist overtones. (Could you say that of Ben Kingsley, the imperialist, portraying Gandhi?)
All in all, a sweet natured enjoyable ninety nine minute movie with Henry Marcini providing some groovy background music, including Claudia’s breathy solo number and the sitar based opening theme. During a later scene in the film, the band can be heard playing, ‘It had better be tonight’ which was a song that was composed for the Pink Panther film.
It is also rumoured that a remake is in the works. Don’t know if the new cast will be able to keep up with Seller’s performance, but it’ll sure be worth a watch. Well, we still can’t be sure about this one, but Peter Seller’s ‘The Party’ is sure to lead you into splits of a laughter. A comedy that will really change your opinion about the stereotyped movies of the 60s!
-Tarini Peshawaria
]]>A new national-level students group has been formed to promote social causes and initiate the development of a new generation of social activists. The group namely Campus Front of India was formally launched on November 7 in New Delhi. Students from various states across the country were present at this launch that took place at the India International Centre.
As A. Mohamed Yusuff, General Convenor of the Campus Front puts it , the aim of this group is primarily to empower campuses and strive for the oppressed sections of society .
“Students are considered as an important section which can play a crucial role in building the society. Students are the privileged section of the society who has the power of education, vision and knowledge with them which is denied to most of the marginalized sections of the society. Unfortunately we have seen a decline in student activism among students for the last few decades. Students movements once considered one of the most powerful catalyst of any cause have now turned into mere pawns of their political mentors. In this critical juncture Campus Front will strive for the revival of student’s power and motivate students to lead social movements,” he added.
14th Nov…Comes again. Besides hopefully reminding us of the birthday of the first Prime Minister of Independent India, it brings with it innumerable memories of innocent days. When asked to write this article, I never knew the simple task would make memories of lost years flood back and clamour for attention even as nostalgia caused my heart to grow heavy over the irretrievable past. In those days it were the little things that mattered, and when you strain your memory now what you remember most clearly are precisely those ‘insignificant’ little joys.
A brief mention of Little Lulu’s cheeky dialogues should be in order here. And we can’t forget Barney and Fred’s bowling games in Flintstones, the innovative aircrafts in Jetsons, the lovable cowardly Scooby and Shaggy and the all time favorite Tom and Jerry. I’m sure just like me, you all also went through the fever of collecting Tazos from every Cheetos packet. Playing Stone-Paper-Scissors and hand cricket(with rolled up foil acting as ball) during the long school bus journeys and lunch breaks. I’m sure you’d all secretly agree to have having read Sweet Valley Junior High or Baby Sitters Club in your tween years or pairing Barbie with handsome Ken. One thing which never seems to go out of fashion are collectible trump cards, though they seem to have evolved from the beloved WWF cards of our days to Pokemon cards or something equally alien.
Well, those days really had a charm of their own and once in a while reminiscing about them is a wonderful thing. However all said and done, life is beautiful and each stage is enjoyable in its own way. So now that you’ve read this and hopefully day dreamt a bit about your own childhood, lets live our college days with gusto and build more memories well worth cherishing in the far distant future.
-Mallika Davar
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I am at a loss as to where to start recounting my childhood memories from. I miss every little weird thing! Insisting on having a happy meal at every trip to McDonalds; listening to the backstreet boys on the walkman at the back of the class; collecting tazos and trump cards only to trade them for more; Going to Appu Ghar for eight out of the ten odd school ‘picnics’ we had; Collecting G.I. Joes. Favourite cartoons such as the Adams Family and Captain Planet! Complicated ways of selecting the ‘denner’ in Tag: In-pin-safety pin, inky-pinky-ponky, etc. Watching Nickelodeon from two to six every afternoon. Collecting little cars, the ones you pull back to make them go vroooom! (The ones my brother ran over my hair for fun, sigh). I’m glad I’ve grown up.
-Kritika Kushwaha
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I never thought much of Children’s Day as a kid. Since it was never a holiday it wasn’t any particular fun, except those rare occasions of course when the school inexplicably decided to be nice to us, and took us to Children’s Park or Lodhi Garden. Oh, those times were fun! Now when I sit back and reminisce, distinct memories flit by. I realize with a pang that I miss being a carefree child, embarrassing memories and painful ignorance notwithstanding. Disney Hour, Full House, agonizing over marks, buying large plastic balls and candy floss from the cycle- wallah bhaiya and so much more! There is so much I miss, so much I wish I could go back to.
I think I owe much of the initial stages of my fluttering imagination to Enid Blyton. I can recall umpteen evenings, huddled in some corner of the house, devouring stories of English boarding schools or adventures of the Secret Seven. How I longed to be a part of a secret society, have passwords, own a pet like Scamper! I spent the summer holidays wishing that I too could go to a boarding school. The most fantastic of Enid Blyton’s books for me is The Faraway Tree. Mr.Whatzisname, Moonface, Dame Washalot, Saucepan Man…they were magical stories.
Then there was the freckled Archie and inquisitive TinTin. I gradually moved on to Sweet Valley and Nancy Drew. Another fabulous author was Agatha Christie; I doubt I have read better mysteries than The Crooked House, And Then There Were None, Sparkling Cyanide and so many more.
Also, I think a mention of Harry Potter is in order here; 10 year olds are children are they not? But then, I grew up with Harry Potter.
Radhika Marwah
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I miss being a kid and just getting away with everything. You could be digging your nose, jumping into every mud puddle on the way, singing your favourite nursery ryhme for the millionth time in a silly squeaky voice- doing practically anything you wish. All the reactions would get would be “Aww so cute!” As children we were complete nuts, doing the most random stuff like dipping fingers in fevicol, waiting for it to dry , then peeling it off with the utmost sincerity. No one ever wondered what the point of the exercise was, we didn’t need a thing to be meaningful to enjoy it in those days. I miss the simplicity of doing things just because you liked to do them, with no one to roll their eyes or scowl at you.
Aina Mathew
Name: Aman Sablania
College: DelhiCollege of Arts and Commerce
year: 1st year
couse: Journalism(hons)
Who are the Naxalites?
The Naxalites, also sometimes called the Naxals, is a loose term used to define groups waging a violent struggle on behalf of landless labourers and tribal people against landlords and others. The Naxalites say they are fighting oppression and exploitation to create a classless society. Their opponents say the Naxalites are terrorists oppressing people in the name of a class war.
How many Naxalite groups are there?
Many groups operate under different names. The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) is the political outfit that propagates the Naxalite ideology. There are front organisations and special outfits for specific groups such as the Indian People’s Front.
The two main groups involved in violent activities, besides many factions and smaller outfits, are the People’s War, the group many believe is responsible for the attempt on Naidu, and the Maoist Communist Centre.
Where do they operate?
The most prominent area of operation is a broad swathe across the very heartland of India, often considered the least developed area of this country. The Naxalites operate mostly in the rural and Adivasi areas, often out of the continuous jungles in these regions. Their operations are most prominent in (from North to South) Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh [ Images ], eastern Maharashtra, the Telengana (northwestern) region of Andhra Pradesh, and western Orissa. It will be seen that these areas are all inland, from the coastline.
The People’s War is active mainly in Andhra Pradesh, western Orissa and eastern Maharashtra while the Maoist Communist Centre is active in Bihar, Jharkhand and northern Chhattisgarh.
Who do they represent?
The Naxalites claim to represent the most oppressed people in India, those who are often left untouched by India’s development and bypassed by the electoral process. Invariably, they are the Adivasis, Dalits, and the poorest of the poor, who work as landless labourers for a pittance, often below India’s mandated minimum wages.
The criticism against the Naxalites is that despite their ideology, they have over the years become just another terrorist outfit, extorting money from middle-level landowners (since rich landowners invariably buy protection), and worse, even extorting and dominating the lives of the Adivasis and villagers who they claim to represent in the name of providing justice.
Who do the Naxalites target?
Ideologically, the Naxalites claim they are against India as she exists currently. They believe that Indians are still to acquire freedom from hunger and deprivation and that the rich classes — landlords, industrialists, traders, etc — control the means of production. Their final aim is the overthrow of the present system, hence the targeting of politicians, police officers and men, forest contractors, etc.
At a more local level, the Naxalites have invariably targeted landlords in the villages, often claiming protection money from them. Naxalites have also been known to claim ‘tax’ from the Adivasis and landless farmers in areas where their writ runs more than that of the government.
When did this movement start? How did it get its name?
The earliest manifestation of the movement was the Telengana Struggle in July 1948 (100 years after the Paris Communes were first set up, coining the word Communist). This struggle was based on the ideology of China’s Mao Zedong, with the aim of creating an Indian revolution. Not surprisingly, the ideology remains strong in this region of Andhra Pradesh.
But the Naxalite movement took shape after some members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) split to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), after the former agreed to participate in elections and form a coalition government in West Bengal. Charu Mazumdar led the split.
On May 25, 1967, in Naxalbari village in Darjeeling district, northern West Bengal, local goons attacked a tribal who had been given land by the courts under the tenancy laws. In retaliation, the tribals attacked landlords and claimed the land. From this ‘Naxalbari Uprising’ came the word Naxalite.
Was it ever popular?
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Naxalite movement was popular. There were reports of brilliant students, including from the famed IITs, dropping out of college to join the struggle for the rights of the tribals and landless labourers. But as has been the case with many movements set up with high principles, over the years the Naxalite movement is seen as having lost its vision and having compromised its principles. Nevertheless, the fact that it has an endless supply of men and women joining its ranks shows that many still believe in its cause.
Do the Naxalites face much opposition?
Yes they do, almost from the entire Indian political spectrum. Noticeably, when the Naxalite movement first started in the late sixties in West Bengal, it was the CPI-M that cracked down hardest on the Maoist rebels, with ample support from the Congress at the Centre. At village levels, the Naxalites’ terror tactics have spawned local armies to provide protection to the landlords and others. The most infamous of these is the Ranvir Sena in Bihar and Jharkhand, formed by Bhumihar caste landlords, which kill tribals, Dalits and landless labourers either in retaliation or to enforce their domination.
Author : Chetan Bhagat
Five years ago when Five Point Someone came out I quite fell in love with the book and emailed the author. I must have been among the very early readers of that novel because Chetan Bhagat wrote back to me personally inquiring about the book, and we shared a few emails back and forth.. But when hotmail revamped its mail setup increasing its mail space to 1 GB to catch up with Google ,I lost that mail along with many others. By that time Chetan Bhagat’s second, One Night at a Call Center had come out and it gave me no reason to feel bad for losing my correspondence.
However, after reading his latest book, 2 states: The Story Of My Marriage I am almost tempted to write to his office and request them to dig into the archives and see if they can find my mail and send me a copy. For 2 states comes very close to meeting the bar set by first book. Like Five Point Someone ,this book takes place at another holy Mecca of Indian Higher Education: IIM Ahemdabad. Punjabi guy Krish meets Tamil Brahmin Ananya in the canteen at IIM. She is the “best girl” among the very few girls in their batch. A whirlwind campus romance follows. Then boys parents meet the girl’s and disaster ensues. What follows is a quintessentially Indian tale, somewhat exaggerated and stereotypical at times, of the two young lovers trying to convince their distraught families who care unable to fathom why anyone would want to marry outside their community.
Funny and refreshingly unpretentious it never claims to be much more than what it is: a Hindi Masala book equivalent of Bollywood films. Chetan Bhagat takes good natured digs at Tamil Brahmins and Punjabis , often making fun of the differences between the two communities. His rather unsparingly honest description of his previous profession , investment banking makes an interesting read.
However, the story is quite predictable with some of the plot twists actually being very ridiculous. Also, in many interviews Chetan Bhagat has admitted that he thinks of himself as 90% entertainer and 10% reformer. This reformer side shows up in his references to national integration and unity. This depiction however tends to get a little tacky.
Like Five Point Someone, this book also draws a lot from his own life, with Bhagat even discussing the unhappy circumstances of his parents’ marriage. How long will he be able to continue drawing from his life? Not much longer, it seems. Am I going to write to his office? Not yet, but maybe with the release of his next book .
At just 95 bucks a copy it is worth a shot.
Celebrated on the 31st of October, Halloween is a much anticipated festival in Western countries but has yet to make a mark in India. It supposedly has its origins in an ancient Gaelic festival called Samhain, roughly translated to mean “summer’s end”. On this day, the borders between this world and the Otherworld were believed to become thin, allowing spirits to pass through them and enter the world of the living. To ward off evil spirits, people would wear masks and costumes which would later inspire the elaborate fancy-dress parties that are now intrinsic to Halloween celebrations. The term itself was originally spelt as Hallowe’en, short for All Hallows’ Evening, which we now know as All Saint’s Day. Though Halloween precedes All Saints’ Day by a day presently, there was a time when both events used to take place on the same day. In fact, Halloween used to be celebrated on May 13th but the date was shifted to November 1st to coincide with the Christian festival of All Saints’ Day by the Church in an effort to dilute the pagan connotations.
The Jack-o’-lantern was initially a device to scare off evil spirits like the costumes and masks. The ancient Celts believed the head to be the most powerful part of the body since it contained the spirit and the body and hence, would place skeletons carved out of the “head” of vegetables like turnips and rutabaga on their window sills to protect themselves from ghosts.
The popular custom of “trick or treat” has surprisingly grave origins. It is possibly inspired by the practice of “souling” which was practiced in the Middle Ages by poor people who would go door to door and receive food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls’ Day. The custom firmly established itself with Walt Disney portraying it in their cartoon. Later on, UNICEF even conducted a national campaign in US for children to raise funds while doing the rounds on Halloween, asking for “trick or treat”.