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Decoding Hickeys and Love Bites

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Amma, yesterday my boyfriend and I had a cosy time together, all was good, but today when I woke up I saw a big blue coloured bruise on the side of my neck. I don’t know what to do about it. Help me out!

My dearest idli,

Calm down, it is nothing to worry about, you have just got your first love bite! Yes, you read it right. Love bites, commonly know as, hickeys are very common in spicy sexual activities and arise due to the continuous tugging of epidermal skin, lasting more than 20 to 30 seconds, such as from a violent kiss or a bite. These passionate and prolonged manoeuvres appear as something unbearable to the tender and tiny blood vessels present just below our skin, known as capillaries, making them burst and causing the small blueish bruise.

The kind of a reaction one has to them is variable, some vadas and idlis really admire the reddish blue mark and consider it as a symbol of memory, recalling the steamy moments they spent with their partners. However, there are others who owing to the difficulties of hiding it or the uncomfort they feel while or after getting it make them detest love bites, hence the consent of your partner before planting him or her with one is very important. Amma, also in her days of youth often covered her neck with a blue scarf, which she bought specifically for this purpose.

However, it’s not always the sides of the neck which can be chosen, a hickey can be given anywhere on the collar bone, chest or for that matter any part of the skin which has exposed blood capillaries, close to the surface. Coming back to your question, Amma recalls of your vada not informing or asking you about his plan of embedding your neck with a mark, this action makes Amma doubt his crispness. So, make sure you talk about this the next time you meet him. Also, since till now Amma is aware of your innocence sweetness like Rawa Kesari, I feel its important to tell you that the reddish blue spot is not permanent and will vanish max in a week. So, if you have traditional Indian parents or irritating high school friends, rock this week with high necks or scarfs.

With love 

From,
Amma

 

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Patel Versus Nehru: The Modern Indian Rivalry

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Winston Churchill once wrote, “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” Here’s looking at how history was composed by our leaders at the eve of independence and beginning of self-rule, despite their apparent differences.

It is a well known fact that history was composed and looked after by coterie of the Indian National Congress which came to the fore in the leadership fracas in India before 1947, as a consequent result, Indian history has seldom acknowledged the fact that the country is indebted as much to Sardar Vallabhai Patel for its independence and integration as to leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru. The extraordinary leader also known hasn’t been given proper remembrance despite his great sacrifices for Independence, his contributions to issues like Kashmir and Hyderabad, as well as the bureaucratic system and the efforts made by him in unifying the country.
Patel considered himself a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and conceded to him (even on issues he had a differing view on), while Nehru, who was made the first Prime Minister of the nation, was neither a friend nor an enemy. They both worked together as partners, but also were often at loggerheads on several issues arising from the conflict between Nehru’s principles and Patel’s priorities.
Here is a brief account of their significant collaborations and rivalries wrapped around the modern history of the country;

For Post Of Congress President
Vallabhai Patel was the most favored choice to be sworn in as the President of Congress several times. The majority in Congress looked at him as the most deservingt candidate due to his credentials of being a skillful and hardheaded leader. However, he stepped aside for Nehru upon the request of his Guru, Mahatma Gandhi. “I suggested your name for the crown of thorns (President ship of the Congress). Keep it on, though the head be bruised,” wrote Gandhi Ji to Nehru in a letter dated 15th July 1936.
On Socialism
Nehru was increasingly disposed towards the idea that the developmental model of the nation must be steered by the government. However, Patel was of the opinion that industry must be established in the country before nationalization and also had cited the example of England, where socialism arose considerably on the road to industrialization.
On Hyderabad
A day prior to the entrance of Indian forces into Hyderabad (which was a princely state not part of India at that time) to fight against the Nizam’s
paramilitary force, K.M. Munshi, India’s then Agent General In Hyderabad, had recorded that Nehru “flew into rage and upbraided Sardar for his action and attitude towards Hyderabad.” However, plans didn’t change and the Indian forces rolled into Hyderabad.
On Kashmir Issue
Patel had advised Nehru against taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and even famously called it the “Insecurity Council”. However, his advice was ignored and this move resulted in the UNSC further complicating the issue by asking for withdrawal of forces and
conduct of plebiscite in the region.

Patel and Nehru’s rivalry and the internal strife between the two strands of the Congress led by them had been finally quelled upon the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi. There were heated arguments between Nehru and Patel and Patel had even written to Gandhi Ji to relieve him of his responsibilities. However, upon Gandhi Ji’s death, Nehru wrote a letter to Patel that now everything had changed and that there was urgent need for them to function closely and co-operatively, which Patel reciprocated. Hence Gandhi, through his death, could reconcile both the leaders of the new and fragile country.

Image Credits: Getty Images

Abhinandan Kaul

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Stringent Funds: Delay In Staff Salaries in Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar College

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Owing to the inadequacy of liquidity of funds from the end of State Government, non payment of salaries in Delhi University (DU) colleges like Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar College arises.

A financial crunch which has resulted in the aftermath of teaching and non teaching staff at Dr.Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, in doing without any salary for the month of January 2020, led to complete disappointment and dismay in its employees.

On 17th February, Ambedkar College Staff Association, passed a resolution in its General Body Meeting (GBM) requesting the Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) to address the issue subjected on the lines of staff being non recipient of salaries for the month of January, and construction of an action plan accordingly.

It must be noted that the delay has an added inconvenience for the staff since they have to make investments for tax planning in the same month. Similar accounts of incidents happened earlier in June 2019, when all 12 colleges fully funded from the State were led astray without any salary.

Hinting towards, this event turning into a repetitive pattern, Mr Ravi Shankar Ravi, the President of Ambedkar College Staff Association, told DU Beat, “the administration and the State have their differences on the  construction of an intermediary called ‘governing body.’ With respect to this, both the parties are passing the buck thereby leading to a delay in the process of payment.”

A report published by The Economic Times clarified that Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had written a letter on 16th April 2019  to the Secretary, Higher Education stating that no funds should be given to 28 colleges (fully or partially funded by them) till they form their governing bodies.

The President of the staff extended his concerns and further added,”Whatever are the reasons for rife between the administrations, it should not however, lead to employees’ suffering. The Delhi Government, which has been voted back in power for this term yet again, should consider the livelihood of thousands of teaching and non teaching staff and their families who have to face the burden of the impasse between the two parties which further the payment mechanism.”

DR Abha Dev Habib, DUTA member, claimed  that  all the twelve colleges which are 100% funded by the Delhi Government are facing this situation yet again. Colleges like Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, Maharaja Agrasen College, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Keshav Mahavidyalaya and Bhagini Nivedita College are some of the mentioned colleges which come under the spectrum of 100% funding through state and facing similar issues.

Feature Image Credits: Shiksha

Umaima Khanam

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The Executive Council Holds Emergency Meeting for DU

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A meeting of the Executive Council (EC), discussing significant DU centric agendas took place on 26th February, Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. in the council room at the Vice Regal Lodge, Delhi University (DU).

Some of the primary agendas that were to be discussed in this emergent meeting include drafting a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DU and Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Government of India regarding the declaration of DU as an institution of Eminence (IoE). Apart from this implementation of the IoE proposed in the previous meeting would also be thought further. The creation of the post of Director General, IoE and consequential amendments to the relevant Statutes and Ordinances is marked as another separate agenda for the meeting.

The Academics for Action and Development (AAD) is in strong disapproval of this meeting to to impose IoE. It claims of this conference as a hastily taken step to get the agenda put forward by the authority rubber stamped. Calling it as another arbitrary action violating the rules and regulations of DU, Richa Raj, Co Press Secretary, AAD, said, “As per the DU statutes, the Registrar is the ex-officio Member-Secretary of EC and authorised to convene the meeting. When there is no Registrar in the university, how can this meeting be convened? The membership of Five statutory university officials and three elected members from the court are also vacant and such a truncated EC can not alter the nature and structure of DU, which IoE intends to do.”

As per AAD the implementation of the new economic policy (NEP) has already begun and the imposition of the IoE is just an attempt for its implementation in a complete and organised manner. The Vice Chancellor (VC) paying no regard to the grievances of teachers in context to the absorption and promotion with counting of ad hoc experience, inspite of their month long struggle is just absorbed in the attempts aiming at privatization of higher education in India.

SBN Tiwary, Co Press Secretary, AAD, informed, “The DU is going to implement the Board of Governors (BOG) ruled autonomous structure within the DU in the name of “Eminence”, where this institute would receive a grant of Rs. 1000 Crore in ten years from the center directly and their matters will never see the critical scrutiny of EC, AC and Finance Committee (FC). It is interesting to note that the IITs under this scheme have received only Rs. 48 Crore in two years out of the sanctioned Rs. 1000 Crores.”

Some of the significant consequences that the implementation of the IoE will include the diversion of attention from the faculty and stake holders of the university, which will cause only a parallel structure to receive the entire limelight and government patronage. AAD predicts that after a few years even the BOG governed parallel structure will be left on it’s own terms of grants and maintenance.

Rajib Ray, President, Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), expressing his views about the same, said, “The DUTA stands categorically opposed to the DU VC’s hasty and authoritarian move to pawn away the University’s future by submitting a proposal for the Institution of Eminence (IoE) status without seeking discussion or prior statutory approval in the Academic Council and Executive Council.” In its official press statement, DUTA mentioned that though the VC called the eminent meeting to seek formal approval for the IoE, he didn’t provide the statutory authorities with the time to make up their minds and debate the implications of the proposal.

The proposal is nothing but a clear cut blueprint for steady commercialisation of the university through an undertaking to start self finance courses and full online degree programs. Rajinder Singh, Secretary, DUTA, further informed of the proposal undertaking to hike students fees and employing 20 percent foreign faculty, on an incentive based differential pay structure. DUTA warns the VC from going ahead with a proposal that alters the character and dilutes the core priorities of Delhi University. Further, the proposal binds DU in an obligation to raise 95 crore rupees towards meeting recurring expenses like salaries and 350 crore rupees towards non-recurring capital expenditure by 2025.

“None of these provisions have been discussed in the Academic or Executive Council. In fact, the proposal attempts to replace these existing statutory bodies by an ‘independent’ Governing Council that has no elected representation of teachers, students or karamcharis. None of the representative bodies of these primary stakeholders have been consulted while drawing up this draconian proposal,” was revealed by Mr. Ray.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat Archives

Kriti  Gupta

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An Open Letter: Why I Left My Society

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Societies have been touted as the best way to engage in extra curricular activities while studying in Delhi University (DU). There are times however when they fail to meet the expectations we have and make us ask whether its time to leave.

The first thing that many of us in first year are told after we get into DU is that our lives will revolve around whichever college society/ies that we choose. “ classroom se zyada society mai seekhega tu ( You will learn more in your society than in the classroom.)“ , “tujhe tera crowd society mai milega (You will find like-minded people in your society.)” While these monikers might stand true for the right society for an individual, it is not universally true.

What one should keep first and foremost with all endeavors including societies is the affect that it is has on our mental health. Societies and the extra work load they bring can have a negative impact even if we are surrounded by wonderful people in the society. Paridhi, a first year student from Jesus and Mary College, says “ I was not in a good place mental health wise, and I didn’t think I could commit to the work in a way I would’ve liked to, that resulted in me learning more too. With something like Poetry too, despite the society being full of amazing, empathetic women; it felt like a burden to keep afloat with everything that was going on.”

In the current political scenario, if you are one of those who believe that now is the time to stand up and raise your voice for what India stands for, a college society can be a roadblock in your way and a source of frustration. Lots of societies choose to be ‘apolitical’ o down right apathetic to the situation in the country. With your societies refusing to take stands and/or prioritising practice or work before dissenting, It is a very valid reason to leave your society. Apoliticism, of all things, is ironically one of the things followed in many societies that function around expressing your opinions. All this, amongst major national political crisis.

Another reason one would join a society is for professional growth, and this dilemma between professional growth and fun is the reason why many of us end up in academic societies as well as cultural societies. But managing many societies at a time isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, which at times forces one to leave a society. Theoretically, one should go for professional growth but cultural societies get an upper hand because of the family like feeling that one gets owing to hours and hours of practice, hundreds of cultural fests to compete in and the liberal way in which they function.

But not all societies are a family, a fresher to the society may find it difficult to socialise with their seniors, thus getting the sense of lonesome even after spending most of your day with their society. This feeling of alienation could also be the reason you want to leave your society.

Amidst all these fun and partying that these societies offer, they also come with a pinch of salt in the form of toxicity arising from the “circuits” that each society has in the University. Every weekend there is a new competition, a new tournament, with the same people in the circuit one would see the same people quite often! While many of us would want to be friends with different people within the circuit, there is also this competitiveness owing to everyone’s desire to win the cash prizes that leads to this toxicity. Sadly, this is the ugly truth of societies that make it unbearable for someone who is not much dedicated to the art.

Whatever be your passion, there is a society for that, but at the same time, if you feel like a particular society would not help you to pursue your dreams, it is okay for you to leave it and make a trail of your own, for one can take the road less traveled.

Feature Image Credits: Hitesh Kalra for DU Beat

Akshat Arora

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Prabhanu Kumar Das

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Delhi University Hostel Residents Protest Amidst Coarse Comments by Warden

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The residents of Ambedkar Ganguly Students House for Women, Delhi University (DU) broke open the lock of their hostel late on Sunday night in protest of the alleged remarks by the hostel warden and against the “arbitrary” rules and regulations, including curfew timings. Other hostels from the Girls Hostel Complex showed their solidarity.

The rehearsals for the Hostel Night of Ambedkar Ganguly hostel for women took a controversial turn after the warden allegedly passed comments on a dance performance for being ‘disrespectful’ and objected to the clothes for being ‘ revealing’. She asked the girls to cut those parts of the performance which were  ‘disrespectful’ according to her. On being asked for an explanation of the same, an altercation took place between the residents and warden and the hostel gates were locked. The residents protested against demanding a written apology and resignation of the warden. They broke open the lock of their hostel late on Sunday night in protest of the alleged “arbitrary” rules and regulations, including curfew timings.

Solidarity was shown by other various hostels like Ambedkar Ganguly Students House for Women, North Eastern Students House for Women, Rajeev Gandhi Hostel for Girls, University Hostel for Women, and Undergraduate Hostel for Girls (UGHG) against the hostel curfews and problems faced by women in Delhi University Hostels. There was a heavy police presence whole night.

A resident of UGHG, on conditions of anonymity, commented, “ Though due process has been followed by all the hostels, by writing applications and by complaining to the authorities they seem disinterested and not considerate”.

The student collective under the name of Women for Equality consisting of residents from various hostels of the Girls hostel complex have demanded the administration to immediately follow the University Grants Commission (UGC) Guidelines and the Saksham Committee Report, and “remove patriarchal and unconstitutional curfew from all women’s hostels”.

The student body is planning to launch a protest from 27th February against the hostel rules. Their statement said, “Even the men on campus will see their female counterparts as lesser beings if women do not have the same rights as they do. By restricting women in the public sphere, is it how the institutions are preparing us or the ‘next generation leaders for the real world” ?


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Tomorrow is Ambedkar Ganguly Student House (Delhi University)for Women’s Hostel Night and the warden told girls who were performing that ” their dance is disrespectful ” “Their body should remain a mystery, so no revealing clothes ” And when we asked her for explanation she said “toh theek hai agar aapko ek boob dikha ke nikalna hai ya nanga nachna hai toh andar dikhao, bahar nahi” This was the introduction of a dance performance: Surviving and Fighting Patriarchy is an exhausting experience for women. So here is a performance about women being unapologetic and liberated. She said, this is not liberalism. She also told girls to cut those parts of performances which according to her were “disrespectful “. When the residents asked for an explanation, she walked off telling the guard ” band kardo gate”. This kind of cheap, disgusting and derogatory behavior and moral policing is intolerable. The women of Ambedkar Ganguly Hostel demand a written apology and won’t settle for anything less than RESIGNATION OF WARDEN. SHAME!!

A post shared by DU FOR EQUALITY (@aurateinlayengiinquilab) on

Feature Image Credits: Deewanshi Vats for DU Beat 

Sriya Rane

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A Cricket-Crazy Nation: Is India Being Negligent Towards Other Sports ?

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With the Indian cricket team having dominated the sport for the last few decades, cricket enjoys a huge audience in the country. But obsession with one entity often leads to the negligence of other entities.

“Why is Connaught Place so empty today? It’s Sunday.” “India are playing Pakistan today. Everyone’s at home.” – overheard while strolling in the Inner Circle last year during the Cricket World Cup.

Players being worshipped as gods, thousands turning up to watch matches, millions across the country watching on television, crackers being burst after wins, effigies and posters being burnt after losses, cricket has surpassed the definition of a mere “game” or a “sport” in the country, cutting across caste and creed and rising to become a significant part of Indian culture. “Everyone wants a piece of them, to touch them, shake their hands, be seen with them, and introduce their kids to them”, is how ex-national team coach John Wright describes the Indian public’s adoration for its cricketers in his book Indian Summers.

With the sport wielding a great deal of power in the country, cricket has become a magnet for money. An enormous amount of money is exchanged between players and brands in the form of sponsorships and endorsements. Companies are ready to part with millions in order to sponsor tournaments and bilateral series’. Vivo bought the title sponsorship of the glamorous Indian Premier League for a whopping 2200 crore rupees. The powerful governing body of Indian cricket, the Board Of Control Of Cricket In India (BCCI) alone is worth in excess of 13000 crore rupees, a huge chunk of it coming from match broadcasting rights.

Pockets filled with money, the BCCI has left no stone unturned in setting up a thriving Indian cricket system, with the organisational structure going down to the grassroots. Thus there is no dearth of talent, and the country’s junior teams produce talented match winners every year. Cricket’s dominance in India has led to the dominance of India in cricket. Both are inter-related and sometimes, gains in the latter also lead to gains in the former.

Though it would be wrong to opine that other sports have a negligible presence across the nation – the country has produced numerous other successful sportspersons in a diverse range of sporting fields in its history – no other sport comes close in terms of the viewership and financial support that cricket enjoys in India. Football is popular in the country, but the majority of viewers tune in to watch European football and not Indian football. Most domestic league matches are played in near-empty stadiums and the national team languishes at 108th in the world rankings.

India’s dismal showings at the Olympics, with a tally of only 2 medals at the 2016 Rio Games, despite being the second most populated country in the world, is a proof of the considerable disparity between cricket and other sports in the country. Hockey, the national game, a sport in which the country tasted a significant amount of success in the last century, has dwindled greatly in popularity, with the national team not having won an Olympic medal since 1980. Sports like tennis, badminton, wrestling, shooting, chess, boxing are popular in many parts of the country but do not enjoy the mass pan-India viewership of cricket. “I have observed that a newspaper usually devotes two whole pages to cricket coverage while other sports are given half a page at the most”, said Urnavo Chakrabarty, a University Of Delhi student and a state level athlete.

Infrastructure significantly affects the progress of a sport. A sport which doesn’t enjoy mass viewership often lacks financial resources, which leads to limited infrastructure and equipment. Raw talent or potential is not enough to compete at the international level and good infrastructure, equipment and coaches are necessary to harvest this potential. As with cricket, the popularity of a sport in a country and the country’s performance in that particular sport are inter-related. The more popular a sport, the more the amount of revenue generated. Money is needed to bolster the cash strapped sports organizations in the country. And going vice versa, continued successes in a sport will assuredly boost its popularity.

There have been numerous initiatives to promote other sports in the country with the conception of franchise leagues, similar to the IPL model, and though many did not pan out successfully, some like the Pro Kabaddi League and the Indian Super League have garnered considerable – if not mass –  popularity and are a step in the right direction.

The obsession of the country’s public with cricket is not to be seen in a negative light, but this obsession should not act as a detriment to other sports. Other sports are equally interesting if advertised properly and if cricket can enjoy mass support and success, so can any other sport.

It would be a refreshing change to enquire about the emptiness of Connaught Place on a Sunday, and be told that it’s because the Indian hockey team is playing an Olympic final.

Featured Image Credits – ESPN CricInfo

Araba Kongbam

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OK Boomers: Teaching Parents Technology

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We have had our share of struggle while teaching our parents about “millennials’ technology”. Sometimes, these lessons turn into fights. It’s time to relate and reflect.

” I just taught you! How can you forget the WhatsApp icon? It is right there!”

“No, that is not the power button, that controls the volume!”

“No! The phone will not explode”

“That is not how you hold a phone, it is not a baby”

The advent of smartphones has affected family relations. Remember the fight you had with your parents when you were trying to teach them “boomers’ rocket science”- WhatsApp. It is a peculiar affair- parents can manage an entire household, execute work assignments without hassle, grow babies but cannot use mobiles to communicate and laptops to mail. “This one time dad saw someone go live, he wanted to learn that I taught him the entire thing and he went live accidentally for an entire hour and got hundreds of comments. He then made me come and teach him how to reply to all of them.”,says Rhea D. a first year student.

Lesson one: teaching them how to hold the phone. This, in itself, is a tug of war. Trying to move their fingers that just won’t adjust. Positioning the palm, trying to motion the wrists into acute angles, failing miserably and realising thereby that teaching isn’t that easy a profession.

How long did it take to make them understand that passwords and OTPs (One Time Password)  are not supposed to be announced publicly like vendors’ prices at a flea market? Have you succeeded yet? If yes, then you should add it to your CV because that is a milestone achievement. It is hard to make them realise that “password123” or your name is simply not a strong password.

And how can we not mention the jargon disjunction! They can’t be Zuckerbergs in a day or a fortnight, you are not that great as a teacher. Do not try to teach them how routers work, do not teach them what “www” means, do not teach them about motherboards. Meditate for five minutes before the teaching voyage to avoid fights. Let them make their own words and try not to laugh sheepishly. Imagine you are in first grade, and you just realised that ‘ice-spice’ is actually ‘I-spy’ and your friends are laughing at you. Yes, they would feel the same. Aniket Singh Chauhan, another first year student says,”Whenever my parents ask me for help, a random thought comes to my mind that it is my duty to do help because even they helped me when I knew nothing. It is a tiny bit frustrating but I just love it when my parents go a bit tech-savvy.” Be calm and if that doesn’t work, remember that they changed your diapers, in a nutshell- be grateful.

Feature Image Credits: Eventbrite

Priyanshi Banerjee

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The Journey of Chocolate : From Bean To Bar

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I am the beloved of every human irrespective of their gender, irrespective of their age. The ultimate present of every occasion which never fails in retaining a laughter on an incident when one can bet of never smiling again. The richness of the cocoa, the sweetness of my bitterness lifts your spirits and serves as an eye opener on the nights meant for assignment completion. Yes, you guessed it right, I am your personal ambrosia, your life saviour, your CHOCOLATE, here I am today to take you on my journey from a bean to bar so are you ready?

My journey just like you my eater buddy is not that easy. I take birth in the tropical and humid climate which observes a short dry season and a regular rainfall of 1000-2500 mm per year, beginning my life as a cocoa bean amidst the greens of the cocoa trees I fill the surroundings with my rich aroma. The quality of the cocoa and the climatic conditions play a very important role in deciding my characteristics and flavour, and as quoted by sophocles, “If one begins all deeds well, it is likely that they will end well too.” holding the same relevant a good quality been is necessary for the production of a delicious chocolate.

After harvesting, the pods are opened and the seeds are removed which makes me ready for the next step which is fermentation. Just like a human baby after birth is given intensive care to increase its immunity for handling the exterior environment, similarly for intensifying my bitter flavour the beans are fermented for around five days. This process produces heat and demands a periodically regular stir. The perfectly fermented cocoa is then dried for around 15 days removing all the moisture attracting mould, when this process is over only the dried beans are selected and the remaining are discarded from further processing.

Drying marks a transition in my journey. A switch from the hands of my birth giver farmer to the hands of a professional chocolate maker. After drying, the chocolate maker roasts the beans at 210°F for around 10-15 minutes. Roasting, apart from sterilizing the beans also enhances its flavours and makes the next step much easier. This is followed by winnowing, the most important part of my journey which exposes the very best part of my initial bean stage. During this process the chocolate maker removes the outer shells revealing the nib of the cocoa beans – the most desirable part of the initial me.

The nibs are then ground either by machinery or in between heavy stones which result in the production of a heavenly elixir in which addition of sugar produces what is called as cocoa liquor. Changing my state from solid to liquid, grinding is the step producing the primitive version of molten chocolate. Sometimes, many makers instead of grinding go for the technique conching, which involves a continuous mix of the cocoa mass on a certain temperature. This technique does a combination of things such as drying (in case bits of moisture still remain), developing flavour and crushing the large pieces (if any).

Now, after all this to make me regain my original solid state the next step, which is known as tempering is done. During, tempering the chocolate produced in the previous step is heated and is allowed to cool slowly at its own, this enables the cocoa mass to stabilize and solidify properly. It is the most essential part in my entire production as in its absence my solid state does not harden well. And, finally after all these steps of intensive skill and hard work you have your favourite chocolate bar to scintillate your senses.

So, now my eater friends you know my entire journey, would love to know yours as well, you can share your journeys and your life stories on the below mentioned email Id. Till then farewell eaters and, keeping chewing your chocolate.

Feature Image Credits : Scopio

Kriti  Gupta

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Student Attacked in North Delhi’s Maurice Nagar

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A 22-year-old student was attacked with a stone in Maurice Nagar, North Delhi. Police suspect a victim’s male friend behind the incident. 

On 22nd February 2020, Delhi Police received a call around 11:30 AM about a woman lying unconscious near Bonta Park. The woman had sustained serious head injuries and was taken to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, where she was unconscious, but the doctors were hopeful for her survival, according to a senior police official. 

The official says “Her mobile phone was also found lying at the spot. Angles of robbery or sexual assault have been ruled out in this case.” A case under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (attempt to murder) was registered and an investigation was taken up. The 22-year-old student was a graduate from University of Delhi (DU), and was currently studying at an institute in Ghaziabad. She was a resident from East Delhi’s Kabir Nagar.

The police suspect a male friend of the victim after analysing her call logs, with whom she had an argument. The official is quoted as saying “Call detail records of the victim were analysed and it is suspected that she had a fallout with a man who attacked her. We are waiting for her statement for further probe”

The victim’s family was informed after the incident, after which they reached the hospital.

 

With excerpts from The Hindu

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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