Latest
DU Beat – Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper
Author

DU Beat

Browsing
Biblio

Akhil Katyal’s Poetry Session in Hindu College

By

Akhil Katyal came to Hindu College on 5 November and did a reading of his different poems among which were his famous pieces that have captured the youth through social media.

It wouldn’t be wise to make it sound generic and limit it to calling it solely an enriching experience, although it was, but it truly was mostly poetic. Katyal had an interactive session that followed it. Questions ranged from his most favourite poet Agha Shahid Ali to Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Shahid was quoted multiple times in the course of the beautiful session. From questions that were targeted on pieces within “Country Without a Post Office” to his newest works.

A lot of talks were also targeted on the young adult approach to poetry wherein a student asked if he could invent his own style. To which Katyal said, styles become recognised if everyone else starts doing it which of course also involves a process of keeping indefinite patience on the creator’s behalf.

Katyal was witty, sharp with his words and understood things that went on in our minds. Whether it be the comparisons of longingness in poetry in Faiz or the same in Shahid. Whether it was Katyal’s own pieces on 377 and queer support or just general perceptions of our messed up city and world, he did leave behind a mark of his own in that hour of curiosity, love and more.

It truly was lovely to hear, “the world is full of paper, write to me.”

Katyal went on to talk passionately about his professor from his time at Hindu College, Dr. Lalita Subbu. He heartily credited her as his model of inspiration to enter into this frenzy of poetic liberty and its explorations into the social backgrounds. In a candid session, Katyal discussed the politics of Section 377 and humored the audience with his sarcastic sadness upon the decriminalization of same-sex relations; claiming the Supreme Court’s decision to rendering his “two poems invalid”.

Interestingly Katyal also talked about the essence of language as a medium. Katyal has a background wherein he works with translations extensively. The idea of “lost in translation” is of little importance to him. Emphasis was laid on having the sentiment, the emotion to work on poetry, language being a medium to translate such powerful emotions into art. It was meant to show the young students the power of our aboriginal languages of Urdu and Punjabi. Katyal recited a beautiful piece translated to Punjabi by his student in Ramjas College to display the exuberance.

“Jivein haan ovein hi haan,

Apni marzi di kardi haan,

Jivein ivein hi pasand haan,

Toh ad ja meri aad vich.

Ni te zara suni,

Tu khunje maar bhaad vich.”

He said, “Go back to your poetry and you will observe patterns in your writing when you are write in a particular language.” His love of urdu and urdu poetry is inspiring, to say the least. The passion with which he talks of his favorite poets Faiz or Shahid Ali or Amrita Pritam inspired the room full of enthusiastic Hinduites willing to learn from Katyal the intricacies of effective and hard-hitting poetry.

It was in totality a mesmerising event where the spirit of poetry, the mutual love of language and expression was celebrated in such a way that it still reverberates in all our hearts and ignites a spark of inspiration to just, as Katyal put it, “keep reading to find great influence, write and most importantly experiment with your ideas because who knows when you might actually succeed in inventing a new form in which we all might be writing our next poems.”

Feature Image Credits: Brown Paper Bag

DU Beat

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

SOL Students Protest Against the Absence of Classes

By

In lieu of the absence of classes and study material for the approaching exams, students of SOL are distressed.

The School of Open Learning (SOL) faces a crisis as students remain in angst due to the absence of notes and proper scheduled classes. The classes for the session of 2018-19 are set to commence soon enough. The Executive Director of SOL, H.C. Pokhriyal, said in a recent interview to The Indian Express, “We have been able to complete our admissions only by 20th October, which is why classes have not started yet, but they will start soon”.

The SOL website has already added the portal for acceptance of examination forms, without a proper commencement of the academic session. Colleges under Delhi University will commence their examinations from 28th November 2018. Mr. Pokhriyal further explains that the admission process usually begins by June and extends till August. However, this year, the process began in August itself, as a result of which there was a delay. Students should be able to pick up the material from 12th November and classes would begin soon. Usually, the classes commence in September. The admission process for SOL is similar to that of other colleges associated with the varsity. The examinations are also conducted by Delhi University. The course structure is also alike, for the school as well as other constituent colleges.

The annual examinations occur in April. However, the strange thing is the fact that students still do not have their study materials. The study material is given immediately after the admission, as explained by the Staff Council Secretary of SOL, J.Khuntia. At present, more than four and a half lakh students are enrolled at the UG and PG level.  Almost all of the processes are handled by the online Students Information and Management System. Several students do not have proper access to the e-resources and do not have a sense of clarity about the study patterns. The official website is showcasing study materials for the second semester and beyond, thereby creating more confusion. Authorities should give directions to the students in lieu of the approaching exams.

Feature Image Credits: The School of Open Learning

Avnika Chhikara

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
News

Blind Justice – Lovely Grover versus DU

By

A blind Masters students’ legal fight against the University of Delhi after he was asked to vacate his hostel in an ‘unjust’ manner.

Lovely Kumar Grover is a student pursuing his Masters degree from the University of Delhi. He used to stay in a room in Gwyer Hall, a place which had become almost like home to him. He has been ordered to vacate this room now. He is a visually challenged student, who feels like even authorities have become indifferent to his needs.

Grover’s parents passed away when he was younger and he hardly had a guardian to fall back too. Yet he managed to make way to the University and get enrolled in an MPhil course. As is the case with other students of his age, Grover was also dependent on the hostel for his accommodation during the time spanned by his course. The hostel authorities at Gwyer Hall asked him to leave as staying further in the hostel would ‘overstay’ his time. All this has been done hurriedly without fair warning, according to the student. Grover has not yet finished his course and has nowhere else to fall back to and as his thesis submission date has been extended, he requested for an extension in the date of leaving the hostel but this effort was to no avail.

The catch here which points towards discriminatory behaviour is when it was apparently found out that only Grover’s requests were being rejected while the others were easily and very smoothly being granted an extension. The move is now being taken to the court by the adamant blind student who is being supported in his battle against the University by two lawyers who also happen to be his ex-classmates. If we use legal terminology, the provisions of the Right to Persons with Disabilities Act (2016) are clearly being violated.

The matter remains unresolved as the next hearing date Delhi High Court is scheduled to the 13th of November. Time will tell if Lady Justice would remove her blindfold and do justice to this young man. 

Feature Image Credits – Sabrang India

Shaurya Singh Thapa 

[email protected] 

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

Diwali Season for the Atheist

By

It is well known that its hard to be an atheist in a country like India, where 99.76% of people have strong religious identities and beliefs. These hardships increase tenfold during- you guessed it- festive holidays.

In a very informal study of those in my immediate friend circle, I realised that people who don’t necessarily believe in God, or are not even fully aware of the story of Ramayana – basically moderate or soft atheists, still enjoy Diwali. For all Indians, Diwali is more than a religious holiday, it provides motivation to clean your dwellings, a reason get dressed in traditional clothes (no matter how uncomfortable and restraining) and an excuse to laze around and play cards with your near and dear ones. Moderate atheists are usually seen having the best time, cooperating with most of the traditions, albeit with sly remarks about how compulsive their parents are.

Sure, it seems harmless so far. But for a devout atheist, things are a little different. Diwali seems synonymous to coercion and hypocrisy. This year I stood first hand witness to people burning crackers while wearing anti pollution face masks, my family members dancing to the most demeaning of Bollywood item numbers, and being told from  at least four different sources to, “Smile more, beta”.

And I’m sure its the same story everywhere. Your average Diwali starts with you being forced to sit in a pooja, meeting people you haven’t seen since last years Diwali, and being expected to spend exorbitant amounts of money on things that are really unnecessary. Any rational person may still find indulging and complying with your family a fair trade off, given how much they do for you. And that does sound fair.

But living in the world of #metoo, sensitisation and libertarianism, festivals manifest themselves into culture wars. Even a two-day period of compliance with religious hypocrisy becomes a source of moral panic. For the first time in history, the moralizers are young people, and not their parents. Each time I am forced to dance to a Yo Yo Honey Singh song or waste food as offerings to idols, I spiral into existentialism and despair. I feel troubled because I think wastefulness in the name of religion is wrong. And I’d rather protest than be a silent onlooker (even if that protesting is limited to declining party invitations, not lighting lamps or eating Diwali sweets).

Because at the end of the day, the representation my generation has fought for is more important to me than family values. It can be said that I’m evaluating culture for it’s moral correctness more than for it’s sentiment. But that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make as a devout atheist.

So long, a Not So Happy Diwali.

Feature Image Credits – Surabhi Khare for DU Beat.

Nikita Bhatia

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
News

Tamil Nadu Varsity Alleges It Never Got Delhi University’s Fee to Verify Baisoya’s Paper

By

DU to send an official to TU to complete the inquiry.

The row over Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) President, Ankiv Baisoya’s certificates started when Nation Students’ Union of India (NSUI) alleged that his certificates were fake. To keep up with the deadline of 12 November, given by the Delhi High Court, Delhi University (DU) will send an official to Thiruvallar University (TU) to look into the matter.

NSUI had claimed that Baisoya’s mark sheet from TU from where he claims to have graduated in 2016 are bogus, and asked for an inquiry about the same.

According to Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, a re-election can only take place if the office of any major office bearer falls vacant within two months of the election results being announced.

TU, however, denies receiving any fee to verify Baisoya’s mark sheet. According to the TU registrar, the process of verification of certificates takes around 15 days. KTS Sarao, HoD Buddhist Studies had on Monday said that he had paid the fee required to obtain a genuineness certificate from TU, but never heard back from them.

TU controller of examinations B Senthil Kumar on Thursday denied having received any fee, despite sending a letter to DU, explaining to them the details.

“What TU is saying is incorrect. I have sent a copy of the payment receipt of NEFT transfer by registered post along with other documents. I have also sent the copies of the receipt and other documents by email twice, both to the registrar and the controller exams. In fact, money has already been received by them on October 25,” Sarao said.

Speaking to the DU Beat correspondent, National Secretary, NSUI, Saimon Farooqui said, “The DU administration, in compliance with ABVP is fooling the students in a similar manner that BJP is fooling the citizens of this country by influencing all government bodies. It is evident that the administration has been trying to slow down the process.” He added that TU has been giving out clarifications for a while now, but no action has been taken. Farooqui went on to say that the removal of Mr. Tuteja was done to pull the plug on the matter and now the administration has stooped so low that it had to lie about the payment of the fees. “Administration 100 percent mila hua hai, ye DU ka bacha bacha keh raha hai, hum nahi!” are the sentiments shared by him (The administration has been favouring ABVP, and all DU students are aware of it, it is not NSUI’s opinion).

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

Maumil Mehraj
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Backbeat and IIT Kanpur: An Account of the Controversy

By

Backbeat, the music society of Ramjas College of DU, alleges being harassed and thrown out by the administration of IIT Kanpur at Antaragni 2018.

The team from Ramjas College reached Kanpur on the 24th of October. Members of the team allege that there was a delay of about three hours to get them checked into their rooms. They claimed that the rooms allotted to the girls hadn’t been cleaned at all and were unhygienic to the point that there were sanitary napkins thrown here and there in the washroom. The second problem was that the room wasn’t entirely allotted to the girls from Ramjas College. The administration had apparently told them that only six-seven more girls from different colleges would be staying in the room, and yet, the next morning 30 more girls barged into their room.

After a heated argument that ensued with the coordinator, the girls were provided a three-bedroom flat in the non-teaching staff area of the campus. At around 1:15 – 1:30 a.m. of the penultimate day of the fest, the girls received a call at their accommodation, assumingly by the IIT Kanpur electricity board on grounds that there is a logistical complaint regarding their flat. However, the girls claimed that they had neither made any such complaint nor was there any issue regarding the electricity. The callers kept on asking for the house number of their accommodation even after they had been told that there is no problem or complaint made by them regarding the electricity. Eventually, the girls cut the call without divulging information about the house number, thinking it to be some silly prank. However, they claimed that they were alarmed and called the other members of the society about 20 minutes after the incident had taken place. The male members had been given an accommodation facility about 2.5 kms away from that of the girls and had to walk the whole distance in the night.

After half an hour of the phone call, there was heavy knocking on the door. The same persisted for around five to ten minutes, without any voice or explanation. The Backbeat members further claimed that in an attempt to protect themselves, they went to the end of the room and armed themselves with whatever they could find and did not open the door. Ten minutes after the banging had ceased, the male members reached the girls’ accommodation and made the guards check the whole building. The guard did claim that a certain individual from the students’ team was there at the door and then kept changing his statement as to who it was. Later, the police arrived at the scene and the security guard apparently changed his statement and admitted to be the person who knocked on the door saying that it was a routine patrol.

While on the way to a new accommodation, the students were stopped by the officials who claimed that they had a meeting with the chairman who deemed them (Backbeat) as ‘anti-social’ elements and a threat to the fest. The officials then demanded the students to vacate the premises at the earliest. The students immediately asked for an official notice for the same and were told, “Fifteen-twenty minutes main bhago nai toh maar ke bhagayenge” (Evacuate within fifteen-twenty minutes or we will hit you till you’re forced to leave).

As the male members made way to their hall, they were greeted by a horde of guards who were stationed to ensure that they pack and leave immediately. After a while, a car stopped outside the hall and the IIT Registrar allegedly stepped out and started pushing the society kids around. The members claimed that this behaviour also hurt one of the kids who had visual impairment.

 


View this post on Instagram

Regards to everyone, First of all we’d like to state that we’re thankful to each and every society in the university circuit who stood up for us and would also like to show some very heartfelt gratitude to ‘Escape Artist’ who even came with us to the police station and stood by us, after the whole incident went down, we’re grateful to people who actually did boycott the competition and to all those who didn’t, we’re grateful for your verbal support too, we realise that everyone invested a part of their heart in making, practicing and finally polishing their piece, and the only reason to come to a 6-7 day long fest is to perform it, so we’re sorry to ask all of you to boycott the competitions, the request to boycott all competitions and the fest was something which got added to the verbatim in the heat of the moment, Now addressing the elephant in the room, this is not about the struggle of a single society, rather an attempt to make people aware of what goes down behind the curtains and how recklessly as important issues as physical safety, health and mental health are handled by a college fest administration, So it all began on the very first day, students of our society reached the IIT Campus at about 9:45 – 10:00 pm on the 24th of October, we had to wait for 2-3 hours to just check in and then rooms were alloted to us, The girls’ room was not cleaned at all and it was unhygienic to the point where there were used sanitary napkins just thrown around in the washrooms (find attached pictures), the commode had blood stains on it, it was already a very tiring day for everyone from the journey and then the whole registration process, the hospitality team of Antaragini was informed and they blatantly refused to take any solid action then and there, and instead laughed and chuckled about the whole situation, they were willing to take no action, after a lot of deliberation they gave the students a key to a common room, The coordinators assured us that apart from Ramjas female participants, only 6-7 more girls will stay in the room, which did happen eventually only till about 7:30 in the morning, 30 more girls from a different college barged into our room,(to be cont.)

A post shared by Backbeat (@backbeatramjascollege) on

In the video posted by Backbeat on its Instagram page, an adult can be heard saying, “Thappad marunga keech ke, dimag theek ho jayega sab“, in response to “Bhaiya, haath mat lagao.” 

The incident caused a major stir in the music circuit of Delhi University, with several societies sharing the video on their respective platforms. “It is important for people to know what really happened and to voice out against this unjust behaviour and call out the perpetrators to accept punishment for their wrongdoings. Stand with Backbeat. Stand with Justice,” said Neeraj Brahma Boro, a member of the Music Society of Kirori Mal College. There can be valid reasons to debar the participation of any society for misconduct, however, to ask an outstation society, with female members, to vacate accommodation immediately in an unfamiliar city (Kanpur) compromises the safety of students. The organisers should address this issue with the utmost importance as it sets a wrong precedence and may discourage the future participation of outstation societies.

DU Beat correspondents contacted the members of Antaragini’18 team but didn’t get any statement as the representatives refused to comment.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Haris khan

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

In Conversation with Rahul Dua: The making of Dua Saab

By

DU Beat brings to you a conversation with Rahul Dua, the runner-up of Comicstaan.

The scene was set. After much effort, when the lights were fixed and the noise was reduced near the interview table, a call informed us that Rahul Dua’s (the runnerup of Comicstaan, on Amazon Prime) car had broken down on his way to the venue. Cut to 20 minutes later, he is at the venue despite how the day was treating him, and is whistling his worries away! It took just a moment for him to make us feel like we have known him for years. He began telling us his typically personalised stories in the same witty spirit and we made sure to begin right from the basics!

Q) Since you have done your MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies, what do you love and hate the most about DU?

FMS never seemed like a part of DU. The MBA syllabus is very rigorous. You all would get free at five in the afternoon and could chill. However, we used to stay in college till midnight, as our seniors used to teach us how to prepare ourselves for summer internships and placements. No one considered us a part of DU, man!

Vishwavidyalaya pe bolte the FMS jana hai, par unhe pata hi nahi hota tha. Hamari pehechan thi Kirori Mal ke saamne wala college. (We used to ask the rickshaw drivers to take us to FMS from the Vishwavidhlaya metro station but they didn’t know our college. Our identity was ‘the college in front of KMC’.)

I had come to DU from Thapar University which is a gated campus. It didn’t matter what was happening on the outside world because inside the gates, we were protected. But DU mai aisi feel hi nahi aayi (It doesn’t feel that way in DU). This is something I never liked. A residential programme is very important. The connect between hostelers can not be found between day scholars. My fellow hostelers and I know everything about each other. But, the good thing about DU is that the fees is very less so there’s less burden on parents.

 

Q) Any DU fads you remember?

When we came to FMS, we got to know that the kebab sold in DSE’s canteen are supposed to be very tasty. Now DSE is right behind our campus. Lamba kaun ghoom ke jaye? Dewaar fandi and ghus gaye DSE mai. (Who would take the long route now? We just used to jump over the walls.) We had the kebab. No offense meant, they weren’t so special. But St Stephens’ cheese omlette. Oof! It’s amazing! I like their campus too! But we never got the entry. So we shaved our beards and wore tight t-shirts to look younger, to get the entry. However, I did that just a few times as it seemed like too much effort to shave.

Q) Out of all the people you’ve met and things you’ve done in college, has any of it played a huge role in getting you where you are today?

Of course, everyone has their little roles to play in what I am today. Mahesh Shetye was from FMS, in the same batch as me. We weren’t that close in college. However, in Mumbai, we got a flat together. He literally pushed me into stand up. There is something called as an MBTI test that was taught to us in FMS. Mujhe ghanta nahi yaad hai (I don’t remember it one bit) but he knew it. He, in his room gave my MBTI test which is a personality test. He answered everything he knew about me on his own. If he didn’t know anything he would come to me and go like,“Acha, Dua, what’s your favourite colour?” I was like, what is he smoking, man? I need to know! He came to my room one night at 2 p.m. , wearing his typical loose t-shirt and shorts. “So, Dua, I have given your personality test,” he said. Wait, he had given my personality test? This entire thing did not make any sense. “It tells me that you are made for the entertainment industry. This bankvank is not for you,” he said. I dismissed him saying we have to go to office the next day and have no time for this. He sat uninvited on my bed and said I should try stand up. So he had a very important role to play. And I am so guilty that I couldn’t call or meet him in these 1.5 years. Other friends of mine like Angad, Saurab Malhotra, Chitra, and Anna also supported me immensely.

 

Q) When and why did you think of switching to comedy?

I was working in a bank. They had drained me. On paper, it was five days a week. I used to work seven days a week. I had no time for friends or even for the gym. I needed to vent out. I was the funniest in the group. Some colleagues told me that I should try open mics. Back then, I had told them the story of Batra ji and the bees, and also that I performed in Comicstaan’s second episode and they had lost their shit. That was the story that I tried in my first open mic as well. Then, there was no looking back. I felt so empowered and unrestricted on the stage and thought I must do it. I didn’t think of taking it up as a profession but did it only because it was fun. After interacting with a lot of people, I got to know it’s a full-time career option also. From then onwards, everything gradually started falling in place to make this happen.

Q) What do you hate the most and love the most about Comicstaan?

I love that it has changed my work ethics. We used to write at our own leisure and pace. We used to write a 4-minute set in 2-3 months but on the show, we did it in 6 days! I learnt from the masters of the game! One thing I hated about Comicstaan was that they never aired everything they captured behind the scenes including a 30-minute long interviews they took of us. We wasted a lot of time there. My alternative comedy and finale set was edited out. I gave them my content, but I have worked on it for one and half years. A lot of my jokes did not make the cut because of time constraints. Though, I am not complaining, I got much more than I expected.

Q) You subtly joke a lot about being the second on Comicstaan. Is it to hide some insecurity or just because it always gets a laugh?

For the first few days I kept thinking why I couldn’t be the first but now it doesn’t matter. I know for a fact that I am pretty decent. But I am not right up there so I have to improve myself.I am good friends with Suri,(Nishant Suri, the winner of the show) and he feels the same way. We aren’t the best and the ones who didn’t make it to the top top are not bad as well. It’s only about being that good on that day. There is no insecurity. Obviously six lakh milte toh bahut acha lagta but aa jayenge paise. Baad mai aa jayenge. (If I would have won the prize money, I would feel awesome! But the money will come later, its fine!)

Q) How do you tackle always being happy and making others happy as well?

Thoda pressure kum hua hai aaj kal. Kyuki first thodi aaye hain. (This really is a little pressure! It has been reduced lately as I am not the winner, anyway!) When you see a comedian on stage, he is very different from what he is off stage. If you expect him to be funny all the time, you have wrong expectations. Everything on stage is built over time and rehearsed. I am generally a happy-go-lucky person. I might be funny in bits and pieces but it is difficult for me to be funny all the time. And if you come out to me and say “Hey, comedian, tell us a joke, no?” I’d say, no, you pay me, first!

Q) What do you have to say to the budding comedians?

See, I know it’s scary. But try it once! Bada maza aayega. (It will be fun!). But it’s better to get up on stage with zero expectations and get two laughs than expect 10 laughs and get two. Phir nass kaat loge! (Then you’ll cut your veins!) No point. And keep hitting at it. Keep seeing what other people are doing and learn from it. That’s the crux of the art form. You can’t do it sitting at home. It may be funny on the paper but the audience may not laugh at it. You will have to go up on the stage. It’s really empowering and fun.

Q) Would you do shows in any DU colleges?

Why not! Bula toh lo? (Just call me, already?) I have some material on all topics, you want me to perform on relationships, classes, anything, I have it! Give me money, I will come.

 

Image Credits: Adithya Khanna for DU Beat

Khyati Sanger

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Sex Amma

Sex Amma: My Boyfriend Tastes Me Down There and Gives an Unexpected Reaction

By
Sex Amma's

Dear Amma,
My boyfriend frequently asked me if he could taste me down there. I was apprehensive at first, but few days back
things got heated up and I let him. His reaction was horrible and he said it was too soon. I was torn to bits; I feel horrible about what he said. I have a lot of health problems and he knows about all of them and I feel he should have been a little sensitive towards the situation. Should I stop blaming myself? Please help.
My troubled macchi, yes you should STOP blaming yourself. For any person to open up to another in an intimate situation and to expose themselves for the first time is a sensitive moment. Revealing your inhibitions to someone is a brave task and should be treated with respect and understanding. Amma can empathize with your feelings of being torn after not getting the right response from your partner.
However macchi, Amma has had many encounters with people who do not know the intricacies of dosamaking, and she can say from experience that often the “nice people” can disrespect you in the most unlikely of moments. They might not be aware that they are being insensitive to someone’s feelings and say things out of impulse. Amma can understand that an attempt towards a conversation revolving around the issue at hand can lead to many embarrassing outcomes; but little idli, like Amma takes risks with spices in her chutneys, you need to take a risk here too. You need to communicate with him and soon! Since this matter is troubling your heart greatly and soon will start to affect your relationship, it is imperative that you talk to him and clearly express what you feel.
Dear macchi, if you care about him enough to make this work, then you need to be completely honest with him. Also if, at any time, you feel that it is not worth the effort and you are not getting the respect you deserve, then Amma suggests you walk away before the batter turns bitter. Communication is the key, but it is not worth the effort if you and your partner are not on the same page as each other.

To send in your queries to Sex Amma email us at [email protected]. We respect your confidentiality as much as you do.

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

The Onset of Winter in Delhi

By

With a sudden drop in mercury inside glass tubes, the National Capital is under the influence of a cold spell – because of which lifestyle now comprises of shivering morning and evening walks, along with pleasant afternoon strolls.

It is that time of the year. The time when you unpack your woollens and your wardrobe is fraught with the disturbing yet satisfying smell of naphthalene- the time, when you’re lucky to find unexpected treasures in the pockets of your coats and jackets. Knocking on your gate are those days, when the most favourite pastime of those travelling by public transport becomes gulping peanuts rather than poking noses into others’ conversations. Not to mention, it is also that time of the year when you begin to take your end-semester examination date sheet seriously, and schedule your “kal se pakka padhunga”(“I will definitely study from tomorrow”) moments.

Gone are the days of icy-cold shakes, lushly thickened with humongous scoops of ice-cream topped with whipped cream as the demographic now makes a transition towards soothing warm tea and coffee. Some of us will carry our containers to keep the tea/coffee hot for longer. Crowds darting around Sudama Ji in North Campus have become frequent sightings (not that it doesn’t happen otherwise).

With an utterly sultry August, followed by a somewhat similar September giving way to a drastically cold and dry October, there has been a surge in patients at doctors’ clinics. Added to that is the yearly premonition- stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, which has already begun. In the already polluted city, that adds to the problems, specifically in winters when the air density is high because of lower temperatures. Soon, newspapers and news channels shall overflow with clichéd images of people roasting hands (not literally, obviously), over those cute little angithis (fireplace). In about a month’s time, we all will not only allocate a larger portion of our pocket allowances towards books, but we shall also start reading them for the semester exams at the eleventh hour, like we always do.

There is something about winter that really carries us away into a realm of joy. Bright daylight or the joy of bonfires? I wish I had a particular answer to it, but frankly, I love both. I love sipping hot tomato soup in winters as much as I love chugging brain-frosting smoothies in summer. Shorter days and longer nights, it is not long before you realise that it’s already the fest season in the Spring Semester. All of this, of course, garnished by the constant echoes of “yaar aaj bohot thand hai”(“It is really cold today”) and “apne garam garam haath kaano par laga de yaar”(Please warm my ears with your hands”).

Indian lives are encapsulated within these half-yearly changes. In fact, these are what make our lives dynamic and full of life. In each season, there is an intrinsic characteristic joy that’s embedded to it. The key to a happy life, lies in making the most out of what each of them has to offer and living in the moment rather than cribbing.

Feature Image Credits: Study Breaks Magazine

Aashish Jain

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

21st Century Digital Poetry: The Metamorphosis of an Archaic Art Form

By

Digital poetry has taken and given a lot from conventional art forms when it comes to shaping the poetry of the 21st century, let us see how…

The modern or twenty-first-century poetry has seen a drastic change from the poetry in the preceding centuries. While modern poetry or the poetry evolving in the twenty-first century has adopted a more favourable style towards free verse and a greater emphasis on artistic expression, it has evolved with features like disrupted or unkempt syntax, irregular stanza structure and lacking rhyme schemes.

Free verse poetry has gained a big following over the following years. While it has been considered synonymous with modern poetry, it dates back to hundreds of years. New popularity for poetry has been achieved through big portals on social media platforms which have seen a big fan following, giving new artists and writers a space to showcase their work. Social media, one of the biggest boons for a lot of businesses in the twenty-first century, has also been a big platform for many poets and writers as well as other artists to showcase their work and achieve fame. Poetry has evolved to become a highly appreciative art form.

Online or Instagram poetry has become the biggest source of artistic influence on social media. It all started back in 2012, when the poet, Lang Leav started publishing her works online on Instagram. She stands with approximately half a million Instagram followers and four published novels, becoming one of the most sought after and famous instagram poets. Canadian poet, Atticus is also an instagram celebrity poet, with a constantly growing fan base. He started publishing his poems online since 2013 and has gained a lot of appreciation, but even more among his fans for his mystical appearance. Instagram poetry was once again revolutionized, by the Indian origin Canada based poet Rupi Kaur, who became a big success with two publications and two world tours. Her poetry focuses on the diaspora, the brown values and love loss among other things. Other prominent names include Pierre A Jeanty, Nayyirah Waheed etc. among many.

“It is a pleasure to see the poetry conventions change. I have always loved the works of Coleridge or Wordsworth, so for me, moving on to a newer base of poetry is a tough call, but surely worth a try. It is amazing to see that poets today have so much liberty and so many different platforms to write upon. But the olds, the classics, nothing can beat them.” Comments Heena Garg, a second year student of Maitreyi College, pursuing English Honours.

Digital poetry is freer and more liberated than ever, and nowadays a lot of young and new poets do not pay more attention to the literary conventions. Modern day poetry is deeply symbolic, but literal at the same time. The concept of rhyme schemes and heroic couplets, as well as other parameters, have been set aside. Modern poetry is also a break in and a waiver for a new form of poetry. Its recognition will take a long time, as a majority of literary critics are not a big fan of the modern day poetry. The major debate lies in, whether the social media poetry is destroying the convention and idea of poetry or reviving it. The viability to a large audience makes it easier for the poet to assimilate the tastes his/her readers acknowledge and in lieu of that similar works are produced. However, upon close introspection, modern poetry does not prove to be very “intellectually pleasing” to the soul. Being garnered and taught nature and romantic poetry of the earlier centuries, school curriculums have forced children to have dual opinions on poetry. While poetry of the earlier times, is more tedious to understand due to historical and contextual symbolism along with the archaic style of writing, modern poetry provides an ease to the students. There is a pride and pleasure attached to reading canonical literature, one may interject so, however, the subjectivity of poetry makes us argue whether the content of online poetry is indeed high art or literature.

Pragya Achantani, a final year student of English honors from Maitreyi college states, “ its not all good, but its not all bad also. You need to find the right poets, the right handles for that matter.” She further adds, “ simply saying that its shitty because it is on social media and liking higher art is also not fair. That being said, since poetry is so subjective, it is possible one might not like anything. So, to each their own!”

The topic of interest in poems has also changed. While feminist and nature or romantic poetry still lives and is evolving, there are newer themes attached to poetry. War and peace has always been a key theme in epic poetry as well, and nowadays this theme is being represented in newer lights. The themes of environment, sexual harassment and empowerment are things which were absent or very faint in the poetry obtained from previous generations, however, are now being written and published in abundance.

“Poetry for such a long time has always been interpreted from the eyes of the poet. But for a reader as well, a good poem can be something which may be reflecting exactly what he or she is thinking. For me, after a hectic day at the office, I might run through my feed till my eye catches a poetry verse. I find it quite relaxing. I am not a writer, so maybe I do not go knee deep in interpretation, but it is something which gives a ‘feel good factor’ whole reading it, and that might be the appeal it presents to others as well.” Comments Arpita Chhikara, an analyst at KPMG.

Poetry in the twenty-first century, especially the online versions are slowly moving into the popular or formulaic literature. With an increasing audience, these poems have now become ‘trivial’ art. The aesthetic merit of poetry is declining when compared to the contemporary works. While this may be defended as the coming of a new age of poetry, the market research analysis shows how instagram poetry has become commercialized, with main focus rising on piling up the copies or reaching the best sellers’ shelf. Online poetry, as seen through the eyes of poetry traditionalists, has been reduced to something some may consider being unsophisticated. Like the previous times, it no longer functions solely to cater to the bourgeoisie sentiments, but instead has now become a topic of ‘high-low brow’ literature.

Modern poetry also faces threats of plagiarism, repetitiveness, being cliché’, transient and a pathway to future lawsuits. A majority of online writers are fairly new and young, thus formulating another debate on how technology can be seen as a source of corrupting a literary art, whose simple motive is to gauge the attention of the readers, a sort of a cultural detritus. Permanency is also a factor in poems. Will they last or will they ever transform into something canonical, decades later, thus a shade at the new demographic of this form of poetry.

So what are your views on modern poetry? Can it also be converted into a political fiasco, with traditionalists on the one hand and modernists at the other? It is a matter of time, and to misquote baseball player Todd Helton, “time will tell but we definitely have the talent….. the more experience everybody gets, the better we are going to be”.

 

Feature image credits: Rupi Kaur 

Avnika Chhikara

[email protected]

 

 

Keep Reading
By