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Cartoon Blasts from a Nostalgic Past

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Do you miss the cartoon legends which defined our childhood stories to the highest degree? Have a look at some favourites which continue to float in our minds and smiles!

In the world of Netflix, Hotstar and countless online streaming sites at our disposable for watching shows new and old; one wonders how the age of entertainment has evolved with us. Before we were intrigued by and binge-watched the likes of Game of Thrones and FRIENDS, there existed a land within the television which was presented to us for only a few hours in a day but managed to etch a mark of memories. The mere mention of these shows unfurls a trail of giggles and fond remembrances. With characters and stories which assuaged our hopeful hearts, here’s the journey of some of the cartoon blasts from a very nostalgic past!

Tom and Jerry

The incessant pursuit of the mouse, Jerry, by the tenacious cat, Tom, became a story ingrained in our hearts; to the extent that Tom and Jerry is the first show to grace our list. Often coupled with unsuccessful tricks and traps along with frying pans and mayhem in the house, the show defined an era of madness!

tom-and-jerry

Bob the Builder

…karke dikhayenge!” The recent controversy which involved the visual overhaul of the team wasn’t received well, for the masses liked the animated-ness of Bob. The adventures of the builder (obviously) Bob, Wendy, and their equipment and vehicles where they went to fix anything and everything was the source of some co-operative joy!

bob-the-builder

Oswald

The titular character, Oswald the octopus, along with his dog Weenie live in the Big City to give us moralistic storylines and comforting vibes. Painted in colours, Oswald’s everyday tales with Henry the Penguin, Daisy the Flower, Madame Butterfly, and a host of characters lends the show an affinity towards kids!

oswald

Make Way for Noddy

The endearing stories of Noddy with his blue hat being lauded for special appearances, the show was based on Enid Blyton’s books originally published between 1949 and 1963. Living in the Toyland with Big Ears, Mr. Plod, Tessie Bear, Bumpy Dog, and others, Noddy with his energy and impulsiveness sets out to be the town’s taxi driver to give way to all shades of fun!

noddy

Strawberry Shortcake

The beautiful and delicious Strawberryland was the daily box of lessons and some very palatable shortcakes! With their names renditions of food, the tales of Strawberry Shortcake, Ginger Snap, and Huckleberry Pie and their explorations added to the aesthetics of our screen!

strawberry-shortcake

Dragontales

Raise your hands if the Dragon Tunes has occupied the realms of your mind! As Emmy and Max discovered the Dragon Land, they set out to face challenges with the dragons Ord, Cassie, Zak, Wheezie, and Quetzal, and have some magical fun on the way!

dragontales

The Flintstones

Portraying a time that made generations believe that the dinosaurs and humans existed together, the two family story in Bedrock is an all-time favourite. Fred and Wilma, along with Barney and Betty, was the everyday tale of work and family and their eventful days in between!

the-flintstones

The Adventures of Tenali Raman

Inspired by the Indian folklore, the Adventures of Tenali Raman was a confluence of Indian heritage, interesting tales, and foot-tapping music! The jester poet in the city of Vijaynagar, Tenali’s every day encounters with the King Krishnadevaraya to solve issues of all kind were appreciated for the fast pace and intriguing stories!

tenali-raman

Akbar and Birbal

Names synonymous with each other, and tales’ renditions of legends and greatness, the animated show provided a bundle of traditional folklore. The rich court of Akbar and his Navratna were portrayed with all grandiose, with Birbal emerging as the wit-master and the perfect person to complement the ruler!

akbar-and-birbal

Scooby-Doo

Talking of greatness, the cartoon with our favourite dog and its four friends perfectly fits the bill. Their supernatural mysteries and eccentric personalities amalgamated the two genres, and made it a Saturday morning treat! As we miss the dapper Fred, the gorgeous Daphne, the brainy Velma, and the indomitable friendship between Scooby and Shaggy, it makes us wonder: Scooby-doo, where are you?

scooby-doo

Feature Image: Popcornin

Image Credits: Wikipedia, ABC, YouTube, Wallpaper Abyss, www.mobygames.com, TV Tropes, The Hindu, Google Play

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

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DUB News

Monumental tricolour hoisted at Hans Raj College

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On the eve of Republic Day, Hans Raj College under University of Delhi hoisted a monumental flag on its campus, almost a year after Central University Vice-Chancellor decided to fly the Tricolour atop a 207-feet mast in all their premises to evoke nationalistic sentiments on campuses.

According to the CEO of The Flag Foundation of India, Shahnawaz Khan, Delhi University is the first public university to have a monumental flagpole. The flag pole on the premises of Hans Raj College is similar to the one installed in Connaught Place’s Central Park, according to Khan.

On February 18th 2016, former HRD Minister, Smriti Irani chaired a meeting of around 39 vice-chancellors of central universities and decided that all universities will hoist national flag atop a 207-feet mast. The aim behind this move was to instil a sense of ‘nationalism and pride’ amongst the student community of Delhi University. This meeting was called by Smriti Irani in the wake of Rohith Vemula’s suicide in Hyderabad, which triggered a national outcry over social discrimination amongst students in educational campuses. The decision was reached in the backdrop of the controversy created around Jawaharlal Nehru University where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

The 100-ft high flag was hoisted at Hans Raj College by Naveen Jindal, who is a Member of Parliament and the President of the Flag Foundation of India. Accompanying him was his batch-mate, actor Parveen Dabas.

Last year, in August itself, Naveen Jindal, had announced on the college’s Foundation Day that he would hoist the national flag in the college campus. On this event, Naveen Jindal said, “Being an alumnus of Hans Raj College, I am extremely elated that it is the first college in Delhi University to have installed a monumental Flag. Tiranga belongs to all of us equally. When a person displays his national flag, he rises above political, social or religious affiliations.”

Joyee Bhattacharya
[email protected]

Image credits: The Times of India

 

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Arts & Culture

North East Cell of Daulat Ram Colleges hosts its Annual Fest

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The North East Cell of Daulat Ram College under the aegis of The North Eastern Council hosted its annual fest on 27th January 2017. Mr. Jitendra Singh, hon’ble Minister of State for The Ministry of Development for the North Eastern Region was the Chief Guest for the event. Prior to this inter-college cultural extravaganza, there was an inter-college Poster Making and Collage Making Competition held on the 18th of January 2017,where students from various colleges of Delhi University participated. The topic of both the competitions pertained to the natural and cultural heritage of the North East of India and both the events saw large-scale participation. Students of Daulat Ram College and Ram Lal Anand College brought glory to their colleges respectively by bagging prizes in both the competitions. The award winners of both the competitions were announced on the day of the fest.

sikkim-bhutia-dance

The eight colourful North Eastern states of India are so rich naturally and culturally and thus people from the eight sister states came together to put up stalls exhibiting the food, ornaments, art and accessories of the region. The cultural programme began with the performance of the traditional Garo dance from Meghalaya by girls of Daulat Ram College. It was followed by the Sikkim-Bhutia dance performed by students from Ramjas College, Daulat Ram College, Maharaja Agrasen College, Amity University, Ambedkar University, Lakshmibai College, Zakir Hussain College and Swami Shraddhanand College respectively. The pretty faces and the silken attire lit up the event. Then, the much awaited Cheraw dance, also known as the bamboo dance from Mizoram was performed by the students of Jesus and Mary College. The amalgamation of 12 bamboos, 6 dancers and the beats of the bamboo was very lively to watch. The Maring War Dance,a tribal war dance form from Manipur was performed by students of St. Stephens College, Shivaji College, Hansraj College, Hindu College, Swami Vivekananda College and Indraprastha College for Women collectively.

With vibrant colours and typical tribal get-up the audience got a chance to witness the celebration of tribal art form and the integration of the eight sister states. In the end, the Students’ Union of Daulat Ram College presented special dance performances by Dance India Dance (DID) contestant Suraj Sharma and Rohit Bachi from IIT Bombay.

Radhika Boruah
[email protected]

Image credits: Sepia, Photography society of Daulat Ram College

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Lady Shri Ram College for Women

Econvista 2017 organised by LSR

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econvista

Econvista is the annual fest of Department of Economics of LSR which was held from 19th Jan-21st Jan’17.  

Econvista 2017 – The International Economics Symposium was organised by Department of Economics of Lady Shri Ram College (LSR), University of Delhi from 19th-21st January, 2017. The first day of the fest began with a learning session ‘Ideas Conclave’ which was graced by speaker Arvind Virmani, an Indian economist who was appointed India’s representative to the International Monetary Fund in 2009 prior to which he was the Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India. In his talk he focused upon the issue of corruption that has paralysed the entire system giving the students a flavour of how policy making works.

Keeping in line with the theme of Econvista ‘17 of exploring alternative development paradigms, The Ideas Conclave witnessed a panel discussion on ‘‘Achieving Inclusive and Sustainable Development: Feasibility & Challenges of Market Economy.” The Chairperson was Dr. Geeta Gouri, a former member of Competition Commission of India while the esteemed panelists included, Dr. Farzana Afridi, Dr. Surajit Mazumdar and Dr. Anirban Kar. The discussion began with Dr. Afridi highlighting the dire income inequality that exists today, particularly in context of the liberal market reforms of the past few decades implemented in emerging markets of the developing world. Dr. Mazumdar took the discussion further by bringing to the forefront the exclusive nature of our economy in status quo. In a labour surplus country like India, people face unemployment or are paid low wages as sellers of their labour services. Following this, Dr. Kar elaborated on problems that remain unsolved through free market operations, such as the under provision of public goods or coordination problems.

Ideas Conclave unleashed its third event of the day, ‘Theatrical Play’ by the renowned Chilsag Entertainment Network. The performers not only charged up the whole atmosphere by their chuckle some act, but also left the audience to ponder over the quotidian yet paramount subject of ‘Woman Empowerment’. The concluding and the most awaited session of the day was – slam poetry by a group called ‘Slip of Tongue’. The theme of Econvista 2017 was “Thinking Beyond the Invisible Hand: Exploring Alternative Development Paradigms”. This session can easily be accredited for having gathered the largest audience as compared to the other sessions. The slam poetry performances revolved substantially around the theme of development and its denotation to them. The first performance was by a trio of Diksha, Shubhra and Cheryl wherein they spoke about norms that women have been following till date.

The online events were Economic Reelties, Eco Trails and Eco Toons, and flagship events were Dr. Saroj Gupta Memorial Paper Presentation, Policy Dilemma, Eco Prayog, Mock IP, Checkmate and Eco Matters. Zestomania was, as per popular opinion, one of the most exciting events of the second day at Econvista’17. Also, the interactive events were Galloping Producers, M Triple A and Zest-O-Mania. The amphitheater became interesting with a flurry of activities as teams from colleges from all over the country engaged in a battle of speed and intellect. All these events entertained participation of students from most of the colleges of Delhi University, and from colleges outside Delhi.

Radhika Boruah

[email protected]

Image credits: www.fuccha.in

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DUB News

Student’s Union calls for a strike at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College

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The differences between the College Administration and the Student’s Union at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (Morning) further widened this week. The crisis between the administration and the union, which has existed for sometime, continued after the removal of the student union’s board from the Canteen Area by the college authorities.

Abhishek Bishnoi, the President of the Student Union and Prateek Kothari, the Vice President of the same body, in conversation with our correspondent maintained that the college has been indifferent to their demands since election time. According to them, the proposals for the Power Backup system and better infrastructure at the Canteen area among other things had been rejected multiple times by the administration.

Prateek Kothari further added that “Even the Student Union display board was erected after many efforts. But the college administration took another offence, this time in response to a grievance post on social media. The display board was torn down. Only after many protests, it was reinstated at a different location.”

The student union’s members also complained about the lack of financial incentives. The Vice President of the student’s Union in this regard said, “Even the bare minimum funds are never made available to us. For instance, only 2.9 lakh has been sanctioned to us for the fest, which is an impossible amount to work with” .

The Students Union had also approached the college authorities, who had refrained entirely from any clarification on the matter. According to the Union members, despite repeated efforts no response has been recorded from the administrations side as yet.

The students of the college seemed harboring similar questions. Sparsh Saini, a first year student, having keenly observed the conversation, had made his opinion and said, “Something is missing. If the fests don’t do well or the infrastructure is bad, it’s the college’s reputation that gets tarnished”.

A strike has been called for in the first week of February by the Student’s Union of the college. “The administration cannot go on kicking us out of the rooms and turning deaf ears to us”, Union members added.

Feature Image Credits: www.sbsec.org 

Nikhil Kumar

[email protected]

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Uncategorized

Slam Poetry and why it may not be so cool

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Once a sceptic, on being asked why she disliked slams, said, “It’s not even poetry. There are two topics it revolves around, which are feminism and politics.” And so it does. But that does not stop the trend of having at least one poetry slam event being organised in each department fest of Delhi University. The spoken word is clearly not going anywhere.Even the Delhi Poetry Slam’s ‘Slam India Retreat 2016’, in Jaipur, saw the participation of self-confessed “poets” in huge numbers.Some of them have picked up the craft solely from watching Youtube videos of Button Poetry.In fact, there are many who do see slam poetry as legitimate poetry.

The spoken word, as a form of poetry, finds its roots in the musical, free verse of the likes of Allen Ginsberg. It sprang up via open mic sessions for the first time in the 1980s in U.S., primarily in small cafes. The trend seems intent on emulation in India, where such poets are increasingly choosing cafes for their debuts as well. There are now organizations like the Delhi Poetry Slam to consolidate and unite slam poets in different regions. The idea is that poetry is performance. Like any other craft, the craft of performance can also be learnt very quickly. It’s not very different from the concept of reality shows in this sense: quickly learning the tricks of the trade to compete and achieve overnight stardom. That it allows poetry to become a source of livelihood,however, might just be the only positive side to it.
Traditional modes of expression are an impasse. The paper does nothing for us now, since we have a Kindle. It’s hard to concentrate on a book for too long without dozing off. Similarly, monologues in the theatres lost charm since competitive slams took precedence, hanging somewhere between rap and poetry. The classification is difficult and something not worth attempting either. It should be let free, as far as the idea goes. But when overnight stardom without any desire of mastery, looking down upon writing, or performing poetry for a quick buck become the inspiration behind it, this generation should sit up and take notice. It should treat this as a warning, an impending disaster stemming from an attitude of materialism and competition.

Deepannita Misra
[email protected]

Image credits: https://pbs.twimg.com

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Events

Breaking barriers and setting standards – JMC MUN 2017

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After two scintillating days, it is finally time to call curtains for the JMC MUN Conference of 2017. This conference saw the most agile of minds and most hardworking of teams unite to produce an event to remember; and this brief was not only met, but far exceeded in terms of both expectation and overall satisfaction.

 

The first day began on a high note, with the honorable Justice Markandey Katju, ex Chief Justice of India delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony. The audience was captivated by his signature wit, and delegates were roused to action upon hearing his inspirational words of wisdom. This was followed by an opening speech by Ms. Alimah Rehan, Secretary General of JMC MUN 2017, a bright and dedicated young lady whose passion for the MUN touched every person in attendance. And finally, with the resounding sound of the gavel, the conference was officially declared open.

 


 And so began the action. The excited delegates were raring to go, and launched straight into intensive debate as soon as their committees were in session. Allegations flew, speeches were made, and an atmosphere of somber intensity and focus was created as the committee’s deliberated on how best to solve their respective agendas. These tense sessions were interspersed with breaks, wherein the delegates could unwind to socialize, lobby and network in the company of their fellow delegates, and of course the delicious feast of food laid before them! The organizing committee ensured that the food was a delectable delight, and a well deserved treat for the exhausted delegates.

The second day was about solutions and resolutions, and finally a bittersweet conclusion. While only a select few could take home awards, each and every participant undoubtedly took home a lifetime of memories and an enriching experience. The Secretary General’s closing address summed up perfectly the emotional journey that is setting up a conference, and left everyone feeling nostalgic with her meaningful words.

 

We here at JMC make it our mission to break barriers and set new standards, and remain committed to doing just that. The only cliche we can deign to conform to is “bigger and better”,

Because that’s exactly what we promise we are going to do for the next edition of the MUN. For those of you who joined our family this year, we thank you and hope you had a wonderful experience, because we certainly did in setting all this up for you. We’d also like to thank our esteemed sponsors and guests for adding value to this important event. There is not a single thing we’d do differently.

 

JMC Model United Nations Society.

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Arts & Culture

Know the Man Behind Dangal’s Success – NiteshTiwari

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After the huge success of Dangal, both popularly loved and critically acclaimed – it is time to know the creative minds behind this heart-warming project. We present the life and career of Nitesh Tiwari, the talented director of Dangal and Chillar Party.

Interestingly, Tiwari was a software engineer before turning to the world of advertising and his newest venture; film-making has definitely taken Indian cinema by storm. In another lifetime, he was a creative director in ad agency Leo Burnett, and was highly respected as a writer.

Right from his time at IIT Bombay, Tiwari had been active on the drama front which ensured he loved every moment of his 16 year old career as a creative professional. Heralded as the “lucky” one, Tiwari first sampled the world of advertising whilst working on a project for R K Swamy BBDO when he was pursuing B Tech at IIT Bombay. The project ended, but his journey had just begun. “What I saw in the ad agency, I really loved. The atmosphere was informal, people were playing pranks. They were having a blast and were paid for it,” he says.

As a trained Hindi writer, Tiwari began with four creative directors at the agency. Being trained by four specialists in different styles, he quickly got his first brief to write a television commercial for Captain Cook Atta.

Over years, he has worked with a range of clients- Tide, Heinz Foods, Sony Entertainment Television, Reliance Mobile, McDonald’s, Perfetti Van Melle, Bajaj Electricals, Axe Deodorants, Castrol, Amul, CeatTyres, as the man who probably created their trademark and user pool in India. Today, he has successfully directed three films- Chillar Party, Bhoothnath Returns and his recent project ,Dangal bagged the filmfare.

We can’t wait to see what other tricks this director has up his sleeves!

Feature Image Credits: fatimasanashaikh/instagram.com

Anahita Sahu

[email protected]

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Daulat Ram College

A Daulat Ram College Student sexually assaulted by bank employee

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On January 18, 2017, at the onset of a new semester, a first year student of Daulat Ram College was sexually assaulted by an employee of the Indian Overseas Bank that is inside the college. The incident came to light after the victim decided to share it with an ABVP activist in her college. “She came to me to ask whether she could leave the college. She was shivering. When I asked her why she wanted to leave, she broke down and told me that the man had unzipped her jacket and touched her inappropriately,” said Priya Sharma, the activist with whom the incident was first shared.

The 52 year old accused, Devinder Kumar, had apparently helped out the victim when she needed funds for her mother’s treatment. She lost her father a few years back and stays with her mother and an uncle in the Moti Nagar area. The accused also offered her a ride to college, claiming to live in the same area, which she accepted. The victim said he had made her uncomfortable prior to the incident as well, touching her under the pretense of changing gears while driving, but she put it down as an accident and chose to ignore it. She was traumatised when it happened again on their commute to college. Before she shared her plight with Priya Sharma, she had decided to not report it and instead drop out of college. The college authorities were made aware of the case after a few other college students wrote a letter to the Principal, who then reported it to the police. The Prinicipal of Daulat Ram College, Savita Rai, said that the incident took place around 11:45 a.m., and even though it didn’t take place inside the college, it was reported to the police as soon as it was brought to their notice.

An FIR was lodged at the Maurice Nagar Police Station, where the accused confessed to the crime and was charged under section 354 for molestation, which is a non-bailable offence. Reportedly, the court was supposed to proceed with the hearing for the case from January 19 onwards. The victim is currently undergoing counseling.

Feature Image: wired.com

Radhika Boruah

[email protected]

 

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Admissions 2017

Admission process at Delhi University likely to start early this year

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In continuation with its commitment to thunder bolts from the blue, Admission Committee, Delhi University recently came up with the proposal that will likely make admission process for the next academic season start by March instead of May/June this year. This news comes in succession to the plans of the university to introduce entrance tests for admissions to various Bachelors courses.

Although the decision has not been officially confirmed as yet and no dates have been released, but if sources are to be believed, the registration process shall start by the end of March, and the marks shall have to be updated as and when the results come out.

A professor from the South Campus of Delhi University shared his views with DU Beat about the same. He said, “In the light of recent announcements, this can be seen as one of those better after-plans. These two and a half months time would be crucial and sufficient for the preparations”

This amendment can be a response to the unnecessary conundrum in the admission process last year. The early registration process will give about two and a half months to students instead of the three weeks time which was given earlier. Though the entire online registration process shall most certainly remain the same as previous year, the extended period of registration will likely curb lawlessness and confusion to a significant extent.

Being still in the amorphous stage, It is still some time before this reform is implemented. “It will have to be approved by the academic council and executive council to be implemented,” Hindustan Times yesterday quoted an official as saying.  “If the policy gets the sustainable nods, this might prove a notable leap towards increasing the ease and efficiency of the admission process” according to an administrative staff member of a Delhi University college.

For more latest informations about the Delhi University admissions, stay tuned with DU Beat!

Photo Credits- Du Beat

Nikhil Kumar

 

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