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No Shave November: Beyond the clichés

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Come November, gone are the days of shaving, trimming, and styling body hair. The No Shave November campaign is infamous amongst men for being an opportunity to let their beards flow. There is, however, a lot more to the campaign than just unruly facial here:

Spreading Awareness

Yes, the month is not merely about growing lumberjack – like beards. Its aim is to grow awareness by getting people to embrace their body hair, which many cancer patients lose. It’s a yearly regime to raise awareness about various cancers affecting men, including testicular and prostate cancer.

Donate

Another way this campaign aims to help is to get people to donate the money they’d usually spend on shaving or grooming.  These funds are used to educate others about cancer prevention, to save lives and to aid those fighting the battle against the disease.

Not just for men

The main idea is to spread awareness and donate money. However, our patriarchal society stigmatises women for having body hair and thus they are not usually seen as a part of the programme, but women, and non-binary people can also participate and contribute.

More than just growing manly stubble

The campaign isn’t just limited to facial hair. Since cancer patients often lose other body hair as well, the ‘no-shave’ rule extends to beyond your face as well.

It’s important for the success of these campaigns for general masses to be more aware of their motivations.  So, let the game of men and women begin to transform the humanity.

Image credits: Flipkart Stories

With inputs from no-shave.org

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Your Beat

The Battle Of Print Versus Digital

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You have been running in this epic race for a very long time, almost since the beginning. Your exhaustion knows no bounds. And now, the semester is about to come to its logical end. Besides that truckload of syllabus already parked in your backyard, there are copious, unread notes, essays and diagrams still crowding the room. Even in those few precious moments before the exams, when your finish line is in plain sight, there is a ton of study material to skim through. It is at these moments that an ancient debate (one involving all teachers and parents) spurs back to life—should you get everything photocopied or download the pdf versions on your phone?

The age of the internet and free wi-fi is here, people and it has got all the students and teachers hooked on to its wireless universe. Random study guides can only take you so far in this era. Education at the university level has itself transformed, especially for the social sciences, where it is impossible for many students to ‘learn’ without Google’s help. “In our college library, one can never find a book in its proper place. Who has the time to scan through all those shelves for one book? I’d rather look for material online,” says a source who would prefer to remain unnamed. There are many who choose the easier, quicker path by downloading books, essays and videos in the digital format.

It is a natural human instinct to fall for freebies. Who wouldn’t be attracted to the prospect of downloading a free pdf instead of splurging five hundred bucks on a book? Many see curriculum books as a waste of money.

But joining in the debate from the other side too are scholars and students who still root for the old-school tradition of libraries and hard copies. “Staring at the screen for a long time causes me a headache,” is their primary slogan. They treasure the ‘feel’ of books instead of intangible pdfs. In fact, if bad comes to worse, they would rather get their notes photocopied than strain their eyes over screenshots and countless pictures on the phone.

And thus the endless battle continues. One side argues for moving on with the times, using free internet resources to save up on (already low) student money. The other side believes that books never went out of style. They would rather get their photocopies and mark important lines using pens, highlighters and pencils—something a pdf does not allow. Even as this debate rages on, it must make us ponder why photocopy shops in DU still make profits despite websites offering free material. In fact, can the internet indeed be a better alternative for explanation than study guides? It should make us think, essentially, how a 21st century college student functions today. Time will be a testament to whether that is a good direction to follow or not.

 

Featured Image Credits: http://thefinalchapterblog.wordpress.com/

Deepannita Misra

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Never Have I Ever: Diwali Version

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You’ve played the game. You’ve shared bouts of laughter with friends over drinks, naturally. Now it’s time to give it a desi twist. Welcome to the ‘light’ version of Never Have I Ever! (pun intended)

Glimmering Guidelines (..like those candles)

1. No restriction as to the number of participants. Even if you can’t find anyone, we’ll be there for you.

2. Grab something to drink: water, coke, whatever you like the most!

3. We will state an experience starting with ‘Never Have I ever’ referring to something we’ve never done. If you have done it, be ready to drink.

4. Disclaimer: Being proud Indians, these experiences are not alien to us and we have engaged in the typical Diwali spirits. Don’t take us to be lame!

Get, Set, Diwali!

diwali

Never Have I Ever…checked the calendar to see which date Diwali celebrations fall on

Let’s be honest: part excitement for this radiant festival builds up if it lies on a week day. The lazy weekends complemented by the bonus holidays for Diwali tend to sweeten the festive spirit. Term it as wishful thinking for this year at least, for the D-Day falls on a Sunday!

Never Have I Ever…sworn to not burst crackers but ended up lighting the obligatory Phuljhadi

Gone are the days when a carton full of crackers would have induced excitement, the idea of no crackers has been proudly adopted by everyone above the age of 10 years. However, our infallible plan fails to see a minor shortcoming: the ritualistic phuljhadi which the whole family gathers to light to commemorate the festival of lights!

Never Have I Ever…participated in the mandatory house-cleaning Diwali Special session

Come October and there is a wave of festivities which takes the house by storm. There’s a certain probing factor which prompts you to keep things clean. Decorative ornaments are bought and tactically placed in the house. And do you, my friend, end up taking part in this frenzy?

Never Have I Ever…been ultra-excited for the picking out of lights

Close your eyes. Think about Diwali. What is the first item of interest which pings in your brain? Yes, a sublime picture of the lights illuminating the houses and streets! A major attraction for the event for some is deciding the shapes and types of lights to adorn your residence. Not something you liked to do?

Never Have I Ever…had a potential display picture clicked with a Diwali-centric background

Fact: Yellow flickers of diyas and candles, beautifully lit background and bursting crackers make for some stunning photographical placement. Having established that, if you have endeavoured to persuade someone to click a ‘candid’ picture which could very conveniently be your next Facebook display pictures, drink up!

Never Have I Ever…been dragged off to meet random Uncle-Aunties

Can Harry Potter ever be without magic? Similarly, can you survive the festive season without meeting some long-distance relatives/family friends/strange people you’ve heard never of?

Never Have I Ever…looked forward to Diwali!

The exodus of sweets which arrive intermittently, the ethnic apparels you line up to wear, the customary card games which lead to some very predictable failures, Diwali is so much more than a one-day festivity. It’s the seasonal holiday people enthusiastically prepare for year after year,do you?

Here’s a last drink if you Never Have Ever played a Never Have I Ever Diwali version drinking game. Happy Diwali!

Saumya Kalia
Image credits: ThisIsWhyImBroke, The Ellen Show

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Around the Campus

The Department of Commerce, LSR organises Comquest’16- Annual International Academic Meet

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Going by its long history and tradition of over 20 years, Comquest- the Annual International Academic Meet of the Department of Commerce, Lady Shri Ram College, had proved its mettle once again with incredible events, prizes and not to forget the much appreciated hospitality from 20th to 22nd October, 2016.

Fin-o-lution, the opening event of the fest marked the participation of 18 teams. A one of a kind event, wherein the participants had to form a hospital using the items listed in the auction. It was an experience that involved the use of strategic planning and intelligence. Judged by Pranav Puliani, Sr. Manager Corporate Finance and Abhay Chandalia, Chartered Accountant, the second round asked the contenders to develop an app based on ‘Fintech’, under which they had to present their business plan. The team from CBS, Japneet Singh and Abhinav Bansal stole the show by grabbing the first prize followed by an LSR team.

An outcry mock stock, Bullion was powered by the BSE Institute. With a massive number of 40 teams participating, the competitors teleported to a time back in history where buyers and sellers used to shout out loud to trade. The two session event involved hustle and bustle with participation reaching out to the company counters to trade. Pulkit and Utkarsh from DTU bagged the first prize followed by Pranjal and Meenal from Xavier’s Jaipur.

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An intriguing and mind-boggling business quiz, Mind-benders attracted students in large numbers. With initial prelims, followed by the main round and a tie-breaker in the last, Ravtej and Harshvardhan from CBS got the first prize to their name. The rounds were direct, bounce and pounce and long connect.

The speaker session presented amazing speakers in front of the audience, one of them being Ashwani Lohani, Chairman & Managing Director of Air India. Sharing his personal experience, he told how he turned around various organizations, due to which he was chosen to work for Air India. Focusing on the role of human capital and specifically the top management, he briefed the way he was able to manage to get the New Delhi Railway Station cleaned before the Common Wealth Games.

Manan Vyas, the co-founder of ‘The Economist’ enlightened the students about Product Management. He explained in detail as to how to start an e-commerce business with the importance of acquiring and giving your best service to the first customer. The other speakers included Rakesh Sharma, Rajani Seshadri, Anuj Agarwal to name a few.

Events spawning over this period, enlivened the campus with a wonderful vibe in the air.

The second day witnessed the flagship event Board v/s CXO Risk Simulation powered by GRMI. Over 30 participants presented a strategic solution to a pre-provided case study in front of renowned judges including Chetan Mathur- Pepsico and Aloke Malik, former MD ESPN Star Sports to name a few. The game grilled the competitors with grueling challenges and finally the team from St. Xavier’s Kolkata bagged the drool worthy first prize.

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Vortrag, the Paper Presentation competition observed contenders from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangalore and of course Delhi. With students trying their best to prove themselves, the riveting event reflected the hard work and intellect they had put in it.

Finally, on the closing day, the events included Monopoly, the board game of buying countries and accumulating wealth that we have all played young. Fun and engaging, a team of Xavier’s again grabbed the first prize. The Committee Simulation came out as one of the most intellectual events deliberating and discussing about the agenda ‘Transitions risk and impacts from deep globalization to de-globalisation.” Somya Sharma from LSR was awarded the title of the Best Delegate.

The three day festivity ended successfully with overwhelmed participants, organizers and yes, the onlookers too. The all put in effort paid off with wider reach, greater number of participants and events and larger rewards. And yes, Comquest definitely was bigger and better this time!

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Around the Campus

Ecospire, the Economics Society of SBSC organises a seminar on Budgetary Reforms and GST

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Indian Economy is an unpredictable concept, with intricacies to understand and get an idealistic approach towards it’s nature. The students and teachers shall come together to get a good and deep knowledge of it. With this initiative, ECOSPIRE: The Economics society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College organized a seminar on ”Budgetary Reforms and the GST: Issues and Options” on 25th October, 2016.

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With the celebration of its Golden Jubilee year, the seminar witnessed eminent speakers like Dr. Sacchidananda Mukherjee and Dr. Laveesh Bhandari who gave their viewpoints on the topic and shared their experiences erstwhile.

The speakers arrived at the venue in the morning from where the guests were escorted along with the principal to the seminar room for the inauguration ceremony. The convener Mr Jayesh Adeshra in the presence of the entire faculty welcomed the speakers. The seminar kickstarted with a speech by Dr. Laveesh Bhandari who currently serves as a Director of Indicus Analytics Pvt Ltd., on the topic “Budgetary Reforms” where he discussed about the basics of a government budget and how it affects the political atmosphere and the public, in general. He talked in detail about the budget deficit and the over and under expenditure done by the government in various sectors of the economy. He talked about the plight of the public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the economy and the effect on the budget deficit due to immense expenditure done by the government to recover the losses of this sector.

His speech was followed by a question hour in which he entertained all the questions asked by students and even teachers in the seminar.

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The next speech was given by our second speaker Dr. Sacchidananda Mukherjee who is currently an Associate Professor at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), on the topic:”GST: issues and options”. In his speech, he explained in detail about GST and its effect on the household, and the markets. He explained how GST will widen the tax base by expanding the coverage of economic activities and cutting down exemption, achieving better tax compliance through mitigation of tax cascading, double taxation, and lowering the tax burden on the middle class section of the economy by giving numerical examples to prove the same.

After the speech, he responded to the questions asked by students in the question hour which noticed active participation. The seminar concluded with the conveyor presenting the mementos to the speakers. The students left the venue carrying a deep insight on the topic.

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Around the Campus

The Financial and Investment Society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College organises ‘The Wolf of Dalal Street’

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“A public outcry usually masks a private obsession.” – Eric Schlosser

The Finance and Investment society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi, organized a traditional stock market event, ‘The Wolf of Dalal Street’ on 24th October 2016. The event consisted of two rounds- first, a business awareness quiz followed by an open outcry mock stock where participants were able to seize the buzz and thrill of real time trading.

Guided by the hard-work and efforts of the Event Head Shubham Surana of Second year and co-head Devanshu Choudhary of First year, B.com. (Hons) students of the college, the magnificent event had one of the largest turnouts of the year.

A zealous passion for the stock markets drove the registrations to 200+ students out of which 16 teams made it to the second round. Participants were required to apply their dexterity and comprehension to decipher the complex trading game to win the challenge.

Students from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College were the first runner ups who won a cash prize of Rs. 5, 000 and the team that had the best hand at market conditions was from Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce and won a cash prize of Rs. 10, 000.

Other prizes which amounted up to Rs. 30, 000 included Smash Vouchers, T.I.M.E. vouchers, and best-selling novels. The event was sponsored by our Education partner – T.I.M.E., our media partners- DU Beat and University Express and our Gaming Partner- Smash.

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Fandom

The modern sociopath, who made brainy the new sexy: Sherlock

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A well crafted and modernised crime drama TV series based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock is the modern marvel of direction and writing in the world of TV shows. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss created an extraordinary piece, thrilling its viewers by showcasing insipidness of the private consulting detective by not only giving a modern twist to the age old stories, but also casting Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Andrew Scott to ace the roles of Holmes, Watson and Moriarty respectively, to do justice to the modernised version of the most loved British Detective ever.

Read along to get hold of some of the wittiest signature dialogues in the serial by the characters :

1-1

Kill you?

No, don’t be obvious. I mean I’m going to kill you anyway, some day

I don’t wanna rush it, though. I am saving it up for something special.

No, no, no. If you don’t stop prying, I’ll burn you. I’ll burn the heart out of you.

~Professor Jim Moriarty

 

Every fairy-tale needs a good old fashion villain

~Professor Jim Moriarty

4

In the world of locked rooms, the man with the key is king and Honey you should see me in a crown.

~Professor Jim Moriarty

3

Sherlock : what if I shoot you now? Right now?

Moriarty : Then you could cherish the look of surprise on my face.

 

Sherlock: No point of sitting home when there’s something fun going on!

Mrs. Hudson: Look at you, all happy. Its not decent.

Sherlock : Who cares about decent? The game, Mrs Hudson, is on!

 

2-1

Do you know what sherlock, I look at you now and I can read you.. And You.Repel.Me.

~Kitty Riely

The Fall.. But don’t be scared, falling is just like flying except there is one permanent destination.

~Professor Jim Moriarty

 

Gerush Bahal

[email protected]

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Arts Faculty

Tensions rise in North Campus as ABVP and AISA clash, political blame game ensues

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The political tension between the Student Union parties has reached a new high at a meeting today organized by the All India Students’ Association (AISA). An open meeting was organized at The Arts Faculty, University of Delhi on Thursday, October 27th 2016 to facilitate a productive discussion concerning the idea of ‘Freedom of Expression.’ With a slogan of Don’t Cage our Ideas, Don’t cage our Universities, the Idea of University saw speakers with ideologies of promoting an egalitarian environment, supporting free expression and thought. However, the event took a stark turn with reports chiming in about the chaotic clash between the right and the left wing, turning into a pure he said-she said controversy.

AISA’s take

AISA’s account of what transpired at the Arts Faculty today is diametrically different to what ABVP has conveyed. The event was scheduled for today, 12 pm onwards and the organising entities had already been subjected to the hostile attitude of the administration who created a fuss regarding the payment factor, and moved on to allow the placement of the event with the terms that there will be no usage of mics. It saw a gathering of about 250-300 people and about 2:30 the sloganeering began with slogans like ‘Rapist AISA’, ‘Laal Gulaani Chod ke, bolo Vande Mataram’, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. As ABVP was within the premises and holding a parallel event, they reportedly began hurling ‘lux soaps’ at the AISA activists, which AISA presidential candidate, Kawalpreet Kaur, interprets as, “The ‘soap’ meant that I need to clean myself, my mind and my body and passed sexist comments on me. As if a ‘BHARAT MATA’ should be well groomed and tidy.” The first act of violence was then followed by a full-fledged disruption led by the DUSU President, Amit Tanwar who resorted to physical violence against the activists along with members of his community. The left wing members were also assaulted with rape threats and physical aggression, as the Delhi Police consisting of almost 50 people, reportedly failed to control the mob. An AISA activist who was present at the event said, “The ABVP has once again proven its intolerance for a free and uncaged student community. We have been subjected to various hindrances, starting right from the administration with their discriminatory policy to the stark insecurity of the ABVP with the voice of dissent. Showers of stones and anti-national slogans were tossed at us, however, we are yet to be dissuaded from waging a just fight.”

ABVP’s take

In the hours between 1pm to 3pm, ABVP claims to have conducted a human chain protest in the Arts Faculty, North Campus to protest against the increasing communal atmosphere across the university. It is reported that a female activist of ABVP was hurled a stone at by a member of AISA, who then purposely began the scuffle and the consequent attack. AISA members then proceeded to toss casteist smears and abuses on the ABVP members, which was termed as an act of publicity. Three members of the ABVP community, DUSU President Amit Tanwar, Jyoti and Harshita were reportedly attacked and taken to the hospital. There were also reports of a journalist who provoked the ABVP members with slogans and later falsely claimed that he had sustained injuries. The ABVP activists are also said to have borne the brunt of the police who beat them up. ABVP claims that the event organized by AISA, The Idea of University, was illegally executed as it lacked the pre-requisite of a prior permission.

The versions of both the parties share no common ground, and are being circulated across the social media with pictures and videos as evidences for both the sides. The clash has come after rising strains between the two wings; one, condemning the spreading of communist ideas, and the other, lobbying for the freedom of expression and ideas in this vast area of education.

Update: Videos later emerged on AISA’s page, showing ABVP members charging towards the AISA gathering for the Idea of a University event.

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Arts & Culture

Strokes, the Fine Arts Society of SGTB Khalsa College organises Duende.

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Turning inspiration into reality, the art exhibition by Strokes seized imagination and hopes over two days! 

“The world is but a canvas to our imagination.”

-Henry David Thoreau

Art is all-pervasive, and the students of SGTB Khalsa College portrayed their imagination beautifully across the broad horizons of their college. Strokes, the Fine Arts Society of SGTB Khalsa College, organised their annual art exhibition, Duende, on 17th and 18th October 2016, to display the work of their zealous artists. The event was set up at the heart of the college, the famous Jannat, and attracted eyes and interests throughout the two days. The area was adorned with a variety of shapes and forms of paper craft hanging above the people, giving a shade of ethereal beauty to the contiguous area.

With more than thirty paintings displayed, decorated and placed in the structure of a circle, each painting spoke a unique story, and wove a beautiful aura amidst the sublime atmosphere. Themes such as life style, new beginnings, fire and ice, sacred love and many others were captured. The inspiring paintings were a fascinating visual to behold. The live painting session gave bystanders a chance to get their portraits drawn. The artistry displayed was exquisite and gave birth to some brilliant pieces. The creative streak did not end there. The visitors were also invigorated to see a quirky craft station set up. With bookmarks, paper corners, envelopes, cards, dream catchers and many other handmade products, Duende did justice to transcending the essence of art across a multitude of platforms, which piqued interest and praise.

A member of the society, summarises the experience on the first day, “The turnout was huge even on the first day of college after the mid semester break. People who visited the exhibition were astonished by the work done by the artists which further increased the enthusiasm among the members.” With a combination of a unique theme, stirring paintings, and personalised stationery and activities, the members of Strokes set high aesthetic standards that moved the audience.

 

Saumya Kalia

Image Credits: Saumya Kalia for DU Beat

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Around the Campus

Night Vigil held by Pinjra Tod disrupted by ABVP members

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Pinjra Tod

Pinjra Tod is an autonomous student-run collective effort aiming to ensure a secure and non-gender discriminatory University for all women students. They claim to be battling the university which they believe reproduces patriarchal and casteist structures by constantly seeking to regulate and control women students’ lives, mobility and sexuality through a wide range of mechanisms. On 23rd September 2016, Pinjra Tod organized a ‘Night March’ in Vijay Nagar, North Campus which aimed on reclaiming their right on the streets which they are forbidden to visit beyond their oppressive hostel and PG curfews. Pinjra Tod’s mission stated, “this time we are out on the streets to sit on a vigil against sexual harassment and rent extortion in PG’s, to ask for hostels that should be built for us, for that room that is ours no matter what time we return, for the collective spirit that threatens this patriarchal university so much”.

The march took place through the many lanes of Delhi University’s North Campus on that night in a peaceful and organized manner, after which the group collectively gathered at the Vijay Nagar tea point to begin their night vigil. As they sat on the vigil, the Pinjra Tod members put up a play which represented their daily struggles as woman in the university which was lauded by all the viewers at the tea point. All was said to be going well, when Satender Awana (ex-DUSU President from ABVP) arrived at Vijay Nagar along with his companions and placed themselves amongst the peaceful night vigil by Pinjra Tod. Their arrival followed a range of smirking, laughing and derogatory remarks by ABVP towards the protestors, it was also noted that these men took videos of protestors on their mobile phones with lewd hand gestures in display of their male entitlement over the female protestors. At the end of the play, the men from ABVP started chanting slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai!’ along with other provocative gestures towards the women which included flashing a ‘hundred rupee note’ at a protestor. On being challenged, the man caught hold of the Pinjra Tod activist’s wrists and kept tightening his grip, while attempting to corner her with his friends. This episode created a commotion at the protest area, which eventually cleared out as the men from ABVP left the spot to the activists of Pinjra Tod. This incident created an uproar amongst the female students of Delhi University towards the discriminatory nature of ABVP’s treatment towards Pinjra Tod’s vigil. In retaliation, Pinjra Tod is organizing another protest demonstration against ABVP on 20th October in the Faculty of Arts.

We were in conversation with a Pinjra Tod member who was present that night, she shared with us how the chanting of ‘Hum Bharat ki Mata nahi banenge’ by Pinjra Tod in response to ABVP was in order to instigate a feeling within these men about how women want ‘azaadi’ from these patriarchal structures of conformity which prescribes an ‘ideal woman’. She elaborated upon how the usage of lewd words by the men was an attempt towards character assassination of female students of Delhi University, and questioned their claim to be ‘student parties’ if they cannot treat the students within this university with due respect. The character assassination of women staying out ‘at night’ was an indication towards how these women are of low moral code and therefore do not have a place in their ‘savarna’ politics which is a bend towards casteism in student politics within DU. She also spoke of how the night vigil brought together all the activists of Pinjra Tod into a sense of solidarity towards reclaiming the spaces within the university which they are entitled to be in, as students.

Joyee Bhattacharya

[email protected]

 

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