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What does a Trump Presidency entail for the Environment?

By DU Beat November 11, 2016

While the issue of climate change was treated as real and dangerous by President Obama, the same cannot be said for the new President – elect Donald Trump who believes that climate change is a hoax perpetuated by the Chinese. Studies show that poor countries like India, Pakistan, Vietnam and others would bear the brunt of climate change mostly because of their tropical location but also due to their greater reliance on agriculture, lower income of people, and less resilient infrastructure.

The current situation in India is smoggy, with four out of the ten most polluted cities being Indian, and the capital city’s poisonous air. In the past, US and India have shown commitment towards energy security and fighting climate change. USA joined the Paris Agreement and India followed.

Donald Trump has been adamant about scrapping off the Clean Power Plan and removing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). While the EPA doesn’t handle all of the environment related issues (some of which are covered by other federal, tribal, state or local agencies), it does have a major role in the protection of environment. The EPA has been hit again and again by budget cuts and any further cuts would make it impossible to enforce laws like the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act. Shutting down the agency isn’t the answer either.

The transition team of Donald Trump, according to Politico, has recruited GOP energy lobbyist Mike McKenna , who has ties to the industry backed American Energy Alliance, and vocal climate skeptic Myron Ebell, the director of Energy and Environment at the Competitive Energy Institution (which is funded by Koach brothers, and oil & gas companies). According to Ebell ‘any small increase in the global temperature is nothing to worry about’.

Mr Trump has offered his support to the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, protested against wind turbines (because the wind farms were visible from his golf course in Scotland), has close financial ties to the Energy Transfer Partner – the operators of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline (according to his financial disclosure) that will lead to potential harm to the environment, effects on climate change, and the destruction of sacred Native American sites.

The 45^th president of the United States of America has signalled his opposition to any restrictions on the development of oil, coal, or gas, making it clear that he doesn’t have plans to go green anytime soon and instead believes in reviving the coal industry, which according to experts won’t work due to tough competition from declining priced alternatives like natural gas and renewable energy sources. This, in fact, moves the attention away from the real proposal that is the transition of coal workers into new jobs in a new industry. While Trump’s call to ‘back out’ of the Paris deal won’t be possible, Lux Research modelled the impact that Trump’s policies would have, and it leads to an extra 3.4 billion tons of CO2 emission when compared to Hillary Clinton’s proposal.

Clearly, Donald Trump’s presidency would be a setback on the environment front unless he decides to change his proposal, which is unlikely to happen.

Feature Image: Chicago Tribunal

Adarsh Yadav

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First Semester as an English Honours Student

By DU Beat November 10, 2016

Being one of the most sought after courses in Delhi University, English Honours crests up the expectations of every literati who seeks admission in this course. The idea of meeting Shakespeare, Jane Austen or George Eliot everyday makes it nothing short of exciting. But how is the journey actually like, well, let’s find out here!

After braving the cut off crisis, entering college on the first day as an English Honours student is bound to elate any literature enthusiast who is looking forward to an expedition of the literary world! The initial days of study in this course certainly blurs the boundaries of literature exploration. Meeting great authors, playwrights and critics through their work takes some time to be familiarized with, yet, makes one feel like delving deeper into the sea of literature. How can we forget the joy of purchasing those new books that never fail to bring a wave of happiness with the smell of their new pages!

Seeing all that happiness, our dear friend – the syllabus, starts pouring us some more love with endless discussions, chapters which seem to never finish and, motley range of timeless drama and poetry. This is when we feel like telling this friend of ours to calm down! With the ever increasing number of texts and background readings, at times it starts getting difficult to manage academic reading and leisure reading at the same time. Adding on to it, friends from different courses keep envying us for reading mere “stories” in the syllabus and having an easy course structure. This is the moment when we feel like enlightening those friends about the difference between reading Blake and Swift for leisure and reading them as part of one’s syllabi. Thus, we join the brigade that breaks baseless myths about the course being a mere cake walk!

Just after the crest phase comes the road to the trough. The teachers expecting students to read their respective texts completely and “critically analyze” everything that comes our way starts getting a little too tricky! This is when we start shifting from mere readers to critical readers of literature. But the road doesn’t seem all that easy in the first semester of the course. With loads of narratives and analysis to remember, one definitely gets overwhelmed with the amount of reading to be done, while being unaware of the questions that can be asked for such study. After putting in much effort, we’re forced to rely on help books to help us sail through the semester. However, the ultimate test of literature love for a first semester student is the semester examination. A study loaded with truckloads of texts, the first semester exams of the course resurface the general emotion for studies in no time.

Nonetheless, English Honours sure makes every seeker a thinker beyond the average one. Despite the initial hiccups, this course is not a mere study, but a leap ahead in the understanding of the world.

Feature Image Credits: www.flavorwire.com

Priyal Mahtta

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Arnexit: The nation wants to know why

By DU Beat November 9, 2016

From exploring multitude of reactions to wondering about the future of Arnab Goswami and Times Now, here are answers for every what, when and how about the Arnexit!

The end of October generally witnesses the pomp and celebrations of Diwali festivities, a flagship festival for almost every Indian household. The day after Diwali is a strong rendition of one of those feelings one encounters on the day after their birthdays; dejection, loss of hope and a suddenly visible void. This Diwali was also followed by the desire to go back and revel in the festive spirit, but then a cracker burst. On the internet.

November 1^st 2016 was one of those days when everyone collectively chimed in for hours about one issue: Arnab Goswami’s resignation. Or how I like to call it as the Arnexit. WhatsApp group conversations were flooded with opinions, Twitter once again won the internet with some priceless memes and tweets doing the round, and the nation was in a frenzy over Mr. Goswami’s unexpected departure from our televisions at 9 pm. The protagonist of the NewsHour, whose specialisation in high-pitched monologues and accosting guests because ‘the nation wanted to know why’ would probably put teachers who say ‘Is this a class or a fish market?’ to shame. Imagine a talk show host who doesn’t let his panellists talk, wouldn’t his exit hit you hard?

The ‘Whaaaat/LOL/NO!!/Finallyy!’ Phase

It all started with a few online rumours of this unanticipated resignation, which were followed by his The-game-has-just-begun speech, thus confirming a permanent loss of Twitter’s favourite journalist.

Twitter was, once again, on fire with its berserk tweets and memes. Some were flying with different versions of celebrating a ‘noise free Diwali’ and others were adding humorous punches to ‘My name is Arnab and I…’ The first and the unanimous reaction of the masses was the utter belief that would engulf someone watching Star Wars for the first time and finding out Darth Vader is Luke’s father. Later, some were highly amused, some let out a sigh of relief, some contributed to the intelligent jokes being made, and some were genuinely sad about his departure. We strongly suggest you open your Twitter accounts (something you haven’t done since ages) and type in Arnab Goswami if laughter is what you seek!

TIMES Now: No more Arnab on for tomorrow night?

For very long, Arnab Goswami’s name was synonymous to Times Now’s NewsHour, and probably still is. He swooped in as the knight in shining armour for the channel when back in 2006 Reuters departed from the collaboration and since then has carved and embellished the news channel’s working and the image according to his style. What can be called as a fresh wave, and a loud one at that, his aggressive questioning style (to a degree) and the debater in him often subjected him to appreciation and criticism both. He went on to be the blaring voice of the nation; with his quirks of imposing his opinions, questioning the factuality of others’ statements and denying the privilege to his panellists to talk. Arnab had given way to a new brand of journalism, as they call it the ‘popcorn’ kind, where the audience comfortably sits back while watching Arnab Vs Arnab.

Now that the star of the news industry has resigned, what shall become of the news channel which had been sculpted by his hands? Regardless of his likability, Times Now’s viewership had undoubtedly spiked during his reign because everyone loved seeing the journalistic version of Bollywood dramas. With their identities linked to one another, Arnab’s exit has left a big whole in Times Now’s existence. One of the reasons for his resignation is also rumoured to be irreconcilable differences with the news heads, for an overly active visionary mind and a news channel’s views might not always run parallel. Either way, Times Now shall witness repercussions and has a long way to crafting itself back.

End of a bittersweet era

Monica/Chandler and Rachel/Joey living together signified an era. And so does this. Times Now’s News Hour has been riding on Arnab Goswami’s fiery and hot-tempered back for a really long time now. But, as he said, the game is just getting started. He resigned to start off with his own venture, so it might not be goodbye from screens just yet. Some say Fox News might be his new home, while others believe he’ll be starting his own media house. Whichever platform he chooses to yell on, he aims to propel the idea of independent journalism. He will be back with a bang, but till then, his erratic journalism shall be missed; because he is the star we all love to hate!

Image Credits: Pinterest

Saumya Kalia

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Questions and Answers: The Great Indian Media Debate

By DU Beat November 7, 2016

On 3^rd November, 2016, the government’s announcement that NDTV would be banned for a day hit the airwaves. And along with this news came a barrage of everything from mild criticism to vitriolic comments, pointed and shot straight at the I&B ministry. It was decided by the authorities, in turn, that not even a Twitter hashtag must be spared. #BringBackNDTV came under attack for garnering Pakistani support, with one media outlet going so far as to call the ban a ‘blow to Pakistan’ by Modi. Amidst this litany of comments came another stroke of genius. Minister Venkaiah Naidu himself came out to publicly condemn all “belated criticisms” against the ban (that is, the ones not made on the exact date of 3rd November, 2016) as being “politically inspired”.

Political farces always make a moot point. But let us have the sense and courage to acknowledge that while this may be a farce, Pathankot was not. That would be a crucial starting point. If it had to come to a ban anyhow, then why the ministry would delay its decision would be another beginning. And it is a beginning which only leads further into the maze. Leaving aside the question of whether NDTV is being ‘singled out’ amongst all the other channels to be made into an example, the ban also brings up a lot of questions left unanswered.

What you and me are relying upon in this debate are clearly a set of perspectives. They are the Achilles heel of this debate, the flip side of asserting that we are living under a surveillance state. By sheer assumption, then, NDTV may or may not be an anti-nationalistic channel just as the prime minister may or may not be a Hindu fundamentalist. Each perspective is guided by a set of assumptions. But what if the debate were above all these questions?

Even before the ban came up, NDTV had had its own set of supporters and non-supporters. The great debate will serve to increase its TRP manifolds this week. Also, the news of the ban has been showcased, firstly, by other media outlets. It was they who projected it as an impediment to freedom of speech. It was later that the decision to call it a violation of free speech became ‘ours’. It is only now that something akin to a threat is being perceived by the masses. And this is exactly the problem with authority identifying our problems for us.

So really, some would say that the most valid starting point lies in the most highly ignored questions. These are being ignored not only by the opposition, but also by the media. Why did no one raise a hue and cry when the actual reporting of the Pathankot incident was aired, and did NDTV, in fact, hurt the nation any worse than other news channels reporting the incident? There are channels which could be accused of being communal and therefore anti-nationalistic. Why are they not being accused at this very moment? There, too, political parties have divided the masses. In other words, they have decided upon a definition of “nationalism” for us and made this decision without consulting us.

The larger politics of what unknown agenda propels which news channel to do a “specific” type of reporting is the larger issue here, one in which NDTV finds itself today. And the last word in this regard does not come from the us, the real masses. The questions posed by the media against the authorities are made by the media too. We think that the restrictions of an “authoritarian” regime are truly the worst, not realizing that we have allowed our questions to go unanswered while someone else makes up “questions” for us. And in all reality, what could be worse than that.

Feature Image: Your Story

Deepannita Misra

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5 Must-Watch Films from the Mumbai Film Festival 2016

By DU Beat November 5, 2016

The Mumbai Film Festival, which was hosted from 20^th to 27^th October, 2016 in Mumbai screened some of the finest movies to be made in the past year, all across the globe.

The Mumbai Film Festival was a week-long celebration of the art of film making and acting. The event was star studded with actors, directors and producers from Hollywood and Bollywood in attendance. With an array of movies being screened at the festival, here is a compilation of 5 must watch films from the Mumbai Film Festival, 2016.

BANDINI (India):

Bandini, is a 1963 Hindi drama film directed by Bimal Roy, the master of realism, who directed classics like Do Bigha Zameen and Devdas. The movie tells the story of a woman prisoner serving life imprisonment for murder- Kalyani, the all suffering, selfless, sacrificing, and strong yet weak Indian woman. She must make a choice between two very different men, Devendra, the loving prison doctor and Bikash, a man from her past. The movie is based on a Bengali novel Tamasi by Jarasandha (Charu Chandra Chakrabarti).

A DEATH IN THE GUNJ (India):

A Death in the Gunj is the directorial debut of critically acclaimed actress Konkona Sen Sharma. The story is set in the colonial town of McCluskieganj in the winters of 1979. What starts as an uneventful family holiday takes a twist when the guests start playing with the spirits. The movie features an ensemble cast of Vikram Massey, Tillotama Shome, Kalki Koechlin, Om Puri, Tanuja, Vikram Shorey and Jim Sarbh.

MOSTLY SUNNY (Canada):

Directed by Dilip Mehta, the film Mostly Sunny is a documentarian venture into the life of one of the most popular adult actresses, Sunny Leone. This movie charts the actress’ metamorphosis from Karenjit Kaur Vohra of Sarnia, Ontario, into Sunny Leone, the most Googled porn star in the world, who also turns into a bonafide Bollywood actress.

THE LITTLE PRINCE/LE PETIT PRINCE (France and USA):

Directed by Marc Osborne, the story is an adaptation of Antoine de Saint-de Saint-Exupéry’s, The Little Prince. It revolves around a little girl who lives in a very grown up world with her mother, who maps out every minute of her daughter’s life in order to get her into the finest school. The Little Girl is soon distracted by her strange and ancient neighbour, the Aviator, who introduces the girl to an extraordinary world where anything is possible.

RAILWAY CHILDREN (India):

Directed by Prithvi Konanur in Kannada, the movie revolves around Raju, a 12-year-old runaway, who steps into an unknown world on the railway platform. Timid, insecure and unsure, he falls into the hands of a gang involved in illegal businesses. Jollu, a gang-member of Raju’s age and a substance addict, teaches Raju the tricks and trades of surviving on the platform. They realize thise while platforms are divided among gangs for selling spurious drinking water. Both Raju and Jollu then, reconcile with an another platform-boy and start selling water on their own, undercutting their boss and inviting danger to their lives.

Feature Image Credits: http://s3.india.com/

Joyee Bhattacharya

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Daulat Ram College

Touching unexplored realities: DRC Innovation Project

By DU Beat November 4, 2016

Electric rickshaws have garnered huge popularity ever since their inception as cheap, accessible and affordable modes of transport. Though a lot of discussion and debate has been taking place regarding the legality and benefits of this recent innovation, research in this segment is still scant.

University of Delhi facilitates innovation projects where the students from different colleges take up potential topics and conduct extensive research upon them under the guidance of a mentor and teachers. One of the projects undertaken this time is by the students of Daulat Ram College on the topic ‘A Comprehensive Analysis of Electric Rickshaws in Comparison to Conventional Fuel Vehicles’.This Project is brought together by Ms. Ritu Khanna, Ms. Shikha Singh and Ms. Raman Arora and 10 students under the mentorship of Mr. V. Packirisamy. The team of students comprises of Harshiel Chahal, Aleena Khan, Arushi Gupta, Aishna Sharma, Gajal Jain, Aswitha Visvesvaran, Astha Goyal, Garima Goel, Talat Khanam and Muskan Gupta.

DRC innovation project — Primary surveys of e-rickshaw drivers were undertaken

The main objectives of the project were to study the socio-economic impact and environmental effects of e-rickshaws and to make policy recommendations for future action. A primary survey of 220 passenger electric rickshaws was conducted across Delhi with the comprehensive questionnaire designed to include social and economic profile of drivers and the vehicular profile of e-rickshaws. It has also questioned the regulatory and legal ambiguities in the e-rickshaw industry and suggested key improvements in the urban public transit governance for the same. Based on the findings of the survey and methods of calculating carbon emissions accepted globally, electric rickshaws have been found more environmentally sound than other conventional fuel vehicles.

The most significant contribution of the project has been the quantification of socio-economic impact to e-rickshaws, which had been an ignored area of study till now. The project could make several conclusions encompassing many socio economic indicators like income, working schedule, education, and living standards among others. These results play a pivotal role in putting together an inclusive report to the grass-root realities and make it possible for policy makers to look beyond a veil of fabricated understanding.

The project also facilitated a comprehensive understanding of the on-ground situation of e-rickshaw drivers, which pointed towards several loopholes and administrative failures. Along with a pragmatic study of evolution of the regulatory framework, this helped us make necessary policy recommendations, which account for problems faced by the drivers that is often overlooked in the face of need for rapid development. Thus, it will prove to be an indispensable piece of literature and act as guiding study for future researchers and policy makers .

This project has provided the students a first-hand experience of working with the target group along with the academic curriculum.The team has presented papers at prominent conferences including the International Conference on Corporate Finance, Governance and Sustainability, the National Conference on Social Science and Economics (NCSSE) and the National Conference on Emerging Issues of Climate Change: Sustainability and Economic implications, receiving immense appreciation for the research and innovation undertaken. It will also be presenting a paper at the International Conference titled ‘Socio-Economic Justice after Seventy Years of India’s Independence: Domestic and Global Challenges’ organized by Faculty on Law in November, 2016 and International Conference on “Green Chemistry in Environmental Sustainability & Chemical Education” (ICGC-2016).

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No Shave November: Beyond the clichés

By DU Beat November 2, 2016

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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The Battle Of Print Versus Digital

By DU Beat November 1, 2016

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

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Never Have I Ever: Diwali Version

By DU Beat October 31, 2016

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!

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

By DU Beat October 29, 2016

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.

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.

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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