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Ishaan Gambhir

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B.Com. (H) paper copy of SOL paper, University to probe

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University of Delhi goofed up on Thursday when it presented B.Com. Honours students of fifth semester with a question paper many had already seen and studied from. The Financial Management paper attempted by regular college students on Thursday was a copy of the paper attempted by students of School of Open Learning in May this year.

In other words, students preparing from an ordinary ’10 year’ (books made from past years’ question papers) would have found Thursday’s paper on the last 3 pages of the book.

The papers
The SOL question paper, uploaded to DU’s website in August, on the left and Thursday’s paper on the right.

DUTA and DUSU slammed the University for the gaffe. While DUTA blamed the ‘regular blunders’ on the semester system, DUSU demanded a re-examination saying that no student should enjoy an unfair advantage.

DU on Friday appointed a three-member committee to look into the matter. Its task will be to ‘examine the entire issue and accordingly fix responsibility in the matter and also suggest ways and means to ensure that a fair situation is created, if required, for the examinees who appeared at the said exam’. The committee will report back to the University in two weeks.

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DUB News

DUSU locks DSW office over attendance conflict

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Delhi University Students Union office bearers locked Dean of Students Welfare’s and Proctor’s offices from the inside as they protested against ‘general passiveness’ of DSW and the University’s lack of heed towards student problems.

ABVP leader Rohit Chahal said students have been requesting assistance on issues like disregard of attendance rules by colleges but to no avail. “Genuinely aggrieved students are suffering while University officials relax in air-conditioned offices. There’s lack of hearing of students’ problems. If this attitude continues, our next stop will be VC’s office,” he said.

Later, DSW wrote to Dean of Colleges asking for issuance of instructions to colleges regarding adherence of attendance ordinances.

In pictures: DUSU office bearers inside the locked enclosure and University officials.

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Reviews

Ctrl.Shift.Esc: Escape gaming spreading its wings in Delhi

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Delhi’s leisure menu is just beginning to expand and the newest entrant vows to bring the Sherlock Holmes out of you while breaking the monotony of bowling and pool.

Ctrl.Shift.Esc is an escape-gaming center in Hauz Khas Village, right opposite Kolkatta Rolls and amidst some of Delhi’s best cafés and the famed lake. For the uninitiated, escape gaming involves multiple participants being locked in a room (or rooms) and their quest for escaping the same in limited time.

The game: ‘The Safehouse’

game

The Safehouse is CSE’s debut game. It can be played by a recommended 2-6 people, but CSE has accommodated larger groups. While we obviously cannot spoil the game for you, we can declare that the experience will drop your jaw every time you figure something out while unraveling the mystery. It’s a story of doors, locks, hidden keys, picture-puzzles and some clever use of electronic gadgets as well. There are also a few distractions in the game you better watch out for. Despite feeling that there was more room for the spook factor, I enjoyed discovering the intelligently placed clues. The participants are given a walkie-talkie for communication with the gamemaster and can ask for 3 hints during the game.

Cost

 Image credit: Bharat Mohindru

At Rs.600 per person, Ctrl.Shift.Esc is certainly costlier than a regular game of bowling or billiards in the city but considering each game at CSE will only be a one-time affair (since the game remains unchanged), it won’t be wise to overlook it for long. Frequent discounts are announced on their Facebook page.

The venture is fronted by Sanwari Gupta, an NYU alumnus. She informed us of the possibility of tie-ups with lounges like Hauz Khas Social for all-inclusive packages as well as about the ongoing work on their second game.

Verdict

If you happen to plan a hangout with a long-lost friend or decide to take a break from life, you should consider spending 60 minutes at Ctrl.Shift.Esc. It is also recommended for corporate circles who would appreciate enhancing the rapport shared between teammates through a rather fun activity.

More information: www.ctrlshiftesc.in/]]>

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Small Screen

The Walking Dead Season 5: Of separations and reconciliations

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“When I realized the nature of this season, that it was going to be so brutal, I realised we’re going to need a bigger beard,” said Andrew Lincoln, who plays protagonist Rick Grimes in the AMC horror-drama The Walking Dead, in an interview to EW.

Season 5 is 3 episodes through and it is continuing to keep viewers on the edges of their seats as the lead characters ditch death by fine margins day after day after day. The season begins with Rick, Glenn and Daryl nearly getting murdered by the folks at Terminus before Carol, a character who has since season one proven her worth time and again, blows the ‘sanctuary’ up, enabling the group to escape. Carol, Tyreese, Michone and little Judith are reunited with the group in a touching sequence.

Carol does not stay for long as she and Daryl sight the car he believes was the one that took Beth last season. The duo decides on going behind the vehicle. Some killings, amputations and acts of cannibalism later, Abraham and his friends, along with Glenn and Maggie, leave for Washington D.C. in their quest for the apocalypse’s cure. Daryl returns without Carol, but with an unnamed new character. Popular belief is also that Morgan Jones, the first living man to encounter Rick after his

coma period back in season one, is set to cross paths with Rick sooner than later!

SPOILERS AHEAD:
Teasers of episode 4 make clear the reconciliation of Beth with the group, but not so easily. Where did Carol go and who’s the new guy? If you’re wondering, be sure to catch the next episode! We’re also aware of Glenn and Maggie’s bus crashing on their way to D.C. as was revealed by AMC at a Comic Con.

Andrew Lincoln also accidentally blurted out the fate of Rick’s beard, suggesting it would be shaved or cut-off in this season, though later he backtracked. Will you miss the forestation that had become Rick’s pride?

Catch The Walking Dead every Monday on Star World Premiere HD!

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College of Vocational Studies

Beyond the Obvious: College of Vocational Studies

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An institution with a 42-year old foundation, College of Vocational Studies is an off-campus constituent of Delhi University situated in South Delhi, right beside Shaheed Bhagat Singh College.

CVS is a compact college with just one academic building, enclosed in a structure made using red-brick. A downside of being compact is that classes run till 4:00PM for many sections. In the centre of the structure is an open area called ‘centre stage’ which constitutes of an elevated platform and enough space for an audience of 500 people to stand – a place used for fests and other events. The college does not have an auditorium. Instead, CVS has a seminar hall used for guest lectures and indoor events like quizzes and debates. The field is among DU’s biggest and is a favourite among students during winter (also due to its proximity with the canteen).

The college is equipped with technological aids like a fast Wi-Fi network and projectors in most classrooms. Teachers walking into classrooms with laptops and teaching via presentations is normality at CVS, which is a boon for students of theory-intensive courses like history and management. Speaking of management, the college has active business-related societies, namely the FIC, Econox and M.Soc. Seldom will there be a week when the seminar hall is not host to an event organised by either of these societies!

Inspite of being an off-campus college, CVS is not strapped for hangout spots and food joints. Select Citywalk, DLF Place and MGF Metropolitan malls are just a stone’s throw away (or a 10 rupee shared auto ride). Also, near the college are multiple Maggi points and juice huts. Right in front of the gate is also a Frankie’s roll stall. CVS’ own canteen is renowned for its extensive menu.

After the introduction of FYUP, CVS could not offer vocational courses, naturally leading towards a change in the college’s name – College of Management Studies was one doing rounds among students and teachers. The modification lost necessity post the reintroduction of the three-year programme.
College of Vocational Studies may not be among the top 10 colleges of DU right now, but it’s closing in, and is unambiguously high on sophistication and exposure.

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Arts & Culture

Teamwork Arts brings English theatre to India – Going Solo 2014

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British Council in partnership with Teamwork Arts organised three solo plays in Delhi from 9th to 11th October 2014 as part of Going Solo, their 2nd International Theatre Festival. The plays were held at FICCI Auditorium and Stein Auditorium, IHC.

The three plays that were performed were Don’t Wake Me starring Jaye Griffiths, Guy Masterson starrer Shylock and If These Spasms Could Talk, a solo written and enacted by Robert Softley. The event arguably invoked all emotions possible through theatre.

Written by Rahila Gupta, Don’t Wake Me is based on a true and moving story of a mother’s fight for her disabled son’s rights. Halfway through the play, the son, named Nihal Armstrong, perishes. The ballad showcases the challenge of being the mother of a special child and the anger it brings with itself. Shylock is a humorous analysis of Shakespeare’s famous Jew from The Merchant of Venice. It’s written from the perspective of Tupal, a minor character in Shakespeare’s play with just 8 lines. The solo attributes connotations never thought before to Shakespeare’s play while subtly highlighting the plight of the Jewish community in olden times.

If These Spasms Could Talk, performed only once during the festival on the concluding day, is a touching and inspirational performance by Robert Softley, a patient of cerebral palsy. He gently takes the audience through dealing with his life. The performance was met with deafening applause.

The festival was acclaimed in Delhi and received an audience of over 200 viewers for all its shows. The organisers termed it as “a spectacle of brilliance, a phenomenon of inspiration and a collusion of emotions”. Other Indian cities on the festival’s map are Kolkata, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

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Arts & Culture

Gender Studies Group organises DU’s first Lesbian Film Festival

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Using the medium of film, Gender Studies Group attempted to sensitize the youth of Delhi University by organising its first Lesbian Film Festival on 26-27 September at Lecture Hall, Faculty of Social Sciences.

Gender Studies Group is an independent, University-wide student group “committed to reading, writing and thinking about gender”. It conducts reading groups and organises events around questions of gender every month.

Among the films projected was Deepa Mehta’s Fire, which was met with a lot of outrage and controversy in India in its public release year of 1998. The film revolves around the life of a woman who falls in love with her sister-in-law.

The film festival drew an audience of over a 100 students on both the days. “Women who love women are ‘invisibilised’ and erased. Same sex culture is dominated by gay men. Women are not given space to be on their own in the culture, to breathe in their own space. So, we want to create that space and focus on how to create that space,” said Aapurv Jain of Gender Studies Group. While the organisers consider the festival majorly successful, they also recall unsavoury remarks made both online and at the festival, especially related to the name of the festival.

Among other films showcased at the festival were Umbartha by Jabbar Patel and Debalina’s Ebang Bewarish and More Than a Friend. The movies were followed by a panel discussion on lesbian representation in cinema.

 

Image Credits: Gurbir Singh Sidhu

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Small Screen

The Big Bang Theory – 8 things that keep us hooked

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Season 8 is here to replace the sitcom vacuum and it is overwhelming us already. Whether we liked Penny’s pixie haircut more or Sheldon’s (and Howard’s impersonated) “nooo” from the premiere episodes of the new season is food for thought. Read on as DU Beat enlists the top 8 The Big Bang Theory elements that tickle our funny bones the most!

1. Howard’s mom jokes: Traditionally people joke about their friends’ moms, but Howard has outpaced such people. She’s a character only heard but never seen on-screen, but what we do know about her is that she is obese, loud and her moustache is bigger than Bernadette’s dad’s.
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2. Sheldon’s cocoon: For a man who needs to be petted to sleep with the lullaby, Soft Kitty, Sheldon has a lot of self-esteem. His world is the one in which ladies forever want to get into his pants and Stephen Hawking is his best friend.
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3. Raj and Amy’s quest for romance: It’s a difficult world for these two characters, desperate for affection. While Raj, who only recently started talking to women, has finally gone the distance with his girlfriend, Amy would do just about anything to make Sheldon reciprocate her feelings.
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4. Soft kitty: Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr. Are you asleep yet? Sheldon is.
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5. Regular Star Trek and Star Wars references: From a lightsaber-ed Professor Proton dressed as Obi-Wan to Raj’s breakfast menu that has Chai-Tea-3PO, TBBT has packed it all. Penny still can’t differentiate anyhow. The show also has the odd Game of Thrones reference!
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6. Bazinga!: This, along with his inimitable laugh (which is basically just him inhaling and exhaling from his mouth) is what we call Signature Sheldon. Also, it’s the title of our believable fake news column!
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7. Fun with Flags: Drained of all confidence when confronted with a camera, Sheldon still manages to humour us all with his podcast, Fun with Flags.

8. Bernadette being a boss behind her squeaky voice: It was just a mental note for me till the season premiere in which her bossiness is openly discussed by Penny and Berny’s boss. From her dad to her boyfriend, she spares no one.
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Campus Central

In conversation with Madhurima Kundu, AISA’s presidential candidate for DUSU 2014

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Q. What brought you in student politics? How has your experience with AISA been? A. I joined AISA after witnessing its campaign post the 16 December gangrape incident. I joined student politics because I realised there were many problems I kept complaining about, but was never able to do anything. I think AISA is giving me the right platform to solve problems. There are thousands of students like me, but someone had to take the first step. Q. DUSU has always been weak on voter turnout. Why is that? A. Students are frustrated with the way things are going. Had there been a party that has genuine concerns for the University, students would have voted in large numbers. For the past 30-35 years, DUSU has been a defunct body. Q. If you could change one thing about DU, regardless of you being in DUSU or not, what would it be? A. (points at a pile of political posters on the ground) This is what I would like to change. 10636305_783628758347286_7024087662111082276_n Q. What would be the first thing you do as DUSU president? A. I would ensure that, as Delhi University Act instructs, DUSU representation is maintained in all Executive Council meetings so that incidents like the FYUP mess can be averted. If we’re able to achieve this, we could possibly stop issues from reaching the point of time-consuming protests by nipping them in the bud. Q. How challenging is it to be relatively new or less established in DU politics? A. The more you advertise yourself, the more people know you. If you pick up this poster (picks up an ABVP poster from the ground), all you can see is ballot numbers and names. That’s all they want you to know about them. It becomes difficult for AISA since we do not believe in littering the campus or bypassing Lyngdoh Committee’s guidelines. But AISA has been making its presence felt in DU for the past few years. We were the only party to have protested since the time when the Executive Council was being briefed by the VC about FYUP. Q. Many people believe all Left bodies to be faces of Naxal violence. How misinformed are these people? Do you face this challenge frequently? A. Very misinformed and yes, we face this challenge every day. India’s education system does not teach what Left means and thus people tend to form misconceptions. Left aims at equality and we aspire for a society with no classes. This is neither violent nor a bad idea. Q. If you had to differentiate AISA from other parties in one sentence, how would you do it? A. Our student-based issue-oriented politics versus hooliganism. Q. What’s your take on the guidelines of Lyngdoh Committee? A. Some rules are silly like the expenditure cap. We have raised our voice for reforms in the guidelines of the Committee. Yet, AISA is the only body to be completely adhering to Lyngdoh Committee’s guidelines. Q. What message would you like to convey to that average DU student who is annoyed by polluting campaigns and is contemplating on whether to wake up or not to vote for a Union more or less defunct? A. You all will see change the day we enter office.  ]]>

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