Ishaan Sengupta, Author at DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

YouTube-ing has become the latest trend in the Internet world. What makes it so appealing?
A few months back Sahil Bedi uploaded a video of a ‘social experiment’ to assess the number of people who would help a rape victim in need. Out of 20 people only 3 of them reacted. This video was later played on mainstream media channels and received critical acclaim from countries like Japan, USA, Brazil, UK, Mexico, Canada and Australia too. However his videos are not restricted to ‘serious content’. He and his friend, Pranjal Narang often go on expeditions to earn ‘kisses’ and ‘hugs’ from women and men respectively. We had the opportunity to talk to them. Here, is what they had to say:

Was starting a YouTube channel preplanned? Were you expecting your first video to be so successful?

Sahil: Well, I actually had a lot of followers on ask.fm and we did sort of expect a lot of views the first night but the magnitude of the views gave us confidence to make it a full time project. We were actually accepted by three major universities in UK but I left them for a career in YouTubing.

Pranjal: Haha, we had been planning to start our YouTube channel even before our board exams started. Just as our exams ended, we took to executing our plans. I still remember we were placing bets on how many views we would get. I placed my bet on 1500 views but then it turned out to be around 2000 views on the first night.

What advice would you want to give to people who don’t have the necessary equipment to start a ‘good’ channel?

Sahil: There can be no ‘good’ videos without proper equipment. That is a ‘must’. As far as content is concerned you just need to have fun with what you are doing.

Pranjal: In our first video, we were using a crappy portable microphone. We had to try and make sure that what we were saying was audible. We had to add subtitles to our video too. After that we realized we had to get a good microphone.

The video about the social experiment went viral and received massive critical acclaim. Why do you think people were attracted to it?

Sahil: Given the recent rise in the frequency of rapes in India, I think people connected to it instantly. I uploaded the video days after the Badaun Rape case came into limelight. That might have been one of the contributing factors.

Are you planning to do such social experiments in the future?

Sahil: To be very frank I don’t think I will be doing any such videos in the near future. The reason being, that I don’t want people to perceive me as a person who is a ‘teacher’. I don’t want people to call me the ‘social professor’ or something like that.

Then what are your plans in terms of content for the future?

Sahil: Instead of projecting myself as a ‘social professor’, I’d like to be the guy whom people would see as an ‘entertainer’. I want to be viewed as a funny guy, like I am in real life. I think I will start focussing more on pranks and skits from now on.

It’s time for a critical question. Did you guys upload the videos like ‘almost picking up girls using cheesy pickup lines’ and the ‘kissing prank’ just to get views and subscriptions?

Sahil: No, to be very frank. We had actually made up our minds about what we were going to do. We went ahead with our plans and thankfully it was appreciated by the people. As said before, I had a lot of followers on ask.fm and was expecting a lot of views due to that.

What was your purpose then behind such videos?

Pranjal: See, I believe India is starting to be more open and adopting certain aspects of westernisation. We wanted to see how Indian women would react to it. We were pretty impressed by the fact that we received a positive reaction and that women, who were hesitant in the beginning ended up breaking the social barriers which our society has placed on them. It’s good to see that Indians are moving on the right track.

I like the fact that you used a current affairs topic and used it creatively for your video. I am citing to the video ‘India on Sex Education’ where you quote the Health minister who believes ‘Aids can be curbed with sanskaar rather than condoms’.

Sahil: Yes, It was actually something that swept me off my feet. It was something that I had not expected and I thought it would be fun to ask people about what they thought about it. The reactions however were extremely funny.

Have you ever been mobbed by fans?

Sahil: Haha, yes this week we were at a mall and were asked to give autographs and pose in pictures with a lot of fans. It’s funny how random people just end up recognizing us.

Pranjal: I still have a photo of the first autograph I gave. I have a lot of photos with fans. It’s a surreal experience. We really love meeting people.

Post Script: While the interview was on, there was a lady who recognized them and appreciated them for their work.

I realised that you have been collaborated with a production house namely, “Runaway Productions’. How did the deal come up?

Sahil: Yes we were actually contacted by them when we had a considerable amount of subscribers. I am actually going to meet them in Bangalore this week. They are planning to sign me for 3 years and want to make me their ‘public figure’ or ‘channel ambassador’.

When you look at musicians like Kurt Cobain, who gave up his life just because his record company asked him to be more commercial, do you find yourself in a similar position? As in getting signed by a production company, does that make you feel as if you might not have your way sometimes?

Sahil: That’s an interesting question. I know that Production companies can get on your nerves sometimes, but I’m sure my production company is going to be supportive of my ideas. Primarily, that is what they are going to sign me for.

Have you tried to contact any YouTuber or has anyone contacted you after your recent success?

Sahil: Yes I had been contacted by ‘Sofloantonio’ and was asked how I managed to get so many views on my kissing prank video.

Are you a twitter friendly YouTuber? Do you communicate with your fans on Twitter?

Sahil: I have not managed to get the hang of twitter yet. I am available on Facebook but the majority of my fans communicate with me on ask.fm.

Sahil, you are in Sri Vekateswara College. Did people recognize you? And Pranjal you are going to Canada for your studies. So what are your plans?

Sahil: Yes, there were a few people who did recognize me in my college. They did take photographs with me. It felt cool attending the first day of college. I really am interested in joining many societies. I heard they are fun.
Pranjal: Yes, I am going to Canada for my higher education. I am planning to start my own channel there.

Finally, how big do you want to be? Do you see a time when people will start wearing your T – Shirts?

Sahil: Yes I really want to become a successful YouTuber. I want to be an entertainer and be respected for the right reasons. I think I am on the right track and would love to see people wearing my T – shirts.

You can find Sahil Bedi on Facebook here.

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Uncategorized

In conversation with Rajarshi Sanyal, guitarist of Fardikot

By Ishaan Sengupta August 5, 2014

Faridkot, one of India’s most versatile rock bands, have been in the music scene since 2009. Inspite of being affected by frequent line – up changes, the ‘hindi rock’ giants have managed to release their second album ‘Phir Se’ in June this year. We had the opportunity of speaking to Rajarshi Sanyal, the guitarist of Faridkot. This is what he had to say:

Your first appearance as we know it , was on V Launchpad in 2007(it was 2009). And now in 2014 you have managed to release your second Album. How do you think your music has evolved?

It’s really hard to judge your own music as a listener as you’ve been too closely involved with it. Maybe in 10 years we’ll be in a better place to be more articulate about its evolution. For now, we’d like to believe that it has evolved in the same way that we have evolved as human beings. All the changes and experiences we’ve gone through over the last 5 years inevitably ends up affecting and creeping into the music we make.

How is the first album different from the second album?

For starters, the first album was written in a different way. Some songs were written by IP and Anindo Bose (from Advaita) since they had been working on music before IP and I met. Since Anindo was busy with other projects, he couldn’t join the band and we ended up adding a ‘Faridkot’ flavour to the songs and spiced them up. The other songs were written by IP and I through guitar riffs and him singing along and both of us exploring various ideas to complete the song by introducing the other elements. To be honest, we barely had any idea about how to do it and were kind of just using hit and trial! Lyrically, IP was talking about the romantic idea of love mostly and a lot of the songs were about heart-break.
On the other hand, the second album was written by structuring the songs on the bass and drums by me and Sahil respectively. This was followed by me laying down the guitars and then finally the vocals/lyrics came in. So it was kind of a reverse approach to the earlier album’s songwriting method. Also, lyrically, IP talks more about cosmic love and other introspections and reflections involving the bigger picture.

Musicians in India, are known to play in different bands at the same time. Your bass guitarist, Nikhil Rufus Raj has been associated with many bands. Recently he left Skyharbor. Is it hard to dedicate oneself to one project and if not how do you manage to actively contribute to so many projects at the same time?

Quoting Nikhil on this, “Bands I play with are also my friends and since I’m playing with friends, there’s an understanding I share with them. After that, with careful planning and systematic scheduling I’m able to give my time to all projects without hindering any of them.”

How has Delhi University influenced your music?

We’ve played at a lot of colleges there and the University represents a big chunk of the younger generation. Playing there is a whole lot of fun since the audience is always so receptive and feeds us with so much energy that it’s a delight to be on stage.

Your latest single ‘Bijli’ consists of minute pieces of ‘Rap’. Is it something that was introduced to grab the attention of the crowd, given the latest fuss and demand of Punjabi Rap music?

Well, not really. Not that we have anything against the latest fuss and demand for Punjabi rap music. We actually love Hip-hop music and there’s something really powerful about spoken word. It’s a different style of expressing and since we’re always looking for new ways to expand our musical horizons, it was inevitable that we explore this direction too. In fact, some of the new tracks we’re working on right now are highly inspired by hip-hop music.

What in your view is lacking in new bands? Is it important to make long term plans for a band that is just starting out?

I think when you start out, it’s important to just explore various kinds of music that you find interesting. When a group of musicians come together, they’re always bringing something unique to the table. The important thing is to find what is unique about their combined efforts and ideas. It might be something that none of them can predict so instead of assuming direction, it’s important to find it.

We’re all so busy thinking about the future all the time that few of us realize how beautiful the present is and how much you can enjoy it by just living in it 100%. If we try to envision a future while living in the present, then we’re just distracting ourselves. The same goes for bands making music. It’s important to work hard and put your all in the “now”. The future is always going to be unpredictable so why bother.

Your music tends to be groovy. What are your major influences as a band?

We love all good music. Especially rhythmic music. We feel its the foundation of life. Think about heart beats or the flapping of a bird’s wings. Rhythms and beats. Melody comes right after that and we love that too. Our inspiration is the world around us. Just try to grasp the emotions you go through when you look into the depths of a mountain or feel the splash of waves on a beach. Existence can be just so fascinating, isn’t it so?

Any band in particular which you feel is doing pretty well in the latest music circuit and deserves a record deal?

There are a lot of artists working really hard here. The independent music scene is constantly growing at a really fast rate. Naming a few would mean that the others don’t deserve it, which is not true. So we’d rather not be specific.

Do you think social media has a huge role to play in the modern music scene and How?

Yes, it does. It’s the only platform where people across the world come together as a community. It’s the best way to reach out to audiences who would’ve otherwise never heard of you. As any musician, all you really need is someone to listen to you and maybe tell you how they feel when they do. Even if the latter doesn’t work out, the chances of the former happening has increased exponentially thanks to social media.

How did the deal with Universal Music Group come about?

We were looking for someone to help us distribute the album and they were looking for artistes. We got together and they wanted to take it further and do a 360 degree deal with us. Also, they were pretty open to ideas and thoughts that we had, which is a great thing. Not many mainstream labels are like that and we’re very happy to be working with them.

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DUB Speak

Delhi University evening colleges and the stigmas attached

By Ishaan Sengupta August 1, 2014

I still remember the time when I was extremely skeptical about joining an evening college. I scored an 87% in my ISC exams and was aware of the fact that I could only get Economics Honors at one of the evening colleges. Admission into an evening college was as tedious as any other college and I was prepared to believe the words of our Vice Chancellor – ‘All colleges are equally prestigious, it does not matter which college you get admission into’.

The first day was supposed to be an ‘orientation day’, but unfortunately the only orientation we received was a 10 minute lecture from our H.O.D. Our Library, did not look or feel like a library. Not even teachers were allowed to sit in the library to brush up what they would teach. The only thing which I never expected was that our teachers were extremely punctual and helpful. They were the ones who motivated us and helped us go through a normal day at such a college.

I remember, how we were asked to get affidavits from court in exchange for ‘free laptops’ that the University had promised. How we were not given options of taking Maths or Psychology as DC 2 subjects, despite the fact that we had a Psychology Department as well as teachers who had the credentials to teach us Maths.

I remember how no one would sponsor our fests and how forming a society or organizing a blood donation camp would be such a hassle. There were even times when our morning counterparts would take their classes in our class room and we had to accommodate ourselves in the stairway to attend the first class of the day and especially that time when we had to return our laptops and library cards just to get our admit cards for our second semester exams.

Evening college students are no where less than the people studying in the morning colleges. It is all a matter of choices and luck. Even if people don’t believe that to be true, it is, for every cloud has a silver lining, and every person around, has got the spark of talent hidden in them irrespective of college, course, city or anything.

All is not wrong in our college though. My college gave me friends and teachers who are not replaceable. They understood me because they faced the same things I faced. We were happy to wake up at 11 in the morning and reach college at 2 PM.

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Sounds

Album Review: Ed Sheeran’s Multiply

By Ishaan Sengupta July 29, 2014

Three months ago, I was asked to do a feature on the western music society of my college. In an interview with the President of the society, I was told that one of their major influences was a bloke named Ed Sheeran.

I kept on telling myself in the Metro that I would go home and browse YouTube for Ed Sheeran as I had heard a lot about him but had never had the opportunity of listening to his music. As soon as I reached home, I had my dinner and sat down on my computer to search for Ed Sheeran. The first video that cropped up was of a song named ‘The A Team’ which had close to 150 million views. Nonetheless I clicked on the video and waited for it to buffer completely. Twenty seconds into the song I was mesmerised by the simplicity of his voice as well the emotion behind every word he sang.

In an interview to an Australian Radio Station, Ed mentioned how he met a homeless girl in a homeless shelter while he was playing a show when he was 18 years old. He mentions that the ‘girl’ was later found out to be a prostitute who sold ‘love to another man’ for the sole purpose of smoking Cocaine. The A Team was about this girl ‘Angel’ who is so rightfully mentioned in the song. Till this day The A Team has stayed in my playlist along with few of his other songs.

2 months later, on 24^th June I had the opportunity of buying a digital version of Ed Sheeran’s new album ‘Multiply’. From the first to the last song this album kept me craving for more. In few of his interviews this year, Ed mentioned how this album was ‘way too personal’ and how it had ‘variety’. He mentioned how this album consisted of both his original style of music and his experiment with Hip Hop as a result of him working with contemporary hip hop artists and producers (which he has managed to pull off splendidly).

If you are a person who loves romantic ballads as well as well constructed contemporary hip hop, this is definitely the album for you. I have tried to group the songs in the album into three groups namely Love Songs, Hip Hop and Assorted and I shall be addressing each song accordingly:

Love Songs

One
I’m a Mess
Nina
Photograph
Tenerife Sea
Thinking Out Loud
Afire Love
Shirtsleeves

Hip Hop

Sing (Produced by Pharell Williams)
Don’t
Bloodstream
The Man
Runaway
Take it back

Assorted

Even my dad does sometimes
I see fire

Let us start with the Love Songs;

‘One’, ‘Tenerife Sea’ and ‘Photograph’ are slow, melodic and high pitched songs with well executed vocal harmonies which complement the guitar and the drums perfectly. These three songs are pretty personal. ‘One’ is like a traditional ballad which is dedicated in a general fashion but ‘Photograph’, as speculated, describes his relationship with Nina Nesbitt. ‘Tenerife Sea’ is speculated as a song dedicated to Ellie Goulding, because Ed mentioned that “in a difficult time when there was too much buzz, a ‘lady’ helped him cope with the hustle and bustle of life.” A few weeks later a photo was revealed which showed Ed holding Ellie’s hand in an Award Ceremony, which somehow portrayed that Ed was troubled with the buzz of the Awards and he was relaxed when Ellie met him.

‘I’m a Mess’, ’Shirtsleeves’ and ‘Nina’ are faster songs but they are all addressed to Nina Nesbitt, describing a few instances of their relationship. ‘Thinking out loud’ is another general love song which has a ‘Jazzy’ vibe to it. In an album promo, Ed plays ‘Thinking out loud’ with Jazz Pianist Jools Holland and both of them complement each other perfectly. ‘Afire Love’ describes the love amongst his grandparents. He sings about how his ill grandfather once used to sing to his grandmother. The chorus of the song is partly what his grandfather used to sing to his grandmother.

Now moving on the Hip Hop Songs;

‘Sing’ was the first single that Ed released in February and surprisingly it was produced by Grammy Award winning artist Pharell Williams. It is a funky song and it even has a music video where both of them feature together. The song received positive criticism and showed a new face of Sheeran’s music. Next on the album is ‘Don’t’ which is another extremely personal song. The song mentions “Me and Her we make money the same way, two cities and two planes the same day” and “I never intended to be next, but you didn’t need to take him to bed that’s all. I never saw him as a threat, until you disappeared with him to have sex of course”.

The next song is ‘The Man’ where he addresses this to song to Nina Nesbitt. It is an intense rap and he delivers the whole story in the Rap. ‘Runaway’ is a song that depicts Ed’s feelings when he was just 16 years old and he left his town for a career in music in London; how he loves his father but has to busk in the streets to carry on his passion for music…’Bloodstream’ is a general song where he portrays his mood when he is drunk and there are women surrounding him. He depicts a very dark side of his mind in this song. It also has a catchy and a melodic guitar pattern to complement the lyrics. ‘Take it Back’ is like an answer to his critics. For anyone who wants to learn about Ed Sheeran’s life this is the song he/she should listen to. It’s a fast rap song and has a catchy chorus as well.

Moving on to the Assorted songs section,

‘Even my dad does sometimes’ is like a slow ballad where he describes how it’s okay to cry and enjoy life as it unfolds with the passage of time. It’s like a message to the modern youth who look for an excuse to give up their lives and finally ‘I See Fire’ is the song Sheeran made for the movie ‘The Hobbit: Desolation of the Smaug’. This song was pretty well received and has been covered more than 5000 times on YouTube.

Overall this album is awesome. It provides you with super cool music and it creates a perfect balance between love songs and hip hop songs. I can’t wait for radios in Delhi to play these songs. Some of my favourite songs in the album are ‘Don’t’, ‘Bloodstream’, ‘The Man’, ‘I’m a Mess’, ‘Nina’, ’Thinking Out Loud’, ’Sing’, ‘Runaway’ and ‘I See Fire’. You should definitely buy this album as it is worth it.

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Admissions 2014

Delhi University records more than 1,259 foreign applications for FYUP

By Ishaan Sengupta June 16, 2014

The 2014 Admission season has not only witnessed enthusiastic response from home students but also from foreign applicants.This year Delhi University has seen a significant rise in the admission applications by foreign students. The tally has increased to 1,259 applications in case of the Four Year Undergraduate Program, 609 applications in case of Masters programme and 107 applications for Phd. programmes.

Apart from the main programmes, Diploma courses, Certificate courses and advanced diploma courses have also received a significant number of applications from foreign students. 36 students have applied for M.Phil courses as well.

Coming to the demographics of the students, the maximum number of candidates were from Tibet with a number of 475 applications, followed by 237 students from Nepal and 127 students from Bhutan. We managed to contact an official from the Foreign Admissions Office who said,”This year the number of foreign students applications have increased and there has been significant interest by students of Tibet and Bhutan. It shows how Delhi University is growing in popularity.”

The University has received applications from African students who want to study Hindi and Sanskrit while some French students have opted for Punjabi.Most of these countries provide accommodation through their embassy connections. Delhi University reserves 5% seats fro foreign students whereas a majority of colleges provide relaxation in cut offs for such students too.

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News

DU student commits suicide over harassment

By Ishaan Sengupta May 20, 2014

A 19 year old student, who was pursuing B.Com (Hons.), via a correspondence course from the University of Delhi, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her Krishna Nagar residence on Wednesday. What was more shocking was that she had left a note on a table which mentioned that the reason for her taking such extreme steps were in a video message on her mobile phone.

The body of the student was found by her father, who had just returned from work at around 11: 45 PM. On examining the video message it was found that she had been deeply frustrated with a group of five people, among which trio of two brothers and a sister who were their neighbors had been regularly harassing and stalking herher. She has named them in the video.The brothers identified as, Joginder and Sonu often passed lewd comments and taunted her with obscene gestures. The others would also join in the act. The duo including their sister had beaten her and her mother in August last year after a complaint was lodged for harassment against the families living in their neighborhood. The brothers were arrested then but were let out on bail.

As a part of initial investigations, it was found out that the deceased was severely depressed after her fiance had turned down their marriage, due to the inability of their family to provide him with a car. Her fiance was detained under the charges of abatement to suicide. Although when the video was viewed, a case was registered under the same charges yet no one was arrested.

The most shocking part of the video was that she mentioned that she held no one responsible inspite of mentioning names of people who were harassing her. As told to newspapers,DCP East Ajay Kumar said, “The student’s family was not on good terms with the neighbors. They had had several disagreements earlier. Investigation is on.”

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Arts & Culture

The Western music society of Aurobindo College call Ed Sheeran and Rascal Flatts their influence

By Ishaan Sengupta April 19, 2014

After jamming regularly in empty class rooms and missing classes, they went to their first inter – college fest at Jesus and Mary College where they won the 2nd prize in duet singing. This gave them confidence and since then, they’ve bagged positions in various solo, duet, trio singing competitions held at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Kamala Nehru College, SSCBS, JDMC and NIFT. On being asked about their influences, Vaibhav Singh, the Society President, cited that there are a vast number of artists, whom they follow. They started covering Boy Bands and then they progressed to Blues, Jazz and Country. He also mentioned Ed Sheeran, Zac Brown Band and Rascal Flatts as being a few of their major influences. When asked about their immediate prospects, he replied,” Firstly we would like to organize a western music fest in the college campus and would like registrations from major societies from various eminent colleges. Secondly, we would really like to uplift the name of our college.” He also mentioned that they want to be a well recognized society in DU. DU Beat wishes Allegro success for future endeavors! ]]>

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Sounds

Music Review: Our Imaginarium by Five8

By Ishaan Sengupta April 18, 2014

You are always elated, when you stumble upon some new music. An Independent band with an experimental sound that puts a smile on your face and makes your head bang without getting a notion of your own actions. Five8, a Funk Rock/ Groove Rock/ Ambient Rock and Progressive Rock band from Delhi has just released their debut full length album named ‘Our Imaginarium’.

Five8 have been together for many years and have performed at various clubs in New Delhi. This experience has been transferred to their songs which is pretty much audible. Right from the groovy bass,ambient guitar and keyboard tones, ghost notes on the drums, to the vocal harmonies, this album takes you to a trance like state. Each and every song is unique yet they maintain a certain ambient decorum throughout the album.

They have also collaborated with musicians like guitarist Aditya Balani and saxophonist Abhay Sharma on songs named “Broke” and “Ballad to the City” respectively in this album. There has been a significant change in their music style from their earlier songs which are available on Soundcloud. One can hear the ‘ambient’ and ‘groovy’ aspect more in this full length album. The Lyrics of each song targets various issues, including work life, dreams, city life, colours and many more.The pre – chorus of the song,‘Broke’

‘ I hate my job, I’m a loser,

but then a beggar can he, can he be a chooser’

clearly shows the plight of independent musicians in today’s world, where financial constraints force them to do permanent jobs and somehow facilitate hindrances to their creativity. On the other hand, a song like ‘Waiting’ resembles a traditional alternative rock sound in the style of Indus Creed. The vocal harmonies woo the listener as soon as they hit the ear drums.

The bass solo on ‘Waiting’ is Eargasm! and the grooves on the other songs are equally noteworthy. The guitars on each track complement the bass and the tones used for overdrive and cleans gives the listener an ambient/psychedelic entertainment. The keyboard serve its purpose efficiently, with an ambient tone backing on each song. The drums on the track somehow resembles a complex mixture of the styles of playing of musicians like Stewart Copeland of The Police, Chad Smith of RHCP and a few others.

As far as the production is concerned, the audio quality is impressive and it is well mixed and mastered. Definitely this album is a class apart from other mainstream music available in the market. If you are a fan of The Police, RHCP as well as some ambient/progressive music like White Moth Black Butterfly, and Karnivool, this is the record for you. Access there album here: Five8

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Campus Central

DUTA presents 'List of demands' to political parties contesting in the Lok Sabha elections

By Ishaan Sengupta April 6, 2014

Delhi University Teachers Union (DUTA) and other prestigious research and teaching communities of Universities across Delhi have created a list of “Demands” which they feel are urgently required to be met.This jointly prepared formal agenda has been prepared so that various political parties contesting for the Lok Sabha elections, understand the shortcomings of the current education system in the country and act upon it immediately.

The 3 page formal agenda describes key demands like democratising the education system (giving a voice to all stakeholders like teachers, students professionals) rather than limiting the decision making bodies like the AC, EC and Staff Council within a small group of people who are generally not from an academic background, a public expenditure of 6% of the GDP for Public Education as was suggested by the Kothari Commission in 1964, reduction of bureaucratisation and privatization of education.

The agenda also reiterates DUTA’s struggles against FYUP and states how large scale academic restructuring like Delhi University’s Four Year Undergraduate Programme which was introduced hastily without honouring democratic procedures has the potential to cause more harm than good.

The weak leadership provided by the VC, Principals and Directors whose appointments are influenced by political and money power have also been criticised in the agenda as an inhibitor to quality education.

Some key points of the list of demands include:

a) States should not abdicate their responsibility to the people and concentrate more on public education.

b) The immediate implementation of the recommendation of 247th Joint Parliamentary Committee of MHRD which incites that the ‘paradigm of efficient governance’ be changed to the ‘paradigm of democratisation’ of decision making process of all stakeholders.

c) Minimisation of the role of MHRD, State Bureaucracy and UGC in the functioning of higher education.

d) Contractualisation should be discontinued, and the lack of posts lying vacant should immediately be filled.

e) The recent Debilitating experiments in DU be halted.

On speaking to Abha Dev Habib, a DUTA representative about the possibility of DUTA meeting with members of political parties, she said that the organisation had done so on the 18th of February, earlier this year, when a large number of MPs joined the protest against the FYUP led by students and teachers. She also spoke about DUTA’s plans to address the new government that will be formed post the upcoming elections.]]>

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DUB Speak

The growing trajectory of The Underground Music League

By Ishaan Sengupta April 4, 2014

The 80’s proved to be the golden era for both western and Indian music.The quality of music created then still stands higher than the quality of music created in the present era. With a downfall in record deals and a lesser scope in the industry for non-mainstream musicians, independent artists are finding a hard time pursuing their passion for music.The need to break away from the Bollywood hegemony and to give a boost to such musicians led to the formation of the Underground Music League, an organization devoted towards providing a platform for musically talented people from outside of the established culture,into the mainstream.

U.M.L gives an opportunity to gifted musicians and is trying to bridge the gap between the artist and their audience. Apart from the core team, the organization also inducts interns from various colleges in the University of Delhi and elsewhere. The interns who prove their worth get a stage to perform at various fests under the U.M.L banner. This exposure helps them gain experience and display their creation to the world.

sgc — U.M.L at Khalsa College earlier this year with The Swag Gang Crew

It is funny how Bollywood rules this world, when most of the singers composing these songs were once independent musicians themselves. With potentially no scope for new independent musicians and dancers to make a place in the charts, U.M.L was started, keeping such things in mind. It was created to evolve this industry and to provide a platform to splendid talents who have a passion for music, not just to express themselves but to voice the whole generation.

Siddesh Sharma founded U.M.L on 11th march 2012 , and since then they have performed at colleges like IIT Delhi, IGIT, DRC, S.G.T.B. Khalsa College, MAIT, Delhi Technological University, IP College, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Shaheed Sukhdev College Of Business Studies and at Public Locations like Star City Mall, Ice – Cube, JLN and many more. They were even asked to perform an additional day at Crossroads because of the good performance on the preceding day.

U.M.L currently supports variety of artists namely Donny J, an extremely talented vocalist whose YouTube Channel has received a staggering 567 subscriptions in 3 month, The Swag Gang Crew, street dancers who have received strong positive review for their complex choreography. They have a well mixed set of English – and Bollywood songs to back up their moves. Gaurav Thukral who is good at Krumping, The Quixotic, a singer as well who has received similar responses to Donny J and many more acts. A video that went viral on Youtube with 667 views, features Vijay Tiwari, aka Extreme, a beat boxer using his vocal chords to produce music that is so intense and engrossing. You can watch the video here.

the q — The Quixotic in the midst of a performance

When asked about where they see themselves in the coming years, Siddesh says, “Well the opportunities and possibilities for U.M.L in the near future is Big. For the time being , U.M.L is trying to do what it was made to do first, that is connecting with people and forming a strong bond with them.The coming future cannot be predicted but there is one thing that we are sure of, we are going to have a pleasant ride and together we all will rise.”

U.M.L conducts hip hop sunday event at Zook Lounge in Saket which constitutes of rap battles, hip hop battles and beat boxing battlesl.U.M.L has also recently collaborated with desihiphop, the largest UK based website on the Indian scene.

To join U.M.L, interested people have to attend their meetings regularly, the dates of which are displayed on their facebook page. These meetings help each and every member to get to know each other, and accordingly the core members explain the newcomers about the group and the different departments. The core members also see if the newcomers are fit to join U.M.L or not.

For more information, visit U.M.L’s various social media pages:

Facebook, Twitter , Instagram and Youtube

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