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Radhika Boruah

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The second day of Montage 2018 began on a musical note with Swaraangan, the Indian Musical Choir competition of Jesus and Mary College. Shri Onkar Nath of Indore Gharana judged the competition.  Alaap of Sri Venkateswara College bagged the first position followed by Sangeetika of Kamala Nehru College and Swaranjali of Hansraj College were declared the first and the second runners-up respectively. All the colleges in the competition captivated the audience with their melodies. In the Bollywood Solo Singing Competition “Afreen”, Purvi Chaturvedi of Kamala Nehru College won the first prize. Deepayan Mukherjee of Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology and Shayan Chatterjee of Shri Ram College of Commerce secured the second and the third positions respectively.

Beaux Arts held a 3D Jewellery Making competition and Nabyah Hafeez and Jasjot Kaur from Dyal Singh College (Morning) won a cash prize of INR 2000.

Annual General Quiz 2018 was organised by Curiosus, the Quiz Society of JMC. Adittya Nath Mubayi was the quiz master for the day. After several preliminary rounds and final rounds, Tushar Anand and Akash Verma were announced as the winners.  Vishesh Balani and Aditya Barthwal as second runners-up, and Sushain Ghosh and Duttnath Thakur came third.

Amidst all the competitiveness of dance and street plays, Sunny Mugs Poetry Club organised a creative Slam Poetry Competition to drown the moods of Montage into melancholy and imagination. Themes of loneliness, love, parental rejection, and lack of acceptance in the society underplayed all the poems. The judges Aditi Angiras and Vikramaditya Sahai announced Isha from Ambedkar University, Kanika Ahuja from Dyal Singh College, and Soumya Vats from Hansraj College as the winners of first, second, and third positions.

The highlight of the day was Chimera, the choreography competition hosted by Western Dance Society of JMC. Exquisite performances by Hindu College, Gargi College, Kirori Mal College, Sri Venkateswara College, and Lady Shri Ram College for Women among others on the themes of gender binaries, illiteracy, sins of life, etc. added charm to the event. Judges Benjamin Jacob and Himanshu Sharma announced Sparx of Gargi College as the winner. Terpsi Chorean of Hansraj College grabbed the second prize.

If the western dance competition wasn’t enough, the audience was treated to a one of a kind event called Delhi Dance Fever. The first round was the auction round. Teams bid for dancers from other colleges and performed with props given to them such as lathis, wipers, badminton rackets. The songs were each better than the other with classic Bollywood songs such as ‘Nimbooda’, ‘Kajra Re’ to pop songs like ‘Havana’,  ‘Strip that Down’, and ‘Young Dumb & Broke’. The next round will be held in March, along with a wildcard entry.

Playback singer and music composer Nakash Aziz of ‘Highway’ and ‘Rockstar’ fame ignited the stage with evergreen Bollywood hits such as ‘Humma’,  ‘Badtameez Dil’, and R. D. Burman’s ‘Bachna Ae Hasino’. It was a treat to witness him engaging with the crowd as he swooned to the spunky number ‘Om Shanti Om’. His versatility was on display as he effortlessly switched over to newer Bollywood hits such as ‘Pyaar ki Pungi’ and ‘Ilahi’. With this JMC’s Annual Cultural Fest Montage 2018 drew its curtains.

 

Feature Image Credits: Surabhi Khare for DU Beat.

Radhika Boruah ([email protected])

Oorja Tapan ([email protected])

Raabiya Tuteja ([email protected])

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak ([email protected])

Anukriti Mishra ([email protected])

Prachi Mehra ([email protected]

 

The Commerce Association of Kamala Nehru College concluded its annual departmental fest on 9th Feburary 2018. The success of the event was very well evidenced by the increasing participation received from everyone’s end.The triumph of the event couldn’t have been possible without the wholehearted participation of students from different universities and the endless efforts put in by the entire organizing committee in each and every stage of the fest. Commcentric, The Commerce Association would like to thank you all for making Commxcelsior praise worthy! We look forward to see you all next year.

Worshipping the Virgin Tree at Hindu College has been a ritual for a long time now. However, this quirky tradition is scorned by the conservatives.

The Virgin Tree is the oldest member of Hindu College and has witnessed the Valentine’s Day celebrations, Puja of Damdami Mata, and the water-filled condoms hung from its branches. From Deepika Padukone to Disha Patani, famous Bollywood actresses have been treated as the Damdami Mata to be worshipped. The University of Delhi, apart from the excellence in academic performances, is also famous for the liberal multitude. This fun, amusing, and somewhat problematic tradition is also a way to spread awareness about Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), and the use of protection while sexual intercourse.

In the time of toning down of sex education and condom advertisement bans, keeping up with this fascinating culture of Hindu College seems difficult. Bajrang Dal has been in the headlines since a long time for chasing away couples who were seen in public. This time, they have targeted the practices of adorning the Virgin Tree of Hindu College and the Damdami Mata Puja.

Bajrang Dal has been planning to uproot the Virgin Tree, bringing an end to the “obscene” culture of the westernised populace. They intend to inculcate “Indian morales” in the students and prohibit the celebrations of Valentine’s Day altogether. According to the sources, they went to an extent to discuss this matter with the Vice Chancellor of DU, Yogesh K. Tyagi, and the Principal of Hindu College, Dr. Anju Srivastava. On the issue, a professor of Hindu College quoted, “Our students have enjoyed this liberty of campaigning and spreading awareness on AIDS. This has been a mirthful tradition with a purpose that must not be ended.”

When asked about this interference to a member of Bajrang Dal, he said, “We must not forget our values. What must be restricted to the bedroom, should never come about in the public, and that too among students. Studying in DU is prestigious, but students must never forget their role and indulge in such detestable practices.”

“The Students’ Union got involved much later in the issue,” said a student. Bajrang Dal members tried working with the “elders” first, and then include the students. The decision to fell the Virgin Tree is halfway taken. The final call is yet to be taken by the students. It is also feared that the felling of the tree will lead to protests and create chaos, hence the conclusion hasn’t been made yet. So, this year may be the last of the captivating practice in DU.

*Disclaimer: Bazinga is our weekly column of almost believable fake news. It is a humorous, light-hearted column that should only be appreciated and not accepted.

 

Feature Image Credits: Stories Feed
Radhika Boruah
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Pragati, the Women’s Development Cell of Daulat Ram College, organised an Inter-College Debate Competition on the motion, “Women’s Empowerment lies in Women Choosing for Themselves” on 7 February, 2018.

The cell received over seventy registrations from various colleges across different universities and thus conducted a preliminary round for the top finalists.

The jury consisted of honourable guests like, Dr. Monika Vij (Associate Professor, Miranda House College) and Dr. Padmshree Mudgal (Associate Professor, Daulat Ram College). Dr. Savita Roy, Principal of Daulat Ram College along with Dr. Anita Garg Mangla (Convenor, WDC) graced the occasion with their enlightening words.

The enthusiastic participants brought forth a wide range of perceptions and thus engaged in fruitful arguments. The winners were awarded cash prize and certificates of merit along with vouchers. The prizes were as follows:
Best Team, Best Speaker, Best Interjection(Participants), and Best Interjection(Audience).

The event ended on a positive and happy note with a group discussion whereby all the participants, audience and the teachers voiced their opinions on the motion freely.

The book is a great guide for financial planning and also can be used as a reference to learn the art of earning money regularly.

Hailed as one of the best books on money-making ever written, The Richest Man in Babylon is a great book penned down by George S. Clason. The book was published in 1926. Despite being an old book talking about preserving and making money, one cannot term the book to be outdated even in today’s time.

The book is a more like a collection of short stories from the time of Babylon. Each chapter covers a different aspect of financial knowledge that occurs between different characters mostly in the form of conversation. The writer gives various examples of how people lacked the knowledge of money. He also talks about why a normal person fails to earn and save money. More importantly, he gives various tips and tricks to combat this major issue. The failure to earn money and solutions for the same is the spine of the book.
The writer portrays the condition of Babylon through words very clearly. It is not hard for the reader to imagine how wealthy and powerful the Babylonian empire was. One can easily picture the slavery system that was practiced then and the huge gap that was present between the elite and the lower class. The writer draws various similarities between the present time and the Babylonian era. One such connection that he talks about is how the people from nearby lands come to Babylon hoping to make it big in the land full of riches and opportunities and end up failing at it. It is resemblance of the condition of modern day cities.

Personally, I found the book to be interesting on different fronts apart from just the financial part. The book has these small tales written in utterly simple language which gave me a taste of childhood just like reading all those fairytales and stories. The use of Latin words like “thou”, “thy”, “doth” intrigued me adding to the feel of reading a book based on ancient times. Also, the book uses phrases like “The Laws of Gold” and “seven cures for a lean purse” which sound a bit attractive and added to my excitement.

The one big reason why I would recommend people to read this book is that the book is very generic. The issues that are mentioned in the book are experienced by everyone which make it a must read. Also, the simplicity with which these issues and solutions have been given make it very easy for people from any background to grasp what the writer is trying to say. Above all, earning money and managing finances is an art everyone wants to learn and this book can exactly what you need.

 

Image Credits: Best  You Pro

Karan Singhania
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An average human being does not know more than three languages. So here is a list of words in different languages that you might not know.

The 1911 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica says that the total number of languages around the word is approximately thousand. Some words are best understood in their parent language and cannot be translated into another language. The translation might come close to the essence of the word but does not fully encapsulate it. The beauty of that word cannot be described in any other language. So here is a list of words that will not only enrich your vocabulary but will also help you understand the true beauty of different languages around the world.

1) Hiraeth
Hiraeth is a Welsh word that is difficult to describe in English. It can be roughly translated to homesickness and a sense of yearning for a home that you cannot return to, no longer exists or never existed at all.

2) Mamihlapinatapei
Mamihlapinatapei is derived from the Yaghan Language of Tierra Del Fuego. It can be roughly translated to a look shared by two people; each wishing that the other would initiate something that they both desire but which neither wants to begin.

3) Iktsuarpok
Iktsuarpok is an Inuit word. It can be loosely translated into English as the feeling of anticipation while waiting for someone to arrive, often leading to intermittently going outside to check for them.

4) Mencolek
Mencolek in Indonesian is a really interesting word. We have often tapped our friend’s shoulder from behind and tricked them into thinking that it was someone else. The Indonesian language describes this entire act in just one word.

5) Lagom
Lagom is a Swedish word. The Lexin Swedish-English dictionary describes it as “enough, sufficient, adequate, just right”.

6) Boketto
Boketto is a Japanese word. Have you ever had an experience where you look at a distance and do not think of anything at all? It happens to a lot of us. The Japanese have a word for this experience.

7) Packesel
Packesel is a German word to describe someone who is stuck carrying everyone else’s bag in a trip. If you are the youngest person in your household like me, you might have experienced this certainly.

8) Saudade
Saudade is a Portuguese word which roughly translates a melancholic state where you long for an absent something or someone you love. Usually, there is a hidden understanding in this word of the fact that the object of longing might not return.

Hopefully,these words come to your rescue the next time when you experience certain emotions which you cannot express in English.

 

Feature Image Credits: Pinterest

Anukriti Mishra
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Due to the sheer magnitude of mainstream music, talented young artists can get lost in its cusp. Here are some of many such artists who deserve recognition:

1. Hayley Kiyoko
This California born singer rose to fame in 2010 with her role as Velma Dinkley in a Scooby Doo movie. But her big musical break came in 2015, with her single ‘Girls like Girls’ which has garnered over 80 million views on YouTube. Her musical genre is synth pop and her recent singles ‘Curious’, ‘Feelings’, and ‘Gravel to Tempo’ are worth adding to your playlists.

2. Florence and the Machine
An English indie rock band that rose to fame in 2009 with their song ‘Dog Days are Over’ that went up to win an MTV VMA award for best art direction in 2010. Florence Welch, the lead singer, has a captivating, and soothing voice that will definitely give you goosebumps. Their music is ethereal, videos are artistic and lyrics, deep. Welch was also featured in Calvin Harris’ popular song ‘Sweet Nothing’.

3. Declan McKenna
Declan McKenna has been called the sound of the upcoming generation. With antics inspired by David Bowie, his music is gloomy yet aesthetic. After winning a talent competition in 2015, he soon signed a deal with his record company and set off for world domination, one song at a time. ‘Brazil’, ‘Paracetamol’, and ‘Why do you feel so down’ are some his best songs.

4. Conan Gray
Conan Gray is a YouTuber and singer, who is yet to release an album or EP. However, his covers and self-made songs are better than many mainstream songs. They are original and so are the videos. ‘Idle Town’ is one of his fans’ favourite songs.

5. Broods
This New Zealand brother-sister duo is among the quickest rising duos in electronic pop music at the moment. Their success of ‘Bridges’ gained them interest from music labels and they released their self-titled EP soon after. Their EP entered at the fifth position on Billboard’s Heatseeker Charts. Songs like ‘Free’, ‘Mother and Father’ and, ‘Bridges’ are extremely catchy and resonant.

6. Marina and the Diamonds
With one of the unique voices in the music industry, Marina’s music is a mix of dance-pop and dizzying vocals. She has released three full-fledged albums and gained raving reviews from critics. Her album ‘Froot’ became one of the highly acclaimed pop albums of the year.

 

Feature Image Credits: MondoTunes

Raabiya Tuteja
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The world may have moved on to Kindles and iPads, but all the eBooks cannot replicate the feeling of nostalgia one gets in a book. However, India’s reputation for having a narrow public mindset has always been a point of discussion. From being deemed to being harmful to the nation’s integrity, to just being subtly offensive, books are banned in India for all kinds of reasons.

Here is a compilation of banned books along with a list of places where they could be found in Delhi:

1. Understanding Islam through Hadis by Ram Swarup
Banned for being harsh towards Islam, this book had also gotten its publisher arrested. Despite having invoked the wrath of the Muslim community, a tawny copy of this book will be found in a small kiosk, left of Golcha Cinema, on Netaji Subhash Marg in Daryaganj.

2. The Price of Power by Seymour Hersh
Morarji Desai, the early Indian Prime Minister was accused of supplying secrets to the CIA in this book. He launched a case and got the book banned in India. However, second hand copy of this book was last spotted by the correspondent in a lesser known kiosk opposite Bhandari House in Nehru Place.

3. The Hindus: An Alternative History by Wendy Doniger
This book, banned for portraying Indian Gods in an unlikely manner, saw a major backlash from the Shiksha Bachao Aandolan Samiti and uncles and aunties alike. However, unbeknownst to the moral police, a source had spotted a copy of this book in a book store, simply called Book Shop, which is tucked in a corner of Lajpat Bhawan’s Sisters of the People NGO building, near the Moolchand Metro Station.

4. Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence by Jaswant Singh
This book was banned for portraying Jinnah in an objective manner rather than as a demonised nation breaker, and for criticising the policies of Nehru and Sardar Patel. Inspite of this, an old and rusty copy of the same was unearthed from under a pile of books by our correspondent in Ber Sarai of Delhi, located between Jawaharlal Nehru University and IIT Delhi, last June.

5. India Independent by Charles Bettelheim
Despite being banned in India, a copy of this book with bright, unmarked pages and firm binding can be found in Arora Book Shop in Hauz Khas Market. It is bound in a jacket which shows minor shelf rubbing and minor edge wear only. The owners will allow you to borrow it, if not buy it, and you can return the book after you’re done reading.

6. Old Soldier Sahib by Frank Richards
In the narrow by-lanes of old Delhi, a more than two-decade-old library, popularly called the Shah Waliullah library, contains ‘extinct’ or rare publications, including dictionaries and poems compiled in numerous languages. Situated a few steps away from Jama Masjid, in Imli gali of Chandni Chowk, it has over 15,000 books in Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Urdu, Persian, and Arabic languages including the banned book ‘Old Soldier Sahib’ by Frank Richard.

7. The Land of Lingam by Arthur Miles
One of the very few Indie bookstores in the city,we hear the owner of May Day book store refuses to stock books by Chetan Bhagat and writers of the similar clan, even though they generate maximum profits. Amongst its selection of second-hand books is ‘The land of Lingam’ by Arthur Miles, which is banned in India.

 

Feature Image Credits: Pixabay

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak
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Malik Muhhamad Jayasi of Awadh penned a poem in the sixteenth century, glorifying the beauty of Rani Padmini. She, whose existence is itself a controversial issue, did not fail to enamour the readers of the poem and the spectators of the movie through the legend of her beauty and bravery.

After many contentions to the release of the historic movie Padmaavat, it was finally showcased on the 25th of January – almost two months late after the original release date. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is an artist of great taste and has a penchant for the historical Indian royal portrayals. From Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) to Bajirao Mastani (2015), this producer and director has never failed to awe the Indian audience. This movie is one of the most expensive movies Bollywood has ever produced – with a budget of over Rupees 200 crores.

This movie, Bhansali’s magnum opus was originally titled Padmavati, after the name of the poem Padmavat by Jayasi. The title was modified as the filmmakers have attributed their creative source to the fictional poem, and not history. The existence of the events described in this poem has little authenticity. Though Alauddin Khilji had won Chittor, during that period there is no mention of any character as Padmavati in history. Historians point that not even Amir Khusrau (prolific writer of Alauddin’s court) mentioned Padmavati and the ruler’s longing for her. However, Rajputs claim the existence of Rani Padmini of Chittor.

The entire cast has been terrific throughout the movie. Ranveer Singh played the tyrannous Alauddin Khilji, Deepika Padukone portrayed Rani Padmavati, and Shahid Kapoor depicted the King of Chittor Raval Ratan Singh. From the very first look of Padmavati, Deepika portrayed feminine delicateness along with Rajput valour with finesse. The onscreen chemistry of the King of Chittor and the Rani was missing but the grandeur of the couple and their heroism while fighting the tyrannous Khilji was portrayed perfectly. Alauddin has been portrayed as the oppressive ruler who longs for Rani Padmavati after he hears about her from the traitor of Chittor, Raghav Chetan. He contrived the Rajputs to possess the beautiful Rajput queen. After the foreseen defeat of the Rajputs, Rani Padmavati and the women of Chittor commit jauhar (self-immolation) for the sake of their honour. The very last scene has been applauded by many, as the queen stepped into the burning pyre in the entrance of the fort – marking a great sacrifice in the name of the kingdom.

Despite all high alerts due to the upheavals by the Karni Sena, this movie is worth the wait and money. It is an amalgamation of considerable hard work from all the artists involved and deserves to be thoroughly appreciated.

 

Feature Image Credits: India

Radhika Boruah
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The latest edition of Rainbow State of Mind at South Asian University was brought about by Project Voice+ and Nazariya. The event entailed a workshop, slam poetry, panel discussion, and an open mic.

Ipsa James of Karma Centre for Counseling and Wellbeing conducted the workshop and enlightened the audience about the struggles of the LGBTQIA+ community. She talked about the different types of sexualities and even the subdivisions of asexuality, the diktats of patriarchy, the discriminatory Trans Bill, Article 377, and the various malpractices against the community.

As the workshop went on, the community and its allies agreed on how even men are victims of the same patriarchy, being feminine is considered weak and only women-based derogatory slangs are used in the society. Ms James revealed about the startling corrective rape and male rape statistics of other countries since India’s statistics are not available yet. From the psychological perspective, she talked about the various styles of attachments that make or break a relationship. She encouraged the audience to be more attentive to their friends’ behaviour and the ways to help them if they come out with problems about their sexuality. On being asked a question about ‘queer-friendly’ doctors, she mentioned the online websites where one can find a credible and reliable LGBT friendly doctor.

Followed by the workshop, the audience was treated with two very moving pieces of slam poetry. Uppo Tsuyo, one of the poets, began with a short message on the LGBTQ+ community in our country and sang an ode to the ‘Young Transmen of India’. In her heartfelt composition, she talked about the struggles of transgender men in our country, from the anxiety of not being ‘man enough’ and corrective rape to the scarring top surgery.  Angana Sinha Ray took the stage with her poem, ‘When your Daughter Brings Home a Dyke’. Angana reclaimed the slang ‘dyke’, which is usually used in a negative connotation, using it to empower her identity. After all, dykes “are just women who love other women who consent”.

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The slam poetry was succeeded by a panel discussion by Dr Ruchika from Karma Centre, Shambhavi Saxena, Writer and Editor at Youth Ki Awaaz, Ms Ipsa James, Ruth Chawngthu, Co-Founder of Nazariya, and Rudrani from MITR Trust. The title of the discussion was ‘Labels, Languages and Contemporary Queer Issues’. On being asked about the most pressing queer issues, each panellist spoke their part. Dr Ruchika talked about the biased and outdated tests to get a certification for the gender reassignment surgery. Ms Saxena and Ms James mentioned the lack of representation of the community on policy-making platforms and the judgemental behaviours among psychologists. On being questioned whether the acronym ‘LGBTQIA+’ is a narrow or wide enough representation. All the discussants agreed that such labels can be liberating and restricting at the same time. Ms Rudrani added that labels segregate people and bring inequality. The panel also broached the subject of lack of knowledge about the community. Their basic information is many a time not even taught to doctors. The government provides zero aid to the mental health sector and absolutely no mention of the history of the community.

The day ended with an open mic session on ‘The Politics of my Bedroom’ added liveliness to the environment. Since the event was a ‘safe space’; it allowed the audience members to talk about their lives freely and confidently. Out of all the performances, the most fun to watch was a drag queen expressing the sexual politics of his bedroom.  From allegations against his ex to romantic words for his current partner, he was fierce and full of drama.

 

Image Credits: PV Purnima for DU Beat.

Prachi Mehra
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Raabiya Tuteja
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