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In conversation with Hanita Bhambri: Delhi University’s rising singing star

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From starting out at 13 as a bathroom singer to being featured on Balconytv.com, Hanita is one of the few musicians who stand out in the herd. Listening to her play one of her self-composed tracks will leave you spell bound, to say the very least. This Business Studies student from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies is on a very high rising path to fame.  I got to catch a glimpse of what she’s been up to and what’s in store for the millions of people who will undoubtedly, soon know about her talent and hard work.

 

Before we start, tell me little about yourself.

Hanita: I started singing at 13, and I was pathetic, but even back then I used to feel awesome (laughs). I did my schooling from Delhi Public School, Faridabad. I sang all through the later years of my school. Up until last year, I was a self-taught musician. I was of the belief that formal training kills the spontaneity of the relationship I have with my music. For me music is about self-expression. But after coming to college and meeting an amazing bunch of singers, I realized that formal training helps me channel my energy. I know what my music should sound. And training helps me do that.

 

Let’s talk about your journey into music. Where did it start?

Hanita: I don’t even remember! No, but that started when I was very young, around 6-7. I was always fascinated with singers. I used to think that they were superheroes. If one can sing, one can do anything. And that was the beginning of my journey. I wanted to be that. From then on, I’ve been living behind a mic.

You chose a business studies college, despite being sure of what you want to do. Why?

Hanita: Creativity is often seen as a different entity. A creative person can also be a million other things. But on a side note, a lot of times record labels interfere with their artists’ creativity. And studying business helps me understand the competitive landscape much better. I also plan to have my own independent label. So Business Studies sounds like an informed choice. Also, I genuinely like marketing and CBS has made me the person I am today.

You’re often touted as Adele of Delhi University. Who is your inspiration?

Hanita: (laughs) I like Adele but I don’t really follow her music. My first song was by Avril Lavigne. And people used to say I sounded like her. Then they called me the Cranberry Singer and then Adele. Now I’m finally my own singer. The people I’m really inspired by are Ben Howard, Grace Potter, Jack Savorreti and a host of other bands that are coming up here in Delhi.

What is the kind of music that appeals most to you?

Hanita: Folk music speaks to me the most. But I’m very open to everything. I have no qualms about getting out of my comfort zone.

Your genre is International Music, which is largely unrecognized in India. Plus there’s crazy competition in this field. Does that scare you?

Hanita: It is extremely competitive, which is scary. In a corporate setting, the milestones are laid out for you. You know where you’re going. In the music scene, it’s very confusing. In India, the good thing is the genre is very untapped. It’s up for grabs. It’s like being a big fish in a small pond.

You’ve achieved considerable milestones, even though there’s still a long way to go. What’s next?

Hanita: Like you said, I’ve just started. A lot’s yet to be accomplished. I’m working with a collective now. We’re competing at BalconyTV.com. So yes, I plan to keep doing my own thing and hopefully, light up a few faces with my music.

 Listen to Hanita’s music here: https://soundcloud.com/hanitab

Raghav Chopra

[email protected]

Image couresty: Balconytv.com

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Campus Central

After winning nationals, Enactus SSCBS gears up for the big game

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Enactus SSCBS recently made Delhi University proud with its victory at the Enactus Nationals held in Mumbai, this July. The finals saw numerous teams coming in from all over India to compete on whose social endeavors had the maximum impact. 

Enactus SSCBS, with its three super successful projects- Project Akshar, Gramodhar and Sanitation Solutions (among others), took home the champion’s trophy and the task to compete with Enactus teams from all over the world at the Internationals- ‘The World Cup’.

With the internationals to be held in October in Beijing, China – the glory of the previous win has been mantled by the bigger task of preparing for the big game. Here is what their President, Vatsal Khullar, had to say about their victory, the team and the fast approaching trip up north.

Was the victory expected? Which other team do you think was closest to yours?

Well, to be honest, the idea wasn’t to win. The idea was to tell everyone the kind of work we’ve been doing and the kinds of impact we are trying to drive. I personally thought IIT Delhi and SRCC have very impactful projects.

How different is preparing for the Internationals from preparing for the Nationals?

It’s the ‘World Cup’! We’ve been juggling crazy hours since the Nationals. So our presentation is much more focused on making it a more holistic presentation of India and our projects. The presentation for the World Cup has to be much broader and varied. It’s more like representing the entire country.

This is the second time SSCBS has won the Nationals. Is there a rule book to victory?

If there was, I wouldn’t tell you! No. But honestly, the kind of commitment a team has to their project resonates. What really worked this time was the kind of dedication and belief our team had on each of the projects. It really went a long way in making the presentation and our team look very strong.

Of all your projects, which project do you think has managed to create the greatest impact and, as they often say, changed lives?

‘Give a man a fish, you fill a stomach. Teach him how to fish and you change a life’. Our project, Sanitation Solutions, has been adopted by the government and is being implemented in 21 districts across the country. So in a way, the ripple effect will be massive. But that being said, project Gramodhar has seen amazing response. We’ve already managed to create over 10 entrepreneurs.

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DUB Speak

Internship at Google- one of a kind

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If you are a DU student, chances are that you have interned at least once in your college life. And as the drill goes, after sifting through truckloads of resumes, a handful of companies call you for interviews and a fist full actually like you to take you in as their newest, least important member. Having interned during the year, I did not see the point of spending the entire summer strapped to a desk, working on a trivial project that these big wigs won’t even glean over, while chasing their multimillion dollar targets. And yet, as a craziest of crazy chances, I got into Google.

Yes, despite being one of the biggest giants in the world, you can walk in wearing slippers and shorts, even into the CEO’s office (who, by the way, is easily accessible to everyone). So the process started with an email and a resume attached. And so after resume selection and a few other rounds, I saw myself walking into the rainbow colored office of Google India. And a few weeks of imbibing the Google atmosphere, it became clear to me, in vivid Google colors, why Google is called the best employer in the world.

Everyone heard of the big bad corporates who inhibit your creativity in a suit and chain your free spirit with a noose of a tie- take from someone who has seen it, it is not a myth. Google pushes these boundaries; it is not just any other company of course. The concept of suits and ties is non-existent (thank god), so is the concept of desks and chains. All you need is to be sure of your work, and you could sit in the gym and do it- as long as it gets done. Self motivation is the one of the obscure concepts Google lives by and so is doing what you are best at.

That’s also one of the reasons Google faces so little problems when it enters new Geography- once you’re in these four walls, you are a Googler and not an Indian, American, Indonesian, Italian, black, white, brown, yellow or whatever other skin colors there are. On that note, and avoiding the risk of telling too much, I would conclude by saying- if you get a chance to intern here, don’t give up on it. I should get back to the snack counter now!

P.S- The Internship, the movie, like all other movies is exaggerated way beyond the real deal. But it’s all true!

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Flicks

Movie Review: Maleficent

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Maleficent is the story of Princess Aurora’s (Sleeping Beauty) nemesis. In their latest spin off of yet another fairy tale, Disney captures the depths of the Evil Queen’s psychology and what drove her into the realms of darkness. Helming the project as  Maleficent is none other than the Hollywood’s best- Angelina Jolie. The movie marks the debut of  director Robert Stromberg and stars Elle Fanning as the young princess.

The Plot

The movie starts with young Maleficent, an ‘Elfian Faeri’, meeting a young human boy, Stephan. What starts as a friendship between a lonely young aristocrat and a peasant boy ends up being a torrid affair. But as humanity would have it, greed and lust for power not only drives the two apart, but Stephan ends up stealing Maleficent’s wings to impress the king, who then leaves behind his kingdom and his daughter in his safe keeping.

Maleficent is not just heart broken, she is hell bent on making her lover pay. She curses his newborn daughter, Princess Aurora, on the day of her christening, to an eternal sleep, after pricking a finger on a spindle on her sixth birthday. As the fairy tale goes, the three good fairies take Maleficent deep into the forest and raise her as their own.

Maleficent knows about the baby’s whereabouts from the very beginning and watches over her, as she grows up in the forest. Aurora comes across Maleficent and her pet crow multiple times in the forest and begins to think of her as her Fairy Godmother. Full of remorse, Maleficent tries to revoke the curse, but to no success. What follows is Maleficent’s struggle to save the child she once cursed and now has started to love, the final battle with the hero-turned-evil King Stephan and redemption.

 The Positives

Taking a cue from the multiple spin offs being made, Hollywood has managed to finally churn out an alternate fairy tale that doesn’t completely disappoint you. Angelina Jolie is stunning in the film. To add to her freakishly beautiful screen presence, her poignant portrayal of Maleficent manages to make this Evil Queen not only likable, but also a treat to watch. Her makeup, costumes and even those leathery curved horns fit perfectly.

The plot of the film has finally done justice to this evil queen, who had been misunderstood for decades. It depicts the famous tale of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the villainous Maleficent and looks at the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse young Princess Aurora.

The Negatives

The only place the movie falters at is the dismal casting of King Stephan, and a certain extent, Aurora. Elle Fanning’s entire ‘damsel in distress’ act is anything but endearing. And so is the King’s (Sharlto Copley) paranoia, which frankly, becomes down right annoying.

The Verdict

To conclude, if you’re an Angelina Jolie or a fantasy genre fan, this film is a welcome change from the previous debacles like Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. And of course, Angelina Jolie will make you fall in love with her all over again.

 

The Official Trailer of Maleficent. ‘You know the tale, now find out the truth.’

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Admissions 2014

Dean of students’ welfare addresses aspirants on first session of open day

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The Office of the Dean of Students Welfare is right in the middle of holding Open Days for young DU aspirants. With the 12th board result slated to be out on May 26th, DU is doing its part to help curb pre admission jitters and entertain as many queries as possible. An Open Day essentially comprises of a presentation on Delhi University and the admissions procedure, followed by a question answer session. Each day, 3 sessions- 1 hour long each- are held, addressed by the Dean of Students Welfare and the Deputy Dean, Mr. J M Khurana and Dr. Tuteja. The session is Open for everyone who wishes to attend including parents of the students. Here are some of the valuable inputs the first session had to reveal:

  • The central admissions form will be available online and offline from June 2 to June 16, 2014. The offline form is available at various admission centers spread cross Delhi. The North Zone includes- Daulat Ram College, Hans raj College and SGTB Khalsa College among others. The South Zone has A.R.S.D College, Gargi College and a few others. Admissions centres for East Delhi and West Delhi Zones are also in place.
  • The first cut off list comes out on June 24, following which the first round of admissions will start. The first admissions round completes on June 26.
  • The subsequent lists comes out post June 26, if any colleges have seats left.
  • At the time of admissions, the documents needed are:
  1. 10th board certificate and marksheet
  2. 12th board marksheet
  3. Transfer Certificate
  4. Character Certificate
  5. Category Certificate (if a student wishes to take admission from a reserved category, he will need a certificate IN HIS OWN NAME)

Also, Students who wish to pursue a stream other than the one they studied in the 12th grade can do so- From Science to Commerce to Arts. A 2% deduction will be done in their cumulative score for each new subject that they haven’t studies before. The reverse switching (i.e, from arts to commerce to science) is not allowed.

The session also included a presentation by Dr. Kaur and Dr. Shobha, faculty from Cluster Innovation Centre who talked about the unique courses being offered in their programs.

The session concluded with one on one interaction between the Deans and the students. Anyone who wanted to ask anything particular was personally answered.

The University will be holding Open for almost the nest ten days, the schedule of which can be found here:

OPEN DAYS

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Admissions 2014

BMS Entrance Exam Back On; Final Decision yet to be taken

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Bachelor Of Management Studies, the only undergraduate management course offered by Delhi University, has been seeing quite a few changes in its admissions criteria. As per recent reports, the entrance exam, which was slated for cancellation, is back on.

With the course being only 1 year old, the admission criteria changed last year, when a group discussion round was removed from the criteria. Another change that was sought to be implemented this year was the abolition of the entrance exam, and having 12th grade percentage based cut offs for admissions. The proposal, however, faced vehement opposition, with the Principals of the 6 colleges offering this course along with the student body refuting the idea.

As per recent press release from the office of the Dean of Students Welfare, the entrance exam is back on, with an equal weightage being given to the test score and the board percentage. Whether the decision is final or is due for further deliberations is not certain yet. If the new proposal is finally implemented then the personal interview round for the final selection of students will be done away with.

Kritika Relan, a second year student from BMS is uncertain of the outcome. ‘The criteria has been shifting from one to the other. The whole point of a Personal Interview was to judge students holistically. Only having an entrance seems inadequate.’

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Admissions 2014

Students raise their voices against news of scrapping of BMS entrance test

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According to a TOI article released on May 9, 2014, a committee chaired by VC Dinesh Singh, comprising the Principals of all the colleges offering Bachelor of Management Studies and officials from Faculty of Management Studies, came to a consensus of doing away with the entrance exam for Delhi University’s sole management course at the undergraduate level.  This course, which was formed after merging three courses (Bachelors of Business Economics, Business Studies and Financial Investment and Analysis), was put under FMS’s umbrella last year.

The decision of removing the test has been rendered in wake of the errors made in the administration of the entrance exam conducted by FMS last year. A few weeks into the Semester, it had been revealed that the Answer Key to the entrance exam posted on the FMS website had 7 wrong answers marked for one of the question paper sets. Given the neck to neck competition that this course usually sees, this goof up had left a lot of students in anguish over the final ranks that had been declared based on the incorrect answer key.  Incidentally, the usual group discussion round that used to be held for the admission process before 2013 had also been removed last year.

The weightage of marks will now be reallocated from 40% to the Board result, 40% to the entrance test and 20% to the personal interview to 85% to board result and 15% to the personal interview. The seats for the course have not been changed from the 840 allotted last year to six colleges namely Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, College of Vocational Studies, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College, Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Keshav Mahavidyala and Maharaja Agrasen College. Close to 2500 students will be invited for the interview round, which will be held in North Campus.

Although the announcement was made on Saturday, May 10, in the middle of the exams, the reaction from the student body has been immediate. It seems students across colleges are jointly resenting this development and are geared up to protest. From Facebook pages  to online petitions, students have taken to social networking sites to voice their opinion.

The students of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies are set to stage a zealous protest. A meeting of the entire student body and the Principal is being held on Monday, to gain a better insight into what exactly is the future of this troubled course. Management students of College of Vocational Studies have also planned to hold a similar discussion post their exam on Monday. “For some incredibly elusive reason, everyone is hell bent on completely destroying this course. First, with the merger of the three courses, then the removal of the GD round and now, with this. Let’s see, Monday should bring more clarity”, said a second year student from CBS. The student community online has also spoken out against FMS. Priyanshu Gupta, an FYUP BMS student from DDUC said, “The officials are damaging the course one bit at a time. The specialisations offered to us as DC II options, which were supposed to be for BMS students, are now being offered to other courses too. Now, they’ve removed the entrance test. It has just become like any other course in DU now. It’s funny how FMS, being one of the best management institutes in the country cannot conduct an exam smoothly.”

Update (20th May): Entrance exam for BMS will be held in 2014 as well. Read this article for further details.

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DUB Speak

Street dance gains popularity in the University circuit

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Street Dance, for all those who do not know, is a very unique dance form that originated in North America and Australia a few decades ago. There is no strict dance style but it comprises mainly of jazz, hip-hop and break dance. Much like a flash mob, a group of dancers set up their portable music systems on the street or a ground and start dancing to a crowd of onlookers.

Until recently, this dance form was relatively unknown in the University Circuit, with very few colleges actually having a street dance society. However, in recent times, especially in the last couple of fests, street dance is gearing to change that.

With a confident future, street dance societies are yet to get the kind of acceptance as that of the conventional western dance societies in Delhi University. Every fest season sees a large number of dance competitions, most dance competitions comprise of Western and Folk Dance categories.

The past fest season saw only a few fests like Crossroads, by Shri Ram College of Commerce(SRCC), hosting a Street Dance Competition. Though colleges like  Hindu College did have a street dance competition, but they were held during departmental fests. Some other Delhi University colleges, which held this competition, were Sri Venkateswara College and Maharaja Agrasen College.

   The Street dance society of College of Vocational Studies, CVStreets performs at Crossroads 2014    
    Member of DCAC street dance society responds to the challenge. 
 
   

Even among the colleges that have street dance societies, the dance form is waitingt to gain popularity, with Western Dance hogging the limelight. Dennis Anthony, the President of CVStreets says, “SRCC was the first time we took part in a DU competition and we stood first. The opportunities in DU may be lacking, but every year we plan to get bigger. In the past five years, our society has grown immensely. We won at Nokia India as well, the Delhi zone winners. We came fourth at the main event. Next we plan to take on Hiphop International and I hope we’re able to crack a dance reality show as well!”

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Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

SSCBS organises WYSIWYG conference at Google’s office

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The students of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies organised ‘ WYSIWYG 2- The Irrational Conference’ at Google’s Office on Saturday, March 12, 2014. The conference was open to all students of Delhi and saw sessions by speakers like Mayur from Highway on My Plate, Manoj Kohli, the Managing Director of Airtel India and Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Google India.

The conference, which centered on taking risks and ‘being irrational’, was opened by Mayur from Highway on My Plate. In his very candid and frank speech, he talked about his journey from college to Highway on My Plate, the importance of loving what you do and most importantly, the importance of getting around to doing it and not just sitting and thinking about it. “If you want to travel far, you got to carry your own fuel”, he said.

The next big speaker for the day was Manoj Kohli. He talked about Airtel’s growth, its refusal to accept that India cannot produce MNCs and the importance of having a committed and impassioned workforce for a successful organisation. He very humorously recited an incident when he went to his boss and told him that he had overspent a little in Airtel International’s Maiden Quarter, and by little, he meant $300 million! To this, his boss said that as long as he had spent it on the right places he was safe.

Vicky Roy was the next speaker in line, who started off at Salaam Balak, an NGO for underprivileged boys and is now heading off to MIT, USA for a course in Photography. He received a standing ovation from the audience for his amazing and heartening story of success.

Varun Banka from Social Cops and Shrey Malhotra from Google India talked about their respective ventures followed by Neeraj from Uber, a platform that helps you arrange your transportation requirements in just 3 clicks!

The conference also saw performances by Hanita Bhambri and Dhruv Visvanath, two talented musicians from Delhi University. Both of them enthralled the audience and got standing ovations.

But the best was left for the last. Rajan Anandan, the head of Google India gave the closing note. His truly inspiring speech talked about started early, failing and getting back up.

“You open a start up and you fail, 100 companies would hire you. But you have another start up and fail again, 100 more will hire you. But you decide to have a third startup and fail yet again, Google will hire you. The courage to fail and still keep persisting is what will make you successful.”

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DUB Speak

He Would Grow Up To Be A Rapist

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The boy looked into his mother’s eyes, silently pleading. This was where he was from, but he did not want to grow up here. He did not want to fill his father’s shoes. He did not want to lead the life laid out for him. He wanted to grow up and get the world. He wanted to make his mother proud. But..

He would grow up to be a rapist.

He was born in a village, in one of the many villages of India. The name did not matter. They were all the same. The men ruled, earned the food, selected the breads and decided the layout of the plate. The women veiled their faces, cleaned the houses and laid the plates. From the very start, he was taught that he was to be the man of the house- the one in charge. He often listened to his mother, but ultimately did what his father said. He did not understand this skewed dynamic. His father came in and out at odd hours and no one seemed to raise a finger.

As he grew up, he somehow adjusted to this implied understanding of the sexes. The men decided the rules and the women played by it. When they didn’t, the men forced themselves on the women and no one batted an eye.

It never changed.

Men had an innate power, supremacy. They danced to their own tunes, listened to their own demons and satisfied their insatiable hunger.

It wasn’t his fault really. He was born in a system where men could do anything. He was born in a system where the very runners of the system discarded women as objects of chained will. If a woman does not agree, rape her and if she had any physical connections before marriage, hang her. An alleged rape was garbed as a relationship gone wrong. Hence, the woman was now trying to avenge her petty self by asking for a death sentence to a man who forced her to have sex with her. Boys will be boys, they say. Men will be men. And women? Well, they can be whomever they want to. As long as the men rule, they will end up being nothing.

And just when this asphyxiated landscape began changing colors, it was dragged right back into the abyss of depravity. The very public and downright insulting and ridiculous remarks by Abu Azmi and Mulayam Singh Yadav are testimony to the illusion that we all perceived as progress. Our society is still as dolled up with the salacious paint of inhumanity.

And so, the boy, now a man ended up in the same system. In the sad excuse for a life that he led, he raped three women, impregnated one, married another and spent the last leg of his miserable life condemning rape victims and upholding the frivolous and instinct driven nature of men. He could have been so much more. But he grew up to be a rapist.

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