Siddhi Goel, Author at DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

WORDZ- The Debating Society

By Siddhi Goel March 5, 2013

A group of students were coming back from a debate, which they thought had given an unfair decision. Disappointed, they decided to open their own debating society that would organize fair debates and conduct workshops across educational institutions to disseminate the art of public speaking , debating and MUNing.

And this is how Wordz was formed.

Today, Wordz, that originated in Chandigarh, has expanded its base to Delhi and now it has grown to become one of the most popular student organizations in the Delhi and Chandigarh circuit with a reach out scale of about 2000 students. The founder members of Wordz are- Aruj Garg, Ashmita Gupta, Manonit Kaur and Akshay Vashishtha. The Delhi chapter of Wordz began in 2010, the foundations of which were laid by Sargam Sardana, Diya and Akshay Sharma.

Wordz Delhi , a registered trust, actively organizes debating and MUNing workshops across schools and colleges of Delhi like IIT Delhi, Modern School Barakhamba Road, DPS Noida to name a few. With the reputation that Wordz Delhi garnered over time, they also have started serving as knowledge partners to institutions like IIT Delhi, SRCC and Pathways School for their debates and MUNs. Wordz Delhi also organized n MUN workshop in India Habitat Centre in 2010.

Wordz Delhi organized two major events last year. First being, an online photography competition ‘La Fotographia’, that was judged by Mr.Dinesh Khanna, a renowned photographer, who’s also worked with ‘Incredible India’. Since communication forms the bedrock of all Wordz activities, this event too highlighted the fact that “a picture speaks a thousand words”.

The second event was truly unique in nature, as Wordz organized a Parliamentary Debating Championship at the school level for the first time in India. 26 schools participated and DPS Noida emerged as winner. The event spanned across 3 days, where the 2 days were at Mayoor School, and the final event at IHC.

Wordz Delhi would be recruiting soon, to carry forward the legacy that began in Chandigarh.

Visit their official Facebook for further details, http://www.facebook.com/wordzdelhi

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Features

AIESEC In Delhi University

By Siddhi Goel March 5, 2013

Formed in 1948 to re – establish the severely damaged relations between European nations after the second world war, AIESEC ( Association for International Etudiante of Science, Economics & Commerce) became global in a very short period of time. Today it is the largest student-driven organisation in the world, spread around 113 countries. It provides its members with an integrated development experience comprised of leadership opportunities, international internships and participation in a global learning environment.

AIESEC in Delhi University was brought into existence in 1984, and is the highest performing Local Chapter in the world. Awarded as the best local committee of AIESEC India in 2011, it is one of the pioneering local chapters of the organisation. The committee has been active in organising events like Udaan, which was an event held on 12th July 2012, the main motive was to bring out the artist in every child by providing underprivileged children in New Delhi, the opportunity to exhibit their dormant talents through cultural workshops and competitions and direct them towards quality educational opportunities. Stub it out was another such event which aims to spread awareness about tobacco related cancer. AIESEC DU’s largest event till date, the YOUTH CARNIVAL, held on 1st September, was an effort to gather an estimated 7,000 students from all across Delhi to showcase talent and the sheer power of the youth, in a global, multicultural environment. AIESEC in Delhi University present in over 30 colleges including LSR, SRCC, St. Stephens, Miranda House, Amity, DTU, etc.

AIESEC in India has established itself in the country and is now present in 23 cities of India including Chandigarh, Lucknow, Mumbai, Dehradun, Baroda, Chennai etc.

AIESEC helps develop leadership capabilities through their internal leadership programs and engages students and graduates in international student exchange and internship programs for profit and non-profit organizations. Global Internship Programme (GIP) and Global Community Development Program (GCDP) are intense learning experiences that connect members through AIESEC’s global network. Each year more than 10,000 members go abroad to take up the challenging opportunity to live and work in a foreign country.

“We at AIESEC engage people from all over the world to achieve meaningful ends. It’s all about the experience. If you say you’re with AIESEC, you can be: a) doing an internship in any country of any continent, except Antarctica, b) providing international human resource to companies like TCS c) running your own social development project d) doing a lot of cool value adding stuff like sales, marketing, design, communication, public relations e) having fun in life”, says Adhiraj Singh, Local Committee President, AIESEC in Delhi University and a 3 rd year student of Ramjas.

Global Internship Programme (GIP) comprises a wide range of internships in fields such as Finance, Marketing, Network and Database, Engineering, etc. These internships are specifically aimed at developing the participants professionally and enabling them to specialize in a certain field of work.

The Global Community Development Programme internships (GCDP) are related to working with NGOs, organizations and schools in project which are meant to have appositive impact on the society. The main focus of GCDPs is the personal development of the participants and the cross cultural experience they are being provided with. Examples of projects with which an intern can work are, raising HIV/AIDS awareness, woman empowerment in the society, teaching, fundraising, entrepreneurship, etc.

The internal local committee leadership programmes, The Team Leader Programme (TLP) and the Team Member Programme (TMP) is an opportunity for a young person to develop entrepreneurial and responsible leadership by living a practical team experience at a local, national, regional or global level.

AIESEC’s growing physical and virtual reach makes it the most credible and diverse global youth voice. The organisation is recognized across sectors as the first choice partner for its ability to develop responsible and entrepreneurial leadership. Its collaborative environment empowers every member to live a high quality AIESEC experience, creating a cross-generational positive impact on society. AIESEC’S partners include Hewlett Packard, UBS, Cadbury-Schweppes, Coco cola India, ABN AMRO, Tata & Sons, Godrej Industries etc.

“64 years of Striving for Peace and Fulfilment of Humankind’s Potential, we believe in international experiences that bring the world together, in providing personal and professional development experiences that change people’s lives for the better. We are grateful to grow everyday and spread the values and vision that we believe in.”

For more information about our internship programs, contact

Aishwarya Tandon
Vice President
GIP – OGX
AIESEC in Delhi University
[email protected]
9911076038

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Campus Central

Arvind Kejriwal in North Campus

By Siddhi Goel February 26, 2013

Politician and social activist Arvind Kejriwal held an interactive session with the youth at the community centre, North Campus on 18^th of February, 2013. The session was organized with the aim of confronting the youth on the problem of corruption and how the Lokpal bill drafted by the government is not really practical.

The session began at 2 am. Volunteers wearing caps saying “main hun aam aadmi” could be spotted easily. Kejriwal was sitting on a pedestal wearing the same cap and addressing people that had gathered around him. Interestingly, the crowd that had gathered to listen to him was not more than 50% of the mass uprising that had happened earlier, making one feel a little odd and at the same time wonder whether this movement or the people associated with this movement, might have lost their sheen.

Kejriwal had brought with him sundry statistics and was frequently quoting data to support his arguments. He was essentially dealing with the Lokpal bill clause by clause, pointing out the flaws in each clause. For example, he quoted a particular clause that said that people who come under scrutiny for possessing large amounts of money for reasons unknown, would be given 2 days to justify why a raid should not take place at their house. This, according to Kejriwal, will give the grant the criminals an avenue to clear their houses of the black money and come out scot free. Also, talking in light about the Delhi gang rape incident, he said that he’s sure the government will not pass strict laws against rapists, and will not strengthen mechanisms for non bailable offences, because half the ministers sitting in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are themselves criminals and they will all go to jail, the moment such acts are passed.

The session included active interactions, where Kejriwal was seen taking questions from the audience. However, the session did not attract the footfall most expected it to attract and therefore it largely remained a low-key event.

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News

School of Open Learning stuck amidst neglect and controversy

By Siddhi Goel February 4, 2013

The students of the School of Open learning held a protest at the Faculty of Arts, North Campus on January 22. One of the major grievances of the students was the delay in the declaration of results. Students say that the number of people enrolled in SOL is very high and the current infrastructure isn’t enough to support it; the University is very lax in all its procedures. Moreover, since there was a delay in the release of results, many students could not fill up their forms for their post graduate degree on time.

Another grievance that the students want addressed is that there is always a disparity between correspondence students and regular students, with the former being neglected. They think kind of it as an “Education Apartheid” that most people perceive students of SOL as those who do not take studies seriously and thus are only interested in part time studying. Moreover, according to SOL students, they are very much neglected by the University, as they have only one class every week, which does not help them study in any way. The students believe that the correspondence students outnumber the regular students and so there is a need to open more colleges. There has been no new college under the aegis of Delhi University since the past thirty years.

They demand that the infrastructure to accommodate more students and organize more lectures for students should be immediately developed and 80 new colleges be set up so that regular evening classes can take place and students get access to study material. In response to the protests a senior official said an immediate meeting with the VC will be called.

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Campus Central

Le Economiste – Hindu College Economics Fest

By Siddhi Goel February 1, 2013

The Economics department of Hindu College kick started its economics fest “Le Economiste” on 30^th January. The three day fest promised a plethora of competitions like Monopolist , Mock economy , J-A-M, Doodle, photography, AD MAD, scavenger hunt, presentations and FIFA. The first event of the day started at around 9 am with a quiz on economics. Around 15 teams from all over Delhi University registered and there was an estimated participation of close to hundred students on DAY 1. This was followed by “The monopolist”, in which participants were given questionnaires centered on general economic knowledge and crosswords that dealt with economic terms and processes. Towards the latter half of the day, “Just a minute” or JAM as it is commonly known, was held. The competition was bilingual, but Hindi showed its colloquial dominance as both the first and second prize winners Mohit and Prabhanshu gave their speeches in Hindi. Charvi Jain and Mahesh of Hindu College were close competitors. The Third of the economics festival of Hindu College “L’Economiste ’13” was sweet and short. It started at ten thirty in the morning with the final round of the three-day event – The Monopolist. The fifth round of the board game ended with Hansraj College in first place. Ad Mad followed this: termed “great fun” by the participants, it was a lively event with Satyawati College proclaimed as the winners. The fest ended at 1.30 with a closing lecture by Dr. Jayati Ghosh, a renowned economist and professor at Jawahar Lal Nehru College. Talking about “economic reforms and the way forward”, she captured the attention of all present. A brilliant orator, she left the “children of the reforms” thinking about the growth and development of our country. She stressed on the need for our generation to realize the tasks at hand. Dr. Jayati Ghosh stated that though the growth in income was immense, it was not sustainable and went on to explain why: talking about the reforms of the past, and how we took the “easy way out”. She left the enthusiastic learners thinking about creative methods to remedy the mistakes of the past, suggesting the need to shift from a “profit led” growth to an “employment led” growth. The organizers who clad in formals looked content as they headed out for lunch, soaking in the success of the festival. It was a brilliant end to a brilliant fest! Adita Bhatia & Siddhi Goyel [email protected] [email protected] Image credits: Ishika Gupta ]]>

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Events

Jaipur Literature Festival- Day 1 and 2

By Siddhi Goel January 29, 2013

I am a student of literature and I happened to be at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2013. People are quick to comment that since I’m a literature student I’ll obviously attend this fest. However, neither do all literature students attend the festival, nor do literature students form a sizeable majority of the audience. It would be a naïve and myopic approach to take and let’s just say that a love for reading is reason enough to be there.

The Jaipur Literature Festival 2013 is the biggest literature festival in the region of Asia- Pacific and every year it brings together the brightest minds in the field of art, on one platform.

Day 1-

Day 1 began with an introduction by the festival director William Dalrymple, when he noted how the festival has grown over the years. Citing an example, he mentioned that the first time they’d organized the fest in 2005, only 14 people had turned up, out of which 10 were lost Japanese tourists looking for Amer fort. Today, the fest attracts a massive crowd of over a lac.

Dalrymple’s introduction was followed by a keynote address by legendary writer Mahashweta Devi, titled “O to live again”. Her magnetic aura left an impact on all. His Holiness Dalai Lama held a session titled “Kinships of Faiths:Finding the middle way”, in which he very cheekily admitted that even he found religious stories boring in his childhood and it was only later when he understood Budhdhist Philosophy, did he find peace. He maintains that he is a pupil of the Nalanda tradition of teaching and owes a lot to India in this respect. Another highlight of the day was Javed Akhtar talking of Ismat Chughtai and Annie, two stalwarts of Urdu literature. He strongly urged the audience to learn Urdu and explore its literature.

Day 2-

The highly acclaimed book “The Origins of sex” by Faramerz Dabhoivala was discussed by the author and William Dalrymple at the Google Mughal Tent. Fara, as everyone fondly calls him, was an instant hit with the crowd, his pleasing demeanour worked its charm on everyone and the audience listened enraptured as he narrated the central themes of his book. “Sex and Sensibility”, a session taken by acclaimed lyricist Prasoon Joshi and actress cum activist Shabana Azmi, was also quite a crowd puller. In the light of the recent gang rape case and Honey Singh’s obscene lyrics, they discussed the role of cinema in inculcating perverted ideologies. They cited that examples found in Indian mythology such as Ram being the ideal husband and Sita being the silent sufferer are still engrained in the Indian psyche. In a culture where the abuses are hurled not at the person but the person’s mother and sister, we need some serious re-thinking.

The Day 1 and Day 2 were truly enriching and offered great insights.

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Spo(r)tlight

India Hockey League – The Pakistan Controversy

By Siddhi Goel January 20, 2013

The Indian Hockey League found itself in the midst of a controversy due to its move of releasing the nine Hockey Players that had come from Pakistan, thereby denying them the opportunity to play in the Indian Hockey League 2013. Such a move has found its bedrock in the recent tension that has erupted on Indo Pak borders, due to yet another ceasefire violation by Pakistan, following mutilation of two Indian soldiers by the Pakistani soldiers.

Narinder Batra, the secretary General of Hockey India said,”All have approved this decision. The contract money for 2013 will be paid in full to the Pakistani players and HI stands are committed in guaranteeing the same.” The Secretary General also said that the franchisees that had the Pakistani players would be given time and opportunity to find replacements in their teams.

The Shiv sena had earlier threatened to vandalise the stadiums if the Pakistani players took to the stadiums and were allowed to play. However, the HI federation clearly maintains that their decision was not an impulsive reaction to the threats of an organization but a decision in which all top executive members sat down and discussed the intensity of the situation and the hurt sentiments of the nation.

This move of the HI federation has found both bouquets and brickbats. Aruna of Hindu college says, “Its absolutely the right thing to do. When Indian artists go to Pakistan, they are never treated with respect. Pakistan has no respect for India. Why should we be the meek cats always?”

However, Rishabh of Ramjas college says, “ Banning artists and sportspersons is not the solution. The problem exists because of a deep rooted hostility towards citizens of the other country. Such moves will only aggravate and perpetuate the hostility”.

The players who went back are: Fareed Ahmed, Imran Butt, Mahmood Rashid and Muhammad Tousiq (all Mumbai Magicians); Muhammad Rizwan Sr. and Muhammad Rizwan Jr. (Delhi Waveriders); Muhammad Irfan and Shafqat Rasool (Ranchi Rhinos); and Kashif.

Image source-topnews.in

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Campus Central

One billion rising movement at Miranda House

By Siddhi Goel January 8, 2013

There couldn’t have been a better time to talk about feminism. The entire country is angry towards the brutal gang rape incident, and for a change, women issues are being looked at without the prism of patriarchy. There has been a conscious effort on the part of the youth to change the misogynist setup that we have been living in since ages.

Today, Miranda House was host to one such event that was organized under the banner of ‘One Billion rising-South Asia’. The One billion rising movement aims to empower women across the nation to stand up against the world’s complete indifference towards the other half of the population of the world. This event attracted eminent panelists like Eve Ensler (The creator of “The Vagina monologue”), Kamala Bhasin (From the NGO Jago ri) , Mallika Sarabhai (The noted bharatnatyam and kuchipudi dancer and social activist) and Abhijit Das (noted actor). Eve Ensler performed two of her monologues that she had recently written, one titled “Rising” and the other titled “I am an emotional creature”. Kamala Bhasin highlighted issues pertaining to woman by the medium of slogans. Mallika Sarabhai gave a dance recital revolving around Vishnu and Indra that left everyone mesmerized. The venue was reverberating with the positive energy that the guests had brought along with them.

Amidst the huge crowd that had gathered, only 5-6 odd men could be spotted, one of whom spoke up in a discussion, claiming that alcoholism is the main cause of rape. Needless to say, the crowd booed him out. At the end of the event, everyone agreed that it was high time we stop tolerating violence and discrimination against women and give a serious thought to the power relations in the society.

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DUB Speak

The True Spirit of Christmas

By Siddhi Goel December 26, 2012

December has always been my favorite time of the year. I get a break from the sweltering summers and winter comes like a breath of fresh air (Only the air is way too cold, but that is what makes winters my favorite), the dense fog adds to the mistiness usually associated with Christmas, it’s a time of year end retrospection and Connaught Place becomes the ideal hang out zone to experience the sweetness of new year and shake hands with the people roaming around dressed as Santa.

However, this time around the situation wasn’t the same. Since December 1 the end of the world became the trending topic on Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites, and to just see your Facebook wall being spammed by “end of the world” posts don’t help. After this Modi gained attention. Everything he did was seen as “enroute Delhi via Gandhinagar. Then, chaos reached its pinnacle. A 23 year old physiotherapist was gang raped and brutally injured by 6 men in a moving bus. Next thing you see, everyone was out on the streets, protesting against the inefficiency of the police and government. The public demanded- either give the rapist capital punishment or something so brutal that makes him suffer for rights. The girl till this time continues to be in a critical condition and is fighting for her life every second.

What I mean to say this, things don’t seem very Christmas-y when you go to Connaught place with your family to celebrate and all you see is police barricades blocking every road. Things don’t seem very festive when you go to India Gate to have ice cream and all you hear are cries of “hang them hang them!” You are in no mood to retrospect on your past year when all you have for conversation topic is the percentage of intestines left in the girl. Yes, this doesn’t seem like new year at all.

But amidst this, I spot one ray of hope. I went to CP on the morning on 25^th December and saw a lady distributing chocolates to some construction workers. That woman, amongst all the negativity, made efforts to spread happiness.

And that’s when I found my spirit of Christmas.

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Arts & Culture

Eating Out at Mandi House

By Siddhi Goel December 26, 2012

Untitled — All rights reserved by Zabeeh Afaque

Known as the cultural hub of Delhi, Mandi House contains some of the finest art institutions in India- National School of Drama, Kathak Kendra, Bharatiya Kala Kendra, FICCI, Russian Culture Centre to name a few. It boasts of being alma mater to some very successful artists in India and is a budding ground for many more to come.

Because of the centrality of its location and the huge crowd it attracts, a large number of food joints have come up in the past and continue to do so now. Let’s look at some popular joints here-

1) Shri Ram Centre Canteen

The canteen serves lip smacking Chinese food at affordable rates. It is a favorite among students of Shri Ram Theatre and other students in the vicinity. Hugely popular is the spicy singapuri chowmein and refreshing beverages like sweet lassi.

2) Bengali market

You’ve probably been living under a rock if you haven’t tasted the chhole bhature of Bengali Market. This place boasts of being one of the oldest markets in Delhi, and one of the most modern too. Nathu’s, Bengali Sweets, Costa Coffee are some of its famous eateries. While Nathu’s are affordable to a student’s pocket, Costa Coffee is slightly expensive but gives a good ambience and experience, which makes it worth.

3) NSD Canteen

If you have cravings for home made food instead, you can always go to the NSD Canteen that serves delicious Indian Thali , rajma chawal, kadi chawal , etc. The canteen however, is not that spacious and will not give you the desired ambience of quietness as it is always in a hustle bustle.