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Tarushi Varma

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Time to break a leg: 4 dance workshops you should join this summer break

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It’s summer again, the time of the year when we venture out to try new fields, take up hobbies and recreate. So be sure to add Dancing to your bucket list this break with these brilliant summer workshops in Delhi!

1. Shiamak Dawar’s Summer Funk

That’s right kids, Shiamak Dawar performing arts institute is opening up new batches for training in ‘Electronic Dance Music’ where students will groove to Trans music. This summer programme is multicity and is open for dancers in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru. Shiamak’s institute has long running reputation of providing rigorous training and has a special group called ‘Special Potential Batch’.  Summer funk 2 has enrolments starting next week, be there in time!

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2. Hip Hop Dance classes at Big Dance Centre and The DanceWorx

For all the hip hop junkies out there this is a golden chance to learn some new moves, NYC style. Donny aka Mr. Ram Pradeep is taking up teaching at Big Dance Centre in June, and he is also taking hip hop workshops all over Delhi at The DanceWorx. So make sure to catch him in action as he is an experienced trainer with many years of teaching. Plus he specializes in hip hop and funk, so this is a chance some of us hip hop lovers can’t afford to miss! He will be seen next in Gurgaon centre of The Dx on 9th June!

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3. Big Dance Centre: Professional Dance Study Program

Big Dance Centre is hosting a professional training program with some of its foreign guest faculty. The open classes take place on 12th, 13th and 14th June. Be sure to enrol and reap the benefits of a rare training experience.

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4. Art Nation: The Summer edition

A mega dance workshop organised by Art Vibe and Vedas is coming our way towards the end of June! The list of faculty includes the DU alumnus Gaurav and Chandni from Shri Venkateshwara College, who made it big after graduation which adds to the excitement as the sheer number and variety of styles going to be taught in this event are overwhelming and yet this is not all! There is also a surprise guest faculty at the event. Hyperventilating with excitement yet?

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This list includes some of the upcoming opportunities for training in dance, but these are not all. There are many more institutes offering many more exciting programs and styles. So keep looking and keep dancing!

Tarushi Varma
[email protected]

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5 things to do for your mom this Mother’s Day

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Mothers are wonderful creatures and especially dear to all of us. They bring us up, feed us, and then let us fly to conquer our ambitions; mothers single handed-ly transform our lives.

And there is one day in the entire year dedicated to only them, where we can make them feel special. So here are a few pointers on how to make Mother’s Day special for your Maa.

  1. Nothing says I love you better than hot evening tea

Most of our mothers love a hot cup of tea in the evening, and if you decide to surprise her then there’s no better way than a cup of hot tea waiting for her after her long day. It’s the best way to tell her you love her and she’s the most special person on this entire earth.

  1. Putting together a meal

Mostly, our mothers keep telling us to help them in the kitchen or learn some cooking sometime. What best way than this, to take some load off her and cook a meal for her and let her relax instead. So even if you dread the kitchen and can’t even tell salt from pepper, pick up a recipe book or search the net and cook a meal for your mom. She’ll appreciate it more than any piece of jewellery she owns.

  1. Take her out for a movie/picnic

We have enjoyed a score of movies with our friends if it’s either a class bunk or a holiday and our moms only get to hear stories about it. So buy tickets for your mom this time and treat her to some popcorn too. Since mother’s day happens to be a Sunday, you can also take her out to a picnic or a one day trip around your city. She’ll love spending time with you and the conversations you’ll have will be timeless.

  1. Treat her to a day of calming spa

Our mothers hardly get time for themselves in the hurry of work or home. So take advantage of a Sunday and get her an appointment in her favourite spa or parlour complete with massages and manicures. A relaxing day away from routine bustle is the ultimate relaxation for moms. This will also give her some time ‘me-time’.

  1. A handmade card

If in case you can’t make elaborate arrangements or take her out, then keeping it simple with a handmade card from you will also make her day special! So take out your colourful pens or borrow them from your sibling and together let your creative energies tell your Maa that how loved and dear she is to you. A messed up handmade card speaks better of your love than any pretty bought n sold card.

If you indeed try any of these out, make sure to remember the look of love on your mother’s face when you surprise her.

Tarushi Varma
[email protected]

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DUB News

DU department among the top 17 universities globally, says QS Ranking

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Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a British world university ranking agency has released its latest rankings, according to which 9 Indian institutes have made it to the top 100. It is the 5th such ranking by subject published by the agency.

IIT Bombay has outshown the rest and was ranked the best technical institute in India, also being the first of the Indian Institutes to have appeared in the top 100 ranking for 8 disciplines, closely followed by IIT Delhi. With the introduction of 6 new subjects such as architecture, art & design and business studies etc, India has managed to secure 107 positions overall, with a spread of 36 subjects.

As individual departments have landed institutes on the top of the list, DU has emerged to be the ultimate winner out of all for being ranked 17th among the top 20 universities, for its new department in Development Studies. Apart from a score of technical institutes such as IIT Kharagpur and IIT Madras which have been ranked for their respective departments, JNU has also made it under one department list.  Shanmugha Arts Science Technology and Research Academy, Thanjavur has been ranked among the top 100 for art and design along with Indian Institute of Science for Material Science and Electrical & Electronic Engineering.

A statement issued by the agency states that Indian institutes have shown increased competitiveness across various subjects.

This ranking has resulted in country-wide appreciation for Indian universities, especially for Delhi University which has been time and again ranked as one of the top universities in the country. This is an incentive for all institutes to promote innovation and welcome new fields like Development Studies which is getting praised globally now.

Tarushi Varma

[email protected]

Picture credits: www.collegiate-ac.com

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Features

Top societies in DU fests season 2015: Misba of SGGSCC for Western Dance

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Every year, societies from colleges across the campus compete neck to neck and put up spectacular performances during the fest season. This year too, saw certain teams shine a little brighter than the rest. We bring you a series with college societies that put their heart and soul into their respective fields and took home the top prizes at various cultural fests.

The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions at competitive events held during various cultural fests of this season. Whenever a society won the first prize they were awarded 3 points, for the second position they received 2 points and for the third position, 1 point was added to their tally.

For the Western Dance category, Misba (Western Dance Society of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce) scored the maximum points in the tally. SGGSCC’s 16 points were followed by Verve, the dance society of Sri Venkateshwara College that scored 14 points. IIT-Delhi’s V-Defyn bagged third spot scoring 10 points.

 

 

The Winning Society at a glance

Misba, SGGSCC

The Winning Society at a glance Misba, SGGSCC Misba brings to stage a unique sort of energy which radiates from their coordination and a combination of comic punches and props.The most popular songs being ‘Jaan-e-jigar tujhpe’ and ‘teri lagan lagi’, which made the audience go crazy, the jury was often impressed with the techniques used in their contemporary and hip hop sections.

Yukti Arora, the President of Misba said, “Hard work paves way for unimaginable successes. Just tune it in the right way”.

Performing Members: Yukti Arora, Karan Chandna, Harshita Bakshi, Rituraj Sehgal, Kartik Mittal, Ridima Sethi, Dhruv Kumar,Sanya Kapur, Agrima Grover, Prateek Gulati, Bani Sethi, Manpriya Jain, Nishant Jain, Prerna Jain, Jasneet Kaur, Syalli Kaur, Abhijeet Chaturvedi, Ayushi Gupta Abhishek Kumar and Kangana Makkar Choreographers: Ankit and Gaurav (Big Dance Centre)

Winners Tally: Misba (SGGSCC)

13 fests were included in our analysis for this series which were Montage, Nexus, Mecca, Crossroads, Reverie, Ullas, Tarang, Shruti, Manjari, Lashkara, Confluence, Renaissance and Tempest. Out of the considered fests, 10 had conducted a competitive Western Dance event. Here is the list of winning performances by Misba (SGGSCC):

Ist Position: Crossroads 2015 (Shri Ram College of Commerce), Manjari 2015 (Daulat Ram College) and Nexus 2015 (Sri Venkateshwara College)

IInd Position: Shruti 2015 (IPCW), Confluence 2015 (Hand Raj College) and Mecca 2015 (Hindu College)

III Position: Ullas 2015 (Kamala Nehru College)

(Hover on the icons below to know more about their victories)

Tarushi Varma

[email protected]

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DUB News

Maitreyi College conducts college union elections ’15- ’16

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maitreyi elections

Maitreyi College students witnessed an aggressively campaigned for elections this Monday. From banners and posters hanging from trees and bushes, to “take what you need” tables set up in the canteen, the candidates left no stones unturned to attract voters. Alliances were forged among candidates and collective posters went up in no time. Notice boards, canteen walls and even the college gates were decorated by large hangings bearing credentials of competing candidates.

maitreyi elections

The results were announced on the same day and are as follows:

President: Shelly Vashist

Vice President: Manisha Bhardwaj

Secretary: Akshita Dalal

Treasurer: Yogita Suhag

The Former Union President of Maitreyi College, Rajshree Sancheti, welcomed the new team and said, “I am very happy with the results, two of our experienced members have risen up, Shelly and Manisha and I hope they take our legacy forward and raise the college standards even further.” The next college union now has some pressing issues already at hand such as allotment of rooms and budget sanctions for the college cultural societies, general sanitation and availability of medical aid for the students among various other issues.

Here’s wishing the new elected College Union of Maitreyi a very lucky year ahead!

 

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5 advertisements to transform your stance on society

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Quite often we complain about the junk advertisements we see on TV, but every once in a while, admist the “Laga rha hai ya udha rha hai” deo ads, we come across an ad that makes us look twice and think. A few such ads have been very popular. Here’s the list:

Pidilite (Fevikwik): Todo nahi, jodo!

The new Fevikwik ad starts at the Wagah Border and hilariously shows in slow motion how one person helps the other in fixing his shoe within a split second. The message, “Todo nahi, jodo”, preached by the ad subtly teaches the importance of mutual friendship and how it can flourish through little things that might just save entire nations.

Havells: Respect for Women

Havells has released a series of different advertisements, showing that within the everyday social setting how often we equate women to kitchen appliances. The coffee maker ad typically preaches, that if you want to get married for coffee then marry a coffee maker, because women are not kitchen appliances. Along with catchy lines such as “chutney and patni” and “isstri and stri”, these ads make a bold point.

The Hindu- Indian Parliament Ad:

Behave yourself India, the youth is watching The ad released by the newspaper, The Hindu opens with a typical classroom setting where the teacher instructs the class to have a debate and expects a similar scene to that of the Indian Parliament and what comes next is funny, but also very moving. The basic thought of “Behave yourself India, the youth is watching” hits directly at the heart, in light of the recent chaotic parliament sessions.

 

Birla Sun Life Insurance: Khud ko kar buland

The Birla group came out with a touching ad where a single father tries to bring up his autistic son. Being from the middle class he faces financial struggles but he makes education available to his son through the help of insurance. The bond between the father and son shown is touching and also teaches us not to stigmatize mental illness. The ad proves that love and affection can help everyone bloom.

Google Search: Reunion

Google too released a series of ads popularly know as Reunion, in the setting of present day New Delhi where two old childhood friends parted from each other due to Partition of the two countries, are united again in old age. This ad sends across a beautiful message that old friendships die hard. It teaches us that no matter what the boundaries maybe, national or religious, friendships always find a way to cherish.

 

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Campus Central

Abscissa ’15: Maths Department fest at Maitreyi College

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1. SNAKES AND LADDERS The age old snakes and ladders with a twist of a maths quiz, where one’s fate was determined by their math skills on a life size Snakes and Ladders. 2. MONOPOLY This event was for people with a keen eye for the best deals, who are always calculating the better bargain. Monopoly with a hint of a round table betting game from the streets of London, it’s time to move on from mock stocks it seems! 3. DOODLE-O-MATH A T-shirt painting competition where mathematics met art. It was a call out to all the painters to grab their colours and show the world how good they were. 4. AD-MAD Ad Mad presented the participants with the unique opportunity to use the other side of their brain and showcase their creative streak combined with quick thinking to come up with a unique advertisement and a hilarious punch line for a given product. Other side events at Maitreyi’s Maths Department Fest included, Sudoko, Teen Patti, Bollywood Trivia, Lucky Seven, Photo Booth (by MAD). Students from IIT Delhi, Lady Irwin College, Jesus and Mary College, PGDAV, Maharaja Agrasen College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Arybhatta, Satyawati, Ram Lal Anand College and Maitreyi took part in various events and went home with attractive rewards. Tarushi Varma [email protected] [gallery ids="31252,31253,31251,31250,31249,31245,31246,31247,31248"] Picture credits at Apeksha Dass, Maitreyi College.]]>

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Campus Central

Beyond the Obvious – Maitreyi College

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Maitreyi College, one of the star colleges of DU, is also one of the most beautiful colleges in south campus. As you enter the gate, the red brick building alongside a plush green garden laden with flowers welcomes you. The direct neighbours of JMC, Maitreyi has its own virtues to flaunt.

Maitreyi has been awarded with the ‘Best Garden award’ in DU, and to uphold its standards the gardeners are often seen working hard in the front lawns. Maitreyi has two major fields, along with many small pockets of greenery, all of which are maintained well by the authorities.

As one walks straight ahead through the gates, they are greeted by a long stone passage, dividing into three paths, each leading to a different block. The science block is the biggest in size, having separate labs and classrooms for physics, chemistry, botany and zoology departments. The library block comes next in size, where the library is extended into two floors containing everything from everyday journals to books on each course the college offers. It has separate reading rooms and an internet lab for the convenience of the students.

The college has a beautiful stone Amphitheatre, where the societies can often be seen practicing. Maitreyi has a total of 9 societies, including Western dance, Indian music, Fashion and Dramatics to name a few. The college also has a very active sports cell, offering students training in basketball, baseball and athletics among other sports.  Whenever someone visits Maitreyi, they are always advised to try the famous Bhel puri and Chole kulche from the canteen among other food items available, and the Mother Dairy keeps most of the students hydrated in the summers.

Maitreyi also stands out due to its proximity with Satyaniketan market, the hub of south campus. The market which boasts of food joints such as Big Yellow door, The Chocolate Room and Pizza Hut among various others, is just a 10 minutes’ walk from the college. Another known place to hang out near Maitreyi is the CCD opposite Taj Hotel, known to be bustling with college students at all times.

If you ever happen to visit Maitreyi, you’ll be intrigued by its calm beauty among the natural abundance, only to be broken by the sound of laughter from the student and staff at all times.

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Campus Central

Maitreyi College organizes cultural festival 'Rhaspody 2015'

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Rhapsody 2015 was flagged off to a positive start with inauguration by Chief Guest Manoj Tiwari,  actor and presently a BJP MP. Once the fest was declared open, a variety of cultural events took place. Match The Beat- the western group dance event, Intifida– the street play event, Swar Sadhna- classical solo singing, Sursangam– semi classical solo singing; Cross Fire- the debate competition, Penpower- the creative writing competition and Framed- on the spot photography were some of the events of the day.

Here’s a little sneak-peek into the day:

Match the Beat, the western group dance took place in the field of the college. In the end, Jesus and Mary College bagged the first position, where the judge was quoted as saying, “their team had the best prop’s usage amongst all”. Kamla Nehru College bagged the second position, giving a very tough competition to the winners. The event ended with a performance by Maitreyi’s team Zeal, which received the loudest cheers from the crowd.

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Intifida, the street play event organised by the Dramatics Society of Maitreyi- Abhivyakti, displayed some very powerful themes with thought provoking messages aimed at the audience, compelling them to be proactive towards diverse social issues. After a very close competition between the participating colleges, Shivaji College stood first while the College of Vocational Studies stood second. Gargi College received a special mention by the judges for their outstanding performance.

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The music events, which took place in the amphitheatre, saw a large crowd swaying to the rhythms of some very talented vocalists and instrumentalists. The music events came to a close with Hindu College at the top bagging major positions.

The first day of Rhapsody 2015 ended with a performance by the band Vyom, which got the crowd grooving in no time!

Post by DU Beat.

Tarushi Verma

[email protected]

 

Image credits: Kashika Kapoor, Bayar Jain

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