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In conversation with Nikhil Pandhi, Rhodes Scholar 2014

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Nikhil_Passport_Size_PictureNikhil Pandhi from St. Stephens College recently received the Rhodes scholarship, one of the most prestigious international graduate scholarships in the world.

Along with coverage of the university and college fees at Oxford, the recipient of the scholarship also receives a monthly maintenance stipend to cover accommodation and living expenses that is funded by the Rhodes Trust. Although all scholars become affiliated with the residential college while at Oxford, they also enjoy access to Rhodes House, an early 20th century mansion with numerous public rooms, gardens, library, study areas and other facilities.

 

 

You recently received the Rhodes scholarship. I’m sure that must be really exciting! Tell us about what motivated you to apply?

Quite honestly, I had always heard about the Rhodes but when I figured that my college seniors had applied for it when I was a fresher, it seemed a lot more possible and doable. I saw that I had coincidently accumulated several extra curricular activities with a fairly good academic score that further motivated me to apply. I also thought that Rhodes is an excellent scholarship for somebody who is interested in academic and research particularly. Being somebody who is, I thought it would be good to give it a shot.

What was the procedure?

The procedure is an online application that opens on 1st July. The online application contains of your personal details, a statement of purpose and letter of recommendation.

How did you prepare for it? Any tips for aspirants?

The Statement of Purpose is the most important point of your application in which you need to be really sure of which course you are applying for and why you are applying for it. In order to draft the Statement of Purpose you need to be really sure about what you are writing and deconstruct yourself in way to portray your strengths.

How was your final interview?

I’m always the one who prepares for the interview and not leave it to luck and chance. You need to be thorough with your SOP because at the end of the day the SOP is the fulsome of the interview as whatever they ask is you is more or less based on the SOP.

Having said that, one needs to be aware of not only what you want to do at Oxford but also how it will be relevant to modern day South Asia, as you will be representing your country at Oxford. You need to be aware of theoretical dimensions; debates and controversies around your field and you need to brush up on your own abilities and strength. In the final interview they assess your understanding of the course, your ambitions and aims.

How much importance is given to academic achievements in the application?

Academics are important, but at the same time importance is given to your extra curricular activities, sports and leadership initiatives. I believe that they are not looking for a particular thing but for an overall profile.

What gave you an edge over the other contestants?

I think it was my interest in fields that haven’t been explored widely. Like, I taught myself an East African language “Kiswahili”; I founded the poetry society of my college; I’m trained in Indian Classical Music and I play tennis and badminton regularly. They are looking for somebody who has demonstrable leadership abilities in different realms supported by a good academic record with an equally balanced extra curricular. Also my first book of poetry, “Derelictions” is out too!

Which course are you planning to study at Oxford?

I’ll be studying Archeology at Oxford. I want to be a historian/archeologist with a particular focus on South Asia, Africa and the Indian Ocean while continuing in academia and research so that I can particularly contribute towards the study of regions of history that have not been studied traditionally.

Now that you have this brilliant opportunity, how do you plan ahead?

The MSc is a one-year course and then I plan to apply for the MPhil and follow research with DPhil so that I can teach and continue my research independently. The Rhodes covers a minimum of two years of your education and based on your academic records it is extendable to your third year as well.

Nikhil is currently studying History and has won the Westcott Memorial History Prize, the Ranjit Singh Goel Memorial Award as well as the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Undergraduate Scholarship. We wish this multifaceted student the best for his future endeavors!

For more information about the Rhodes Scholarship, click here.

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DUB Speak

In’fest’ed with the Fest Bug: A fresher’s perspective

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(Picture this in black & white and slow- mo) You’re grudgingly dragging yourself to an early morning class, the world around you is a scene of despondence and despair as your classmates are unwillingly following suit, when suddenly (shift to colourful mode and normal speed) something on the notice board catches your sleep deprived eye. You move in closer, inspect the poster announcing a college fest and with a thankful tear in your eye you mutter, “It is time!” (Cue hallelujah- type music, confetti optional).

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Theatrics aside, fest time has to be the most exciting time of the year, especially (but not only) for freshers. Plucked from the maddening board examination pressure and jolted into the prickly thorns of the FYUP, it is finally time to revel in that glory of DU which we had painted rosy pictures of in our heads. The anticipation for a great month and a half ahead is already evident. The definite dates are up, the Facebook event pages have been created, and I’m sure that in the secret garden of our hearts, the outfits have also been, or are in the process of being, decided.

But let my overly- evident thrill not take away from the venting space my laments against the four year programme that it deserves. Foundation course teachers have decided to finish off with a majority of the presentations and projects before the fests arrive, resulting in a mad rush to get everything done. Scuttling from the World Wide Web to the library and back again, the coming month has turned way more hectic than what we bargained for. Staying up All Night to Get Lucky has taken a whole new meaning with us, burning the midnight oil hoping against hope to meet the onslaught of deadlines. On the plus side, we do get one extra fest season.

30-Rock

So here’s to looking forward to a great fest season that surpasses expectations. Wait, let me rephrase that, optimism and expectations will only get you so far. So here’s to looking forward to a fest season which isn’t a complete dud, or at least, to a few flattering profile picture- worthy photos!

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Shri Ram College of Commerce

Post graduation options: Global Business Operations at SRCC

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Shri Ram College of Commerce is usually known for its undergraduate courses, what many people are unaware of is the post graduate courses offered by this college under the University of Delhi. SRCC is the only college which offers post graduate course in Global Business Operations (GBO). The GBO Programme is designed to provide a thorough knowledge of global business with emphasis on the implications of international business and the specialization required in carrying out business activities across national frontiers and is equivalent to a management degree in International Business.

This was introduced in SRCC around ten years ago and ever since students who are passionate about being a manager have been able to acquire advanced practical expertise in areas such as Human Resource Management, Accounting and Finance Trade, Translational Marketing and Information Technology. The course adopts a multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary view of organizational objectives and in the process motivates students to appreciate the complex and rapidly changing business environment. The aim of the course is to deliver quality management education for excellence in international business.

GBO is a self-financing course with no government funding. It has its affiliation with University of Delhi and requires a minimum of two years or four semesters for completion. With a capacity of 62 seats the college claims a 100% placement for its students. There is 27% reservation for OBC, 15% for SC and 7.5% for ST. The eligibility for admission is minimum 50% marks in the degree examination (10+2+3) of a recognized university, for reserved categories there is a relaxation of 5% in total aggregate marks.

There is also a written test, group discussion and personal interview for admission to this course. For the written test, objective type questions are asked from areas of English language, Quantitative Ability, Logical Ability and General Knowledge. The written test is for two hours and is given 75% weightage; group discussion and personal interview are given 10% and 15% respectively.

Once the course is completed, there are many options that one might take up as a career. Students who believe in being the job providers go for entrepreneurship. Companies that come for placements offer good profiles like, research analyst, business analyst, business development, international brand management, HR profiles and finance profiles.

The college provides excellent faculty to its students many of whom are renowned authors like Dr. J.K. Thukral and Mr. Amit Sachdeva. There are guest lecturers too who provide the necessary corporate exposure. According to Akanksshi Verma, a first year student of this course “The things I found unique about this course after talking to many of my friends in other B-schools is the psychometric profiling of students, the international exchange programs, current affairs as part of our curriculum, the role plays and quizzes which happen weekly, the port visits and the like!”

The last date to apply for the 2014-2016 batch is January 15th, 2014. You can find all the details regarding the course here.

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Top Picks

Top 5 trends that freshers end up following

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College is seen as a land of magical dreams and abundant freedom. After slogging for their Board Exams, freshers look forward to letting their hair down and experimenting with everything under the sun. While every fresher takes a different route, we look at some common trends among freshers in the first few months after college begins!

  1. Getting their hair coloured-Ah, come college and you’ll notice many hardcore freshers dyeing their hair in a variety of colours. Red and light brown are too old school now and people have moved on to more off beat shades like purple, blue, green and even white. In case you dislike everything that is main stream and want to stand out, just shave your hair off completely; that should do the trick!
  2. Joining societies and ‘youth organisations’– It is common knowledge that the batch of first years is easily the most enthusiastic lot in a college at any given point of time. Fresh out of school, they want to try their hand at anything and everything, and usually end up joining about 5 different societies in colleges, or the many ‘youth organisations’ comprising DU students. Needless to say, they don’t think too much about it and jump into such activities. This zeal fades, eventually, and students end up in the one or two societies that they really like.
  3. Getting tattoos and piercings-Nothing screams freedom and individuality like tattoos and piercings, right? There are many fucchas who line up outside tattoo studios and jewellery stores to get inked and pierced respectively the minute they get into DU. They get their ears, noses, eyebrows and even unmentionable body parts pierced. Cryptic tattoos are definitely in, though most like to keep it simple with the symbol for infinity being a popular option.
  4. Adopting a hippie outlook- This transformation is relatively slow and not something that everyone goes through. But slowly and surely, you’ll notice some freshers adopting certain habits. Such students claim to hate all that is main stream and switch to loose, brightly coloured pants and tops and can be seen smoking around campus. And no, that’s not a cigarette they’re smoking! They’ll start growing out their hair and adopting an ‘I don’t care about anything’ attitude. Many of them even start listening to Pink Floyd to seal the deal.
  5. Creating LinkedIn Accounts-This isn’t an immediate occurrence, but within a month or so, students start creating LinkedIn accounts for ‘professional purposes’. Especially those in Commerce, Economics and Business courses feel that a profile on LinkedIn will help them get important contacts. Only problem is that the next time they log into their account is about a year later, if at all.
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Campus Central

NEXUS 2013 – Cultural Extravaganza at Sri Venkateswara College

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The Student’s Union of Sri Venkateswara College will be presenting Nexus 2013, its annual cultural extravaganza on the 7th, 8th and 9th of March this year. Among the fest rankings that emerge in DU every year, Nexus almost always scores among the top 3 in terms of most-awaited, best organised and most glamorous. Over the years, Nexus has hosted on its stage a galaxy of brilliant singers that have included the likes of Indian Ocean, Euphoria, KK, Sonu Nigam, Shankar Mahadevan and many more! Spread across 3 days, Nexus 2013 is a cultural haven and is among the most sought-after platforms for cultural societies across the University to display their prowess. One of the most high profile competitions at Nexus is the Choreography competition that brings together the best teams to participate in an artistic display par excellence. In fact, Nritya, the Choreography society of SVC is one of the star attractions of the show, renowned for the perfect coordination, brilliant conceptualization and spell-binding performances. Another prominent event is the quintessential “Mr. and Miss Nexus” competition that encourages talented individuals to forward and showcase their confidence, talent and abilities in front of a large audience. This competition has the dual ability to attract both participants and audience members in large numbers! The evenings are dominated by 2 inter-related events. The Battle of the Bands is an intensely fought competition, allowing a large number of varied and exciting bands to play in front of an equally enthusiastic audience. The celebrity judges invited for the Battle of the Bands will themselves play the next night, appropriately labeled “Rock Night”. The most looked-after event is of course, “Star Night”. Occurring on the last day of the festival, Star Night is the ultimate chance for a college to showcase its brand, its organising ability and its scale of ambition. “Each year the suspense builds as to which singer/band will perform on star night. I am eagerly looking forward to this year’s announcement and will make plans accordingly”, is the opinion of a student from Venky. Alongside, there are a wide range of other events awaiting the students at NEXUS 2013. Visit their official Facebook page for further details, http://www.facebook.com/svcnexus Vernika Awal Sri Venkateswara College]]>

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Sounds

The Lungi-clad Superheroes: The Raghu Dixit Project

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The Raghu Dixit Project burst on to the Indian independent music scene around 2007 with their hit single ‘Hey Bhagwan’ and a dash of colourful lungis. Having maintained a low profile in India for quite some time, it seems as if they’ve finally made a mark for themselves, gathering up a niche audience. They have, however, experienced phenomenal success abroad, having performed for a show that aired on BBC alongside artists such as the legendary Robert Plant and Adele, among others. His immense popularity is reflected in the fact that they are now flooded with offers to perform at various events around the globe.

Their music, to say the least, is a perfect blend. Beautiful, soulful lyrics combined with equally mesmerizing and soothing tunes; a mix that is rarely found these days. The lyrics are the blend of old and new with inputs coming in from not just their songwriter but also from ancient songs and poetry.

From peppy, foot- tapping numbers like ‘Mysore se Aayi’ and ‘When I’m in Mumbai’ to rich soulful songs like ‘No Man will Ever Love You’ and ‘Ambar’ that make you want to sway in the moonlight, their bilingual songs have got it all. Their most famous song, ‘Hey Bhagwaan’ is a prayer to the God above to give each of us a second chance. “As humans, we tend to make mistakes and it’s never too late to one day wake up, want to leave your past behind and start over!” to quote their website.

Their first and only album as of now, Antaragni, was released back in 2008 with eight songs on the record. Their songs were like a gust of fresh air in the age of mindless Bollywood songs with nothing but groovy beats to back them. That’s probably the reason why their fans have held onto them for so long despite the fact that there has been no new album. Even today, their concerts are jam packed and nobody leaves one without a huge smile playing on their lips and an immense sense of satisfaction.

But along with all the brilliant music, there is something else that makes their concerts memorable– Raghu Dixit, the man himself. His wit and charm alone would suffice to have you in splits. It’s as if he exudes happiness and it makes you realize how much he loves what he does. It makes you want to laugh and sing along to the songs. Then, of course, there is the sheer brilliance of his voice. It has the power to melts hearts.

Their fans are waiting with baited breaths for the release of their new album, having already had a preview of some songs at their concerts. And as someone who has had firsthand experience of a few songs on their yet to be released album, I can assure you that it is definitely worth the wait. It beautifully captures various emotions and exhibits Raghu’s immense knowledge of the classical dance forms.

Prepare to be blown away by the magic that is Raghu Dixit. And to all their ardent fans out there, once this album is out, you’ll finally have a replacement for ‘Ambar’. Or maybe even better, I guarantee.

Surya Rajappan
[email protected] 

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Delhi College of Arts and Commerce

DMUNC 2011 and How It All Began

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“I’m going back to basics
To where it all began
I’m ready now to face it
I wanna understand”

So go the lyrics of a popular song by Christina Aguilera, and the same line of thought was followed by the students of the Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, lovingly called DCAC, who in their maiden attempt at hosting a Model United Nations (MUN) conference, titled DMUNC (hosted between August 26-28), made sure they stood out from the rest.

For all those who are clueless about what MUNs are, we give you the official definition by the United Nations Association of the USA: “The Model United Nations is a simulation of the United Nations system. Students assume the roles of ambassadors to the United Nations and debate the current issues on the UN’s agenda. Through diplomacy and negotiation, Model UN students seek ways that the world community can deal with complex global concerns such as the environment, economic development, refugees, AIDS, conflict resolution, disarmament and human rights. Young people of all backgrounds and walks of life participate in these educational exercises to experience first-hand decision-making processes and diplomatic work at the United Nations.”

MUNing has become a verb in its own right and over the last few decades, it has seen a rapid increase in popularity amongst school and college students alike. For those who are frequent MUNers, it is nothing less than an addiction. For proof, search Facebook for a page titled ‘MUN Addicts Anonymous’. From actor Samuel L. Jackson to Chelsea Clinton (Don’t ask us who she is), many popular faces in law, arts and business have MUNed in their early years. Many claim that they have benefitted from this experience and it is regarded as a very engaging means to the development of important skills such as research, public speaking, problem-solving, cooperation, formal interaction and reporting. In India, the earliest MUNs were given an impetus by law schools, which deem it necessary for their students to have this experience. However, it wasn’t long before other colleges caught on, and schools followed suit too. College MUNs saw a relatively freer atmosphere than MUNs at the school level, because of the evident difference between the conduct of a school student and a college student, and it is a widely held opinion that school MUNs are relatively “stricter” in their rules and manner of running.

MUNs at the university level often witness a lot of frolicking and merriment, where flirtatious or cheeky exchanges between delegates abound in the formal course of the conference. Punning, mocking, innuendos and double-meaning statements are even more commonplace. While MUN Purists regard this playfulness as “degeneration” of MUN values, more liberal MUNers look forward to it as a good way of making new friends and added social interaction. Whether this takes away from the core spirit of an MUN, which involves stimulating debates and intense research, is a contentious question. Purists also believe that over the years, the quality of research and training, which a delegate ought to undertake before every MUN conference, has also seen a plunge. Participants are thought to be more concerned about the lunch timings than what they are presenting.

Sidharth Das, regarded as one of the best MUNers in the country (with a profile that boasts of 35+ MUNs), Secretary General of DMUNC ’11 and President of DCAC’s MUN society ‘MUNitions’, says about this degeneration: “A major difference between now and then is that almost every delegate was trained properly prior to an MUN and the difference between a trained delegate and the others was clearly visible when they stepped into council. Hours were spent in front of the computer reading through all possible documents that might help us in the council, that might give us an understanding of our countries’ foreign policy, or a flaw in another’s which we might point out and question them on.” He goes on to talk about the current scenario where most just browse through Wikipedia for information, how many are unaware of the rules of procedure, take greater pleasure in passing chits than raising a noteworthy point, and adds “While there isn’t anything wrong with having fun, but perhaps fun at the expense of the purpose of the Conference is a flaw that needs correction.”

When Das announced DMUNC, everyone knew it would be something to look forward to. And he proved them right by conducting a conference that followed the philosophy of “Back to Basics”, ensuring that everything in the conference would be just like a school MUN, minus any frivolity and solely for the purpose of competitive and stimulating debating. It was an effort that was much commended, and nobody could deny that delegates were enjoying the intellectual challenges posed to them.

It was an effort that was much commended, and nobody could deny that delegates were enjoying the intellectual challenges posed to them. Prakriti Kargeti, Undersecretary General, accrues the success of the conference to Das’ dedication and commitment, and adds that all their hard work and almost unfairly “rigorous sessions” of training paid off, enabling them to host an event that broke away from the tradition of contemporary Indian MUNs, from the initial application process to the closing ceremony.

No wonder so many tagged it as the ‘Das Model United Nations Conference’!

Aayushi Sinha
[email protected]

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Interviews

In conversation with William Dalrymple

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(As told to Janhavi Mittal and Shraddha Gupta)
As one of the festival directors for the immensely successful Jaipur literature festival, Mr. William Dalrymple was generous enough to spare a few minutes to DUB out of his extensively rigorous schedule, where he would not have been unjustified in shrugging us off. He talks about his never-ending romance as a travel writer in India and about the festival itself.
Q: Sir, how do you feel about living in India?
A: Well there is no answer to that since India has always been home. A lot of my friends are here. But yes, I do go back to Scotland for two months, usually in the summer to visit my family there.
Q For such a well versed travel writer it would be interesting to know what your favourite Indian city is…
A. Well, Delhi is where home is. In spite of all its drawbacks, which we all are well aware of, it is still a wonderful city. I feel it has evolved greatly during the past twenty years. Rajpath, Old Delhi, C.P. and Safdarjung are some of my favorite places in the city. Other than Delhi, which is definitely home, I think Kochin is an amazing city, though a few years back I think I would have said Lucknow. I visit Kochin if I want to take a holiday from Delhi.
Q. Do you plan to travel to the parts of India that you visited so far, for example the North East which is yet to feature in your books?
A. North east is one of the regions in India I have yet to travel to but that trip is due sometime in February I figure. Another city that I am eager to visit is Varanasi.
Q. You are known to be a disciplined writer yourself. How do you inculcate this habit?
Well, to be disciplined in one’s writing, organization is important. Specially for my kind of writing (travel writing ), time needs to be made when I can sit down in a room with everything else in order . I feel that when everything else is in place, there is space for inspiration to come. To overcome that white piece of paper, I need a distraction-free atmosphere.
Q. You undoubtedly have a great number of readers within Delhi University and among them quite a few budding writers as well. Any advice for them?
I feel that for any writer, it is extremely important that they have good things to read. I always feel that is more helpful in the wrong run than the numerous writing courses that people sometimes take. I would say that it is important that one discovers and learns to refine their tastes. Mozart was an important influence on the early works of Beethoven. Personally speaking, I enjoy the works of Robert Burns and he has been a great influence in the shaping of my first book, In Xanadu: A Quest. On another note, I think gaining confidence in one’s own writing is very important. Most writers start off with writing for a student newspaper or a magazine. It is not too often that someone may produce a novel as their first sample of writing. Perhaps , one can start off with writing short profiles , long profiles, reports etc. before moving on to novels.

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Interviews

Interview with Sonal Mansingh

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As told to Pragya Mukherjee

Sonal Mansingh
Sonal Mansingh

Sonal Mansingh, the internationally acclaimed danseuse proficient in various dance forms be ranging from Bharatnatyam, which comprised her debut performance-arangatram and first raised her to heights of fame, to chauu and Odissi, has performed before the highest dignitaries all over the world and her art has won her the highest of accolades including Padma Bhushan (1992), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987) and the Padma Vibhushan in 2003, conferring on her the honour of being the first woman dancer in India to receive this award. However her tremendous achievements are not merely a result of talent but of tremendous grit and dedication to her craft. Her passion for dance was such as to make her run away from home in order to be able to continue to pursue dance as a career. She spent long years training under great luminaries in the filed of dance such as Prof U.S. Krishna Rao and Chandrabhaga Devi and later Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra who was the one to train her in Odissi.
Her sterling resilience was tested to the limit when during a car accident in Germany her spinal cord was injured and her legs lost their function. However this was when chiropractor Pierre Gravel gave her new hope by announcing she may be able to dance again. Living with this hope she made a complete recovery and within a year she was able to successfully perform to a full house.
Sonal Mansingh has been elected a member of the Executive Board and General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, National Cultural Fund, Ministry of Culture. More recently she has been appointed a trustee of the largest institution in India, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). In 1977 she founded the Delhi based Centre for Indian Classical Dances (CICD) which has produced numerous stage productions and been the training grounds of many notable artists today.
This legendary dancer’s passion for her art should be an example for all. Here’s a short tete-a-tete with the legend herself.

DuBeat: What inspired you to take up dance as a profession?
SM: I am from a political family. My grandfather, Mangal Das Pakwasa, was one of the first five Governors of India. My grandfather and both my parents were greatly interested in the arts and so famous artists would often come and perform at our house. I grew up among these artists and naturally grew an interest in it.

DuBeat: Was dance still not considered respectable enough that you had to run away to pursue it?
SM: Dancing and dancers had a negative connotation in those days and this prejudice hasn’t entirely died down even now. Dancing is still a problematic profession for some packets of society.

DUBeat: Wasn’t it difficult to steel yourself to run away? How were you able to make such a big decision?
SM: It wasn’t a hard decision to make. This is something I try to make my students understand as well. If you really do something with a passion nothing and no one can get in your way. You only realize you made a choice in hindsight but at that time nothing else really seemed to matter.

DUBeat: How did you develop an interest in Odissi?
SM: It was under Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra that I discovered Odissi and how much it needed to grow. At the time Odissi had a limiter repertoire so we began researching all aspects of it- performance, art and tradition. This was when I started learning Chau as well.

DUBeat: What was your reaction to the famous documentary film made on you by Prakash Jha?
SM: Oh he did a wonderful job! But now he can make a new one, so much has happened since (laughs)

DUBeat: Do you feel the youth today is losing interest in Indian Classical Dance?
SM: I wouldn’t say that. I still meet a lot of passionate youngsters interested in classical dance. However if interest is digressing into other newer forms of dance it is perfectly all right. It’s really all up to individual choice and what you consider to be enriching or fulfilling for you.

DUBeat: Any message for our readers?
SM: Be passionate about what you do and never lose sight of your principles. I don’t wish to generalize but there are youngsters one hears of with a callous attitude who carelessly crush people on the pavement or show similar disregard for the lives and problems of others. This insensitive attitude has to change. There are of course many young people who are passionate about change and keen to make a difference but there are also those who take life lying down. Always keep with you a strong sense of values and learn to be compassionate.

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