Latest
DU Beat – Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper
796 Results

LIFE AT DELHI UNIVERSITY

Search
Fest Season

Highlights of Tempest 2019 organised by Miranda House

By

The three-day fest of Miranda House, Tempest 2019 presented different events and an amazing line-up of the performance nights.

Tempest 2019- the Annual Cultural Fest of Miranda House- University of Delhi kick-started on 14th February 2019.There were a plethora of events scheduled by the college but most of them got delayed due to unfavourable weather conditions. Nevertheless, the events ran smoothly and the first day of Tempest turned out to be a fulfilling and vibrant experience for the attendees.

The Duet Singing Competition organized by Geetanjali, the Indian Music Society of Miranda House saw various performances that had the audiences captivated. It concluded with Sukriti and Saksham from SGTB Khalsa College in second position, with the winner’s title being claimed by Pranava and Ram of Hansraj College.

Adwitiya, the Fine Arts’ Society, in a stunning display of powerful art, transformed SAC to an exquisite art gallery. From portraits to abstract brushstrokes, all the artwork presented had a story to tell. An art-piece labeled ‘Nirvana’ captured the modern world in a representative manner. A symbolic display promised and delivered aesthetic pleasure.   The day concluded with the performance by PARASHARA- a popular Delhi-based progressive band, with an idea conceived and brought to action in the mountains. The audiences swiveled to the beats as they played their melodies, revolving around the realities of life, with an interesting modern touch to it. This wraps up the Day 1 of the fest and all the festivities stuck true to the theme of the fest: “Future of Fun”.  

Day 2 of Tempest 2019, the annual cultural fest of Miranda House witnessed a refreshing hustle-bustle as the day started with a perfect weather, as opposed to the weather conditions prevailing the first day. The day witnessed different societies conducting their competitions.

Anukriti, the Hindi Dramatics Society of Miranda House organised ‘Izhaar’, a stage play event after four years. Amongst preliminary rounds between 27 competing team, 6 teams made it to the finals. The event kicked off with ‘Three Tall Women’ the annual production of The Ariels, the English Dramatics Society, followed by SRCC’s annual production ‘Anidra’ and Anubhuti, the Hindi Dramatics Society of Sri Venkateswara College’s annual production ‘Kolahal’. After the break, ‘Fourth Wall Productions’, the dramatics society of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies presented their annual production ‘Bhunde’. The event ended with Leher, the dramatics society of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce’s production ‘Mahua’ and Hansraj dramatics society’s play ‘Word of Mouth’.

The Day 2 of Tempest 2019 came to an end with an exhilarating performance by DJ Mojojojo. He performed some of his famous mixes like ‘Sapne’ and also played the famous track ‘Udd Gaye’ by Ritviz. The audience grooved to the tunes of his enthralling showcase. The crowd then peacefully dispersed.  

Day 3 witnessed four events taking place. Orpheus, the Western music society of Miranda House organized their annual event Euphony 2019. The event had two competitions: Accapella, the group singing competition and the solo singing competition.Echo the western music society of Jesus and Mary College won the first position in group singing.

Mridang, the Indian dance society of Miranda House presented their annual fest Tarangini’19. The solo classical event witnessed a number of participants portraying classical dance performances followed by a montage of peppy group performances by participants ranging from different colleges.

On the last day of Tempest 2019, renowned singer, Jubin Nautiyal, created an enchanting musical aura at Miranda House. He began the night by interacting with the audience, and telling the enthusiastic crowd that he had been excited to meet them and perform for them since the past few weeks. Soft romance was the vibe in the air as he sang popular numbers like Meherbaani, Kaabil, Gazab ka hai din, and Baawra Mann among many others. In a medley that had the audience captivated, Nautiyal sang covers of old favourites such as Gulaabi aankhein, Dheere dheere se, and Roop tera mastana. The singer then moved to songs like Aaj ki raat, Tamma tamma, Ilahi et al, as the audience grooved in delight. On the same climatic note, Nautiyal bid adieu to Miranda House with the joy and rhythm of The Humma Song.

Tempest 2019 was a success with an amazing line-up of performance nights and multiple events organised by the college societies.

 

Feature Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat.

Sakshi Arora

[email protected] 

Shaurya Thapa

[email protected]

Kartik Chauhan

[email protected]

 

Akshada Shrotriya

[email protected]

 

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

 

Anushree Joshi

[email protected]

Jaishree Kumar
[email protected]
Aman Gupta
[email protected]

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Debating Tournaments: Spree and Security

By

When debating is fun and an enriching activity, how do debating tournaments turn out to be strenuous and tardy?

One of the first things you learn after joining the debating circuit in the University of Delhi is how every tournament might be different, but they all have that one thing in common, they all run late. The schedules will always ask you to come at 8:30 or 9 am, and as a novice debater, you will go to the respective college on time. You will reach on time like me, 30 minutes before schedule, only to find the college empty or with other naïve fresher debaters as yourself. Despite Whatsapp messages from the Organizing Committee a night before the tournament, requesting you to be on time, the affair will, certainly, not start before 11 am.

Apart from the delays, what comprises a debating tournament are the jitters you get as you come with your entire college contingent, waiting for the roll call to end, seeing other teams, recognizing people- mostly the ones you lost against at the previous tournament and for the motions to come out.

As the round begins, you see people immediately fall into their teams, the serious whispers, arguments being constructed, people rushing towards their rooms. The tension in the room is self-evident. What is stressful about Parliamentary Debating is how you do not get to prepare a speech and do not know what the other side will bring to the table.

It is just you using the 20 minutes of preparation using all the training you have received in mocks, the news you were grilled to read up on by your seniors, the techniques you learned while missing classes; all these things culminate to determine whether you win or not. And this goes on till the five rounds come to an end.

Debates get more intense in senior tournaments, against people who are third years or, sometimes, Law students who are much older than you. Their age and experience are unfair assets they hold against you, which can often lead to them not taking you seriously. Post breaks. the pressure is quadrupled, because a single unrebutted argument or poor analysis does not mean you can go on to next round but you are out of the tournament itself.

Five rounds, usually spread over two days might sound like a comfortable schedule. However, the small delays gradually add up to massive interludes not allowing participants to leave before 8 pm. With some tournaments even ending around midnight, security is a major concern, given that there are no provisions for transportation.

Furthermore, it is rare that colleges provide accommodation only with higher registration fees. As it gets late, the college is closed and so you can find the last round being wrapped up in the college grounds or near the gates.
Being from a girls’ college, safety is an even bigger issue. It being a new experience, in the beginning, parents worry incessantly with frequent calls, texts, scolding and requests to reconsider this activity. Some even come to pick their children up on late nights. Gradually they become well acquainted with this pattern and you begin to hear about how you do not go to ‘college’ but to ‘debating society’.
You will come home to see stories of your friends out on weekends while you went to debate. And despite the stress, anxiety, mental and physical exhaustion and feelings of self-doubt you will be willing to compromise on your social life next weekend as well, and the reason is very simple. The feeling of learning, knowing, being smarter than the smartest and the thrill you experience is indomitable.

Featured Image credits- Hindustan Times

Shivani Dadhwal
[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Highlights of Reverie 2019 Organised by Gargi College

By

The opening day of Reverie 2019 commenced with the lighting of the lamp by the chief guest and actor, Sushma Seth, followed by her speech. Performances by Professor Ruchika Sharma, Euphony – Western Music Society, and Enliven – Western Group Dance Society ensured of the fun that is to follow at Gargi College’s Annual Cultural Fest, Reverie. The theme of the fest: “A brave new world; an ode to Diversity” works on the basis of 3 C’s- Choice, Consent, and Conservation. These cover broad topics like LGBTQ empowerment, sexual harassment, female empowerment, equality, wildlife preservation, and protection.

 


 

Dhanak, India Group Folk dance competition organized by Nazakat saw a participation by 11 teams who had cleared their online prelims. The event was judged by Mrs. Swagata Sen Pillai, who gave the third position to Delhi Technical University, 2nd position to the Bhangra Society Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, and Annhad, Daulat Ram College came 1st .

 

 

The day came to a magnificent close with The Local Train’s performance, which swept the crowd off its feet. With songs like Choo Lo, Dil Mere, Aaoge Tum Kabhi the band ensured that the crowd didn’t lose their energy.

 

Day two of Reverie 2019, the annual cultural festival had an enthralling start. Aabhas, the street play competition was organised by Khistij, the street play society of Gargi College. The event witnessed 11 teams delivering power-packed performances. Kunal Arora and Pallav Kumar judged the event.

 


 

The second day at Reverie 2019 ended with an enthralling and euphoric showcase by DJ Zaeden. Students from across SU, DTU, and IIT came to enjoy the DJ night and were seen dancing to the tunes of DJ’s famous remixes of  Magic, Animals, Don’t Wanna Know, and Love Yourself. It was a glorious close to an eventful day full of soaring talents and dreams.

 


 

The day three of Reverie’19 witnessed eight western dance societies which cleared the prelims on 24th January performed with great enthusiasm and set the stage on fire at Zenith, the western dance competition organised by Enliven, the western dance society of Gargi College. Adjudged by Mr Anand Singh the event saw powerpack performances in which Crunk from Sri Aurobindo College was awarded the first position. Vdefyne of IIT Delhi came second, while Electra of Motilal Nehru College came third.

 


 

The last day of Reverie 2019 came to an end with a melodic and beautiful performance by Prateek Kuhad. The over-enthusiastic crowd went silent and enjoyed his soulful love ballads. He sang some of his famous songs like Tum Jab Paas, Tune Kaha, and 100 Words and ended his enthralling performance with his most loved song ‘cold/mess’.

 

 

Stay tuned for the fest season has just begun, DU Beat will go on to cover the largest fests of Delhi University.

 

Feature Image Credits: Adithya Khanna for DU Beat

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

Avnika Chhikara

[email protected]

Maumil Mehraj

[email protected]

Sakshi Arora

[email protected]

Haris Khan

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

Sabka Time Aayega: The Aftermath of Gully Boy

By

The highly anticipated Gully Boy has finally released. Does it live up to its own hype and add more fuel to a new hype for a new hip hop?

“Apna time aayega,” raps Ranveer Singh in a faded hoodie in a dimly lit club in the film ‘Gully Boy’. Literally translating to ‘our time will come’, the phrase quickly got on the public’s tongue even before the film hit the theatres. Around me in the college campus, I see people rapping Ranveer’s lyrics, or I spot someone wearing a hoodie reading the optimistic motto, almost every day.

On the day of St. Valentine, ‘Gully Boy’ is finally out. No matter how it turns out now, one thing is for sure, gully rap ka time aa gaya hai (gully rap’s time has come).

Rap as a genre emerged only in the past few decades, with groups like Niggaz Wit Attitudes (NWA) adding a sense of rebellion and raw truths in their raps as they walked through the streets of Compton. But over time, rap has spread far and wide, and in that blend of globalisation and localisation, it has even diversified. Now far away from the ghettos of West Coast, rappers rap their truths and rebellion from the slums of India’s West Coast.

As several documentaries (most notably Vice’s ‘Kya Bolta Bantai’) have shown, gully rap started from scratch but eventually became a phenomenon all over India. This added on to the hope that independent artists also can have a future in a country dominated by film playback singers.

However, away from the feature news pieces and the documentaries, this year, Gully Boy’s release has given the ultimate boost to this music scene. Gully rap might be the first independent music genre that has transitioned from rising online streams to the cinematic mainstream. Now, those who play Gucci Gang on their phone are also playing Gully Gang. Those who just listened to rappers like YoYo Honey Singh and Badshah, are shaking their heads to Divine and Naezy.

Zoya Akhtar, who has otherwise directed classy bourgeois drama comedies, has clearly gone out of her comfort zone with this project. When it comes to the cast, off-screen persona of the leading man, Ranveer Singh, seems a bit insensitive to the political undertones of the viral songs as can be seen by certain pre-release interviews. While that can be certainly questioned, still the movie and his act still deserve respect for choosing an unconventional underdog story with shades of realism to it.

Some critics felt the film could have done way more on exploring the lives of slum-dwellers while others welcomed it as a new step in Bollywood praising the performances. As Rishabh Gogoi, a second-year student from Cluster Innovation Centre puts it into words- “It was a great experience. When songs like Apna Time Aayega and Azadi played, the crowd sang too at the top of their voices. The movie lives up to its expectations and is probably the best ode to gully rap, even if it might have its limits when you look in retrospective.”

But the question is- will it stop here?

Time would tell us what will happen to the future of hip-hop in India because the current wave seems to flow more and take new routes. Definitely, the Mumbai rap game was mostly based on the Dharavi region. But in a city with more flyovers than streets, like Delhi, hip-hop is getting very diverse.

“I hail from Assam but I came to Delhi for my studies, and in that period, I grew as an artist. I picked up different tricks and trends in the music scene here,” says J’97, a Delhi-based rapper sitting on the balcony of his flat. He supports the view that a suburbia like Delhi is a melting pot of cultures (Delhi has more non-Delhiites after all).

Prateek Pankaj, a first-year History student from Hindu College raps as a hobby. “These days, Indian rap is undergoing more changes and it’s getting popular. The initial songs to go viral were songs about struggle, about the streets, or the slums where these rappers grew. Now whatever I rap, it’s about me growing up in my middle-class Delhi life. I can’t rap about the street life and all because that won’t be genuine.”

From pros to amateurs, there are many rappers emerging here and there. As Prateek explained, there can be hip-hop artists with not an entirely ‘rags to riches’ story to rap about, but that is a sign of growth for the spread of Indian hope for all. On the other extreme, there have been rappers like Sumeet Bapsa, a native from Orissa and a student from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), whose rhymes are about his experiences as a Dalit, strongly targeted against the caste system.

Hence, the movement has just started and a movie like ‘Gully Boy’ is a welcome start. Sabka time aayega!

 

Image Credits: Amba Cinema

Shaurya Singh Thapa

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Papa CJ Concludes SRCC Business Conclave’19

By

Business Conclave’19, hosted by Shri Ram College of Commerce, witnessed an amalgamation of entrepreneurs and many eminent individuals.

Acharya Balakrishna, CEO of Patanjali, addressed the students and said that he was content seeing the bhavishya and buddhi (the future and the intellect) of the nation. He also said that we need to retain our youth within the country by providing them job opportunities, while also mentioning how his company employed over 30,000 direct employees. Upasana Taku, mountaineer and marathon runner, punctuated the spaces between guest speakers and enthralled the audience with nostalgic anecdotes about her adventures on the peaks.

There was also motivational speaker, Praveen Wadalkar, who, by giving an account of his own life story, told the audience how everyone has the potential to be great.

Ankur Jain, founder of B-9 drinks traced his journey in the beer making market, and said how important it is to find something you are passionate about, in order that you may do justice to it.

The conclave inched towards an end with a discussion on the book ’26/11 Stories of Strength’ published by The Indian Express and issues surrounding terrorism in the present context.

Kavita Iyer, the editor of the book who was also moderating the session began it by telling the audience what the book was about. Prof. Simrit Kaur, principal of the college (who was also a panelist) emphasized on the importance of the episodes discussed in the book for the present generation since they are “stories of strength”. She was also quoted as saying, “We, at SRCC believe in giving back to the society” and by way of discussion she believed that change would gradually come.

The conclave concluded with Papa CJ’s performance, that paved way to a yet another successful year of the conclave.

 

Akshada Shrotiya

[email protected]

Maumil Mehraj

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

PARASHARA Closes Day-1 of Tempest 2019

By

Here is a recap of Day 1 at Tempest 2019, the annual cultural festival of Miranda House.

Tempest 2019- the Annual Cultural Fest of Miranda House- University of Delhi kick-started on 14th February 2019. There were a plethora of events scheduled by the college but most of them got delayed due to unfavourable weather conditions. Nevertheless, the events ran smoothly and the first day of Tempest turned out to be a fulfilling and vibrant experience for the attendees.

The Annual Rachita Das Gupta Quiz was organized by the Quiz Society of Miranda House. They conducted three quizzes on Day 1. The Open General Quiz saw participation of 30 teams with 2 members in each team. Mukund and Dhruv bagged the first position, while Rorik and Rohan came second, and Basab and Amlan stood third. Eco Biz Filler witnessed Kirti and Pragati win the competition. In the Open India Quiz, Ashish and Abhishek Paliwal came first while the duos of Jayant and Amlan, and Ankur and Kartik Puri stood second and third, respectively.

Vaatavaran, the Eco Club of Miranda House organised Enviro Quiz, a short-film-based quiz. It saw participation from 20 teams from across different colleges. The first prize was awarded to Poornima and Yash, while Karishma and Garima, and Pragati and Niharika bagged the second and third prizes, respectively.

E-Cell, Miranda House, organised three Inter-College events at Tempest 2019. Combination- an event related to geographical locations of companies, saw participation of 20 teams with two students in each team. Addictive- a marketing competition of pitching products in the style of Bollywood, was won by Ashok, while Pinku came second. Boss Hunt- a Treasure Hunt had 35 teams compete, where Aditya Sah came first, while Neeruganti Purnima came second.

11 Dance Societies from across different colleges, which qualified the online preliminaries, performed at Burlesque, the Western Dance Competition, organised by Tanz, the Western Dance Society of Miranda House. The event was judged by Mrs. Sameeksha and Mr. Nitin Theo Kerketta. Enliven (Western dance society of Gargi) won the competition, while Crunk (Western dance society of Sri Aurobindo) came second.

The next event was the Hindi Debating Competition where the students battled their wits on the topic- “Sadan ke math mein loktantra maatr ek saashan pranali nahi, jeevan mulyo ka srot hai (In the opinion of the House, democracy is not only a regime conduct, but it is the source of life values).” It was judged internally by teachers- Mrs. Kusuma Krishna Subha and Mrs. Meeta Kumari. Smriti from Lady Shri Ram College was awarded the title of Best Speaker in favour of the motion while Happy from Ramjas College was awarded as Best Speaker in opposition.

Amid the melody of raag Darbari and Yaman, Sangam- the Indian Classical Music Competition- organised by Geetanjali, the Indian Music Society of Miranda House saw various performances that had the audiences captivated. With 14 participants in the Duet Singing Competition and 13 teams representing their colleges in the Choir Singing Competition, the event was a huge success. The Duet Singing Competition concluded with SGTB Khalsa College’s Sukriti and Saksham bagging the second prize, with the winner’s title being claimed by Hansraj College’s Pranava and Ram.

Adwitiya, the Fine Arts’ Society, in a stunning display of powerful art, transformed SAC to an exquisite art gallery. From portraits to abstract brushstrokes, all the artwork presented had a story to tell. An art-piece labeled ‘Nirvana’ captured the modern world in a representative manner. A symbolic display promised and delivered aesthetic pleasure.

The day concluded with the performance by PARASHARA- a popular Delhi-based progressive band, with an idea conceived and brought to action in the mountains. The audiences swiveled to the beats as they played their melodies, revolving around the realities of life, with an interesting modern touch to it. This wraps up the Day 1 of the fest and all the festivities stuck true to the theme of the fest: “Future of Fun”.

Image credits: Mahi Panchal for DU Beat

 

Sakshi Arora

[email protected]

 

Shaurya Thapa

[email protected]

 

Kartik Chauhan

[email protected]

 

Shivani Dadhwal

[email protected]

 

Keep Reading
By
Beyond the Obvious of Delhi University Colleges

Neither Black, nor White: The Scheming with Love

By

A gentle reminder that every import from the west carries with it complex implications for a society as diverse and traditional as ours.

Among other things, Delhi University (DU) students very often boast about the kind of diversity their respective colleges enjoy. In every section of every course, there will be those who attend classes and those who don’t. Keeping the simplistic distinction aside, a safe assumption would be that all of us have known people across religions, states, and economic and social classes. Hence, Valentine’s Day too is a messy affair in this diversity of possibilities and options.

In the Indian context, the warring ideas emerge as that of hyper-capitalism and traditionalism which ultimately result in a rather interesting scenario. The whole week leading up to the 14th of February becomes larger than life, as we’re bombarded with manufactured images and products that define love in the 21st century. The capitalists controlling us carefully create customised needs and, through the course of the week, manipulate us into believing that we needed those things in the first place. Friends who are in relationships are aware of this manipulation and yet feel compelled to take part in it.

Capitalism scheming functions in such efficient ways that the expenditure is almost always considered directly proportional to the amount of love. To extend this scheme of manipulation beyond their target market, marketers are now also dictating how single people should spend this day. Quotes expressing the importance of self-love are splashed across hoardings leading you to believe that your consumption will instantly solve all of your problems and you will live “singly-ever-after”.

This complete rejection of Valentine’s Day, owing to its hyper commercialization, is increasingly becoming a dominant perspective. As students are becoming increasingly aware of the pressures influencing their consumption habits, they are becoming more immune to its effect.  How many actually make the effort to exist outside of this system is unknown, but the realisation of the fact that it’s happening is growing. While this understanding is necessary in the long run, it also springs from a very specific group of people. For this group, the idea of Valentine’s Day itself is very ordinary. It’s in a way suggestive of their privilege, which allows them to go beyond the idea of V-day and focus more on a larger global trend.

However, this idea of freely expressing love is extraordinary and even exciting for some. When you look beyond Delhi and into smaller towns, more specifically smaller towns with saffron skies, Valentine’s Day becomes much more significant. These are places where young people are regularly morally policed and not given spaces to freely interact and behave like young people with will and desires. In suffocated environments like these, you can see why Valentine’s Day would stand out as special. It’s almost an invitation for rebellion. Despite their circumstances, to keep the spirit of the day alive, young people venture out to spend their time in public spaces. Claiming to save our country from western influences and adding communal flavor in the form of Love Jihad, extremist groups inflict violence year-after-year on these youngsters.

The real story of the commercialisation of this day can be traced back to the time when it reached the same small towns. Year-after-year, more coffee houses and shopping complexes were being decorated with heart-shaped balloons. The extremists couldn’t multiply faster than the capitalists and, in the end, they were outnumbered. There were too many balloons to burst and the religion of profit-making became more lucrative than the rage of vigilantism. This is not to suggest that capitalism will solve conservatism, but is just to lend to a more rounded idea of Valentine’s Day and the significance it holds in parallel India’s narrative.

Image Credits: Bustle

Pragati Thapa

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

Day 1 of Reverie 2019 at Gargi College Closes with The Local Train

By

Here is a re-cap of Day 1 at Reverie 2019, the annual cultural festival of Gargi College. 

The opening day of Reverie 2019 commenced with the lighting of the lamp by the chief guest and actor, Sushma Seth, followed by her speech. Performances by Professor Ruchika Sharma, Euphony – Western Music Society, and Enliven – Western Group Dance Society ensured of the fun that is to follow at Gargi College’s Annual Cultural Fest, Reverie.

Events and competitions began soon after the inauguration. Students participated in the Talent Recognition competition and showcased their prowess in the form of dance, singing, slam poetry, and more. A number of students also participated in the English creative writing competition organised by Quilluminati, the English Creative Writing Society.
The first event in the seminar hall, Khayal, the classical solo singing competition, was supposed to begin at 11 a.m., got delayed due to the late arrival the two judges; Sriparna Nandi and Arundhati Bhatacharji, the total number of contestants that took part in the event was 11 from across University of Delhi (DU) colleges. The contestants had to perform one classical piece each and the participants were allowed to bring one instrumental player to accompany them. The minimum time limit was 4 minutes per performance. The winner of the event was Chinmay from Kirori Mal College, Abdul from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College bagged the 2nd place, and Daksh from Zakir Husain College came third.
The second event if the day in the seminar hall, featuring The same jugdes as before, Jugalbandi the semi classical duet competition saw, a total of 6 teams with two participants in each team performing a piece with one additional instrument player. The winners of the event were Minatullah and Rupanshi from Kirori Mal College, Sukriti and Sukprit tied from SGTB Khalsa College tied with Yugandha and Sakshi from Lady Shri Ram College for Women for the second position and Abdul and Hardik bagged the third prize.
The final competition of the day in the seminar hall also had the same judges with an additional judge, Mr. Debu Bhatacharya. Vadaan, the instrumental solo competition saw only 4 participants playing various different classical instruments like the tabla, harmonium, dhol etc. They had to present an instrumental piece within a maximum time of 5 minutes. The results for the same were: Anant Raman from Dyal Singh College in first place, Nabeel Khan from Zakir Husain College in second and Sarveshwar from PGDAV (morning) College in third place.

The Western Acapella competition was conducted by Euphony in Gargi’s annual cultural fest Reverie. A total of 16 teams from across different colleges had passed the online prelims competed to win the cash prizes. The event saw delay and the management had to shift their venues from the Auditorium to the seminar hall after the 11th performance owing to the demands from Sparx, the choreography society, for them to begin their own competition. The competition was judged by Mr. Joshua Peters and Mr. Maker Kashung. The acapella society from Sri Venkateshwara College came first, there was tie for the second place between societies of Jesus and Mary College and Lady Shri Ram College for Women, St Stephen’s College came in third.

Dhanak, India Group Folk dance competition organized by Nazakat saw a participation by 11 teams who had cleared their online prelims. The event was judged by Mrs. Swagata Sen Pillai, who gave the third position to Delhi Technical University, 2nd position to the Bhangra Society Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, and Annhad, Daulat Ram College came 1st . In her speech, she said that Bhangra Society of SGND Khalsa could not win because they exceeded the time limit, whereas according to the members of the society they had not exceeded the time limit at all. While talking to DU Beat, Jaskaran Singh, President of the Bhangra society of SGND Khalsa College said that it was cleared with the organisers beforehand that their time would be counted once the dhol beats begin after the sher but somehow the judges had counted their time just after the sher began. It is to be noted that the teams from SNDT, SSG and DTU almost backed out from the competition when an allegedly intoxicated guard misbehaved with them at the entry early in the morning.

9 teams across different colleges participated in the Choreography competition organised by Sparx, called the Creative-iti. The event began after a 3-hour delay because of a domino effect of all the previous events being delayed. Capella, NSUT won the competition while the second and third place was awarded to LSR and Sparx, of Gargi College respectively. The event was judged by Ms. Surya Sharma and Deva Smita.

Day 1 of Reverie witnessed power packed performances by the participants in the Talent Show event, organised by the Students Union of Gargi College. Both solo and group performances were allowed. Students performed on latest Bollywood hits. The show also witnessed solo and duet singing. The theme of the fest: “A brave new world; an ode to Diversity” works on the basis of 3 C’s- Choice, Consent, and Conservation. These cover broad topics like LGBTQ empowerment, sexual harassment, female empowerment, equality, wildlife preservation, and protection. Individually these are significant and necessary issues of today’s world but interlacing all of them together as a theme for one of the largest annual cultural fest of Delhi University brings down its gusto.

The day came to a magnificent close with The Local Train’s performance, which swept the crowd off its feet. With songs like Choo Lo, Dil Mere, Aaoge Tum Kabhi the band ensured that the crowd didn’t lose their energy.

 

Feature Image Credits: Surabhi Khare for DU Beat

Prachi Mehra

[email protected]

Anoushka Sharma

[email protected]

Haris Khan

[email protected]

Sakshi Arora

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
Cultural Festivals

Fest Look Book

By

With so many fests coming up, one wonders what are the new trends to follow and what are the fashion no-nos.
Fests are an essential part of college life, especially in University of Delhi where the season starts in the month of February and goes on till April. Some of the most iconic fests- Hindu College’s Mecca, Sri Venkateswara College’s Nexus, Miranda House’s Tempest, and many more are events that every DU kid looks forward to. In the freezing winters our options of what-to-wear seem less than the what-not-to-wear. And with Instagram setting high standards, are the ‘winter looks’ something an average student can recreate?
But fret not, here are a few easy-to-create and yet trendy looks to make a style statement, this fest season:
The Blazer Look
The first look is a chic outfit which can make you look fun-but-professional in a few simple steps. The model pairs a simple black tube top and a classic plaid bottom with a bright white blazer. Another glam look is the black casual tee with black jeans paired with a contrasting turquoise blue blazer. These contrasting blazers add an extra oomph to your usual look making you fest ready!
The Over-Sized Sweater
This look can never go out of style! You can wear a solid grey, over-sized sweater and accessorise it with a black, knitted visor cap. With so many fests lined up, planning outfits every weekend can get hectic, this look is super cute and comfy! Adding bold red lipstick helps you turn on the glam, effortlessly.

Winter Dresses
Why should winters come in the way of your quest to pull off the perfect fest look? Here are three ways to slay, the right way! First is an iconic, full sleeved, dark red winter dress partnered with a grey leather jacket. Second is a winter classic olive green colored, full sleeve dress paired with a fur jacket which adds to the wholesome look. Complete the look with your favorite thigh-high boots! Third is an oh-so-essential beige, without sleeve dress, complimented with a pastel colored coat and matching heels which will help you nail the minimalist vibe at the next fest.

The Denim Dream
Here are 2 looks you can try to dazzle in denim. The first is a simple black, high neck with a denim skirt, black stockings (yes, they are in fashion!) and black knitted visor cap, super easy and cute! The second is a denim jacket and denim skirt, paired with a black bodysuit. The big hoops paired with both outfits are back in fashion and really flatter the classic denim on denim style. This look can help you rock the retro vibe.

Trendy Co-ords
Co-ords are a trend which have created a stir and are our must-haves. The model adorns a peach co-ord, you can also accessorize this look with statement gold jewelry to get an edge and nail the Coachella vibe. This is a chic look and can set you apart from the crowd.

Animal Print and Leather
The first outfit is a simple red, full sleeved top partnered with a short black leather skirt and thigh-high black boots. The second look is an animal print top, black leather skirt and black stockings. In the third look the model adorns a simple animal print dress. The bold black lip adds the flair to your usual leather outfit and helps you channel your inner Safiya Nygaard.

The standard of fests in DU is on a high, with performances by The Local Train, Zaeden, Prateek Kuhad and many more. These outfits are classic, casual and can add fire to your usual attire, giving you more confidence to go out and slay the fest season with the perfect look!

Feature Image Credits: Fantasy Linen

Shivani Dandwal

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By
DUB Speak

Why You Should have Breakfast

By

[quote]CONTENT_HERE[/quote]While attending classes in the morning and making breakfast for yourself may seem like a chore, here is how it could be simplified.

The one thing that life has taught me is that self-care is not always easy, or convenient. It is simply necessary, even if it takes effort. When people have an at-home-spa-day, one of the very first things they do is declutter, clean up the entire place, put active, conscious energy into making themselves feel good. Self-reflection, taking care of your body and mind, these are all crucial to clear the mental fog that has gathered.

Health is an investment. And I know there are the elite who will say, “But we are going to die anyway.” Yes, we are. But I would rather stay healthy while I am walking on the Earth. One of the steps towards acquiring health is having a good breakfast. Besides the numerous long-term health benefits, breakfast is something that lifts your mood, and gives you the energy that is required to brave the trials that are in existence.

“There is a different between self-improvement and self-aggression,” says YouTuber, Taylor R. “While it a good thing to be competitive, don’t push yourself to an extent where it is physically and mentally harmful for you.”

College kids have a lot to look after in their lives. But in doing that, they make a mistake of not looking after themselves. In a survey conducted by the students of Cluster Innovation Centre, University of Delhi, it was found that as many as 40%  college students don’t have breakfast. To prevent this,  here are quick breakfast recipes and tips that could help through:

 

  1. Eggs: Arguably th       e most convenient breakfast, eggs are healthy, filling, and appetising. Egg yolks are also considered  mood-boosting food.
  2. Sandwich: Literally everything – ranging from butter to last night’s dinner can be put inside two slices of bread for breakfast. Add a slice of cheese if you feel fancy.
  3. Overnight oats: If you are not particularly fond of the taste of oatmeal, try overnight oats. Simply adding citrusy liquids like apple juice, or yoghurt to oats, and keeping them in the fridge overnight will make a delicious breakfast.

Apart from these, something as insignificant as cereal could help you plough through the day. Even if you plan to have coffee in the morning, make sure you grab a few nuts, or a breakfast bar before leaving your place. Don’t forget to include something liquid in your morning routine. It can be anything- tea, green tea, milk, or juice. Dehydration can result in headaches and tiredness. People often mistake dehydration for hunger so you may find yourself overeating if you aren’t drinking enough.

Feature Image Credits: John David Mann

 

Maumil Mehraj

[email protected]

Keep Reading
By