The New Year is always a special time for Delhi University as it brings with it the most awaited fest season! For the first three months of the year, colleges across Delhi University host their grand annual fests with pomp and celebration. A regular student of DU would tell you that fest season is all about attending competitions, star nights, partying at DJ Nights and eating to their heart’s content. However, for many amongst the DU student community, fest season is a time for competitions and hard work. Yes, these students are the ones who are members of their college dance, music and theatre societies, and for them, Fest Season is the most hectic time of the year.
It is understood by everyone that the ‘even semester’ is the most important academic semester, due to which students are forced to create a balance between their academic commitments and fest season celebration. However, for the ones involved in rigorous performance societies, they are bound to create a balance between academics, performances and practices. Fest Season brings with it a variety of inter-college competitions and these societies work relentlessly towards victory. So for all you society members struggling to manage your time, here are 5 tips which could be of some help! :
Attend as many classes you can: With back to back fests and practices in your daily schedule, if there is any space wherein you can accommodate attending that one lecture, then go for it! Since this semester is going to be hard on your attendance records, try to get in as much attendance as you can so that getting your admit card becomes an easier task.
Get some rest to avoid a breakdown! : Burdening yourself with work from all ends will lead to an inevitable break down. Try to get some rest, especially in the form of sleep. Your body needs to relax in order to give you its best results.
Stay full and stay hydrated: The importance of food and water in busy times cannot be emphasized enough. So remember to stay fuelled up with enough food and water for a great performance.
Stay in touch with those friends of yours who attend classes regularly: Considering you are not able to attend classes frequently, stay in touch with those friends of yours who are regularly in class and can help you gather notes and a knowledge base for times after the end of fest season and approach of exams.
Don’t compromise on your study ethic: This one is a tough act but one should always try to keep their study ethic. Even though you may not be able to attend classes, but try to get your assignments in place from time to time so that your work-life balance in maintained.
Last but not the least, have fun to the fullest in the fest season! This is a time which you will never get back and will be cherished in your memories forever. Best of luck to all of you and may the odds be ever in your favour!
Nadaan is a youth led initiative that strives to form a liberal society which is socially, economically and politically aware. Started by four Delhi University students, the aim of Nadaan is to create prudent individuals with regard to prevailing circumstances, so as to enable them to build their own perspective about it and express their opinions. It focuses on the underprivileged section of the society. They plan to target common issues which people face in their day to day lives and to add quality to the lives of the “unaware” (Nadaan) by making them aware of the social, economical and political affairs of the nation.
The organisation was started in September 2016 with an objective to mobilize the youth, one of the strongest mediums of change to make well informed decisions, thus contributing significantly to a progressive India. The organization conducts open discussions as to make children aware about the events taking place outside the confines of their homes. Their motive is to make people self reliant by enabling them to form an unbiased view about life and the world.
Presently, the organization has given a chance to the youth from all around Delhi, to make an influential change with the help of their keen observation and their orating skills. Interns working under Nadaan’s winter internship program are helping kids by conducting interactive discussions with them on topics like stereotypes, gender inequality, emotions ka funda, child and adult abuse etc. The organisation has also taken up the initiative to establish libraries in the orphanages to impart the culture of reading within kids to enable them to seek knowledge from the books and inculcate this habit as a part of their daily routines.
The founders of this initiative- two 3rd year Political Science students from Gargi College, Mansi Malhotra and Himani Sharma, a History graduate from Gargi College, Navya Varshney and a 3rd year commerce student Rumaani Udgata from Kamala Nehru College, believe in approaching the target group differently by focusing on the practical aspects of the theoretical knowledge imparted by the usual educational sources.
Those who know Safdar Hashmi don’t celebrate New Year like the rest of the world does. For them the birth of a new year is tinted with the murder of an imaginative, inspiring and brave personality: Safdar Hashmi. However his death isn’t observed solely as an occasion of solemn, sad mourning, rather it also marks a esilient and resurging awakening.
Who was Safdar Hashmi?
Safdar Hashmi was born on April 12, 1954. He identified as a liberal Marxist and graduated from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University in 1975. During his college day he joined Students Federation of India and later became a member of CPI(M). After completing his M.A from Delhi University, he taught in English, Zakir Husain College, University of Kashmir and HNB Garhwal University where 1st January is celebrated as “Abhivyakti Diwas” in his memory. Later he worked in Press Trust of India (PTI) and The Economic Times as a journalist, and then becamePress Information Officer of the Government of West Bengal.
In his short life Safdar Hashmi did too many jobs, only to leave them for full time political activism.
In one rare interview with Eugene van Erven he explains how he pursued work in cinema and television to earn good amount of money so that he can sustain his brain child JANAM (Jan Natya Manch). He expressed his desire of making art accessible to the “workers who are culturally today starved and marginalized”. True to his cause, he enriched the theater activism with socially relevant masterpieces likeMachine (exploitation of industrial labour),Aurat (violence against women), Gaon Se Shahar Tak (exploitation offarmers),Hatyare and Apharan Bhaichare Ke (religious and political fascism),Kursi (based around the controversy of Indira Gandhi and 1971 rigging of elections),Teen Crore(on unemployment) and Halla Bol (awakening of a common man and worker’s rights). It was during one of his performances he was fatally attacked by the goons backed by Indian National Congress.
Sequence of events.
On 1st January, 1989, Hashmi and his theater group JANAM were enacting their play “Halla Bol” in a labor colony in Jhandapur village, in Sahibabad. Those were the times when labor strikes for minimum wages and respectable labor laws were common and Ghaziabad City Board Elections were scheduled for 10TH January. Safdar Hashmi was supportive of CPI(M) candidate Ramanand Jha who was standing for the post of Councilor.
The play began around 11am before a huge crowd. Within minutes, Mukesh Sharma a Congress candidate along with his aides arrived and asked to move past the space where the play was being staged. Safdar Hashmi asked them to wait or use a different route. The tension was in seconds escalated to violence.The goons had pistols, iron rods and hockey sticks, the artist had none. Safdar Hashmi was brutally beaten up and a simple laborer Ram Bahadur was shot because he was mistaken as Ramanad Jha. Injured Safdar Hashmi and JANAM members sought refuge in CITU office, but a while later the goons barged inside the CITU office. When the lynch mob dispersed, unconscious Safdar Hashmi was rushed to Narendra Mohan Hospital and later to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospita, Delhi where next day at 10 pm he succumbed to the injuries. He was 34.
Aftermath
Safdar Hashmi’s death caused an immediate and overwhelming outpouring of solidarity from varied sections of society. On 3rd January his 10 mile long funeral procession was attended by around 15,000 people. And right after the funeral, on 4th January in display of awe inspiring strength Moloyashree Hashmi and JANAM went back to Jhandapur, to the very spot where Safdar Hashmi was assaulted and finished the incomplete-interrupted play.
Fourteen years later on 3rd November 2003, Ghaziabad court sentenced life imprisonment to Mukesh Sharma and nine others.
What now?
It’s been 28 years since that fateful day. In all these years, Studio Safdar and Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust have been established. Movies (Anbe Sivam, Halla Bol|), poems (Purnendu Pattrea’s A New Word: Safdar Hashmi and Ranjit Hoskote’s Assasination of an Artist) , paintings (M.F. Husain’s painting “Tribute to Hashmi” was sold for over $1 million, the first time a painting by an Indian artist reached this price) and awards have been dedicated to him (Shabana Azmi used the National Awards forum in 1989 to speak about the horrific killing of Safdar Hashmi). Today many annual events eulogizing him mark the calendar. We have added Safdar Hashmi’s name alongside Juliano Mer-Khamis, Pash and Sumeet Singh, in the long list titled “Artist who were killed because their art was inconvenient”.
Every year he the same old discourse of remembrance is repeated, and even though many will say it’s just a token thing- these tweets, the facebook updates, I disagree. I thinkit’s important to remember things this relevant, it’s okay to repeat the same things over and over again because they are worth repeating, it’s essential to not forget.
If Safdar Hashmi were alive today, then we would see him marching with the tea plantation women workers of Munnar, with the ASHA workers, with 180 million public sector labors demanding dignified labour laws, perhaps we he would have performed “Halla Bol” for the protesting Honda employees, we would have seen him in Pride Parades, with Kashmiri Pandits and against Babri Masjid. We would have seen him in streets proudly standing with struggles.
We can’t have him with us, but we have his legacy and the least we can do is to remember him, even if it comes in way of our New Year cheer.
A four day spectacle from 23-26th December, Mood Indigo saw a variety of speakers, competitions and events during the fest. We bring to you a list of some of the highlights of this annual cultural extravaganza that added colour, fun and frolic to the festival.
Conchord: The Acapella finals
Conchord, the acapella music competition at Mood Indigo 2016, was a riot of melodious notes synchronised in perfect harmony, without the use of musical instruments. The event saw four teams battling it out in the finals-Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru; Gargi College, Delhi; Shri Mata Vaishodevi University, Katra and Hansraj College, Delhi. The competition was judged by three musicians-Kenneth Shakira, Shayla Saldanha and Caroline Pereira.
Swaranjali, Hansraj College’s Music Society bagged the first place, while Gargi College came second, followed by Mount Carmel College. Swaranjali enthralled the audience with their rendition of Bad Romance and Barbie Girl, inviting praise from the judges for the balance in their notes and the impeccable coordination within the team. While the all-girls teams from Mount Carmel College and Gargi College earned accolades for their bass voice and versatility respectively, the team from Shri Mata Vaishnodevi University was appreciated for their choice of a medley of foot-tapping popular music.
With his rendition of ‘Damadum Mast Kalandar’ and other songs, Mame Khan stole the audience’s heart with his super energetic and enigmatic performance. Not only did he engage with the crowd, but also crooned the classic ‘Damadum Mast Kalandar’ that left everyone mesmerised and wanting for more.
The ‘fusion nite’ saw the renowned American Indian musician, composer and producer Karsh Kale set the tune straight for his audience as the jamming session pumped up the young lot.
Karsh Kale performing at Mood Indigo
Saurabh Shukla’s Barff
Saurabh Shukla’s second directorial venture, Barff, was an event that was eagerly awaited at Mood Indigo 2016. The three member cast of Sadia Siddiqui, Sunil Palwal and Saurabh Shukla had a packed hall hanging on to their every word as the stage transformed into a scene from Kashmir, snow et al. Sunil Palwal essays the role of Ghulam, a Kashmiri taxi driver, while Sadia Siddiqui plays his wife, Nafisa. Saurabh Shukla is Dr. Siddhant, coming from afar to treat their unwell child.
Saurabh Shukla performing in his second directorial venture, Barff
A palpable air of mystery and intrigue envelops the play, giving it the garb of a thriller revolving around the little child. Love, motherhood, a sense of attachment towards Kashmir, and fluidity in the perception of reality are intertwined to create an undeniable masterpiece. The acting is impeccable and lends depth to the three beautifully moulded characters. Nafisa’s heart-wrenching cries, Ghulam’s devoted love for his wife, almost bordering on naivete, and the doctor’s attempt to understand their world, could not have been portrayed more realistically. Reality becomes putty in the hands of imagination driven by intense pain and love. The set, which marvellously locates itself in a Kashmiri home and its surroundings, is meticulously thought out to the littlest detail.
Theatre Fest:Daddy Cool
A two-man act starring Jagdish Rajpurohit and Kevin Dave, ‘Daddy Cool’ is a hilarious play that charts the life of a father son duo. As the name suggests, the father is “cool” employing different parental tactics to fuel his son’s curiosity during his formative years. They include sending his son to a sex-worker so as to educate him about sex and smoking with him in order to dissuade him from doing so.
There are some inevitable questions that come from young children which place their parents in awkward situations. The play focuses on some of these, especially regarding those related to sex. In the process, the ingenious ways in which parents often deprive their children of the right answers rather than touch upon the taboo topic of “sex,” are highlighted.
The most remarkable facet of the play was the effortless acting of the two, which required role reversals and multiple roles playing. The sheer task of holding the attention of the audience for an hour isn’t easy, and they did just that while also cracking them up the entire time.
Jayaprakash Narayan on Demonetisation
As part of Mood Indigo’s Lit Fest 2016, renowned political informer and founder of the Lok Satta Party who boasts of a 16-year long career in government, Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan conducted an interactive session with the audience on the aftermath of demonetisation.
Dr. Narayan explained that the policy of demonetisation will not work in isolation as a “mantra or panacea.” It must followed by attendant steps to ensure that benefits are released. “One man’s sudden whim cannot become policy in a short period in a country of our size. But, the people of India are extraordinarily forgiving and are willing to pay the price in the short term,” he said.
According to Dr. Narayan, the primary role of the government is to create conditions for people to discover their own enlightened self interest, by delivering quality education and healthcare.
In his closing note, Dr. Narayan appealed to the students to go beyond their textbooks and work towards transforming the nation’s future.
Street Play competition: Aagaaz
Agaaz, the street play competition at Mood Indigo 2016 saw participants bringing tremendous energy and innovative themes to the fore. The 12 competing teams brought out various significant social issues through their nukkad natak. An outdated education system, rigid caste hierarchies and discrimination based on caste, the freedom to express one’s own sexuality and the hypocratic taboos revolving around menstruation are some of the pertinent issues raised by the teams. The event was judged by Tanya Abrol, Chintaman Sahastrabuddhe, Yusuf Qasmi and Padmabhushan Agrawal and was also attended by actor Pankaj Tripathi. Some of the participating teams include College of Vocational Studies, Sri Venkateshwara College, PGDAV, IIT Kanpur and Ashoka University. The judges laid down the yardsticks of a good street play as one that disseminates a universal message and entertains the audience simultaneously. The judges appreciated the diversity and relevance of the social issues raised.
Boasting of a huge array of events, Mood Indigo, the annual cultural festival of IIT Bombay kicked off on 23rd December 2016 with a number of scintillating performances and speaker sessions. Based on the theme – ‘One soul, one fest’, the Mood Indigo team likes to recognise themselves as ‘A Bombay Chronicle’. While the line up of events on Day 1 was overwhelming it saw competitions like Conchord, Drum circle, and other light events among others. While the star performances of the ‘Livewire Nite’ featured Crown The Empire, Skrat and others, the first day of the fest had quite an exquisite line up with speakers like the young and dynamic novelist, Durjoy Datta.
Some of the highlights of Day 1 are as following:
Vogue: The fashion show
Mood Indigo’s Vogue, touted as India’s largest college fashion show, was an extravagant display of glitz, glamour and gloss. The event saw eight teams compete in two rounds. The first round, based on the theme ‘Raga Invasion,’ was an expression of the influence of music on fashion and saw participants drawing inspiration from Michael Jackson and punk rock to Indian classical. The second round, based on the theme ‘Asymmetric,’ was an array of seemingly conflicting shapes and patterns coming together in harmony. The event was judged by Sonnalli Seygall, Karan Berry, Leon Vaz, Vikram Singh Bawa and Instagram fashionistas, Isha Kanani and Meghna Kaur Kaushal. The judges were enthused by the energy and confidence translated into the show on stage. Pearl Academy, Delhi walked away with the first place, while the Faculty of Architecture, Manipal took second. Faculty of Architecture also took the title of ‘Best Design,’ while Tanvi, from Thakur College of Science and Commerce was adjudged the best model.
The winners, Pearl Academy, Delhi’s fashion team, told DU Beat that they were thrilled to have won first place, having least expected it. “The hard work paid off, what with having sacrificed our vacations to participate and put in our best”, said a team member. Their entry for round one focussed on flowy outfits in earthy colours of deep red, orange and yellow, while they used asymmetric white frills in the second round.
Catch a glimpse of the #MannequineChallenge we gave to the winning team!
Durjoy Datta on love, break-up and success
Having had an adventurous personal life himself, an accomplished novelist, Durjoy Datta spoke to the students at IIT-B about his idea of love, relationships and break-ups. While talking to the crowd, he discussed how his initial years involved a cynical attitude towards love and how his personal journey helped him pen down his books. On being asked if he believes in the idea of a perfect relationship, he said, “I do believe that there is something such as a perfect relationship. My idea about love has changed a lot in the last few years.”
Image by Hitanksha Jain
Varun Agarwal: Love, Startup and Anu auntie
Filmographer, entrepreneur and best-selling author, Varun Agarwal was another speaker at the fest who highlighted the importance of finding the right passion and pursuing it. Using his own life events as examples, he stressed on the importance of living life to the fullest, by pursuing one’s passion while taking bold risks in the face of challenges. The right passion in his view is something that is obsessive and which one wouldn’t mind doing for free, pursuing it for the experience rather than the money. Money will eventually follow, if you earnestly follow and take forward that, which you are passionate about.
He said that the current generation is suffering from the “Steve Job’s syndrome” of following the masses in choosing their passion. It is important, however, to choose passions independently of society’s and media’s influence. Confidence, that insulates one from being deterred by the numerous judgmental “Anu aunties,” is the key.
It wasn’t surprising that the audience was in raptures by the end of the talk, eagerly asking questions and partaking in numerous jests against fellow spectators.
‘Livewire-Nite’ highlights
The enchanting tunes of Crown The Empire, Skrat and others got everyone’s foot tapping, as the ‘Livewire Nite’ ensued a rather musical tone to the day, making it the perfect way to draw close to Day 1 of the fest!
Highlights from ‘Livewire Nite’
This four-day extravaganza stretching from 23-26th December is all set to witness some big gigs, including a finale performance by the Bollywood Composer trio- Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy.
A glimpse is obviously not enough to gorge on the rich history of the college, but Ramjas College’s Grand Centennial Celebration is right around the corner as they complete a hundred years in 2017 and we decided to take a look at the past.
Located in the heart of North Campus, surrounded by an air of political sway and a hundred years’ worth of dignified history as its foundation, stands Ramjas College – known for a lot more than just its education. With the college completing a century with abundant achievements and alumni in its list, let’s look at what makes Ramjas College exceptional:
1. The college was founded by Rai Kedarnath, a philanthropist, who created the college for the lower middle class students who couldn’t afford the education in other colleges. Admission of students was solely on the basis of merit and no student was discriminated or denied admission on the basis of caste. All you needed to be at Ramjas was a will to study.
At first, the college was run by the Ramjas Foundation, that was meant for schools and educational institutions, but later, it got affiliated to the University of Delhi . Ramjas College is one of first three colleges that were established in Delhi University.
2. Ramjas was the first college to run their classes in shifts. This started due to Partition and the morning classes were affiliated by the University of Delhi and the evening classes were affiliated by the University of Lahore. The college provided accommodation for many refugees from Pakistan, however students were having troubles in commuting to the college. So, Rai Kedarnath went to ask for donations from people in places like Chandani Chowk and made sure that every student had one bicycle for commuting.
3. The provision of bicycles led to the start of another trend. In order to earn money, students from Ramjas delivered door-to-door newspaper service on the cycles. This was the first time that something like this happened in Delhi.
4. The students of the college were actively involved the freedom movement and a group of students were arrested for their involvement in the struggle. A plaque with their names inscribed on it has been put up near the college auditorium gate in memory of the brave students. Two students, Ram Bihari Mathur and Saxena, were sentenced to life imprisonment and shipped off to Andaman.
5. Ramjas College’s involvement with the freedom struggle is extremely memorable. Chandra Shekhar Azad hid in the hostel of the college, pretending to be a Sikh student from Pakistan, when he was evading the British Government.
6. Ramjas College location was shifted from the Anant Parbat location in 1950, when the previous building was ceded to the Allied Forces of the World War II. The first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, inaugurated the college’s new location.
7. This is the only college in Delhi to have Dr. BR Ambedkar as the Chairman of the Governing Body of Ramjas College. After the death of Rai Kedarnath, the father of our constitution took over and honoured the college.
Ramjas not only has a rich past, but a very exciting present. With alumni including film-maker Prakash Jha, actor Manoj Bajpai and singer-musician Papon, the college is a place for budding artists, politicians and activists.
A huge congratulations to the college for its glorious 100 Years!
Demonetization conjures images of almost every issue related to overpopulation – insanely long queues, the inevitable loss of livelihood, the few deaths, the many problems of penury and even creates a long standing love for the humble 100 rupee note. However, ironically the one thing that doesn’t come to mind is the fact that our economy is being weeded of black money (myth or fact, ‘who knows’ which ultimately leads to the stage of ‘who cares’). Well, no fear for Paytm is here – at the risk of sounding like a very cheesy advertisement with the long somber sound of “Paytm Karo”, I give you reasons why Paytm is truly a lifesaving hack. I mean. Truly!
I know most of us think of this as a rather taxing procedure but once you’ve managed to add money to your account, you’re sorted. I discovered Paytm when Delhi University recently postponed the GE examination from the 12th to the 13th December, I had no option but to reschedule my flight. With skyhigh rates and six thousand already down the drain, Paytm was kind enough to offer me a ticket for only Rs. 5000, a day before and with cashback!
It doesn’t stop here, you can book movie tickets for half the price, get a million different discounts for a range of restaurants, get killer discounts on travel options, buy electronics for cheaper , and go on for days without cash, even paying your Uber driver with Paytm. The list is exhaustive with its many benefits and it even works at Nescafe in college, I mean what more could we ask for!
It takes about five minutes to set up and serves you forever, so what are you waiting for? Devote some space on your phone to a useful application. After all, we do deserve to watch a movie for free once in a while.
Cluster Innovation Centre (CIC) is known to provide unique and innovative solutions to various problems of the society within the university. It has often known to have worked of problems of gender, disability, history and environment through several of its projects. This time, the mathematics society of CIC- Matrix organised an event ‘Matrix 1.0’ on 5th October 2016 as a unique initiative to dispel the fear of students for Maths through various interactive activities. The daylong event which featured several games, activities and a film screening saw participation of students from across various colleges and several schools in Delhi.
The event started with mathematics quiz prelims, whose qualifiers were paired up for the final round where questions from mathematical philosophy to jigsaw puzzle chose the winners. This was followed by an open film screening of ‘The man who knew Infinity’, a film based on Ramanujan’s life to inspire students to break their fear of mathematics.
After a brisk break, ‘Mathematical Rangoli’ was started. This competition, which was a team affair, saw the participants being judged on the basis of color combination, design and the mathematical concept of their respective Rangoli. This was followed by ‘chess based games’ where individual participants were pitted against their own self. They were evaluated through several rounds and were judged on the basis of the improvement they showed in subsequent rounds.
Apart from these major competitions, several others were also held throughout the day. Games like Tangram Puzzles which require the players to arrange tans (mathematical shapes) in a given stencil, Magic Polygon Puzzles in which the players had to arrange natural numbers along the sides of given polygons to get a specific sum and many other games ensured that the visitors don’t get bored for even a minute.
The event drew its curtains after prize distribution. “We need more of such events in many other colleges and schools, because it’s in schools where children are most haunted by mathematics.” said one of the participants. This kind of initiative of dispelling notions about a subject is praiseworthy and departments in colleges should organise such events in order to dispel several myths around their own subjects through plays, games, films or other innovative methods.
Ramjas college, in lieu of completing a hundred years has been alive with celebrations and events, keeping the cheer in the air, all year round. Recently the college came with another extravaganza, the Grand Centennial Carnival which was a two day show in the campus. Bringing out the voices that often go unheard and sharing the joys of the centennial year by supporting the artists who need it, was the spirit of the Carnival.
DAY ONE – OCTOBER 25th, 2016
The Two-day Carnival commenced with the inauguration of the Centennial Parade by the Chief Guest, Shri Raj Kumar Gupta, chairman, Managing Committee, Ramjas Foundation, led by Acid-Attack Survivors. It was led by transgenders, bagpiper bands from Patiala, jugglers and acrobats, stilt-walkers, folk performers – all belonging to Purani Delhi. The parade portrayed the ethnicity of each state and culture, concocted by dhol and nagada beats. Teens, from the NGO Sankalp Foundation, ranging from the age of 12-14 presented a mind- dance performance. The foundation aims to uplift the social status of the students and supports them economically and emotionally.
The centennial parade with Principal, Dr. Rajendra Prasad in the front.
Let the Parade begin!
The Principal of Ramjas with the centennial artists
An exquisite Mughlai cuisine was served at the food court: Zaika-e-Dilli with delicacies from every corner of the capital: Shahi-Tukda to Kebab, from lachhedar-Parathas to Rabdi and Kulfi Faluda to devour on. Biryani, chicken korma, kheer, chicken tikka, khamere roti, kebab roll topped the list of mouth-watering platter of various cuisines.
Sanchit Mahajan, founder of start up ‘Artysan’ and also an alumnus of the college, went ahead with the graffiti works, to paint one of the 40 feet long walls of the college. The event was in collaboration with the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and Community Against Drunken Driving (CADD).
The fun didn’t stop here, Life-sized Games (Ludo and snakes & ladders), rides and paintball, laser tag were some of the most indulged-in by the students. Ramjas was a host to students from colleges like Lady Shri Ram, Miranda, Hansraj, Hindu, Stephens, SRCC, Gargi, PGDAV and many more.
Wheel chair performance by the differently abled
Paintball!
Life size Board games – Ludo
World-famous Sahitya Academy awardee Puran Bhatt presented a Life-sized Puppet show that left the audience mesmerized .The First day culminated with dazzling Street Performances by fire-dancers and acrobats who enthralled students and teachers alike. Day one ended with the promise to keep the same level of energy, fun and enthusiasm going strong the next day.
DAY TWO- OCTOBER 26th, 2016
The second day of The Grand Centennial Carnival began with the speakers blaring up high to the final stride of Youthoria: a series of open-street fitness drives, with the zumba trainers giving it a kick start. It was followed by a skit presented by the students of RVS-4, Roopnagar spreading a wonderful message of a pollution free Diwali which was well received by the audience. Inauguration of Life-sized games by the chief guest commenced the board games and the adventure camp where students got an opportunity to escape the approaching exam stress and to showcase their best foot in Paintball, life-sized Ludo and snakes & ladders.
Extravaganza – a club of slam poetry session by Wordcraft – The Literary Society, was held which took everybody on a poetic tour of refreshing thoughts and memories which was followed by a jaw dropping performance by the dance society of Ramjas College: in step.
100 years!
Classical dance
Zumba!
Fashion Show by Transgenders in collaboration with Ramjas Chapter of Enactus, was an inspiration to the crowd showcasing the confidence that the LGBT society has in itself. The show went on merrily, with the promise that Ramjas will never step back from its support towards making the country a transgender friendly hub. The rainbow flag, representing the desires and dreams of the neglected transgender community, was hoisted by Ramjasites, giving it all a powerful boost. It was urged to be a reminder of the Ramjas alumnus, Justice Ajit Prakash Shah’s verdict on section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.
The Transgender Fashion show was in collab with Enactus Ramjas
The centennial core team
Ramjas college in support of giving the Transgender community a voice.
Mystery painting followed by Sand Art, by a collaboration of Artysan and Melange: The fine Arts Society reminded the audience of the sacrifices of the untold stories of the heroes at the border-front.
After this came the much awaited part of the day, Dandiya Night – the main highlight of the day. It witnessed a foot-fall of 4638 students from all over the university. Celebrating ethnicity and cultural heritage in the most colourful way, everyone grooved to the dandiya mixes of Bollywood.
The Carnival culminated with the release of fire-lanterns symbolising ever-burning light and knowledge. The celebrations in Ramjas lit up the whole college and took everyone in its stride.
The Economics Department of Dyal Singh College (Morning), University of Delhi organised Eco-Solstice 2016. The event was a perfect amalgamation of art, poetry, business and economics. From poets to leaders, it had something for everyone.
The Economics Department of Dyal Singh College (Morning), University of Delhi, organised Eco-Solstice on 25th October, 2016. With the motto of – ‘Unplug. Unleash. Unwind’, it asked the audiences to ‘unplug’ their mind in order to ‘unleash’ their creative, analytical and logical powers to achieve one’s goals. However, it did stress on the need to ‘unwind’ once a in while and eliminate stress for a better mental health.
The event kick-started with a conference which saw various delegates from economics departments of about six Delhi University colleges gather together. This conference’s main focus was to bring to the table, the common obstacles faced by economics departments across varsity. From failures to achievements, everything was discussed and new ideas were pitched in to tackle possible problems in the future and meaningful collaborations were discussed. On being questioned, a delegate from PGDAV said, “We can’t restrict ourselves to being concerned about our particular colleges. We have to work together as a University and conferences like these which help us to be better together.”
The next event was Quizzer’s Dilemma held in collaboration with Cognitio – The Debating and Quizzing Society of DSC (M). This economics and business based quiz was won by the team of Tushar Anand (Ramjas College) and Gokul S. (ARSD College). The second position was clinched by students of Department of Anthropology, DU – Abhishek Mishra and Rabin Jacob.
Next in line were talks by two eminent people. First, Mr. R.K. Dubey, Ex-chairman and Managing Director of Canara Bank who took to stage to talk about the leadership and essential qualities of a leader. He said, “Crux of leadership is acceptance of responsibility and efficient communication among the leader and the team.” This talk was followed by Mr. Rohit Ranjan, director-Internship and fellowship program, Art of living. He spoke at length about stress elimination and proper time management in order to lead a fruitful life. According to him, we shouldn’t “live with ‘I know’ attitude, instead, have the zeal to keep learning and evolving”. He also gave an advice to overcome peer pressure.
Last event of the day was a slam poetry session by the spoken word poetry collective – Slip of Tongue (SoT). The performances by SoT members – Diksha Bijlani, Cheryl Mukherji, Somesh Thapliyal and Prateek Pandey hit a chord with the audience who were completely mesmerized with their solo and duet performances. From ‘love stories more fragile than paper-towns’ to ’resurrection of the wonder-woman’, they touched themes of love, bisexuality, ambitions and atheism through their simple words which left the audience asking for more. Additionally, Eco-Solstice had a photography exhibition which displayed photos clicked by the member of Stobe – The Photography Society of Economics Department of DSC (M).
Image Credits: Strobe – The Photography Society of Economics Department of DSC (M)
