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Arts & Culture

The Chai Story

By DU Beat December 2, 2017

If Delhi was to be a country, chai would be its national drink.

We’re a nation of tea lovers, so much so that a former chai waala now presides over the country as the Prime Minister of India! The drink is an indispensable part of an average Indian’s life.

Here is a list of chai points which are a hit amongst our on-campus colleges.

1. Metro waale bhaiiya, near the parking lot, Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station, New Delhi

As Delhi acquires the trappings of a modern metropolis, the carts dedicated exclusively to serving tea are becoming fewer. But, it is still possible to stop in the middle of a busy road and quench one’s thirst for tea for just a couple of rupees.

Each morning, be it winter or summer, a bhaiyya would pull out his chai cart at the entrance of Chhatra Marg, opposite to the Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station parking lot. As the tea boils on his kerosene stove, students who would get down from the metro to proceed to their north campus colleges would stop for a cup. Apart from the stove and kettle, the tea cart has plastic jars of fen and rusks, the classic chai accompaniments.

Yet the chai is perfect on its own. With a hint of crushed ginger, it is not too strong, too milky or too sugary. Sometimes a leaf from the tree above falls into the kettle, as well.

2. The Chai Story, Satya Niketan-

The Chai Story, a chai outlet located just opposite Venkateshwara College in Satya Niketan, provides a simple, cozy, and refreshing ambiance and different varieties of teas and lite bites. The cozy corners and mouth-watering fast food items make it a perfect place for meetings, conversation, or just spending some time with friends.

3. Sudama Tea Stall, North Campus, New Delhi

As and when you step into the university area, you will hear about Sudama Tea Stall. At any given time of the day, you will see this place flooded with college students. Even at 7 pm, you’d find the place filled with students discussing college projects, or just chilling with chai.

4. The Singing Tree, opposite Market No. 1 in CR Park

The place is best known for kulhad chai, lemon tea, lopchu, and Davidoff coffee. Once you’re here, you will become a fan of this place. This street-side hippie joint is a great place for the student crowd looking for options which are within their budget. It’s a popular spot for students of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College and Deshbandhu College. While at Raju Bhaiyya’s shop, pair your cup with some crispy biscuits or Mathri.

5. JP Tea Stall, D-School, North Campus, New Delhi

Winter might be coming but we Indians are not concerned because we’re armed with the drink of the aam aadmi and the elixir of productivity itself- chai.

The tea stall at Delhi School of Economics is your spot if you’re looking for some “chai pe charcha”, because the humble stall is the scene for a plethora of discussions on issues ranging from national interest to international affairs, amongst students (with the occasional presence of the professors as well).

6. Suresh Tea Stall, Hudson Lane, GTB Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110009

Famous for his Rajma Chawal and parathas, the appearance of the chaiwallah might be deceptive but you will be surprised to know that the cost of a bhand of his tea is Rs 10 and he sells not less than 150 cups of tea in a day.

150×10=1500.

When asked about his work hours, he says, he keeps making tea from 7 in the morning to 10 at night, with a one and a half hour break in the afternoon. The economics of tea is backbreaking, indeed.

7. Gweyer Tea Stall, North Campus

As you sample teas in Gweyer, remember what British politician William Ewart Gladstone said, “If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you and if you are excited, it will calm you”. Gweyer makes unadulterated desi chai like adrak ki chai and lemon tea. Located at a walking distance from most North Campus colleges, the place is totally a hottie! (read: hot tea)

8. Ganesh Tea Stall, Patel Chest, North campus, New Delhi

A mix of new-age ‘quirky’ and old-style charming.

From sizzling spiced tea to a cup of refreshing lemon tea, the love that the students of KMC and Campus Law College have for GTS is unparalleled. Their sun shines with its first sip and sets with the last one.

Feature Image Credits: Hemant Goyal

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Mapping the Presence of Mental Health Services in DU

By DU Beat November 30, 2017

Gazing around the empty room and suffocating walls, I typed ‘How to commit suicide’ on Google and the first result that appeared was the contact number of Aashra Helpline. I am a strong girl wrapped in untold stories of dark phases of life. The society perceives me as a confident and happy girl, but when I enter my room I ask myself if life is worth living. Maybe that night the voice of a stranger sitting far away from me, convinced me to give life a chance but I wonder why there is an absence of voice near to us.

The University of Delhi provides free counselling sessions to students and faculty members to help them cope with stress. At present, the ‘Mind Body Centre’ located in DU’s North Campus offers face-to-face counselling to girl students and faculty members. The helpline that was started by DU in 2015, however, caters to queries and offers therapy to all students irrespective of gender. However, has the helpline helped is significantly impacting mental health amongst students?

Despite similar services offered to students, almost every year approximately five students of the University commit suicide due to various reasons ranging from rejection in love, poor academic performance, family issues, and depression. The lack of professional counselling centers in colleges can be seen as a prime reason behind this. Moreover, the lack of awareness of such services in the student community is partially responsible for creating these issues. More often than not, a student looks for a listening ear and non-judgemental atmosphere.

Every hour, one student commits suicide in India, according to the 2015 data (the latest available) from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In 2015, the number of student suicides stood at 8,934. In the five years leading to 2015, 39,775 students killed themselves. The number of attempted suicides, many unreported, is likely to be much higher. India has one of the world’s highest suicide rates for youth aged 15 to 29, according to this 2012 Lancet report.

Speaking to a professional can help one in understanding what the student need. This can range from self-help tips and breathing exercises to a course of psychotherapy and medication. Everyone is different and will need differing levels of support.

Feature Image Credits: HR Review

Naimisha

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DUB Speak

What to Expect from the Even Semester

By DU Beat November 23, 2017

The even semester is supposed to be a period of intense activity with its various fests, competitions, and events. Here’s all that you can expect from them in the upcoming months in University of Delhi.

Depending on various things, your expectations from the even semester will be different. For example, based on what year you’re in, you can be excited about attending fests for the first time, be somewhat excited remembering the fun events you attended the previous year, or be seriously dreading facing your last few months in college. Whether these expectations from this semester will be underscored by feelings of “This is the semester where I get my life together” or “We’re all gonna die in the end so how does one semester matter”, will depend on your standing on the optimistic/pessimist-Nihlist scale. Therefore, this is where a person who’s in the middle of both of those scales can help provide something resembling a sense of objectivity.

Firstly, fests are okay. There’s the usual range of food and things you can buy somewhere else for a slightly cheaper price. There’s the DJ Nights and the Star Nights, which are really something of a luck thing, and by luck I mean how much money your college manages to raise through sponsorships and alumni. If you get a good performer and a good atmosphere (which means as less overcrowding as possible and a crowd that isn’t breaking through the stage barricading), then you’re in for an enjoyable time. But as is with all college activities, the quality of company is essential. I’d suggest you go with friends who don’t like to document every single moment with photos and stories, and don’t whine too much about delays and general tardiness in organising.

Competitions and society fests are quite enjoyable, too. Unless you’re in the organising society/participating, in which case you have responsibilities, no time to watch the performances, and basically get only a few glimpses of the actual event. However, it is a great time to see other performances when you can, and bond with your fellow members.

So, as you go into the remainder of the year, remember to have reasonable expectations. Try to attend things, to see what works for other people, and it just might work for you!

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat
Rishika Singh
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News

Kawalpreet Kaur’s Picture Morphing Issue: From Bullets to Photoshop, the Many Shades of Pakistani Offense

By DU Beat November 20, 2017

Every second of the minute, every minute of the hour, every hour of the day, Southeast Asia runs the threat of a full-fledged war between the two nuclear-enabled countries, India and Pakistan. If the grave possibility of a nuclear (the N word is to Southeast Asia what Voldemort is to Hogwarts) threat wasn’t bad enough, now we have Pakistani websites adding fuel to the ignited tension between the two neighbours.

The Pakistan Defense Forum (PDF), which is famous within the Indian and Pakistani defence enthusiasts circles, as a forum for debate and deliberation on Pakistani defence, strategic and security issues, has drawn flak internationally. Their move to upload a morphed picture of Indian student activist Kawalpreet Kaur had led Twitter to suspend the verified account of this unofficial forum on Saturday.
In the original photograph, Delhi University student Kawalpreet is standing infront of the Jama Masjid, holding up a sheet of paper that bears the message: “I am a citizen of India and I stand with secular values of our Constitution. I will write against communal mob lynching of Muslims in our country #CitizensAgainstMobLynching.”

But in the image the Pakistan Defence Forum tweeted, the text had changed: “I am an Indian, but I hate India, because India is a colonial nation that has occupied nations such as Nagas, Kashmiris, Manipuris, Hyderabad, Junagard, Sikkim, Mizoram, Goa.” Attached to the image, Pakistan Defence Forum tweeted, “Indians are finally realizing the truth; their country is actually a colonialist entity.” It deleted the tweet later. Having both retired and serving military personnel among it’s members, this is not the first time the PDF has attempted to perpetuate hate propaganda against India.

With almost 308,500 followers, Pakistan Defence Forum’s Twitter handle interestingly had more threads about India than Pakistan. But what is more interesting is the element of choice exercised by PDF’s social media team. Kawalpreet, a senior member of the All India Student’s Association, has been active in DU politics for long and is a well-known face in the student politics of Delhi. A crucial question to be asked at this point of time is, why her? For all that PDF’s social media expertise is worth, it could have morphed any photograph to communicate their hate propaganda against India, but it chose to target a student’s union leader studying in the premier institution of the country. In this context, is a controversy afoot to deliberately target a high-flying student activist, or can it simply be considered a PJ by the PDF? Using a morphed picture on such a sensitive issue not only has the possibility of fuelling greater tension between the two neighbours but could also put this girl’s life in danger. To this effect has been outrage expressed by the student community of DU and other institutions. The issue of Kaur’s photo being doctored was also flagged by Shehla Rashid, the former vice president of JNU Students Union, who contended that forum should not use such images in the name of the Kashmir issue.

Considering its legacy, PDF must have strategised their actions and policies more carefully if they wish to remain relevant in their chosen crusade of helping Pakistan’s image. Food (read: feud) for Thought: Substance will win over image any time, all the time.
What is astoundingly outrageous is the instance of a senior member of the Pakistan Defense Forum retorting back to the criticism in the official page of PDF in the words, “The amount of shameless fake propaganda Indians do against us, there is-nothing wrong in us doing the same against India. Well done PDF.” If offense is the best defense that PDF could muster, they could have atleast recruited better photoshop experts.

Feature Image Credits: Times of India

Vaibhavi Sharma Pathak

[email protected]

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Events

The Marketing Cell of Aryabhatta College organises Exult’17

By Niharika Dabral November 6, 2017

The Marketing Cell of Aryabhatta College in association with Innolabz organised EXULT’17, a fun-filled fest on 26th and 27th of October, 2017.

The first day was filled with enthusiasm and energy. A day full of exhilarating games, soothing music to delicious food and drinks! There was a soul to it. A soul that was vibrant, contagious and exuberant. The college was beautifully decorated by the team members from the entry itself and was a perfect example of eye candy! The minute one set foot inside the premises of college, one could feel the vibrancy. Outside the building, various mini-games were set up and stage and tents were put up on the football playground. It set the mood for the celebrations. The tone of decorations was very festive.

Various mini-games from drizzle throw to human tic tac toe were held and various students and teachers loved to be part of it. With each game, the winner was awarded various prizes like coupons of various outlets to cash-backs. Various other games like Impractical Jokers, Scavenger Hunts were also organised. The games were mind-boggling, adventurous and were filled with dares and thrill. The participants were from various colleges and were divided into teams and competed vigorously and were given a fixed amount of time to complete their tasks. The winners were awarded with various cash prizes and in kind.

Foodgasm a food game was also held. It was a game filled with fun for the foodies that were present out there. Participants had to eat the most in order to win followed by the tagline ‘eat till you last’.

B-quizophilia: a business quiz curated entirely by Innolabz was also organised in the college premises which experienced tremendous participation from various Colleges of Delhi-NCR.

The tents put up were occupied by various food stalls selling delicious food and drinks. From Dosa to Pasta to Waffles everything was finger licking delicious. The drinks did their job right on that hot sunny day!

The first day slowly came to an end as the sun started to set. The day was undoubtedly a success and did not fail to bring a smile on everyone’s face.

Riding on the tremendous success of the Day 1 of Exult’17, the Marketing Cell of Aryabhatta College kicked off the Final Day events with enormous zeal and motivation. The first event of the day was #StartAb, in collaboration with Josh Talks and Facebook. The team warm-heartedly received Mr. Bhavishya Wadhaman, founder of 98FIT.com as the first speaker of the day. 98FIT.com, unlike other online fitness trainers that aims for a healthy living without sacrificing on the available food choices, employing the use of Artificial Intelligence. It is an up and coming start-up and the brainchild of Mr. Bhavishya. He stayed on for over 2 hours as students listened keenly, and was more than happy to answer every single question after the engaging session. Later, we had Mrs. Arunima Shekhar on the stage from Tell-a-Tale, telling us delightful stories of experiences and life.

#StartAB ended with a Facebook presentation video on how it has been positively helping change lives all over the globe and its new plans for developing countries.

As fully expected, Josh Talks ended on a high note. It was followed by an interactive workshop on Entrepreneurship by InnoLabz which received a great response. The last item on the list, an ‘Open-Mic Standup Comedy’ session began in the next 30 minutes. A lineup of 9 participants from various colleges, some of which being Motilal Nehru College, Ram Lal Anand College, Aryabhatta College and Sri Venkateswara College eagerly expected to wait for their turn. It was a session jam-packed with humor and hilarious jokes, with everyone enjoying every minute of it and actively participating as the audience. Aryabhatta College and the Marketing Cell are extremely proud to have hosted one of the first of such event in the South Campus of the University. We all hope to have a bigger and better version for the next year.

With prizes for the Top 2 winners given out and Exult’17 finally drew to an end. The members and the teachers were proud in the culmination of an immensely successful event all over the university, thanks to every dedicated member of the team.

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Campus Central

Hansraj Sports Council Organises ‘Manchala’, Its First Field Event

By Srivedant Kar November 2, 2017

Hansraj college celebrated the inaugural ceremony of the sports council on the occasion of National sports day. The occasion was formally inaugurated by Dr Rama Sharma, Principal of Hansraj College by lightning the lamp with the department head, teachers & council members. In her address she spoke about how she desires to move forward not for individual sports or particular team sports but for sports for all, widening the extent of health and fitness in the institute through the council. A token of greeting to the Department from the President of the council, Ms Pracchi was received by Dr MP Sharma following his words of wisdom. He addressed how the life of a sports person is different from being a regular College student and how discipline, dedication and own gratitude to one’s performance should be worship of particular sports. felicitating Ms Pracchi as the President followed by the core team of 8 members which are Mr Sahil Delu as Vice president, Mr. Avinash Panwar as General Secretary, Mr. Divyansh Chauhan as Managing Director, Ms. Noor E Zehra as Editor in Chief, Mr. Saim Akhtar as Production Head, Mr. Akshat Kaushik as Executive Head, Ms. Parinita Saini and Ms. Divya Teres Kuriyan as Executive member. The ceremony of felicitation was completed by following performances by Vani & Ankur and graceful dance performance by Kavyakriti. The sports council will seek to organise and regulate several sports-related events for the college throughout the academic year. The Council also announced that an annual Hansraj Sports Magazine will be published by its editorial board.

The HSC organised the first field event ‘Manchala’ organised on 11th October, proved to be a grand success. Students across the University of Delhi actively participated in it. With a plethora of games, which included tug of war, sack race, partner race, spoon race, broad jump, throw the ball and flag picking race, being offered at a minimal entry fee of Rupees 20, almost everyone was eager for a second and even a third round. Manchala was a strong initiative to bring together students from different colleges of the University of Delhi and rejuvenate their spirit of sports that is lost amidst the hustle & bustle of college life.

By Organising Team

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Fashion

Auburn Umbrella: Steam Up This Winter

By DU Beat October 29, 2017

Winter is the best time to look runway ready and sophisticated without much effort. Here’s how you can make the most of this opportunity and not jeopardise your sense of style till the next spring.

With the Diwali diyas flickered out, we hereupon commence for winters. This is when reality dawns upon us – our wardrobes shall alter altogether now. We are again faced with life’s most renowned dilemma- “What to wear and how to look stylish?” To up University of Delhi’s fashion quotient and to not look frumpy with a hundred layers, here are all the fashionista approved layering tricks to make you look cool during the cool season-

Put on your Midi Coats-

Invest in a midi coat this winter to feel warm and toasted. Midi coats are not only for girls but are also available in varied designs for boys. Girls can vouch for a midi dress as well, if not a coat.

Mix up your neutrals-

Blacks, taupes, and greys are the easiest and most convenient for the ‘mix and match’ game. Any of their combinations would be just perfect, no matter how many layers you pile on. For boys, grey/black chinos can be worn this season. Girls can throw on a belt to emphasise their waistlines and not let their body shape get lost in one of those versatile gray/mauve overcoats.

Stack up on one colour-

Piling up shades of the same colour is not only daring, but it is also never over-the-top. It looks casual and something a college student would wear. In addition to this, if you go the hoodie route, nothing like it.

Never forget your basics-

If you’re Getting late for an 8.30 a.m. lecture, remember that bold is better and an all-black outfit may not seem like an endless sea of fabric, if you just add on a plaid sweater of any other colour and put your style front and centre. Knit sweaters will always remain the in-thing and long, oversized cashmere cardigans can set you for the winters just right.

Boot, socks, and caps are the essentials-

Yes, winter is the time for some expensive shopping because you can catch a cold with poor quality, less costly hogwash. Spend a little more money to go for cashmere, ribbed crew socks in taupe, dark green and associated colours. As far as footwear is concerned, an ugg, an Emu, or a biker boot can work wonders, and you won’t regret it. For the best woollen caps, have beanies, striped pom -pom, slouchy minions’ winter hats and all other trooper trapper hats ready in your closet.

Therefore, this winter, do not forget to experiment and be creative. Be comfortable in your own skin and keep it simple always.

Feature Image Credits: Lyst

Oorja Tapan

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Winding Up the Odd Semester

By DU Beat October 21, 2017

With Diwali just having gone by, reality hits us and we realise that the official current semester will be ending soon and our very ‘dear’ semester examinations are coming close as the internals’ fever has died down. We are all huffed and puffed about our attendance issues, looking for ways to increase it or at least manage it to come at par with the ‘so-called’ 67% standard set by the University of Delhi, either through medical or internship certificates, or through extracurricular activity (ECA) slips. We all have one Rambo mission to attend all classes henceforth, especially the horrifying morning 8:30 a.m. lecture, trying our level best not to zone out in the middle of the lecture. We fight the urge to collect every possible reading material and book there is to extract as many sources available and save ourselves from drowning in the upcoming exams. Of course, all of us are engaged in discussions with our peers like, “Boy, that escalated quickly”, “How time passes by”, “Dude, I am having a mental breakdown as to how many more assignments I am still left to submit”, and so on.
Pause for a minute to think and retrospect. How did you spend one-half of the year? Was it according to your customary need to go clubbing at Hauz Khas, hang out at the Hudson Lane food joints, shop at Kamla Nagar or Sarojini Nagar markets, beg your parents to allow you to attend a sleepover at one of your friend’s house or PG, spend another evening at India Gate making Boomerang videos for Instagram, or create that one awesome memory with friends that you failed to capture on Snapchat but laughed out all night about it with your hostel mates? Or were you busy studying the entire semester, preparing for entrances like CAT or JNU, keeping up with the notes, doing various internships, or learning a language? I am sure we all had a coalescence of all the aforementioned activities. How many of these do you consider worthwhile? How many of these do you regret and how many are you still aspiring to do? Students in their freshman year must still be in doldrums regarding adjusting to the new city and will surely plan to carry out all remaining Delhi ventures in the next season. Sophomores must be in a state of shock that they have already reached the intermission in their college lives and should now get serious about what to do next. And my dear seniors, you are very well treading upon the teary path of farewells next semester, so get your grip for the dreary path of a hardcore competitive world outside the walls of your college-cum -cocoon.
As for exam -related tips, I am sure you all are smart enough to figure out how to sail through exams. Just in case you are not accustomed to the exam fever, prepare a fixed target-oriented schedule and try to stick to it in order to micromanage your core and elective papers. Try to avoid all sorts of group-studies as now is the time for individual, prioritised studying. Emphasise on what to read and even more on what not to read. You are the best judge of yourself.
Believe me for one thing – that however you have spent your time since July, be pleased with yourself, because life, and for that matter, college-life is too short for regrets. Have faith in your capabilities and get your guns ready for the next half of the year. Do not let the approaching winter deter your happy, sunny, and young minds.
Image Credits: Icebreakerideas.com

Oorja Tapan
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DUB Speak

The Reality Of Internal Assessments

By DU Beat October 16, 2017

Thanks to an impressive array of Bollywood movies and pop culture’s depiction of the University of Delhi many people are under an illusion that life of a college student is all fun and play. But now, with each assignment and test, the illusion of glamour is getting over alongside the semester itself. The credit for this goes to Internal Assessments.

Internal Assessment (IA) refers to a quota of 25% marks that is reserved for continuous flow of assignments, attendance, and tests that take place throughout the semester.
The breakup and weightage of IA is:
• Attendance- 5%
• Written assignments- 10%
• Class test(s)/ Quiz(s)- 10%
While 25% of the maximum marks in each paper is assigned for Internal Assessment the remaining 75% marks are for the final end of the semester examination.

With Delhi University’s exhaustive syllabus, regular work in form of tests and assignments keeps us in touch with the academics which ultimately reduces the burden for final preparation. The long readings are often neglected by the students, and when they finally come across the study material two days before the exam, they freak out. With internals one becomes familiar with the text, and instead of last-minute cramming students actually pause and learn. Also, since marks are awarded for attendance, this provision encourages more and more students to turn up.

Another benefit of Internal Assessment is that, if a student is failing by one or two marks, the teacher can sympathetically increase the internal assessment score.
However on the flip side, many students believe that Internal Assessment is nothing, but incessant nagging of work. Even though assignments are supposed to span across the semester, what ends up happening is teachers concentrate all work in last few weeks. When three-term papers with 3000-word limit are assigned just a few days back, students have no other choice but to shamelessly indulge in plagiarism. Therefore, most people those who turn up the assignments do it for the sake of it. Many students also question the need for tests in the middle of the semester when they ultimately have to write final exams.

This time, first week of October was declared as the Internal Assessments week in many Delhi University colleges. It is impossible not to question the logic behind this system. Mugging up facts to spill out on empty sheets over a course of one week is as good as not appearing for tests in the first place, except the marks are an easy catch. Most students would rather opt the easy way out and complete the required assignment, pulling all-nighters, regardless of the knowledge gained in the process. According to Nivvedhitha Shankar, a second year student of Commerce from Jesus and Mary College, a prerogative of case studies for internals can help both the parties involved. Students can learn in the process, and teachers can devise new and innovative ways to ensure students score well. Putting equal impetus on assignments and case studies can go hand-in-hand, and can give students the outlet to apply theoretical concepts in real life.
Similarly, the 5 marks alloted for attendance mark a controversial grey-zone in the ambiguous clout. The intention was to recognise regularity and discipline in students, but it more or less fails at that. In many DU colleges, professors care little about attendance marks and mark very leniently. Some professors can be equally uptight regarding attendance matters. There can be a major difference in scores because of these 5 marks. A meritorious student who is keen on participating in competitions and attending conferences may feel helpless. Despite his/ her ability to finish the syllabus quickly, there is always an added pressure of losing marks on the pretext of attendance.

However much we praise or neglect internals, they are here to stay. Our best shot is to question regressive methods of teaching and hopefully not get penalised for the same.

Feature Image Credits: India Unimagined

Niharika Dabral
[email protected]

Vijeata Balani
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Features

‘Stand-up’ for these Comedians

By Anagha Rakta October 15, 2017

Stand-up Comedy is the new “in” thing on YouTube and its sister channels and Indian stand-up acts wouldn’t disappoint you, for sure.

India, or for that matter Urban India, is slowly awakening to a newer, fresher, and unusual yet creative professions; despite the rant of becoming a doctor and an engineer continues to perpetuate. Spreading awareness is an important thing but doing that through wit and humour makes it all the more scintillating and this is where stand-up comes into play. University of Delhi has been a host to many of the artists, be it Abish Mathew, Biswa Kalyan Rath or Kenny Sebastian, or the very recent case of Zakir Khan gracing the SRCC Youth Conference intrigues us into finding out the best stand-up acts of India. Therefore, we bring to you our own set of favourite comedians who, really sometimes make more sense than our politicians:

DISCLAIMER: We know there are some great stand-up comedians missing from this list, but in our defence, we couldn’t add them all!

Daniel Fernandes: If you are looking for dark humour, wit, and sarcasm mixed together with thought-provoking satire that’s based on social issues, Daniel Fernandes is the man for you. His takes on feminism, Syria, Trump Elections, rape, and all will give you chills, apart from making you laugh. Also, he never shies away from speaking his mind out on controversial topics – watch his stand-up on why he hates Fawad Khan, for this example.

Abhishek Upmanyu: For lighthearted and light-minded comedy, Abhishek Upmanyu is the typical, Delhi boy-next-door for you who thinks faster than he speaks, and his body language and tone will win your heart all over. His famous stand-ups on the likes of Delhi, Mumbai, comebacks, and insults will get you rolling on the floor laughing.

Zakir Khan: With his every show getting a standing ovation, you should definitely stand up for Zakir Khan because he just stands out in all his performances. The “sakht launda” has his own cult of fan following and his hilarious take on a Delhi girl, failing in an exam, airport rules, etc, will make you wanting more of him. Also, he once shared a video for his father online which made all of us cry with tears in the same way he makes us laugh with tears. This man can do it all.

Abish Mathew: “The Son of Abish” show is a major hit online and his sense of humour and adorable smile never fail to amuse us. He became extremely famous from the AIB Video, A Man’s Best Friend and yes, whenever you watch this guy, he will surely leave you in splits.

Aditi Mittal: The stand-up comedy world is also, like any other world, male–dominated, but this woman outshines them all. Her witty take on sanitary napkins , bra shopping, and breasts will get you hooked onto her for life. She uses humour to raise awareness about issues in a way that will make you think twice.

6. Kanan Gill and Biswa Kalyan Rath: Yes, these guys perform separately and their individual performances rock the entire comedy industry but after watching their Pretentious Movie Reviews (You are living under a rock if you haven’t watched these), it is very difficult for us to separate the two of them. Both have their own charm and make sure to watch all of their videos, including their individual ones.

Kenny Sebastian:“Chai -Time” with this guy is just the best time of our days and yes, Kenny’s understanding of middle-class restaurants, middle-class Dads, North Indians in America, will make people fall off from their chairs. His live shows, as well as his videos, are an equal pleasure.

Sorabh Pant:When he left the East India Comedy channel, we all were heartbroken but this man never disappoints us. You can watch ‘The Rant of the Pant’ on his individual channel as well. He is one of the coolest stand-up comedians in India and one of the most intelligent and politically-aware as well.

9. Vir Das: He is our very own blue-eyed boy whose shows in America are a major hit (online and offline) and he is one of the most cherished comedians of India. If you still haven’t watched his videos, you are missing out on all the fun.