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DU Annual Fest Season

Priyadarshani 2016 – The Annual Cultural Festival of Dyal Singh College (M)

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Priyadarshani 2016

Priyadarshani 2016, The Annual Cultural Festival of Dyal Singh College (Morning), University of Delhi was held on 4th, 5th and 6th February, 2016. Ranjana Gauhar- Padmashree Awardee, Odissi, Kathak and Manipuri dancer and Associate in National Academy of Natak, Author of book, Odissi — The Dance Divine was the Chief Guest and Uma Shankar – Student Union Leader and Social Activist was the Guest of Honour for Priyadarshani 2016. Roots – The Music Society of Dyal Singh College (M) inaugurated the event on a musical note followed by Kathakali, Odissi and western duet dance performances that awed the audiences.

After the inauguration, the Day 1 events of Priyadarshani 2016 started off with Natsamrat 2016 – Street Play competition by Astitva – The Department of Theatre. The team of Institute of Home Economics (IHE) won this competition with their play ‘The Middle Class Family – Na Iddhar ke Na Uddhar ke’, portraying the daily struggles and life of typical middle class families. On the other hand, Sursadhana 2016 by ROOTS saw some great musical performances in their Western Solo, Indian classical solo, Light solo, Indian Duet and Tarana – Indian Classical Group song competitions. Alankar – The Indian classical group of Hindu College bagged the first position in Tarana with their breath-taking performance.

Priyadarshani 2016
Sursadhana 2016

Patkatha – The script-writing competition by Xposure – The Photography Society saw participants weaving stories around a single picture and on the other side, they had a photography exhibition with pictures telling a thousand stories. The Day 1 ended with Footloose – The dance competition by Zest – The Dance Society which had western solo, duet and street dance competitions. Sri Venkateshwar College dance group and Zorks battled to bag the first prize in the Street Dance competition, Zorks won this competition.

Priyadarshani 2016
Artism 2016

Day 2 of Priyadarshani 2016 was filled with vibrant colours as Jamini – The Fine Arts Society organised ‘Artism’ under which poster making, painting, mehandi designing and sketching competitions were held. Where Jamini added an artistic flair to the festival, Spilled Ink – The Creative Writing Society brought poetic angle by Lafz-e-mehfill – Hindi/Urdu poetry competition. While one side of the college was echoing with beautiful poetry, the other side was dancing on the beats of Western Group Dance Competition where Jesus and Mary College won the first prize. Also, a workshop by Nikon mentor, Aman Wilson was organised by Xposure which included the tips and tricks to polish one’s photography skills. It was not only DSLR centric, but included tips for mobile phone camera users as well. The success of the workshop could be seen by the crowd it had attracted, which included the students from different colleges. This day ended with Deshbandhu College bagging the first prize in the Dyal Singh Majithia Memorial Debate organised by Cognito – The debating society.

Priyadarshani 2016
Bandish – Battle of Bands

Day 3 of Priyadarshini kick-started with Bandish – Battle of Bands where Stable Flux from College of Vocational Studies won the first prize. This event was followed by Tres Chic – Fashion Show by Glamoratti – The Fashion Society. Institute of Home Economics bagged the first position with their theme of mirror, with Lady Irwin College as the runner-up. Simultaneously, the Film-making competition by Xposure; Rangoli making, Best out of waste and cartooning competitions by Jamini; General Quiz by Cognito were held. Delhi Technological University (DTU) won the General Quiz competition.

Priyadarshani 2016
Tres Chic – The Fashion Show

The most awaited event of Priyadarshani 2016 was the performance by Astitiva – The Band. This performance was cancelled when the band claimed to have not been provided with suitable sound system. This left the students heart-broken. This cancelled gig was followed by an online sparring between the students and band. According to the Priyadarshani 2016 Organising Committee, due to the miscommunication between the band and the event management company the college and the students suffered.

[quote]“We were in touch with the event management company as well as the manager of Astitva a night before the performance and the event management company told us what all we’d need for the performance, the basics and we DID arrange all that exactly according to what the company said. If there has been a miscommunication between the band and the company, it is not our fault. We are merely victims of their shenanigans.” – Team Priyadarshani 2016[/quote]

(For full official statement of Team Priyadarshani 2016 visit – https://www.facebook.com/dscpriyadarshani/?fref=ts )

Image Credits: Xposure – The Photography Society of Dyal Singh College (M).

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DU Annual Fest Season

Day 2 at Tarang ’16 winds up with EDM Night

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Tarang, the annual cultural festival of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, continued to spread its magical ‘vibe’ around the campus, even on the second day, that is, the 6th of February, 2016, attracting each one to their own special genre of interest and compelling all to stay for as long as possible.

Mudra, the Classical Dance Competition (Solo) involved a total number of 24 participants.
Names of the Judges:
Danielle Freddie, a Professional Kathak Dancer
Radhika Khatal, a Bharatnatyam Dancer, who’s currently pursuing Master of Arts in Music from Delhi University, and aspiring to be a professional dancer.
Names of Winners:-
1st Place: Annanya of Daulat Ram College
2nd Place: Raghav of Sri Venkateswara College and Charvi of Gargi College

IMG_8175

A fusion of both western and contemporary Bollywood musical band competition- Amalgam also took place along with Battle of Bands (being just Western).
Names of Judges for Amalgam:
Vipin Sharma and Shashank Angiras, from Faculty at Musicians’ Stop.
Names of Winners: The Hans Raj Projekt, Hans Raj College
Names of Winners of Battle of Bands:
1st– High Time, Kirori Mal College
2nd– Three of a kind! – Performers from different colleges

The much awaited Choreography competition Izaraz,  atrracted a humongous crowd. Six Teams from different colleges participated and the competition was judged by Ms Neha Sharma, Ms Pooja Oberoi, Assistant Choreographer Kingdom of Dreams and Ms Ayesha Walia. The Choreo Competition witnessed spectacular performances, which included parallels from Epics, Whodunits and  Diverse themes dealing with the panacea of Materialistic pursuits and some with Life.

Ms. Ayesha Walia, said, before declaring the results, “The hardwork was shining through in each of your performances. We are glad that the level of performance today has risen amazingly from our time!”

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The Choreo Society of Hindu College, who performed ‘ Vengeance ‘, which drew upon the epic traditions from hindu Mythology won the competition. The Choreography Societies of Hansraj College and Kirori mal college won the 2nd and the 3rd position respectively.

This was followed by the EDM night, with Aerreo and DJ Sameer. They hit the highs with some famous tracks such as ‘Hello’ by Adele and ‘ Lean On’ by Major Lazer & DJ Snake.  The second day of Tarang ended with the crowd dispersing after Jochen Miller concluded the EDM night.

The Third day of Tarang is scheduled to host Western Group Dance and Western Group Music competitions along with others. The band Agnee  is scheduled to grace the star night too.

Team Tarang: Day 2
Arushi Pathak
Shagun Marwah
Tooba Towfiq
Shaina Ahluwalia
Chirag Sharma
Alex Arthur
Mridul Kumar

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Campus Central

Day 3 of SRCC Business Conclave 2016 ends with Adi Godrej and Rajat Sharma

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The SRCC Business Conclave, India’s largest management fest, concluded on 5th of February after 3 days of extravaganza. The festival aims to broaden the horizons of the youth by engaging them in a series of intellectually stimulating speaker sessions concerning issues that act as the orbit around which modern business rotates. In sync with previous years, the core theme for this year’s sessions was “In touch with tomorrow.” The three days witnessed a host of eminent personalities from a variety of fields engaging youth in interactive sessions. The first day, 3rd February, began with a panel discussion on the theme ‘Startup Culture in India.’ The panellists included Ankit Bhatt from MapMyIndia, Kashyap Deorah, author of the book ‘Golden-Trap’, Rajesh Gupta from Fresh Falsabzi, Ankur Warikoo from Nearbuy and Saurabh Kochhar from FoodPanda, where they discussed the opportunities and challenges to startups in India. Next came the much awaited session with Nirmala Sitharaman, moderated by Rajdeep Sardesai. Mr. Sardesai in one of the questions asked her, “…two wasted Parliament sessions, the monsoon washed out and the winter froze. No legislation for GST. Politicians still put their personal interests forth?” to which, the lady of the hour said, “The hitch is not with NDA. If they let us pass the bill we will sit together to have lunch with them (other parties).” The events were followed by a Gala Night where Dhruv Vishwanathan entertained the audience with his mesmerizing guitar chords. 4th February began with the Shri Ram Memorial speech by Mr. Nitin Gadkari where he emphasised the role of youth in nation building is fundamental. He said, “Conversion of wealth into knowledge is called progress.” When asked about the nature of politicians he said that only the ideation of good people in the politics can result in growth. The next speaker, Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal sharing the stories of his struggle and success said, “In a small garage in Ludhiana, me and my team put together the first ‘push-button’ phone of India. Then came Mr. D. Shivakumar, CEO PepsiCo India, who shed light on the strength of Indian youth saying, “What youth has today, is voice.” The next on the dias was Derek-O-Brien, who we all know as the Bournavita Quizmaster. Currently a Member of Parliament he said, “Politician bashing is very easy. There are always jokers in a pack. But the Parliament is also full of some serious talent.” The final speaker of the day was Medha Patkar, activist for Narmada Bachao Andolan and she highlighted the importance of Human resource saying, “Money alone cannot give you the suit on your body, the paper we use and even the currency notes.” The first speaker for the final day was G.M.Rao, Chairman GMR Group. Revisiting his early days and all the obstacles he faced, he said, “There was a time when I started 28 different businesses at the same time. I was grabbing whatever opportunity I was getting.” The next to come was Mr. Adi Godrej from Godrej Group who spoke about how fundamental is enforced legislation to the growth of a country but how too many rules and regulations can often slow down the process. Rajat Sharma, took over the stage who interacted in a light manner with the students. About his journey with IndiaTV, he recounted, “Sapna profit banane ya BMW mei aane ka nahi tha. Sapna sirf logo ka pyaar or dil jeetne ka tha.” This year, the Business Conclave went International, calling David Plouffe, Former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. He attracted a lot of questions and curiosity, expressing opinion about India, the elections in the United States and even Donald Trump. After him came, Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Finance, who said, “The most important duty of a finance executive is Honesty.” The next to come was Anurag Thakur, MP and Secretary, BCCI, and he said, “Cricket, and sports give you the knowledge which classroom doesn’t offer. Sports is a way of life that helps in character building.” The guest speaker for the final day was Suresh Raina, when audience asked him if he was a front or back bencher in school, he laughed and said, “Main class mei bethta hi nahi tha.” The event was wrapped up with the much awaited guest, Mr. Rishi Kapoor. As he is famous on twitter for his witty, straight forward personality, his answers at the event too matched his charisma. When asked about Bollywood, he said, “The business of cinema is huge. The only entertainment after cinema is sex.”

  [gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="38784,38785,38786,38787,38788,38789,38790,38793,38795,38802,38803,38804,38806,38807,38799"]]]>

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Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies

TEDxSSCBS: Spectral Hues

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The TEDx Program is designed to help communities, organizations and individuals to spark conversation and connection through local TED-like experiences. At TEDx events, a screening of TED Talks videos — or a combination of live presenters and TED Talks videos — sparks deep conversation and connections at the local level. TEDx events are planned and coordinated independently, under a free license granted by TED.
The students of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS), University of Delhi are organising an independently-held TED event, TEDxSSCBS on 8th February, 2016 at India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. The theme chosen for this event is ‘Spectral Hues’.

The literal meaning of Spectral Hues pertains to the various colours one sees when white light passes through a prism. Metaphorically, this phrase symbolises renewal, rejuvenation and optimism. The white light represents the prevalent obsoleteness of ideas and thoughts in any sector of life; which can be eliminated only by the endeavours of those people who can think differently yet positively, who can work calmly yet intensely, who can be self-motivated yet achieve goals in a team, who bear the ability of being the risk-takers and change-makers and hence turn the world from black-and-white to a spectral hued one.
The aim of this TEDx is to propagate this thought for change.

This 100-attendee event will have speakers of the likes of Aditya Bal (chef, journalist, model), Chiragh Dewan (COO, AiroCorp), Vasu Primlani (green comedian, social entrepreneur), Vikramjit Singh (comedian, writer), Sai Prasanth (mountaineer, entrepreneur), Smriti Nagpal (Founder, Atulyakala), Naved Khan (radio jockey), Rohit Soni (artist), Tom Thomas (CEO, Praxis India) and a few more. All the speakers for this event have championed the spirit of change and rejuvenation in whichever fields they have worked in.

Register for this TEDx at: www.tedxsscbs.com/register
For any queries, contact us at
Email ID: [email protected]
Website: www.tedxsscbs.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tedxsscbs

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Uncategorized

DU students cycle to North Campus to support Odd-Even Formula

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DU students cycle

Although we’re just over a week into the new year and the odd-even era, the online memes, political discussions, corny jokes regarding Mr. Kejriwal’s initiative have become an integral part of our everyday life since the initial announcement was made.

However, despite all the jokes and complaints the people of Delhi have shown remarkable cooperation with a surprisingly small list of violators on a particular day, an increase in those using public transport and people carpooling and cycling to work in order to help the Chief Minister improve Delhi’s alarmingly poor air quality.

It is with this aim that a group of students decided to cycle from their homes to Delhi University’s North Campus on the first of January 2016. Although, colleges were shut till the 4th these students decided to go for a trial run and vowed to cycle to college all year! One of the students from SRCC told a media correspondent that as a New Year Resolution he has decided to restrict the use of his vehicle to Sundays. Another student from Hindu College acknowledged the difficulties associated with the formula but went on to remind us that we have to make a start somewhere and that this is the time to do so.

Although results, in terms of air quality improvement are yet to show, there seems to be no shortage of support from Delhi’s residents. Students of both DU and JNU are actively participating in making the lives of commuters easier whether it be designing mobile applications or setting up kiosks to provide people with information and encourage them to cycle, carpool or use public transport.  With the fifteen-day trial period slowly coming to an end, the support of Delhi’s residents will be integral in determining whether or not the formula is here to stay.

Image Credits: The Hindu

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DUB Speak

The Second semester and How it Flies

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“The Bird of Time has but a little way To fly — and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing”, said the Persian Philosopher Omar Khayam.
If you are in the second semester, this quote will make sense to you very soon. Second semesters fly! and are a dramatisation of your absurdist nightmares. Life is fast pace, so is this semester.
Winter semesters are undoubtedly more exciting than the summer ones. Here is a list of some of your future actions, with their future implications predicted:

1) The Coming Backs:

You are just back from your vacations. The new vacations had new friends to miss. When you get back to college, you get too busy meeting them and trying to love them more.  Because yes, you are not just in college now, you are into it.

2) The Department Fests:

One of the most entertaining yet tiring work is preparing for the department fest. You put your creative skills to work. Your department patriotism is in action and you are just too fueled up to put your energies into it and become oblivious towards academics.

3) The Fests:

After having read the list of the best fests of DU, you are now looking forward to them. February literally flies like butterflies with crossroads, Mecca, Tempest and the like. You are too awestruck having now seen celebrities performing in your neighbourhood. It is a war; how many will you be able to attend?
You don’t have to lose! There is no missing out.

4) Antardhwani ( The Delhi University Festival) 

North Campus students generally doze off because they get a day off from college for Antardhwani. South campus peeps usually attend it because they get to feel the ‘northern vibe’.

So days and nights pass while you are exploring. You are too involved in exploring the newness that you forget the reality.
The real hits you when the all pervasive internal exams and assignments burst your ephemeral bubble. The month of March is a struggle. You fight with the humongous syllabus which had become obscure in your exploration. While you tackle with the assessment, you are left with no time for self studies or any studies at all.
When you are recovering yourself from the swoon, the date is the day, ” ten days before the exams”.
If the winter semester is a wizard, swish and flick:

” Knock, knock!”;
” Whose there? “;
” May”,
” May who?”,
” Exam, May I?”

Image Credits: memegenerator.net

Tooba Towfiq
[email protected]

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Top Picks

To-do list for the lonely souls not partying this New Year’s Eve!

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Can’t go back home this vacations due to fest practices or something else? Spending New Year alone? Couldn’t convince your parents to go out with your friends? Don’t have any friends to party with? Or, are you the one who despise partying? Well, here we are on the brink of entering 2016. For many of us, it’s just like yesterday when we were welcoming 2015 or cursing Delhi University peeps for announcing the result on the last day of year! Well, let’s hope we don’t have a repeat of that result announcement this year. But, if we do and some us do get grounded, then here’s a to-do list for all the lonely souls who couldn’t or didn’t want to party this New Year’s Eve!

1. Movie Marathon or Binge watch TV Show

Well, this is the easiest thing you can do. No hassle of getting all glittered-up for some New Year’s party with heels which hurt-like-hell or waking up with a horrible hangover headache on the first day of the year, guys! Ditch this party scene and get into your warm, comfy clothes watching movies and TV shows you love!

Movies Suggestions

You can watch your favourite movies again or try the ones you haven’t watched as yet!

Bollywood: You can watch – Hum-Tum, Kal Ho Na Ho, Swadesh, Jab We Met, Dil Chahta Hai and others which released in the past decade if you have already watched the recent movies like – Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Dilwale, Masaan, Bajirao Mastani, etc.

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Image Credits: http://www.amongmen.com/

Hollywood: Watch the movies series like – Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, The Divergent, Marvel Avengers, Wolverine, Batman, Superman, Twilight, Hangover, Grown-ups, or you can watch the Disney movies!

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Image credits: http://media2.onsugar.com/

Watching animated movies on New Year’s Eve will also be a great idea to bring a smile on your face. Movies like – Tangled, The Lion King, Inside-Out, Frozen, Hotel Transylvania, Finding Nemo, How To Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Minions, Up and more will worm their way into your heart and fill it with happiness and joy this New Year’s Eve!

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Image credits: https://thelifeofoneteenager.files.wordpress.com/

TV Shows suggestion: You can either re-watch your favourite TV show or choose a new one. The shows you can binge watch are – Grey’s Anatomy, Friends, Supernatural, Game of Thrones, The Originals or Vampire Diaries, Lost, Breaking Bad, Castle, Arrow, Flash, Beauty and the Beast, Gossip Girl, Homeland, Sherlock, Elementary, Revenge, Big Bang Theory, Glee, Suits, and this list is can go on and on.

2. Wear your creative hat

Are you an artist, a writer or photographer? Even if you are not, worry not! All you have to do is let your creative side take over. Throw caution out of window and just start writing about your year. Swap through your picture gallery, facebook timeline or take out those old pictures and write a little caption or the story behind those pictures beside them or in a diary. That way you’ll not only relive those precious moments which were captured long back but, would also create something beautiful which you’ll always cherish and would want to revisit again and again. The artists or painters can take out their brushes and pencils to create something unique to mark the ending of the year.

The trick is to let your creative juices flow freely. It shouldn’t matter if you are not good at what you are doing. All you need to do is to feel happy and if, colouring or writing crappy poems make you happy then, do it!

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Image Credits http://abeautifulmess.typepad.com/

3. Food

Nothing makes your day better than good food. Treat yourself this New Year’s Eve with those delicious cupcakes that you covet and can kill for. Honestly, for one day you can crush that stupid diet plan and let your heart want what it wants. Believe me, you won’t die if you would eat all your favourite stuff. Make this your day and pamper yourself!

 

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Image Credits: http://images6.fanpop.com/

4. TV

A lot of TV channels would have some New Year Special programmes and would not be playing their usual sappy daily soaps. Tune in and watch them or you can also watch Movie premieres. The movie channels would be having a lot of ‘First Time on Television’ movie premieres. This New Year’s Eve, watch the movie you have not seen before! Also, if you are a music lover then end this fantastic year with top 50 songs of 2015. VH1 India will play TOP 50 songs on December 31st from 7 pm onwards.

5. Visit reader’s paradise

This New Year’s Eve try something new. Try fan-fiction! Remember when you liked that particular book series so much that you didn’t want it to end. Read fan-fiction of that book if you can find it. Harry Potter and Twilight fans can find ample of fan-fiction on the internet to fill up their reading list for the whole 2016!

Also, even if you don’t find fan-fiction written on your favourite book (which is pretty impossible) then, read the book that you’ve or have been trying to read for a long time. A winter evening, hot cup of coffee/tea, a comfortable chair and a good book is all you need this New Year’s Eve to make it happening!

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Image credits: https://ladygeekgirl.files.wordpress.com

6. Do Absolutely Nothing

Yeah, you heard it right! During the whole year some of us are so buzzed-up that ‘doing nothing’ and ‘not working’ is actually a novelty which we can’t afford throughout the year. So, this New Year’s Eve sleep your heart out or just lie on the bed as the time pass away and the New Year begins!

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Image Credits: https://img0.etsystatic.com

New Year’s Eve is a special occasion, make it a memorable one. Get high on life and happiness rather than alcohol. Make it a special night for yourself as you pamper your soul and get drunk on joy. Forget all the deadlines for this one night and sleep like you’ve no worry in the world! Have a Happy New Year, everyone!

 

Feature Image Credits: http://newyeargreetings2016.com/

Nidhi Panchal

[email protected]

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News

Best and Worst of 2015: National highlights of the year

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As the year ends, we look at the various events that changed the face of the country. Some restored our faiths in the governing system of the country, some disappointed us at the existing social structure. In this new series at DU Beat, we bring to you the best and worst of news from the National platform.

1. Constitutional and Policy Changes

  • March 24 – Section 66A of IT Act Repealed

In a move widely considered as protection of Free Speech in India, the Supreme Court of India, gave the verdict that Section 66A is unconstitutional in the Shreya Singhal v. Union of India case. Section 66A stated a punishment for any person who uses means of a computer resource to spread information that has a grossly offensive and menacing character.

  • April 13 – NJAC Act and the Constitutional Amendment Act come into force. Declared unconstitutional on October 16

National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) was a proposed body which would have been responsible for the appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary in India. On 16 October 2015 the Constitution Bench of Supreme Court by 4;1 Majority upheld the collegium system and struck down the NJAC as unconstitutional after hearing the petitions filed by several persons.

  • December 22 – Juvenile Justice Bill passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

In 2015, responding to the public sentiment after Delhi Rape case, both the houses of parliament in India further amended the Juvenile Justice bill that lowered the juvenile age to 16 and proposed adult-like treatment for juveniles accused of heinous crimes. The lower house, i.e. Lok Sabha passed the bill on May 7, 2015 and the upper house,i.e. Rajya Sabha on December 22, 2015. The bill currently awaits president’s approval.

Maneka Gandhi discussing the Juvenile Justice Bill in Rajya Sabha on December 22, 2015. Image credits: tribuneindia.com

2. Riots and terror attacks

  • 6 July-present – Patel reservation agitation

Starting of July 2015, the people of India’s Patidar community, seeking Other Backward Class (OBC) status, held public demonstrations across the Indian state of Gujarat.  Later, there were incidents of violence and arson across the state resulting in curfew in several cities and towns. The properties and vehicles worth crores of Rupees were damaged and destroyed. The agitation has led to the deaths of 11 people till now.

The Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Sangarsh Samiti protests in Gujarat, August 2015. Image credits: livemint.com
  • July 25 – Terror attack in Gurdaspur, Punjab.

Three gunmen dressed in army uniforms opened fire on a bus and then attacked the Dina Nagar police station in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India. The attack resulted in the death of three civilians and four policemen. All three attackers were killed in an operation that lasted 12 hours. Indian Ministry of Home Affairs alleges that the attacks were carried out by Pakistan based terror group Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

3. Rising intolerance and communalism

  • March 2 – Maharashtra ban on export and sale of beef comes into effect

Maharashtra cow slaughter ban was extended to ban the sale and export of beef, with a punishment of 5 years jail, and/or a ?10,000 fine for possession or sale.

  • March 5 – Mob lynching in Dimapur, Nagaland.

A mob of about 7000-8000 people broke into a prison, dragged a man detained under suspicion of rape out of the Dimapur Central Jail, paraded him naked and beat him to death in a case of vigilante justice. The victim, allegedly called an illegal Bangladeshi, was originally from the state of Assam whose 2 brothers were employed in the Indian Army with another brother who died during service in the Kargil War.

Mob lynching in Dimapur, Nagaland Image credits: mirror.co.uk
  • August 30 – Scholar and VC, Kannada University M.M. Kalburgi shot dead 

M. M. Kalburgi was was a scholar of Vachana sahitya (Vachana literature) and academic who served as the vice-chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi. He was awarded the National Sahitya Akademi award in 2006. He was under fire for making statements against idolatry in Hinduism. He was shot dead by two unidentified men at his home in Dharwad, Karnataka.

Later this year it was revealed by Karnataka Police that rationalists M. M. Kalburgi, Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare were all killed by the same weapon

M. M. Kalburgi Image credits: intoday.in
  • September 28 – Mob lynching in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh

A mob of people attacked a Muslim family on the night of 28 September 2015 in Bisara village near Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, India. The attackers killed 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq Saifi and seriously injured his son, 22-year-old Danish. They were accused of consumption of beef. The controversy took new heights when it was supported by many right-wing politicians and the police, who decided to do a meat test instead of seriously investigating the case.

  • September-present – Writers return awards. Celebrities speak up against rising intolerance

Noted writers Uday Prakash and Chandrashekhar Patil were the first to return their Sahitya Akademi Award and Pampa Awards. In October, writer Nayantara Sahgal also returned Sahitya Akademi Award citing M. M. Kalburgi’s murder among other incidents with people being “killed for not agreeing with the ruling [party’s] ideology.”

Bollywood actors like Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan also chose to speak against the rising intolerance in the country receiving flack and criticism.

Aamir Khan expressing his views on intolerance in India. Image credits: indianexpress.com

4. From the digital front

  • March-present – Net Neutrality issue

As of now, there are no laws governing net neutrality in India, which would require that all Internet users be treated equally, without discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application etc.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in March released a formal consultation paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) services, seeking comments from the public. The consultation paper was criticised for being one sided and having confusing statements. It received condemnation from various politicians and Indian Internet users.

  • July 1 – Digital India is launched

Digital India is an initiative by the Government of India to ensure that Government services are made available to citizens electronically by improving online infrastructure and by increasing Internet connectivity. The initiative includes plans to connect rural areas with high-speed internet networks.

Narendra Modi launched Digital India on July 1 Image credits: livemint.com
  • October – December – CEOs visit India

For the promotion of his venture Internet.org (or Free Basics) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg visited India in October and held a townhall session at IIT Delhi

Satya Nadella, similarly, visited in November with Sundar Pichai joining in December doing a similar townhall session at SRCC, University of Delhi.

 

Mark Zuckerberg at the townhall session at IIT Delhi. Image credits: ndtv.com

5. In other news..

  • January 20 – Tiger population in India rises by 30%

Presenting the findings of the latest tiger census, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the tiger population had risen from 1,706 in 2011 to 2,226 in 2014. He said a number of government initiatives to streamline tiger conservation were behind the increase. India is estimated to be home to around 70% of the world’s tigers.

  • July 27 – APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India passes away

Kalam was elected as the 11th President of India in 2002.He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.

While delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Kalam collapsed and died from an apparent cardiac arrest. Thousands including national-level dignitaries attended the funeral ceremony held in his hometown of Rameshwaram, where he was buried with full state honours.

Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, former president of India passed away this year. Image credits: indianexpress.com
  • October 22 – Amaravati declared new capital of Andhra Pradesh

Amaravati is the proposed riverfront capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the southern banks of the River Krishna in Guntur and Krishna districts. The foundation stone of the planned city was laid at Uddandarayunipalem village of Guntur district by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Amaravati to be Andhra Pradesh’s new capital. Image credits: kostalife.com
  • October 25 –  Chhota Rajan extradited to India

Known underworld Don, Chhota Rajan was arrested in Bali by Indonesian police. He was extradited to India on 6 November after 27 years on the run and is currently awaiting trial in CBI custody.

Kartikeya Bhatotia

[email protected]

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DUB Speak

Why it’s okay to not do anything this winter

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Most students of Delhi University find themselves in a perpetual state of confusion especially in the breaks between college semesters. Although the semester exams are known to reduce our minds to sawdust and enervate us in the truest sense of the word, most of us after two to three days of excessive partying start wondering what exactly we are doing with our lives during the course of this break. So if all your friends are off interning or participating in fests don’t feel bad because there are plenty of reasons why it’s okay to simply sit back and relax during your winter break.

If you’re in first year remember that you have four more sets of holidays to go before college ends and you’ll surely end up doing something constructive in at least one of them if not all. With school reunions, numerous family functions and the successful completion of your first semester of college,taking a few weeks off to get out of town or simply lie in bed is a pretty good way to spend the winter break.

Third semester is usually a living nightmare for most people with most students experiencing what many call a sophomore slump and battling through their exams just to survive. Keeping this in mind and the fact that almost everyone has already done something to enhance their portfolio in the preceding summer or probably will in the upcoming one, if you’re a second year student, and you’ve realized that you’re currently exactly midway through your college life then now would be a good time to do things that you may feel you wont have the time to do in a year’s time, whether it be attending some of the numerous festivals happening across the country or binge watching every TV show that you have missed out on earlier this year.

Third year students this time of year are usually in a state of perpetual mental trauma. As if the realization of college ending in one semester isn’t bad enough, they are also continuously bombarded with the oh-so familiar questions of their “concerned” family members (primarily “Beta, What plans?”). If you aren’t sure about what the next step is then don’t worry, you’ll figure it out soon enough. After five semesters of college, internships, tedious placement processes and entrance examinations now could be a good time to focus on finishing that college bucket list you probably made in school (and haven’t thought about since then) and simply relax yourself and head into the final semester with a positive attitude.

Shraman Ghosh

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Image Credits: https://media.giphy.com

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