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Best and Worst of DU 2015-16

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The University of Delhi is a dynamic place to be, and records new highs with various achievements but also new lows with several controversial issues taking place every year. With another academic session coming to its end, we bring to you another edition of The Best and Worst of Delhi University series.

This academic year has seen personalities from various walks of life, who have achieved a remarkable measure of success in their respective fields, sharing their thought – provoking ideas with Delhi University’s student community. From stand-up comedy to business, politics and film-making, visiting personalities have provided insights into their work and lives, leaving valuable advice and enriching the college experience of students. We take a look at the well – known personalities who visited DU this year, contributing to the potpourri of cultures, visions and ideas that the University embodies.

1. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kapil Dev, Varun Agarwal and other stars at SRCC Youth Conference

September 2015: The annual Youth Conference at SRCC, with the theme ‘And the victor carries on’ saw the presence of several eminent personalities. An interactive session with cricketing legend Kapil Dev revealed his love for the sport as he encouraged students to follow their passion. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui spoke about his early days and struggles as a budding actor in Bombay. Founder of Alma Mater, Varun Agarwal, shared his insights on his book ‘How I Met Anu Aunty and Co-Founded a Million Dollar Company’ and motivated the audience to refrain from procrastinating. Comedian Biswa Kalyan Rath of the ‘Pretentious Movie Reviews’ fame kept the audience engaged with his wise cracks on enthusiatic festival celebrations. Abish Mathew’s song on how youngsters shouldn’t waste their lives over drugs left the audience in splits.

Biswa Kalyan Rath at the SRCC Youth Conference
Biswa Kalyan Rath at the SRCC Youth Conference

Read the full coverage here.

2. Kiran Bedi at IPCW

September 2015: Former IPS officer, social activist, and politician, Kiran Bedi, was the Chief Guest at Indraprastha College for Women, as part of the Pink Chain Campaign, an initiative by Punarjeevan to spread awareness on breast cancer. She emphasised on the need to prioritise health and check-ups, keeping in mind the busy schedules of the youth in current times.

Kiran Bedi
Kiran Bedi

Read the full report here.

3. Markandey Katju and Subramanian Swamy at KMC’s ‘India 2020’

September 2015: Former Supreme Court Justice and Press Council of India Chairman, Markandey Katju’s address flagged off ‘India Vision 2020’, organised by the Round Table society at Kirori Mal College. He spoke of the significance of a modern, rational, scientific and inquisitive mind, with references to several anecdotes and instances from history. He lamented the pitiable state of affairs of the parliament, bureaucracy and media in India. Former Cabinet Minister Subramanian Swamy also addressed the gathering. Replete with witticisms, he put forth the hope for India as a developed country, provided we get our act together.

Markandey Katju
Markandey Katju

Read the full article here.

4. Abish Mathew at Entreyug’15, Jesus and Mary College

November 2015: Comedian Abish Mathew’s rib-tickling act was an entertaining conclusion to Entreyug’15, conducted by Entrepreneurship Cell, Jesus and Mary College, in collaboration with the E-Cell, Delhi College of Art and Commerce. Following speakers like Vineet Taneja, CEO of Micromax, and Rajat Jain, former MD of Walt Disney, Abish Mathew enthralled the audience with his typical brand of humour.

Abish Mathew
Abish Mathew

Read the full report here.

5. ‘Ask Sundar Pichai’ at SRCC

December 2015: Shri Ram College of Commerce hosted Google CEO, Sundararajan Pichai, who addressed a crowd of over 2000 students, in a session moderated by commentator, Harsha Bhogle. Mr. Pichai emphasised upon the importance of doing something that one is excited by, and using every opportunity to reinvent ourselves. He shared his vision for Google and his hope of making technology a one-stop solution to every problem. On being asked about his 12th standard percentage, Pichai quipped that it would not be enough to get him into SRCC.

Sundar Pichai
Sundar Pichai

Read the full report here.

6. Najeeb Jung, Papon and East India Company at Ramjas College’s centennial celebrations

January 2016: Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung stressed the need to think freely as citizens of a country that is progressing, as the Chief Guest on the first day of the celebration held to mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Ramjas College. Papon, founding member of Assamese band East India Company, enthralled the audience along with his band, with their lively performance and energetic beats.

Papon
Papon

Read the full report here.

7. Boman Irani at St. Stephen’s College

January 2016: The Entrepreneurship Cell, St. Stephen’s College, organised ‘The Journey,’ a talk by film actor Boman Irani. In the course of the inspirational talk, Mr. Irani spoke about his anecdotal journey and the power of dedication, perseverance, and dreaming big. His unique tongue-in-cheek style of humour, along with personal experiences, kept the audience hooked onto every word of his motivational address.

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Boman Irani

8. Durjoy Dutta and Ravinder Singh at SRCC’s Literary Festival

February 2016: Zephyr, the Literary Festival conducted by the English Literary Society at Shri Ram College of Commerce, saw author Durjoy Dutta explaining to the audience his initial dreams of becoming a writer and its gradual fulfillment. Bestselling author Ravinder Singh of ‘I Too Had a Love Story’ fame motivated the students to pursue their dreams, through his interactive session with the audience.

Durjoy Dutta and Ravinder Singh
Durjoy Dutta and Ravinder Singh

Read the full report here.

9. Sheila Dixit at SRCC’s Odyssey’16

February 2016: The annual fest, Odyssey 2016, was held by the History and Political Science society, Shri Ram College of Commerce, with the theme ‘The changing face of Indian society – the good and the bad.’ The inaugural talk was by Mrs. Sheila Dixit, former Chief Minister of Delhi, whose interactive session with the audience saw her facing questions on the comparative policies of the current government in Delhi to that of her government.

Sheila Dixit (Image credits: veethi.com)
Sheila Dixit (Image credits: veethi.com)

Read the full report here.

10. Prof. Irfan Habib and Anjolie Ela Menon at the Academic Conclave, St. Stephen’s College

February 2016: Ancient and medieval Indian history stalwart, Professor Irfan Habib, addressed the Academic Conclave as its plenary speaker on the day of its commencement, on the topic ‘The National Movement and its Legacy.’ He quipped that, “After 1947, every coward can be a patriot.”

Leading contemporary artist, Anjolie Ela Menon, discussed the history of the patronage of art.

Irfan Habib
Irfan Habib

Read the full report here.

11. Adi Godrej, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Nitin Gadkari and others at the SRCC Business Conclave

February 2016: SRCC’s Business Conclave saw a host of eminent personalities addressing the audience. In his session, BJP party leader Nitin Gadkari spoke of the importance of the youth in nation – building. Sunil Bharti Mittal, CEO of Bharti Enterprises, shared stories of his struggles and success. Medha Patkar, an activist for Narmada Bachao Andolan 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.”

Adi Godrej, from Godrej Group, spoke on how fundamental enforced legislation is to the growth of the country but how often too many rules and regulations can also slow down the process of growth. The concluding speaker at the 3-day event was actor Rishi Kapoor. When asked about Bollywood, he said, “The business of cinema is huge. The only entertainment after cinema is sex.”

Eminent personalities at the SRCC Business Conclave
Eminent personalities at the SRCC Business Conclave

Read the full report here.

12. SRK visits Hans Raj College

February 2016: Bollywood superstar and Hans Raj Alumni Shahrukh Khan visited his college in the month of February to promote his much anticipated flick- Fan. The actor was also felicitated with the degree of graduation which he completed back in 1988.

 

 

13. Meera Nair and Onir at St. Stephen’s College

March 2016: Directors Mira Nair and Onir visited St. Stephen’s College for a screening of their respective films, Reluctant Fundamentalist and I am Omar. The screening, held by the Gender Studies Cell, St. Stephen’s College, in collaboration with Engendered, was followed by an interactive session with the two directors. Mira Nair spoke of the “need to express oneself with absolute boldness.” “We must tell our stories for, if we don’t, nobody will,” she pointed out. Onir also spoke of the importance of self-expression irrespective of whether or not it pleases anybody else. “An artist cannot paint their canvas according to what pleases everybody,” he said.

Mira Nair and Onir
Mira Nair and Onir

Stay tuned for more articles within the series!

Abhinaya Harigovind

[email protected]

The University of Delhi is a dynamic place to be, and records new highs with various achievements but also new lows with several controversial issues taking place every year. With another academic session coming to its end, we bring to you another edition of The Best and Worst of Delhi University series.

In the bygone year, University of Delhi not only witnessed a number of achievements by its faculty members, but it was also ranked among the best universities in the world. Let us take a look at what the varsity achieved in the year gone by :

1. DU chemistry professor honoured by Indian Science Congress

January 2015: The Indian Science Congress honoured Professor Diwan S. Rawat of Department of Chemistry with the ‘Professor RC Shah Memorial Lecture Award’ for his contributions in the area of Medicinal Chemistry. Professor Rawat’s work is associated mainly with the development of small organic molecules for the treatment of fatal diseases such as Malaria, Bacterial infection, Cancer, and Parkinson.

indian science congress

Read the full article here: DU professor honoured by Indian Science Congress

2. DU professor Rajeev Gupta received CRSI medal

September 2015: Professor Rajeev Gupta of Department of Chemistry, University of Delhi, was honoured with the Bronze Medal (2016) by the Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) for his contributions to research in Chemistry. Professor Gupta works on several interdisciplinary fields such as coordination chemistry, bio-inorganic chemistry, supra-molecular chemistry, designed materials, catalysis, and inorganic medicinal chemistry.

CRSI medalFurther Reading: DU Professor Rajeev Gupta Receives CRSI Medal

3. DU wins all matches at inter-university chess tournament

October 2015: Delhi University students won all 12 matches at the Inter University North Zone Chess Tournament held from the 5th to the 9th of October 2015 at Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, defeating 26 teams from across the region to win the prestigious competition yet again. The team comprised of 4 students from the Shri Ram College of Commerce and 2 from Hindu College.

inter uni chesa tnmt

Further Reading: DU wins all matches at the Inter-University North Zone Chess Tournament

4. DU ranked among the top 20 universities in the world for 12 subjects

March 2016: Delhi University saw a representation in 12 subject-wise QS World University rankings that were released on 22nd March. Development Studies continues to be the leading champion though it slipped from 17th position last year to 18th this year. The subjects include Anthropology, Development Studies, Chemistry, Sociology, Geography, History and Archaeology, Modern Languages, Physics, Economics, Mathematics, Biological Sciences and Computer Science and Information Systems.

 rankingsFurther Reading: DU among the top universities of the world in 12 subjects

5. Chief Economist of World Bank conferred the first “Professor A.L. Nagar Fellow” award

April 2016: Professor Kaushik Basu, Chief Economist of the World Bank, who taught at Delhi School of Economics (DSC) for more than two decades, was conferred the first “Professor A.L. Nagar Fellow” award at the the aforementioned institution on the 1st of April 2016. Professor Basu highlighted the Bank’s objectives towards India and compared it with the other economies of the world in his address. He forecasted high growth rates for the nation in the upcoming years and also elaborated on the challenges that lie ahead for our country.

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Stay tuned for more articles within the series!

Shraman Ghosh

[email protected]

The University of Delhi is a dynamic place to be, and records new highs with various achievements but also new lows with several controversial issues taking place every year. With another academic session coming to its end, we bring to you another edition of The Best and Worst of Delhi University series.

The first part of the series is a walk through the new additions to the hall of fame of Delhi University where students and societies who have done the university proud find their name:

1. LSR’s ‘Basta’ presents business model at UN Headquarters

October 2015: Basta, aimed at creating employement for women, is a venture started by three students of Lady Sri Ram College for Women. They recycle and refashion waste flex banners into bags and pouches. The project was chosen from 300 contestants to be presented at the UN Headquarters, NYC.

LSR Basta

Read the full article here: LSR’s Basta to present business model at UN Headquarters

2. Student awarded National RTI Awareness Award

October 2015: Second year Political Science student from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Himadrish Suwan, was awarded the National RTI Awareness Award for his work in the field of RTI activism. Suwan has filed over 100 RTI’S and also writes for many dailies and weeklies.

RTI Awareness award

Read the full article here: Student awarded with National RTI Awareness Award

3. Social entrepreneurship model by SRCC students presented at UN

October 2015: Shreya Gupta and Harsh Agrawal, two students from SRCC and curators of project Sanjeevani, presented their model at the UN Headquarters. This was a part of the ‘Change the World Internship’, structured by US based Not for Profit organization, ‘A Million for a billion.’

SRCC Entrepreneurship

Read the full article here: Social entrepreneurship model by SRCC students presented at UN

4. SRCC student sets Guinness World Record

October 2015: Mrityunjay Sharma, a student of third year B.Com (hons.) from SRCC set a Guinness World Record by playing a piano for 130 hours continuously. The record was earlier held by Polish pianist Romuald Koperski for 103 hours. Mrityunjay was awarded 1 lakh rupees by the college on achieving this feat.

SRCC Piano record

Read the full article here: SRCC student sets Guinness World Record

5. Delhi University’s very own Modern Pentathlon Athlete

December 2015: Ragha Jamwal, a History student from DCAC, attained the second rank and was selected as an Indian qualifier for Olympics at Asian Championship’15 held in Beijing. Pentathlon is an infusion of five extremely difficult disciplines of sports including Fencing, Swimming, Pistol-Shooting, Show Jumping (Horse-Riding) and Running.

Modern Pentathlon

Read the full article here: Delhi University’s very own Modern Pentathlon athlete

6. Youngest recipient of the APJ Abdul Kalam award from DU

January 2016: Second year Political Science student from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, Himadrish Suwan, was honored with the APJ Abdul Kalam award. The award is given to honour achievements towards social service and a clean, green, healthy and educated India. Himadrish became the youngest recipient of the award.

APJ Award

Read the full article here: Youngest recipient of APJ Abdul Kalam Award from DU

7. DU girl receives Rhodes Scholarship

January 2016: Rene Verma, a student of History from St. Stephen’s College, received the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. She wishes to study two Masters is subject programs, Women’s Studies and Film Aesthetics.

Renee Verma- Rhodes Scholar

Read the full article here: DU girl receives Rhodes scholarship

8. KMC student plans to travel solo along the Golden Quadrilateral

March 2016: Kirori Mal College student, Keshav Kumar, embarked on a 6100 km journey to visit 13 states and 174 cities in 13 days. Through this journey, he seeks to find answers to questions about women’s safety and empowerment. He’ll also be visiting over 20 colleges to conduct talks and sessions with the students.

Solo Traveller

Read the full article here: KMC student plans solo trip across Golden Quadrilateral

9. Applied Psychology student makes it to WSEN Global Summit

March 2016: Sadiq Mobeen, a student from South Campus, has been selected for the World Student Environment Network’s 9th Global Summit: Sustainability Together. The summit is being organized by University of Sussex and Keele University in UK from 24 – 30 July.WSEN-1Read the full article here: Applied Psychology student makes it to WSEN Global Summit

10. Venky student wins gold at US Open World Championship for Karate

April 2016: Having recently won a gold medal for Karate at the US Open World Championship 2016, Bhaskar Sen, a student of Sri Venkateswara College, juggles engineering and his passion for Karate at the same time. He is a two-time gold medalist at the prestigious event.

Bhaskar-Sen-sports-interview-735x400

Read full story here : In conversation with Bhaskar Sen, two-time gold medalist at US Open World Championship 

11. Priyadarshini Chatterjee wins FBB Femina Miss India 2016

April 2016: Priyadarshini Chatterjee of Hindu College was crowned Femina Miss India 2016. She will be representing India at Miss World 2016 soon. This is the third consecutive time that Delhi University student has been crowned at the pageant.

FBB Femina Miss India

Stay tuned for more articles within the series!

Akshara Srivastava

[email protected]