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Characters come alive at 4th Annual Indian Comic Con

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The 4th Annual Indian Comic Con kick started on Friday, 7th of February 2014 at Thyagaraj Stadium, Delhi. Four years ago the Comic Con began as an attempt to promote the culture of comic books in India and bring together creators as well as comic book fans all over India. The convention saw a large number of people be it infants, adolescents, adults or the elderly as everyone came together to celebrate this festival of comics.

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The stadium was packed with delhiites as they explored the convention and the new comics being released by various publishers and artists. Campfire Graphic Novels launched a World War One graphic novel, Holy Cow Entertainment launched two issues of their Aghori series and Orange Radius Entertainment launched a collector’s edition of their Parshu series. Comic Con gave all comic fans a worthwhile shopping weekend as well with merchandise varying from t-shirts to collectibles to glow in the dark boxers! Harry Potter fans could find their favourite wands or Harry’s Gryffindor sweatshirt, The LOTR fandom had a replica of the ring engraved with the inscription from the book driving them crazy while the Hunger Games fans could also find lockets and other merchandise to keep them happy. The V for Vendetta mask gained a lot of popularity this year as almost everyone could be seen flaunting it.

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It was no less than a film festival as fans dressed up as their favourite comic or movie characters and showed off their talents in a contest for the best comic-character costume, you could see Jack Sparrow and his drunken antics, Jadis the White Witch of Narnia, Wolverine showing off his fighting skills, Hiccup and Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon, Spiderman, Batman, a desi version of Supergirl in the form of Super Kudi and many more.

Adding to the convention were talks by famous comic book writers – David Lloyd who has illustrated for V for Vendetta, Mark Waid who has worked with DC comics and worked on Flash, Superman and Captain America for Marvel comics, Gabriel B and Fabio Moon twin brothers known for their work in Casanova and The Umbrella Academy and John Layman who has also written for DC and Marvel comics. Their talks inspired budding artists in India who hung onto every word they said.

Image credits: Satchit Basu

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DUB Speak

Capturing through the lens: A story of Daryaganj in Delhi

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Daryaganj is a bittersweet journey. As the day commences, it reminds us of a past that seems within our grasp, and as the sun sets, a far-away past who’s good is interred with its bones. Fittingly then, on Lord’s Day, there is a resurrection, but of a different kind. Push-carts and cartons spill over with history, of tales of our truth and lies. The footfalls on the path increase in all kinds of volume, some tales are picked up while the others get buried again, only to be re-told on another day. And we scurry along, to capture this graveyard shift, to stitch it again with the fabric of the city.

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Faint stirrings of the dawn when the dead awaken…
…Man sits up to a distant rumbling.
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The streets begin clearing with the coming of the hour…
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But the bearer still sleeps with his feet in the clouds.
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The cobwebs melt away with the morning dew…
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With which the undertaker stirs his magical brew.
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The doors open, drawing out another world of truths and lies…
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…Of forgotten dreams that broke on forgotten mornings, the hearse ferries them to life.
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The merchants of sacrilege, burst the coffins open and the tomes rise.
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The doors are locked in vain as the pages continue to proliferate; The passerby looks on in horror.
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And the outnumbered man, in dismay.
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But, the brew is ready to be served and the graveyard shift is in motion.

About the project: When a banker, an architect, a space designer, a pharmacist and two engineers come together, they capture poetry in pictures. Project Daryaganj is a product of the visual communication initiative by the Young India Fellowship Programme. 100 fellows from diverse backgrounds have come together to capture the essence of Delhi under the banner project of “Dastaan Ae Dilli”. For more such work on the Delhi we love, do visit  https://www.facebook.com/YIF.Dilli.

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5 worst things about the winter season

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There are countless shades to the very famous Dilli ki sardi. While we have already mentioned the ‘best things’ about the same, the negative side had still remained unanswered. After all, with that gajar ka halwa, there also exists the zero level of productivity. With all that capacity to snuggle in a blanket, there exists the inability to wake up for a morning class.

Here is a list of all that makes us despise the winter season.

1. General Malaise

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Noses seem to be affected the worst in winters. Either they remain perpetually runny or blocked solid, or even worse, when both nostrils decide to go separate ways. Add chapped lips and flaky scalps to the mix and you have the perfect reason for never wanting to step out of your bed. Winter brings us all down; it’s called the season of gloom for a reason.

2. Heating systems that give you a headache

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What is it with public heating systems?  Instead of providing a welcoming and cozy environment, the Delhi Metro heaters can make you feel stuffy and extremely uncomfortable. Even otherwise, artificial heating in an enclosed area means stale and smelly air. It just gets worse when you step out from the humid furnace to face a blast of cold air on your face and go around with a head ache for the rest of the day. I obviously speak from experience.

3. Productivity Level = zilch

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Short days, somber spirits. On most winter holidays, making it out of bed before 10 seems like a huge accomplishment in itself. At a time when dragging yourself from one couch to another is all the energy you can muster, getting anything done seems almost impossible. Before you know it, it’s already dark outside, and another day goes far from utilised.

4. The inability to wake up for early morning classes

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8:45 class? NO. Anything that involves getting out of the blanket ever? NO.

Sigh. But life ain’t that fair buddy. Despite the morning chill,  society practices and early morning classes just don’t stop. Well, the most difficult task in the season is surely getting out of bed.

5. Too cold and no snow

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So we’re braving temperatures as low as 5 degrees, we’re walking around in big, wooly, itchy sweaters, and we’re dealing with static electricity, but we still don’t get to enjoy the snow. Delhi winter is harsh, but not even half as fun as it could have been, had there been snow. Not only would that alleviate gloomy moods instantly, but maybe also helped cancel some morning classes. But what can I say, I’m just a dreamer.

Image credit: tumblr.com

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DU Dhaba

Street Food Festival in Pictures: Food Porn ‘desi’ style

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Love food? Here is how it works- fine dining kept aside, nothing can beat the magic in the street! Words such as Gol Gappas, Pao Bhaji, Kababs and Dahi Vada are enough to get you salivating, right? Be it the snack department or desserts to satisfy the Indian palette, a recent event in Delhi offered it all. The street food festival at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Complex was a three-day extravaganza from 20th-22nd December, 2013. With around 120 stalls from over 20 states, it was surely a paradise for most street food lovers.

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Features

LBBD’s guide to the perfect holiday plan

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Little Black Book Delhi brings DU Beat’s readers something awesome to explore for the fortnight! This week help you plan your holidays!

With the month packed with Christmas and the New Year approaching we are all shopping and preparing for our trips. This time we give you places to pick up some new shawls and stoles and great place to pick up cakes! For those who are not travelling could spend time learning a new skill and or take a quick break from the city.

Shopping

A great new collection of leather boots and jackets are available at Sarojini market and Paharganj {Light on wallet too!}. Gift shopping can never get better at Shahpur Jat.  LBBD’s also picked out a special selection of stores for shawls and stoles; don’t forget to check them out!

Shawls and stoles | http://littleblackbookdelhi.com/26904/shops-shawls-stoles-delhi/

Shopping in Shahpur Jat | http://littleblackbookdelhi.com/18530/little-black-book-for-shahpur-jat/

Paharganj Guide | http://littleblackbookdelhi.com/8364/simply-digging-pahadganj/

Dance classes around town

Whether its energetic jazz or the good old classical Indian dances forms, Delhi has everything in its stores. A new skill never hurt anyone!

Details | http://littleblackbookdelhi.com/17919/delhi-dance-classes-and-centres/

Classical Schools | http://littleblackbookdelhi.com/19364/classical-dances-little-black-book/

Learn a new language

Spice up everyday conversation from ‘Hello! How are you?’ to ‘Hola! Que tal?’ There is the whole range of European language centers in the city along with places that teach regional and language from the sub-continent.

Foreign Languages | http://littleblackbookdelhi.com/14059/foreign-language-courses-delhi-lbbd/

Language from the Sub-Continent | http://littleblackbookdelhi.com/25040/zabaan-language-courses/

Quick Getaways

If you haven’t planned a trip, the city has some quick getaway destinations. One can enjoy the spa at the gorgeous Neemrana Fort or spend some quiet time reading at Chambal Safari Lodge. If you are visting Goa, do try some of our favorites at the beach town.

Details | http://littleblackbookdelhi.com/25858/5-roadtrips-delhi/

Goa Plans | http://littleblackbookdelhi.com/27093/guide-things-to-do-goa/

Cakes

The festive season is the perfect reason to explore new bakeries and cakes to cut. If you look at the right places, the city has prepared some new flavors beyond the everyday chocolate and pineapple. Here are our favorite bakers in town.

Bakeries | http://littleblackbookdelhi.com/23716/bakeries-delhi/

Join us on www.littleblackbookdelhi.com for more of the best of the city! Write to us at [email protected] for any suggestions, recommendations or inputs.

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Features

TroubleSeekerTeam: Pranking away to glory

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With a tradition that started with endeavours such as Just For Laugh Gags, Chupa Rustam and MTV Bakra, the culture of pranks is something we all love! However, have you met the serial pranksters of Delhi? TroubleSeekerTeam, a group of five popularly known as TST, make hidden camera prank videos in the city and upload them on their YouTube channel.

Wondering what we are talking about? Here is an example!

We caught up with Rahul Sharma, the founder of TST to know more about the ordeal of putting common people in possible awkward situations and capturing their reactions.

When and how was TroubleSeekerTeam formed?

I loved watching funny prank videos on YouTube. What started from Just for Laugh Gags, went on to pranksters like JackValeFilms and Edbassmaster. I was almost certain that when I would type “Pranks in India” there would be a long list of videos. To my utter surprise, the only videos I found were the videos by American pranksters in which they used to prank people at WalMart or McDonalds while talking in a funny Indian Accent. I was really shocked that no one ever tried this kind of stuff in India. It didn’t look that difficult and it was entertaining as hell.

Then and there I thought I could be the one to do this. After doing some research online and I decided that the first one would be the Farting Prank because I thought it was funny and Indian people would definitely give some weird reactions to it (laughs). So I ordered “The Pooter” online, a rubber device that can make farting sounds when you squeeze it. Meanwhile when I told my friends about my intentions they agreed to company me too.

We were waiting for the pooter to arrive and when it did, we went to shoot the very next day and came up with our first 2 videos on 24th of May 2012.

How many people are there in the TroubleSeekerTeam?

After the idea was conceptualised, I was joined by my friends Deepak Chaudhary, Rishabh Sharma, Prince Thareja and my brother Ankit Sharma. So majorly, we are a team of five. We also keep trying to make different videos, for which we often invite our other friends or fans to be a part of. For example for the “Awkward Beat Box Dance Prank and Taking Pictures of Strangers” we invited two of our top fans – Ekansh Pilani and Meher Talwar.

What was the mission behind such an initiative?

What started out as a way to have some fun is now a Brand. We always loved making people smile and we want to do it for the rest of our lives. We want to make TroubleSeekerTeam the No.1 Indian YouTube Channel. The idea was to prank Indian people and see how they react. We always were the “funny guys” of our school. The ones who could make even the strictest teachers laugh. We never knew that we would be making people laugh for a living one day.

What was the reason behind keeping this name?

I was sure that the name must be unique. I am a fan of Harry Potter and he was the seeker in Quidditch, I got seeker from there and what we seek isn’t a magic flying golden snitch but ‘Trouble’. We seek trouble – that’s how we came up with TroubleSeekerTeam.

Have you ever been caught by someone while playing pranks ?

Yeah! Sometimes, people who have already seen us playing prank somewhere earlier make it out. And then they tell us “bhaiya mujhe pata hai aap bakra bana rahe ho”. And we laugh it off.

Have you ever pranked Delhi University students? How was your experience?

A: Yes, the ‘Document drop and go’ was done at Vishwavidyalaya metro station. They are easy going and every person involved in the making was a good sport. Further, we have plans to shoot pranks specific to students.

Which of your pranks you find the funniest and unforgettable?

It was definitely ‘the twins teleport’ prank. It is one of the best pranks where we used twins, the reactions were priceless. It is indeed the most viewed video on our channel. It was my dream to recreate this prank, as it was originally done by ‘Just For Laugh Gags’.

Any future plans to cover cities other than Delhi?

Yes definitely, we don’t just want to end up being the Delhi Pranksters on YouTube. We want to take pranks to every state in India! Perhaps, in the future we might just be able to do so.

How can interested people join TST?

Anyone interested can drop us a message on Facebook or Google+.

Editor adds: Thanks to our reader Firdosh Khan for the heads up! Had a great time laughing? We leave you with one of our favourites.

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Celebrating 102 years of Delhi

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Delhi turned into a 102 year old city on 12th December, 2013. Just as the city dwellers got down to celebrate the experience of being a ‘Dilliwallah’, our team went back to all the small occasions when we had featured the city you all love. Be it food and heritage or the lifeline known as Metro, Delhi has it all. Here is a list of our favourite five posts about Delhi:

1. Top 5 State Bhavans in Delhi: A Guide to Regional Delicacies

When in a different city, a direct ticket home is the authentic cuisine of our state. Like international embassies, Delhi has State Bhawans, which bring authentic regional dishes to the national capital. These canteens prepare dishes as you could imagine them back home. The best part is that you can devour all you want without hurting your wallet.

2. Top 5 ‘hubs’ in Delhi to eat, shop and explore

Each city has a hub, a center around which people come to eat, shop and work. With time the place develops a character and slowly turns into a brand that promises a culture that is unique to it. Some are recognized for its food offerings while other for its range of boutiques.

The city of cities has more than one such hub. The post is our take on the most active, bustling, varied and happening markets in the city.

3. Exploring Music in Delhi!

With new venues and a growing audience Delhi has seen a phenomenal rise in the music scene, especially in the last few years. Bands are coming up ever so often and are given ample opportunities to promote their music in venues around town. We’re bringing you a few of the collectives, bands and artists we’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening to, and where you can watch them play, LIVE.

4. Top 5 monuments to explore in Delhi

Delhi is a city where history comes alive! Rulers, scholars and artists from all over the world have traveled here, and their contributions have influenced us in ways that are tangible and intangible. The most evident reflection of this is seen in the magnificent monuments that are scattered through out the city. Each of these architecture marvels is projection of culture, society and people of those times; interestingly enough, and especially once you’ve heard the stories behind these places, you’ll find pieces of our past in our day to day lives.

5. Seven types of people you find in the metro

Be it people who sleep and read or those who simply check others out, the Delhi Metro supports varied types of people everyday. This one is a stereotypical list of the kind of travellers one would generally find in the metro.  Read on to know more!

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Features

#MeraVoteMeriDilli: 5 things to keep in mind before you vote

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We’ve grown 18 years of age listening about politicians and politics, corruption and scams, lack of agility and force to cause an action in the society. But gone are the days when we were a mute spectator of growing problems, for now is the time to bring about a concrete solution to major, if not all problems prevalent today. The best way to this and to extend your support in a democracy is to vote.

With the voting process scheduled for tomorrow, 7th February 2015, here are a few things for you to keep in mind:

1. Be an informed voter

The entire city of Delhi has been divided into 70 constituencies with numerous candidates from each.. For detailed and objective information about the nominated candidates of your constituency do visit www.myneta.info, a portal that provides all necessary facts on qualification, allocated budget and use, and criminal proceedings, that can make you make up your mind and be an informed and aware voter.

2. What if I am in favour of none of the candidates?

If in case you are not satisfied by any of the candidates running in your constituency, choose the none of the above (NOTA) option on the EVM. If we have the liberty to express our collective decisions by choosing our leaders, then we have the right to express our displeasure at the candidates too. You should know it is not akin to ‘Right To Reject’ where if a certain percentage of the voters choose the latter option, the elections are cancelled and all the candidates have to be changed by the parties. In India, even if a majority of the voters choose NOTA, the candidate getting the most number of votes will win the contest.

 

3. Vote with prejudice to none

Cast your vote on the basis of your own research and experience, on your own vision and weighted capabilities of the individuals contesting elections. Narrow objects of voting in favour of known but incapable candidates does more bad than good. Refrain from being brainwashed my views, surveys and issues, base your thought process on them instead. Don’t vote for a party or candidate because your family is supporting it, rather vote because they meet your vision.

Do not let your voting decision to be affected by any externalities like call for votes on caste, creed, religion, gender or extended common roots. Do not accept any gifts, appeasements or cash from candidates, report events like distribution of liquor, undue influence, booth capturing to the regional election officer. Do not even accept nominal perks like commutation to the voting booth from the contestants.

4. How does the voting happen?

Mere possession of EPIC (elector’s photo identity card) doesn’t guarantee voting right, the name of voter should appear in the electoral roll. This checking of identification and credentials is the first thing that happens as the voter enters polling booth. The second polling officer marks the left hand forefinger of voter with indelible ink and takes his signature on the electoral roll. The third polling officer collects the electoral slip and makes the voter vote. The voter shall then press the button against the desired candidate, only once. The pressing of button would glow a red lamp in front of candidate’s name following a beep sound meaning that the vote has been is registered.

5. Secrecy of Vote & Tendered Vote

According to the Election Commission Guidelines, it is mandatory for the voter to maintain secrecy about his/her selection, failing to do which shall disqualify him/her from voting and may amount to legal proceedings. Also, incase the voter upon arrival finds his/her vote to be already cast, he/she can complain against such discrepancy. This shall forfeit the previously casted vote and the original voter shall be entitled to cast his/her vote on a tendered ballot paper, however not on the EVM.

Hope the above stated guidelines help you!

We hope the first time voters successfully cast a legitimate vote – one that is backed up by information and choice and is not a random button pressing futile exercise. As long as you cast an informed vote, you are being a responsible citizen.

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Campus Central

Delhi University students all set for upcoming State Elections

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Delhi University has around half a million students on its rolls. Delhi has a total of 1.15 crore voters on the electoral rolls. Even if half of the University students are eligible voters, that accounts for roughly 2.8% of the total vote bank of Delhi. Shouldn’t that make the political parties look out for these young voters?

We have been contemplating if the student elections in the university are any way a measure of the upcoming Delhi assembly elections. Well, Congress absolutely would not want this to be the case. Most of the university students are first time voters. The timings, though, have made sure that exams are the buzzword, not elections, in the university campus.

(Also see: Political parties set out to woo voters from Delhi University)

Karan Marwah from Zakir Hussain College says, “My vote would go to Congress, more specifically to Sheila Dikshit, because she has been in power for three terms and no one would know Delhi as well, as she does. Her track record for development has been good, although the law and order problem should have been taken care of through stricter regimes of security”.

Gauri Khanna from Shyam Lal College says, “I would vote for Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Choosing to vote for Congress again would be nothing but stupidity on our part. And as far as AAP is concerned, I think they deserve a fair chance but, I want to go with Narendra Modi’s patry this time”.

Besides, there is no dearth of students supporting the newly formed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Most of the students are first time voters. Vishal Upadhaya and Monika Bansal from the College of Vocational Studies are ecstatic about their first vote and they say that that they will vote for AAP as they want to be a part of the change that is so badly needed in the country. The Election Commission together with some NGOs have started campaigns to woo university students to vote on December 4.

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Features

“Humein kya chahiyein? Azadi!”: Delhi Queer Pride 2013

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The sixth Delhi Queer Pride 2013 was conducted on Sunday, 24th November 2013 at 3pm. People assembled at the Corner of Barakhamba Road and Tolstoy Marg basking in the glory of the rainbow colors! With shouts of “Hum Anek Hai” and “One India”, people joined in to celebrate the diversity within the gender spectrum fighting for the cause of gender equality.

Here are a few pictures that demonstrates in city in spirit of the rainbow colours!

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