Latest
DU Beat – Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper
Tag

DU Beat

Browsing
Campus Central

Answer Script to Reveal Student’s Identity

By

The Delhi University is apparently witnessing a spate of changes this year. After the proposal of some radical changes to be applicable from next academic session, it has come to light that slight changes have also been brought forth in the examination system and these will be applicable from the forthcoming semester examinations in November.

Under the new scheme, the answer scripts of the students will carry their basic detail such as their name, the name of the college and also father’s name. Contrary to this, the scripts at present carry only a numeric code thereby keeping the identity of the student secret.

The introduction of this new scheme has, however, cropped certain doubts and most students seem to be worried about some sort of bias. While speaking to DUB, Tanvi Aggarwal, a student of Gargi College, said, “While the disclosure of student’s name on the answer script will reduce the scope of administrative discrepancies, the major concern should be that of bias especially on the basis of religion or caste. Besides, certain colleges have certain pre-conceived reputation and therefore, teachers might just fall prey to this unintentionally and end up giving marks according to colleges.”

Another student Bharat Singhal from Shri Ram College of Commerce said, “The University seems to be in a race to bring changes without even appraising the pros and cons of any idea. All important examinations keep identity of the student undisclosed and there is surely some strong logic behind this. Unfortunately, we students suffer because of some people’s whims and fancies.”

Besides this, the question paper will be framed by a panel of three examiners appointed by the concerned department which will no more have the right to moderate the papers in case of any discrepancy. The university has already issued letters to the departments to make the appropriate appointments for the panel.

Moreover, the number of scripts to be evaluated by each teacher has also been brought down. While earlier they had to evaluate 400-600 copies, they will only be required to assess around 200 copies.

 

Vatsal Verma
[email protected] 

Keep Reading
By
Juxtapose

PTMs In DU – Are You For Or Against It?

By

 

Graphic Credits: Siddhant Sharma

The news of Delhi University introducing PTM’s at college level has left students from both North and South campus bewildered. While there are also those who think of it as a good decision taken by the authorities.

This week, Juxtapose gives all you students a chance to raise your voice either, for or against this major decision. Follow the link and start posting your views!

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Approach at your own risk: Venky Administration

By

One sentiment that is universal in the corridors of Sri Venkateswara College is that the college administration is completely “f****d up”. Anyone who has studied in Venky could tell you stories about days spent wasted outside the office, waiting for the people inside to awake from their slumber and pretend to be granting you forbidden favours. The number of classes that are let by every time you need to get something done from the office would alone suffice to push up your attendance by a considerable margin. The utter chaos that reigns on days of fees submission makes you want to pull your hair out. “They are rude and arrogant and do not reply to our queries”, said a 1st year student of the college. Multiple complaints have been made directly to the Principle who assures us every time that adequate action would be taken and that next time, students would face no such problem. However, nothing seems to have changed and students are still subjected to the same treatment. “When I went to get the revaluation form signed, Mishra ji asked me to wait so he could yawn and stretch and then told me that it would take two weeks to get a signature. He wouldn’t respond properly when asked why it would take two weeks”, says a 3rd year student from Venky. Clearly, the administration in Venky does not seem to have a lot of fans. It’s about time that they went in for a complete facelift.   Surya Raju [email protected] Image credits: Sapna Mathur]]>

Keep Reading
By
Events

Antaragni: Unleash The Fire Within- 7 Days To Go

By

Antaragni- Antar + Agni(hindi)-The fire within. Antaragni, the annual intercollegiate cultural festival of IIT Kanpur, is a tribute to the fire that remains kindled in the hearts of people, the fire that drives them to melt boundaries and achieve the extraordinary. The fest started as “Culfest” in the 1960’s before being rechristened Antaragni in 1993. The generic name was to emphasize the fact that it was the first and only such event at that time. Antaragni’12, with the theme ‘Medieval Fantasy’ will be held from the 11th to the 14th of October and is scheduled to be opened by the multi-lingual sensation Raghu Dixit.

Antaragni is one eclectic mix of a lot of things- competitions, professional shows, talks, exhibitions, street shows, workshops and the list goes on ad infinitum. It becomes a classic case of having too many options and one wishes to be present at a lot of places simultaneously. Competitions form the backbone of this festival. Events catering to dramatics, dance, musicals, photography, English and Hindi literature and quizzes have seen extensive and intensive participation from colleges, especially those from Delhi. The situation is such that this year two of the events (Synchronicity- Rock competition and Quizzes) have dedicated Delhi rounds.

In order to cement its position as Northern India’s favourite festival, Antaragni’12 has initiated the ‘Dream On’ campaign. It is an ambitious idea which attempts to give the winners a shot at national fame and creative satisfaction of learning from the best in each field. The winners of different competitions in addition to monetary incentives will be provided with internships, mentorships and recording deals  with leading academies like Shimak Davar’s Institute of performing arts, Barry John Acting Studio, Delhi College of Arts, Delhi School of Photography etc. In fact, Ritambhara has been especially opened to individual participants with coverage in MAXIM and photo-shoots in Hollywood at stake.

To add spirit and flesh to this skeleton of competitions, there would be national and international artists (more than 10 in number) ranging from rock bands to Irish folk musicians to sand artists to Odishi dancers. There would be fun informal activities while Mridaksh will continue its search for Ms & Mr. Antaragni. If it’s the intellect that needs simulation, there would be a panel discussion with eminent people like Arun Maira and Ayaz Memon. To take care of the glamour aspect there would the likes of Sudhir Mishra, Rajiv Khandelwal and Abbas Tyrewala who’ll have special sessions with the students.

The festival seems to be shaping up well with a holistic cultural showcase and it’s only a matter of time before, as the motto says, the fire is unleashed.

Visit www.antaragni.in and https://www.facebook.com/antaragni.iitk for more information.

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

PTMs in DU: Hello, Military Camp!

By

Remember the time when one weekend in a month (or two) neared like impending doom? Remember the circulars, placidly inviting all the dear parents for a “healthy” interaction with the teachers, about how their children were doing at school? I remember dying a little bit inside every time we got one of those. I also remember trudging along nervously, as I would lead my parents up the stairs, to the dark chambers of classrooms and staff-rooms where the teachers waited for the next victim to be slaughtered, while a friend would pass by with a throat-slitting signal and a whispered “yaar aaj to lag gai.” I remember sitting there awkwardly, being talked about in grave tones of concern like I wasn’t even there, having everything from my marks, habits, activities, uniform and even my friends being discussed and dissected. I wasn’t that bad a student, so I would alternate between taking my mom to the teachers who would praise me and those who were sure to land me a lecture on the way back.

Come college, I thought all that was over. But now after I’ve settled down into the comfortable routine of doing things my way, without having to worry about having my activities discussed later, DU decides to burst my bubble. Delhi University’s reported proposal to form a parents’ coordination committee sounds to me like taking a huge leap backwards in the process of student development. What has been supposedly proposed for better administration and policy making seems like not just another way to poke moral reprobation on students’ campus activities, but also as destroying the fundamental difference between college and school life.

When you become a college kid, you’re suddenly in a zone where you’re the only one looking out for yourself. There’s no one you’re really accountable to, be it about your attendance, your studies or the kind of friends you make. Your choices are your own and you’re the one who has to face the consequences. College is also probably the time when most of us learn to become responsible and somewhat independent, be it paying the fee (which I’ve experienced by now to be an extremely harrying process in DU), filling the forms on time or maintaining your attendance and proxies to be able to scrape through and give the exams. Part of the vibrancy and culture of college, which distinguishes it from school, is that when we’re dissatisfied, we can raise our voices because we know what we say counts, and the administration is accountable to US. If parents are going to be introduced in the college scene, for more “accountability” towards the students, what are the students going to do? We’re adults now, we hardly need parents as mediators. But I guess by the end of the year we might be seeing parents hawking around campus and parent-teacher meetings being held, in a back-to-school atmosphere where all that college will be left signifying would be a lack of uniforms.

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

Led Zeppelin: The Greatest Band Ever?

By

Dinosaurs have supposedly been extinct for a million years but if truth be told, they did make a fleeting comeback during the 1970s. For how else can you describe a cultural phenomenon as humongous and anomalous as Led Zeppelin the likes of which the world had never seen and is yet to see again? They were Dinosaurs indeed.

With a quartet as talented as Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham at the helm, Zeppelin was always meant to soar but few could have predicted that the foursome would go on to redefine idol worship. They were the biggest band in the world and went on to sell millions of records. Stories of orgies and excesses involving the band abound and perhaps moulded the quintessential rockstar image. But is Led Zeppelin with all its mystic and rawness, the greatest band ever to grace the Earth.

Led Zeppelin is best known as a hard rock band but a deeper scrutiny reveals a plethora of different styles in the band’s body of work. The band explored genres as varied as blues, folk, country, metal, ballads, reggae and even punk. For every Dazed and Confused there is a That’s the Way, for everyKashmir, there is a House of the Holy. The point here is that Zeppelin as a band explored music like few other bands have done. The other band most frequently cited as the greatest ever are the Beatles who themselves have a wide ranging catalogue. However, the Beatles were never a hard rock band. They were more like a pop-rock group. The Beatles despite having one of the most accomplished catalogue there is, lack an out an out stadium shaker a la Dazed and Confused.

Moreover, Led Zeppelin were much better instrumentalists than the Beatles. Each member of Zeppelin would easily make it to the top five of his respective category. The same cannot be said of the Beatles. However, there is a strong consensus on the fact that both Zeppelin and Beatles were greater than the sum of their constituents.

No band can claim to be a great rock band unless it can play live. Led Zeppelin were one of the greatest live acts there ever was. Beatles on the other hand would not last ten minutes on the same stage with Zeppelin. The raw energy of a Zeppelin concert was hardly matched by anyone either before or after them.

On strength of all the above I come to the rather bold conclusion the Led Zeppelin were and are the greatest band in the world.

Keep Reading
By
Campus Central

Signature Campaign by Tibetan Youth Congress

By

 

 

Tibetan Youth Congress has initiated a signature campaign and organised a street play, photo exhibition, documentary film screening in Delhi University and vowed to take their mission to every corner of the world and spread that Tibet’s struggle for freedom is a struggle for truth and justice.

The organization appealed to students to support their cause highlighting the brutality and sufferings many Tibetan’s face under Chinese rule.

Many students showed their support and participated in the signature campaign. Many DU students volunteered for the event raising awareness about their cause in colleges.

The event was held to commemorate the selfless sacrifices that Tibetan martyrs showed in the uprising of 27TH September 1987.

They lamented the historic event of 1987 when patriotic Tibetan’s demonstrated in streets on the streets of Lhasa shouting “free Tibet” and asking Chinese to go away, but they were arrested and brutally beaten. Despite Chinese military crackdown and harsh persecutions, Tibetan’s in Tibet still stand in unity and raised their voice against the brutal oppression.

“Even today our struggle gets stronger than ever. We would make sure none of their voice goes unheard and we stand in strong conviction that the flame of truth would never extinguish. The current situation is getting even worse and intense inside Tibet” exclaimed one of the volunteers.

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

Satisfy Your Savoury Tooth with Delights from Mithaas and Chowringhee

By

Situated amidst the environs of a predominantly women oriented atmosphere, right opposite Kamala Nehru and Gargi Colleges are the much sought after food joints of Mithaas and Chowringhee and here is an assimilation of how the plethora of delights that they offer on their menu fare.

Mithaas is the perfect example of how size doesn’t matter. With a confined seating and fairly gloomy lighting, this place witnesses customers ranging from an obvious student from either of the colleges, to families living in the neighbourhood and in the latter half of the day, even those who take cricket coaching at Gargi College. Mithaas has steadily risen to stardom with its flavoursome and unmatched chole bhatture along with grilled vegetable sandwiches, a plate of wholesome samosas and a glass of milkshake which also feature on the list of favourites. Many of those around will swear by indulging in the desi Chinese that this place recreates all the time and also its savoury chaat and gol gappa stall outside the shop. Mithaas certainly fares well in the domains of time for serving, quantity, taste and

affordability but what it lacks is a bit of a quirky touch in terms of infrastructure, space and tidiness, considering that its customer base is widely dominated by students.

 

With the opening of the well-established and much admired joint of South campus named Chowringhee right across the two colleges, students are steadily pouring in to enjoy the unsurpassed and the absolute forte of this joint – Kathi rolls.  With various filling options like mutton, paneer, egg and potatoes what endears most customers are the chicken rolls. “It is an absolute bliss for students with a jam packed time table to quickly grab a tasty bite at Chowringhee”, says a Kamala Nehru student munching on, at their counter. You could easily satiate a grumbling tummy with their absolutely scrumptious food without giving a second thought to the cost. Kudos to them, for what they are best at!

Keep Reading
By
Arts & Culture

McDonalds’ McEgg: Egging us on (or not)

By

Recently, McDonalds introduced a new burger called McEgg. It is priced at Rs. 25 and therefore affordable by all. I was very excited to try this burger because of the appetizing picture and as I absolutely love egg.

Looking at the picture, you would expect soft bread, eggy interior with onions and oozing mayonnaise. Well it isn’t. The burger is extremely dry and I just couldn’t taste the onions. The burger seriously lacks seasoning and thus, is bland on the palette. This blandness kills the taste of the egg as well. There is a little blob of mayonnaise right in the centre and that’s it. So apart from one bite, you won’t taste any mayonnaise at all, just bread and tasteless egg. The burger is so dry because of the lack of mayonnaise that it sticks to the walls of your mouth. McEgg lacks texture and desperately needed some crunch. That crunch was supposed to come from the onions but even those are sparsely found.

McEgg can be made edible only by ordering it with cheese and extra mayonnaise. But then what it costs is Rs 65. To be honest, I’d rather eat the egg and buns from the roadside thelawalas! The taste is far better and comes at more or less the same price.

McEgg for me is a sad attempt at a burger and lacks everything it should have had. I wouldn’t eat it again unless someone paid me to do so.

Keep Reading
By
Bazinga

Bazinga

By

In a shocking turn of events that has left the people as well as the multitude of Gods that they pray to baffled, Apple Inc., in a move to save face, has decided to give away free iPhone 5s to all Samsung employees. Apple employees had protested against the management for having put them through the embarrassment of walking down the street with people pointing and laughing at them after multiple trolls surfaced on the internet following the patent drama.

“It was getting difficult for us to be out in the open. We were the town’s newest laughing stock”, says Steve (name changed), an Apple employee. In order to allay employee-anxiety, the management decided on this drastic measure in the hope that it’ll keep the trolls at bay.

However, there is inside information that Apple is, in fact, giving away iPhone 4 and not 5. “They’re hoping no one would notice given that it has worked so far”, said the source.

Keep Reading
By