A seminar on ‘Urban Naxalism- The Invisible Enemy’ was conducted in Hansraj College on 24th August by ‘Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA)’. The seminar was attended by 500 people in a packed auditorium. It had filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri as the chief speaker, ABVP national organising secretary Sunil Ambedkar as chief guest, and Supreme Court advocate Monika Arora as keynote speaker.
The seminar started with a choir singing ‘Vande Mataram’ and the ceremonial lamp lighting by the guests. A representative of GIA highlighted the motto and the achievements of GIA since its inception.
Mr. Abhijit Majumdar, the editor of Mynation.com, demanded that textbooks should start calling Mao as a mass murderer. He stressed that there should be revamping of education system and reclamation of space to set the right kind of narratives. He criticized Dr. GN Saibaba for his links with Maoists.
Advocate Monica Arora, the convener of GIA was the next speaker in the lineup. She condemned the events at the JNU campus on the night of 9th February. She discussed the poster of the same night. “Ek zor lagana hai, inko poora nikaalne keliye… Kerala, media aur JNU mein hi toh baaki hain (We need to use force to throw them out…Rest are in Kerala, media, and JNU),” she said.
“Whatever happened in JNU in 2016 was problematic but one good thing happened — it exposed people with communist ideology hidden within the film industry, journalism, and universities. They had been working as sleeper cells” said Mr. Sunil Ambekar.
Dr. A K Bhagi, President of the National Democratic Teachers Front in DU highlighted the cases where Naxalism has been included in the curriculum as social movements.
“Islamist fundamentalist forces in the west and the communist forces in the east are trying to break India. After Independence, the minds of Indians have been colonised strategically”, said the chief speaker at the event, Mr. Agnihotri. He categorically highlighted that the idea of an empowered woman has been largely skewed by the left intelligentsia. He pressed that India will emerge as a superpower despite several challenges.
One thing that didn’t go down well with the students was the act of not taking questions at the end of the seminar. Students were not given a chance to engage with the panelists.
Mrs. Arora, who is the convenor of GIA, while talking to the DU Beat correspondent, highlighted the need of organising such seminars. She informed that GIA wishes to emerge as a questioning sane voice in a charged socio-political atmosphere.
The seminar drew its curtain with National Anthem being sung by the audience together which was followed by high tea.
The DU-famed Finance and Investment Cell of Hansraj College organised its flagship event ‘Finance Platter’ in association with Innolabz on October 27, 2017. The triad of scintillating events conducted this year was appreciated by everyone alike.
The event began with the lighting of the lamp ceremony conducted by Mr.Saurabh Chaturvedi, founder and CEO of Innolabz along with the society’s core team members. This was followed by the mock stock competition- ‘The Stockfather’, the prelims of which witnessed a crowd of over 300 participants speculating on various securities as per the news and rumours. The outcry round was a frenzy filled trading in the American, Chinese and Indian stocks. The auditorium resonated with sounds of deals and negotiations, some that closed and some that failed.
‘Prisonbreak-Narcos on Death Row’ was another event set in the sinister world of crime, drugs, and money-making. The selected teams were required to strategise their way to escape custody. One member of the team donned the role of a bureaucrat while the other became a terrorist, and the two together had to manage resources amongst their groups to terrorise various locations of the national capital.
The B-plan competition, ‘Power2Idea- Think. Plan. Execute’ had an illustrious judging panel which constituted Mr. Saurabh Chaturvedi, founder and CEO of Innolabz, and Mr. Rajesh Parekh, a Chartered Accountant having an experience of over 25 years in the finance industry. The most innovative 18 abstracts were shortlisted and those who made it to the final round then delivered a presentation of 7 minutes each, explaining their concept in detail. The judges were impressed with the quality and level of participation they witnessed in the event.” We were amazed and astonished by ideas presented before us. Thinking that bricks can be created out of cigarette butts or incense sticks that don’t emit smoke are any day out of the box. These ideas are worth incubating”, said Mr. Saurabh after the conclusion of the event.
When asked about the reason behind the successful turnout, Shubham Suri, President of the society said,” We have always tried to beat our own standards and innovate new events. This keeps the team focused on its objectives. We hope to witness the same level of enthusiasm and appreciation in our next fest as well.”
Hansraj college celebrated the inaugural ceremony of the sports council on the occasion of National sports day. The occasion was formally inaugurated by Dr Rama Sharma, Principal of Hansraj College by lightning the lamp with the department head, teachers & council members. In her address she spoke about how she desires to move forward not for individual sports or particular team sports but for sports for all, widening the extent of health and fitness in the institute through the council. A token of greeting to the Department from the President of the council, Ms Pracchi was received by Dr MP Sharma following his words of wisdom. He addressed how the life of a sports person is different from being a regular College student and how discipline, dedication and own gratitude to one’s performance should be worship of particular sports. felicitating Ms Pracchi as the President followed by the core team of 8 members which are Mr Sahil Delu as Vice president, Mr. Avinash Panwar as General Secretary, Mr. Divyansh Chauhan as Managing Director, Ms. Noor E Zehra as Editor in Chief, Mr. Saim Akhtar as Production Head, Mr. Akshat Kaushik as Executive Head, Ms. Parinita Saini and Ms. Divya Teres Kuriyan as Executive member. The ceremony of felicitation was completed by following performances by Vani & Ankur and graceful dance performance by Kavyakriti. The sports council will seek to organise and regulate several sports-related events for the college throughout the academic year. The Council also announced that an annual Hansraj Sports Magazine will be published by its editorial board.
The HSC organised the first field event ‘Manchala’ organised on 11th October, proved to be a grand success. Students across the University of Delhi actively participated in it. With a plethora of games, which included tug of war, sack race, partner race, spoon race, broad jump, throw the ball and flag picking race, being offered at a minimal entry fee of Rupees 20, almost everyone was eager for a second and even a third round. Manchala was a strong initiative to bring together students from different colleges of the University of Delhi and rejuvenate their spirit of sports that is lost amidst the hustle & bustle of college life.
Hansraj College, on 28th September, launched its very own chapter of ‘Cognizance’, a consultancy and knowledge-based society with branches in several colleges across the country. Cognizance Hansraj, established under the Placement Cell of the college, aims to provide an exposure into consultancy at a basic level by collaborating with industry experts for live-projects, knowledge building sessions, and the much-needed research acumen that a lot of students yearn for and aim to acquire during their college life. Owing to the severe lack of practical application of theoretical concepts in the Indian education system, a majority of students face extreme difficulty and pressure while applying for jobs as well as clearing entrance exams for higher education. This is where this society steps in and provides first-hand practical knowledge by ‘Putting Theory into Practice’, its ultimate motto.
Having just set out to explore the consultancy world, the society plans to invite various faculty members to come and work with them, thus providing the members an opportunity to indulge into highly interactive and informative sessions with various professors. Also, instead of normal update meetings, the society will keep rigorous brainstorming sessions wherein various plans of action brought in by different members of the society shall be discussed and the ones suited best for the current projects shall then be chosen and implemented. As more and more event organisation and management based societies come into being, Cognizance Hans Raj works upon the overall development and skill enhancement of its members, thereby making them more competent in solving real life problems.
Every year, the cultural societies in Delhi University work tirelessly to put their best foot forward and emerge as the winner. Likewise, this year, some teams managed to outshine others and win big at various college fests in the Varsity. We bring to you a series with the college societies that bagged the top positions during the fest season 2016-17.
The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions at competitive events held during various cultural fests of this season. Whenever a society won the first prize they were awarded 3 points, for the second position they received 2 points.
In the Choreography category, Terpsi Chorean, Choreography Society of Hansraj College scored the maximum points. Terpsi Choreon’s 16 points were followed by Sparx, the Choreography Society of Gargi College (13 points). The third position was bagged by Sensation, the Choreography Society of Kirori Mal College (12 points).
The Winning Society at a glance
Terpsi Chorean, Hansraj College:
Their annual production named ‘The Unfading’ was a thrilling tale full of secrets and broken family ties, depicting the chilling effect that memory can have on us. It revealed how some of us obsess over some memories, run away from some, while others are repressed. The ten minute performance depicted how, contrary to popular belief, our memory is not our friend; it is a monster that controls us.
Palak Aneja, the President of the society says, “It feels extremely proud to have fought through all the odds and emerged victorious. Every word of appreciation from the audience brings a sense of accomplishment, because winning hearts is greater than just winning a competition. You can make the audience believe in your theme only when each team member truly believes in it. A lot of dedication and hard work goes behind the glorious victories, but nothing is impossible when we become each other’s strength, both on and off stage.
Performing members:
Palak Aneja – President
Anoushka Chopra – Public Relations Head
Shreyasee Sen – Treasurer
Pawni Singhal
Vidhi Maheshwari
Gauri Shukla
Rishita Sachdeva
Nehul Goyal
Sharvika Deo
Damanpreet Singh
Saksham Bhargava
Keshav Khurana
Deven Chhabra
Simran Sahni
Deepak Arora
Deepika Dubey
Shreya Setia
Raghavi Chauhan
Soumya Mittal
Winners Tally: Terpsi Chorean
Out of the considered fests this year, 8 had conducted a competitive Choreography event, namely Crossroads, Montage, Ullas, Tarang, Confluence, Mecca, Reverie and Nexus. Here is the list of winning performances by Terpsi Chorean (Hansraj College):
1st Position: Crossroads, Tarang, Montage, Nexus
2nd Position: Mecca, Reverie
(Hover over the icons to know more about their victories)
Design by Alex Arthur Picture Credits: Alex Arthur
Every year, societies from colleges across the campus compete neck to neck and put up spectacular performances during the fest season. This year too, saw certain teams shine a little brighter than the rest. We bring you a series with college societies that put their heart and soul into their respective fields and took home the top prizes at various cultural fests.
The best college society in each category was selected by creating a tally of the top 3 positions at competitive events held during various cultural fests of this season. Whenever a society won the first prize they were awarded 3 points, for the second position they received 2 points and for the third position, 1 point was added to their tally.
For the Battle of Bands category, Tantrik Steve scored the maximum points in the tally. Tantrik Steve‘s 8 points were followed by 3 points each with Hindu Collective of Hindu College and Common Threads of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College.
The Winning Society at a glance
Tantrik Steve, Hans Raj College
Battle of Bands is the face-off between bands, usually rock or metal bands, but often musical ac. from a range of different styles, competing for the title of the Best Band. This fest season in DU saw variety in the compositions of the different bands of DU. With the magically enthralling performances of the bands captivating the soul of the fests, the bass, drums and the charismatic vocals did not, for once, fail to awe the crowd. 2017 saw the emergence of Tantrik Steve of Hans Raj College as the best band of the season with various wins in different fests throughout the season.
Frontman Abhishek Mittal told, “The DU music scene has taken up a toll and I am really happy with the way bands are experimenting towards newer sounds.” He stated that the band comprises of eight members with different musical backgrounds, having their own flavour that added to the performance of their band. They were open to introducing new parts to the sound and they helped each other sound better apart from making their individual parts fathom into music. They performed their original compositions as well, titled ‘Kaise tum mere‘ and ‘Madhurgaanam‘.
Band Members:
Gagan Goel for Hindustani vocals
Sarath S Kumar for Carnatic vocals
Sayan Sinha on Bass
Dimpal Kumar on Drums
Abhishek Mittal on Lead Guitar
Shivash Chagti on Rhythm Guitar
Rohan Prasanna on Sarod
Kartik Balan on Mridangam
Winners Tally
Four college fests were referred to while evaluating the top societies tally this fest season which were: Tarang, LSR; Ullas, KNC; Montage, JMC and Mecca, Hindu College.
The society emerged victorious at the following fests:
First Position in Montage, JMC
First Position in Mecca, Hindu College
Second position in Ullas, Kamla Nehru College
The band also won accolades at the fests of SBSC, St. Stephen’s College, PGDAV, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur and Ambedkar University.
(Hover on the icons below to know more about their victories.)
Enactus, the global non-profit community which seeks to inspire action, has transformed communities in more than thirty-six countries with the help of visionary minds. Emphasising on the monumental impact of entrepreneurial action, the Enactus community has been working towards manifesting an independent world by generating employability through its unique projects. Colleges under the University of Delhi have established their presence through relentless efforts and have emerged successful in catering to the plethora of social issues plaguing thousands of lives. Here is a compilation of the events, projects, and achievements of the prominent Enactus societies of the University of Delhi.
Enactus Ramjas
The Ramjas chapter of this social venture commenced in 2011 and has successfully catered to three models of business since its inception. These include the Enactus Store, Project Bawarchi, and Project Transcreation. Enactus Store is an online platform which specifically caters to the products and services of Enactus teams all around the country. Project Transcreations seeks to help the transgender community to sustain their lives through providing them with entrepreneurial avenues such as cab driving, jewellery making, etc. They have also launched their very own beauty parlour in Saket solely run by transgenders. Project Bawarchi is a canteen exclusively being run by victims of drug and substance abuse near North Campus and is accompanied by food carts and tiffin delivery. The society has also conducted myriad events to serve the community this year. Under the umbrella of its Project Transcreations, Enactus Ramjas organised a transgender fashion show along with an LGBT pride march. It also conducted the biggest Enactus Festival in February of this year and saw a successful participation. Semi-finalists of Enactus Nationals 2016, the society has carried out more than 30 sensitisation campaigns related to drug abuse since the launch of the project.
Enactus Hindu
Conceptualised in 2014, Enactus Hindu launched its Project Veerangana in this academic session. The social endeavour aims to propagate safety ideals for all by transforming young, unemployed women into self-defence instructors. The previous social campaigns of the society include Project Shreshth and Project Oorja. Their pilot project, Shresth, transformed a group of financially dependent women from the Badli Industrial Area, Rohini into self-sufficient entrepreneurs who manufacture and market incense sticks under the brand name ‘Aanchal Aggarbatis’. Project Oorja strives to preserve environmental balance by providing clean solar lighting solutions to tackle the menace of rising carbon footprints. Under its current project, the society introduced a campaign titled ‘Be A Veerangana,’ and witnessed two months of intensive offline and online promotions, encouraging women to share instances of harassment and breaking the taboo around crimes. At Mecca 2017, the annual cultural festival of Hindu College, their team conducted ‘Road to Safety,’ a unique? simulation of the streets of Delhi, with the objective of raising awareness about simple safety measures which can come in handy in our day-to-day lives. The animal community was also served with its ‘Warmth for Paws’ initiative to provide clothes to street dogs with sweaters made from discarded woollens in the bitter cold months of December and January.
Enactus Khalsa
One of the youngest members of the Enactus community, the Khalsa chapter of the non-profit endeavour germinated in August of last year. While their pilot project is currently under development, they successfully organised an awareness campaign within the college. Titled #LetsMakeGodTalk, the students of the college were induced to deliberate upon the social sphere. On Daan Utsav, the society also organised a visit to a girls’ shelter home and spent a day there with the kids playing games and interacting with them.
Enactus Ramjas College
Enactus Hindu College
Enactus SGTB Khalsa College
Enactus Miranda House
An active member of the social community, Enactus Miranda House has been the launching pad of four successful initiatives since its inception in 2011. Namely Project Zaffran, Project Jazba, Project Tarang, and Project Daryaft, the society aims to boost the issues of financial dependency amongst the women community, strengthening the standing of acid-attack survivors, developing environmentally complementing products, and enhancing the tourism sector, respectively. This year, the society organised a seminar – ‘Astitva’ in relation to Project Jazba, along with a seminar with Mr. Vikramjit Singh Rooprai on the occasion of Heritage Day under Project Daryaft. The annual festival of Enactus Miranda House – Impressa 2017, was organised with the theme ‘Breaking Stereotypes,’ and witnessed events such as open mics and movie screenings. In addition to organising a waste collection drive, the society has also conceptualised an internship programme ranging from the Campus Ambassador Program to Synergy, the Winter Internship Program to propagate ideals of entrepreneurship and initiative.
Enactus SRCC
Perhaps the oldest member of the Enactus community, Enactus SRCC has been doing pertinent projects for a decade now. Some of their recent projects are as follows. Project Life On Wheels facilitates micro-credit for rickshaw pullers by enabling them to own their rickshaws. Project Aahaar is an initiative to rehabilitate underprivileged women by providing them with culinary training. Project Azmat was an endeavour to liberate manual scavengers by providing them with a sustainable source of livelihood through a development of a micro-enterprise and to facilitate construction of proper toilet systems. Project Sattva was an initiative to bring efficiency in India’s dairy sector by the rearing of high yielding cattle and value addition to milk through a mutually beneficial relationship. Project Asbah aimed at providing clean drinking water to rural households through the development and marketing of clay-based water filters produced by a community of potters. With projects like these, Enactus SRCC secured the second runners-up position at the Enactus Nationals 2016. They have received the prestigious KPMG grant and Walmart grant in recognition of the progress made by their projects.
Enactus Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
Since its formation in 2014, Enactus SBSC has come a long way with three socially relevant and inspiring initiatives. Their first project, Project Karva aimed at the upliftment of women. Under Project Roshni, visually impaired people were taught how to make candles as an attempt to become independent as well as self-sustaining. Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, they conceptualised their third project, Project Aahar, which seeks to provide affordable as well as hygienic food to people in need. Other than the projects, two fundraising campaigns were conducted this year. From 5th-7th October 2016, Campaign Umeed took place where members sold bookmarks and notebooks made by the specially challenged children of Deepalaya School. On the 109th birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh under Campaign Anghaar, candles made by the visually impaired to the students of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College were sold. Campaign Sparsh addressed the women residing at Anand Parbat and introduced them to NGO GOONJ’s ‘My Pad’ – a kit that contains undergarments, sanitary pads, and a manual on menstrual health. They also addressed the issue of child sexual abuse as it is one of the major evils surrounding Anand Parbat through organising interactive activities for the children and showing videos that demonstrated the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touching.
Enactus Miranda House
Enactus SRCC
Enactus SBSC
Enactus Maitreyi College
Established in 2014, Enactus Maitreyi is currently working in collaboration with the National Coalition of People Living with HIV on their third project – Project Samya. True to its name, Project Samya aims at bringing equality to women affected with HIV who are evidently socially excluded and are often forced to quit their jobs. Enactus Maitreyi’s first project, Unnayan, helped the women of Mayur Vihar to make and market a liquid dishwasher, ‘Clean Ninja’ for them to become self-reliant. They launched their second project, Swadhin in 2016, with the aim of helping the physically impaired community by equipping them with entrepreneurial skills. This year the society started its own plantation drive. Other than this, Enactus Maitreyi purchased stationery items for the specially-abled students of Anukriti School, with its own funds by keeping aside INR 2 from the sale of every product. To raise funds, Enactus Maitreyi launched a fundraising campaign called,#IDidMyBit, which was conducted over a period of 2 months. A photo booth in Connaught Place was also created to raise money.
Enactus Sri Venkateswara College
Conceived in 2015, Enactus Sri Venkateswara College has been appreciated for its innovation and uniqueness of projects. The society has successfully churned out three projects, namely Project Captain Compost, Project Aushadhi, and Project CiggB. Project Captain Compost aims to provide a solution to the garbage menace in the city while uplifting the social and economic status of ragpickers at the same time, and Project Aushadhi merged the two issues of homelessness and medicinal waste. Winner of the Blue Dart Grant worth INR 40,000, the society launched Project CiggB this year which focuses on the disposal and recycle of used cigarette butts. To establish a communal outreach, they organised stalls in the fests of Hindu College, Indraprastha College for Women, Kamala Nehru College among others, along with stalls and exhibitions under ‘Heartist,’ where they provided a platform for street artists to showcase their skills and sell their products. In association with ‘People for Animals’ and Enactus SRCC, Enactus SVC also set up a winter cloth collection drive in December 2016. They have also collaborated with ‘Parivartan’, the social service society of Sri Venkateswara College for interaction and skill development of slum children and organised a special event for them to celebrate Children’s Day.
Enactus Hans Raj
A cognizant member of the Enactus community, Hansraj College’s Enactus has been running four projects since its commencement in 2011. Project Lekhni has been successful in helping five women from Jhandewalan to rise from the status of victims to the masters of their lives, Project Boond seeks to solve the problem of clean drinking water for the underprivileged masses by providing them with low-cost water purifiers that run without electricity, and Project Mithaas is an endeavour aimed towards providing a stable source of income to farmers in India by encouraging them to adopt beekeeping as a practice. Enactus HRC conceptualised Project Aaangan this year to provide day-care facilities to working women of lower income strata. Winner of the Best Project for showcasing the spirit of VEER at Enactus Nationals 2016, Enactus HRC has, in addition, conducted a donation drive for Project Aangan. Aashayein’16 was an initiative for the kids of an NGO Navjyoti to help them experience the dream they wished to live. It was a small drive by Enactus Hans Raj to fulfill wishes and spark a fire in them by overcoming challenges.
Over the weekend of 25-26 March 2017, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), through its intellectual body Prajna Pravah conducted a seminar at Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology and Management. This “Gyan Sangam”, an invitation-only event, was attended by over 700 scholars and over 50 of the top executives of government universities across the country. Yogesh Tyagi, Vice Chancellor of the University of Delhi, was also present at the seminar. The two-day event was a closed-door workshop and was apparently triggered by a contemporary need to “Indianise” the educational system by providing a nationalist narrative.
J Nanda Kumar, the National Convenor of the Prajna Pravah, talked about the dilution of the Indian culture as a result of the “culture of protests” and the practice of “cultural evenings” on campus. He said, “This is a time of revival of nationalism throughout the world. All intellectuals here should also come together to nationalise our education system.” This cry for change is apparently an attempt to free the students’ minds from colonial values and replace them with national values. He stated, “We have to develop a social an intellectual point of view that will be able to solve the problems of our current generation. We have to free our youth from the colonial values.” RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said during the proceedings, “This seminar is not organised to raise an alternative narrative but to raise the true nationalist narrative in our education system.”
The seminar had three sections – session-wise discussion with regard to academic subjects such as history and political science, expert sessions on topics such as cultural onslaught, and an interactive session with Mohan Bhagwat. None of these sessions provided any specific policy details as to how the education system will, in reality, be “Indianised” or how university syllabi will include a “Bhartiya” perspective. The only answers received were the crafting of a non-governmental and autonomous academic system. How this will automatically lead to the removal of the “culture of protests” and the Indianising of education is yet to be clarified. When J Nanda Kumar claims that the current atmosphere in Indian universities “badly affects young minds and poisons the environment of our educational institutes”, the least these young minds deserve is a reasonable alternative that will lead to holistic growth and awareness among students – not merely the furthering of a self-serving agenda by an increasingly authoritarian ruling party.
A four day spectacle from 23-26th December, Mood Indigo saw a variety of speakers, competitions and events during the fest. We bring to you a list of some of the highlights of this annual cultural extravaganza that added colour, fun and frolic to the festival.
Conchord: The Acapella finals
Conchord, the acapella music competition at Mood Indigo 2016, was a riot of melodious notes synchronised in perfect harmony, without the use of musical instruments. The event saw four teams battling it out in the finals-Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru; Gargi College, Delhi; Shri Mata Vaishodevi University, Katra and Hansraj College, Delhi. The competition was judged by three musicians-Kenneth Shakira, Shayla Saldanha and Caroline Pereira.
Swaranjali, Hansraj College’s Music Society bagged the first place, while Gargi College came second, followed by Mount Carmel College. Swaranjali enthralled the audience with their rendition of Bad Romance and Barbie Girl, inviting praise from the judges for the balance in their notes and the impeccable coordination within the team. While the all-girls teams from Mount Carmel College and Gargi College earned accolades for their bass voice and versatility respectively, the team from Shri Mata Vaishnodevi University was appreciated for their choice of a medley of foot-tapping popular music.
With his rendition of ‘Damadum Mast Kalandar’ and other songs, Mame Khan stole the audience’s heart with his super energetic and enigmatic performance. Not only did he engage with the crowd, but also crooned the classic ‘Damadum Mast Kalandar’ that left everyone mesmerised and wanting for more.
The ‘fusion nite’ saw the renowned American Indian musician, composer and producer Karsh Kale set the tune straight for his audience as the jamming session pumped up the young lot.
Karsh Kale performing at Mood Indigo
Saurabh Shukla’s Barff
Saurabh Shukla’s second directorial venture, Barff, was an event that was eagerly awaited at Mood Indigo 2016. The three member cast of Sadia Siddiqui, Sunil Palwal and Saurabh Shukla had a packed hall hanging on to their every word as the stage transformed into a scene from Kashmir, snow et al. Sunil Palwal essays the role of Ghulam, a Kashmiri taxi driver, while Sadia Siddiqui plays his wife, Nafisa. Saurabh Shukla is Dr. Siddhant, coming from afar to treat their unwell child.
Saurabh Shukla performing in his second directorial venture, Barff
A palpable air of mystery and intrigue envelops the play, giving it the garb of a thriller revolving around the little child. Love, motherhood, a sense of attachment towards Kashmir, and fluidity in the perception of reality are intertwined to create an undeniable masterpiece. The acting is impeccable and lends depth to the three beautifully moulded characters. Nafisa’s heart-wrenching cries, Ghulam’s devoted love for his wife, almost bordering on naivete, and the doctor’s attempt to understand their world, could not have been portrayed more realistically. Reality becomes putty in the hands of imagination driven by intense pain and love. The set, which marvellously locates itself in a Kashmiri home and its surroundings, is meticulously thought out to the littlest detail.
Theatre Fest:Daddy Cool
A two-man act starring Jagdish Rajpurohit and Kevin Dave, ‘Daddy Cool’ is a hilarious play that charts the life of a father son duo. As the name suggests, the father is “cool” employing different parental tactics to fuel his son’s curiosity during his formative years. They include sending his son to a sex-worker so as to educate him about sex and smoking with him in order to dissuade him from doing so.
There are some inevitable questions that come from young children which place their parents in awkward situations. The play focuses on some of these, especially regarding those related to sex. In the process, the ingenious ways in which parents often deprive their children of the right answers rather than touch upon the taboo topic of “sex,” are highlighted.
The most remarkable facet of the play was the effortless acting of the two, which required role reversals and multiple roles playing. The sheer task of holding the attention of the audience for an hour isn’t easy, and they did just that while also cracking them up the entire time.
Jayaprakash Narayan on Demonetisation
As part of Mood Indigo’s Lit Fest 2016, renowned political informer and founder of the Lok Satta Party who boasts of a 16-year long career in government, Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan conducted an interactive session with the audience on the aftermath of demonetisation.
Dr. Narayan explained that the policy of demonetisation will not work in isolation as a “mantra or panacea.” It must followed by attendant steps to ensure that benefits are released. “One man’s sudden whim cannot become policy in a short period in a country of our size. But, the people of India are extraordinarily forgiving and are willing to pay the price in the short term,” he said.
According to Dr. Narayan, the primary role of the government is to create conditions for people to discover their own enlightened self interest, by delivering quality education and healthcare.
In his closing note, Dr. Narayan appealed to the students to go beyond their textbooks and work towards transforming the nation’s future.
Street Play competition: Aagaaz
Agaaz, the street play competition at Mood Indigo 2016 saw participants bringing tremendous energy and innovative themes to the fore. The 12 competing teams brought out various significant social issues through their nukkad natak. An outdated education system, rigid caste hierarchies and discrimination based on caste, the freedom to express one’s own sexuality and the hypocratic taboos revolving around menstruation are some of the pertinent issues raised by the teams. The event was judged by Tanya Abrol, Chintaman Sahastrabuddhe, Yusuf Qasmi and Padmabhushan Agrawal and was also attended by actor Pankaj Tripathi. Some of the participating teams include College of Vocational Studies, Sri Venkateshwara College, PGDAV, IIT Kanpur and Ashoka University. The judges laid down the yardsticks of a good street play as one that disseminates a universal message and entertains the audience simultaneously. The judges appreciated the diversity and relevance of the social issues raised.
As we all know, Delhi University is one of the most renowned universities of India. All the colleges under this university have various societies that relate to different spectrum of our living. But, the society of Human Resource Development has been an unexplored arena and only 2 colleges had it registered until 2015. However, in 2016, Hansraj College came up with the 3rd HRD cell of Delhi University i.e. NEENV.
“HARD WORK PAYS OFF” is a cliché, yet a very true statement.
After numerous sleepless nights and endless efforts of the Neenv Team, IMPERIUM 2K16, the 1st Flagship event of NEENV, has been successfully organised.
The event accorded of 3 business competitions: House of bids (HR Bidding), Collectivo (Corp Talk) and Case N Curious (Case Study). The event received hopped up responses of more than 100 participants.
Mr. Rohit Kharbanda (Director, Intercontinental Hotel Groups) and Ms. Kawaljeetin Khurrana (Director, Kapp Edge Solutions) were invited as our Chief Guests to grace the occasion. All the three competitions were very well organised. The feedback of the students was also quite good as they were very satisfied by the management of the events.
Even though NEENV has just started its journey, the event is just the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot more to go. Thus, the society has earned itself a wonderful beginning, which it can be truly proud of. The continuous hard work will help it to achieve a remarkable position among DU’s other societies.
