Hans Raj College hosted the first day of its annual cultural festival, Confluence on 18th of March. The first day of the festival was packed with competitive and non competitive events.
Confluence 2016 was inaugurated by the Principal of the college, followed by a Kavi Samelan presided over by the renowned Indian poet, Vineet Chauhan. The JNU row in the light of the recent challenges to the idea of nationalism was discussed. The festivities were further graced with the Choreography competition, organised by Terpsi Chorean, The Choreo Society of Hans Raj College. The Founder of Friends of Art, Sohini Dutta and Himanshu Sharma were the judges of the competition.
Principal of Hansraj College at the Inaugration Ceremony
Kavi Sammelan
Hindu College’s Srijya emerged as the winners of Choreography competition
Yet again, The Choreo Society of Hindu College secured the first position for their performance called ‘Vengeance’. The production called ‘Maya’ and ‘Apes of Oblivion’ by the choreography societies of LSR and Gargi College booked the second and the third place respectively. KMC’s choreography society Sensation got a special mention.
Simultaneously, Youth Nexus in collaboration with Confluence 2016 also kick started other events on the outer stage. Rigo Fashion show was held in which students from Hans Raj set their fashion trends on the ramp in front of Mr Arjun Gehlot, Director of Ambience Mall and his wife, Shahista Gehlot. This was followed by Rockonova, a Battle of Bands between four selected teams. ‘Knight Shades’ from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce won and ‘Muffils’ from Manav Rachna Institute of Technology were declared the runners-up. The stage was soon taken over by Sufi Rock performers, Dastak- The Band.
Tanz, the western dance society of Miranda House
Battle of Bands Competition
Suryaveer Band
The evening dawned with the performances for the Western Group Dance Competition which was judged by Priyasha Bhardwaj, The Director/Choreographer of Beyond Routine and Aditya Dogra. Misba, The Western Dance society of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce won the first place while Funk in Motion from Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology and Enliven from Gargi college secured the second and the third place respectively. This was followed by a performance by Suryaveer with his band Ehsaas. Dj Sumit Sethi drew the curtains for Day 1 of Confluence with some popular Bollywood numbers.
Rachnotsav, the music festival of Hansraj College organized by Swaranjali, the Indian music society of the college was organized on 27th February. The competitions included Indian Choir, Western Choir, Indian Light/semi classical solo, Western Solo and Battle of the Bands.
The Indian Choir competition, judged by Prateek Narsimha was won by Manya Arora from Miranda House and Dhruv Pargai from IIT Delhi got the second position.
In the Western Solo catgory, Tyesha Kohli from Jesus and Mary College achieved the first position while Divaker from Kirori Mal College received the second position.
In the Western Choir competition, which had 12 teams participating from around the University, KMC’s Musoc emerged as the winners while Orpheus, Miranda House were runner ups. Both the Western singing competitions were judged by Nirupan Sinha and Bhanu Sharma.
In the Indian Choir competition, which saw 12 shortlisted Indian classical choirs from the DU Circuit and judged by Ujwal Nagar and Ram Narayan Jha saw LSR’s Dhwani bagging the first prize and Gargi College’s Samranjini winning the second.
Finally the Battle of Bands competition, which saw 6 shortlisted DU Bands and being judged by Sajal and Abhay Sharma saw KMC taking both the positions. Musoc and High Time from KMC got first and second position respectively in the competition.
The Society of General Awareness recently saw the celebration of it’s annual awareness week, from 4th to 9th February 2016 which was an amalgamation of six events spread across the six days of the week, each peculiar in its approach and perfect in the execution. In the first of its kind event, the awareness week, Avgat worked at increasing the societal presence of every individual by bridging the gap created by economy and misfortune in particular classes.
The Annual Awareness week Avgat started with a seminar on ‘Together we can cancel cancer’ by the founding chairperson of ‘Can Kids, Kids can’, an organization run by cancer survivors. Narrated in the same dreadful tone as it hit them, the survivors told the story of their being, talked about the segregation they faced and ultimately urged the attendees to break the stigma that was associated with cancer patients.
Taking the flow of events towards another social issues, the SGA called in organizations working for the empowerment of underprivileged people like widows, children and ex-prisoners to come, propagate and sell their goods and take a step further towards a more tomorrow in the ‘Adbudh Mela’ which was followed by more than twenty-five NGOs recruiting volunteers for more than a 1000 internships next day at the ‘Social Internship Fair’.
The staring of the Love week was marked by a tour to the orphanage, ‘Baccho ka Ghar’ where the volunteers got to interact and bond with the children and shower their affection on them parting with lots of blessings and gifts for every one of them.
The fourth edition of the annual quiz competition Inquivesta was seen the next day as about a couple hundred quizzers from around the town converged for what was about to be an enthralling competition with cash prizes of 4000 and 2000 for the first and second positions respectively.
The week concluded with the speaker session, Samvad bringing in 7 speakers from different fields to share the stage and interact with the audience. With the highlight of the event being RJ Naved, the event finished with a bunch of sighs, some creases on the forehead and lots of cheers. The volunteers went back home with a sense of pride and satisfaction etched on its back as they had just succeeded in organizing the grandest event in the history of the society.
Harshit Muchhal is a sports quota entrant and now the Squash Team Captain at Hans Raj College, University of Delhi. He is a IIIrd year student pursuing B.COM(H). Harshit has played a lot of tournaments around the country and outside the country, representing India. He recently bagged gold at All India Inter University Squash Championship this year.
Our correspondent Iresh Gupta got into a candid chat with Harshit, who recently also won accolades after making it to the Top 5 Squash players in India.
Iresh: When did you start playing Squash? Would you give us a brief account of your background as a player?
Harshit: I started playing at the age of 12. I tried various sports before I settled down on Squash. I played Lawn Tennis for some time seeing my father play, and then I tried Badminton for a couple of months. I then finally saw some of the seniors play squash and I really liked the sport.
Iresh: How would you explain ‘what you do’ to a stranger, as Squash is not that famous a sport?
Harshit: People sometimes ask me questions like ‘Tennis khelte ho?’, ‘Tennis nahi toh Badminton khelte ho?’ Then I tell about Squash and they throws like a million questions on me asking about it. Nowadays, I tell them I play Lawn Tennis just to save the trouble (laughs).
Iresh: How does it feel to represent INDIA at National Competitions and be in the Top 5 Squash Players of the country? Tell us about your journey.
Harshit: In my early years of Squash, I had always wondered how it would feel to represent the country. I remember waking up as early as 3AM to practice, playing 7 hours a day and sacrificing a lot. Luckily, my hardwork paid off and I got to experience things I had never imagined. For instance, once the Indian Squash team was on the plane and the flight Captain announced ‘We are happy and proud to announce that we have the Indian Squash Team on board with us today’. We all felt so proud that day.
Harshit Muchhal
Iresh: What’s been the best moment of your journey as a national level player?
Harshit: My entire squash journey starting from my first tournament till now has been like a roller coaster. If I had to choose one good moment, it would be when I was playing against India Rank 2 in the finals of a tournament in Mumbai and my father was watching me play. It was a crucial 55-minute match.
Although I didn’t win but my proud father hugged me tight after the match and told me how good I was. That was the real victory for me.
Iresh: You are the Captain of your college Squash Team. How well does the college facilitate the sport? Are you satisfied with the efforts of the college?
Harshit: We do not have Squash courts in our college, so in terms of infrastructure there is no support. St. Stephens has squash courts but it’s strictly for the students of the same college and therefore, I have to take my team all the way to Siri Fort, Saket to practice. Otherwise, the college is supportive and I am allowed to take leave for tournaments.
Iresh: What is a typical practice day for you like? Also as a student, are you able to manage between your sport and studies?
Harshit: A typical practice day is tougher than it sounds. Waking up early in the morning at 4AM, go run, attend classes, come back and rush to the courts. So, after 4-5 hours of good training, there’s little energy left for studies. I am not best friends with books but I’ve been doing fairly well with my studies too.
Iresh: Since India does not have any prominent names in the field of Squash as it does in sports like, say, cricket or hockey, who has been your inspiration?
Harshit: I think whoever is better than me is an inspiration. You always get to learn many things from various different players. Even a Junior Player is an inspiration who hits a particular shot exactly the way it should be played.
Iresh: Apart from playing sports, do you have any other personal interests or hobbies?
Harshit: I love dancing and I am fond traveller. Actually, Squash and various out station tournaments made me like travelling. Apart from that, I like listening to music, read a little and watch a few TV shows. I think I also did a fine job as a part of the Hansraj Dramatics Society.
Iresh: Do you see yourself taking up Squash as a career?What would be your ultimate achievement as a Squash player?
Harshit: Yes, I would definitely want to take up Squash as a career. I am training 6 days a week with a tight schedule and putting in a lot of effort to get there. I want to play with the world’s best players. However, my ultimate achievement as a squash player would be never giving up on this sport.
Ordinateur, the Computer Science Society of Hans Raj College, organised their annual tech symposium on the 21st and 22nd of January. Under the theme of Silicon Valley, these people tried to create a replicated miniature of the Silicon Valley. Hand-made logos of different organisations were seen hanging as decorations. Students wore ID-cards which displayed tags like CEO, Legal Heads and various other posts under their names unlike the regular ones.
This two-day fest started with Herald, an interactive session of learning with the students. The invited speakers were Dr. Sunil Kumar Muttoo, HOD, Department of Computer Science, Delhi University; Mr. Chiranjeev Singh, an alumnus of IIM-A, Academician; Ms. Nishi Aggarwal, Manager, ICT Practice at Evalueserve. This talk was conducted in two sessions and ended on a successful note with students and all other participants gaining creditable knowledge from the event.
The second day witnessed the inauguration of the first edition of society’s magazine under the name- Bitwise. The inauguration and welcoming speeches were followed by all the competitive events which included both, technical and non-technical events. The list of events had, ‘Technologically Challenged’- the tech quiz where both, prelims and finals were conducted to choose the winner; ‘Colloquy’- the group discussion and debate competition where participants were seen putting across their thoughts on topics relating to Facebook’s Free Basics initiative and many others; ‘Webapocalypse’- the web-designing event; ‘Montador’- the PC assembling competition; ‘Ludophilia’- a collection of informal events such as Logo Tambola, Golgappa eating competition, etc. Along with these, participants enthusiastically took part in the poster-making competition, logo designing competition, treasure hunt and others.
“The fest was a success in our eyes and we hope that the students took away something valuable from all the events they participated in. The whole team of our students worked really well and I am glad it turned up this way”, said Baljeet Kaur, Assistant Professor, Computer Science Department.
Students of different colleges were seen taking part at Cynosure. Institutions included Deen Dayal Upadhyay College, Amity University, Keshav Maha Vidalyay, and Modern School among others.
The prize distribution ceremony followed, where Dr. Rama, acting principal, Hans Raj College came and presented prizes to the participants. Prizes in both cash and kind were offered.
The Economics Society of Hansraj College organised Inceptum’15 on the 7th of November 2015. A number of the college’s societies pooled in their talents and formed events that challenge the economic, finance and business aptitude of students. The occasion was graced by the Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, who was the Chief Guest for the day and delivered the keynote address on the growth of India and the role that the youth plays in it.
The events were designed primarily to test the economic acumen of the participants as they navigated the twists and turns of time travel, ancient ideas and international economic turmoil.Chanakya Neeti, Policy Paralysis, Banca DelVaticano, Ecognizance and the North Campus Treasure Hunt managed to generate a footfall of nearly 500 participants from across the University. The aim was to bring a diverse set of future economists together to discuss pertinent issues that enable them to become personally associated with these problems and devise innovative strategies to approach the same.
After a day filled with debate, discussion, brain storming and evolution of ideas, The Economics Society, Lady Shri Ram College, emerged at the top of the table with the highest cumulative scores for all the events, followed by The Marketing Society, Shri Ram College of Commerce as the first runner up.
Image Credits: The Economics Society, Hansraj College
Provided by The Economics Society, Hansraj College
The Department of Commerce of Hansraj College recently organised their Annual Panel Discussion E-Talk. The topic of discussion was the ‘Current Start-up Ecosystem in India’. It saw three renowned entrepreneurs as the panellists for the day. The panel included Mr. Umang Kumar, founder, Gaadi.com and president, Cardekho.com; Mr. Rohit Chawla, founder of iLabs and Shopsberry.com; Mr. Alok Vaish, CFO, Yatra.com and an alumnus of Hans Raj College.
The panel discussion revolved around the current start-up culture in India and how it has evolved with time. Each of the panellists discussed each aspect of entrepreneurship and its skills in much detail. They shared their own stories of how they had managed to come so far in business. There were constant queries from the moderator and the panellists successfully tackled each one of them.
Mr. Chawla told how difficult it was for him in the beginning due to his loss of connections in India, while he was studying in foreign countries. Mr. Umang Kumar shared his story of how, in the beginning, his father had downrightly rejected his idea of starting up a start-up. He eventually saw potential and dedication in his son and supported him through thick and thin from then onwards. Mr. Alok Vaish, on being asked that how entrepreneurs deal with the failure, encouraged the audience with his words, “The most important thing is to believe in your idea and thought process.”
This was followed by an interaction with the students in the audience. There were questions like- how to approach the investors, how to prevent one’s idea from being stolen by another person, which is better- going for higher studies or starting up a business right away, amongst many others. The students looked interested in knowing more and more about the skills and risks involved with setting and starting up a new business. The panelists made it very clear that it is necessary to work hard and there is no way out. Despite the slight delay in the starting of the event, it concluded on a successful note. The three panelists were presented with the token of gratitude by the teachers of the Commerce Department of the college.
Here’s what Hansraj College students had to say when asked about the worst fashion trend they’ve come across and one piece of attire that every college going student should possess.
“My top is from Forever21 and I bought my shorts from Hollister. My bag is also from Forever21 and footwear is from Abarcrombi. To me, fashion is putting on something and anything that makes you feel confident and comfortable. It looks bad to me when people wear stripes all over their body, i.e. when they wear striped top and bottoms. Also, I think a cool T-shirt and a pair of shorts is something that every student must possess.” Priyanka Kandola B. Sc Hons (Chemistry), III year
Is fashion your biggest foe? Does it intimidate you? Do you feel like a dodo when it comes to making sensible fashion choices? Do you wish to be a fashionista but aren’t sure how and where to start?
Well, our dear fashion-stricken reader, we’ve got a one-stop solution to all your fashion queries! DUB introduces to you the latest fashion app, Wooplr. This app will help enhance your fashion knowledge: it will guide you through the latest fads and trends, help you customize a style for yourself, suggest shopping options and Voila! Turn you into a stunning diva! So check out the app and be prepared to rock the college scene with your new-found fashion acumen!
Last week, Hans Raj College, University of Delhi appointed Dr. Rama as the new Acting Principal after the successful tenure of Dr. V.K. Khwatra, the outgoing Principal. It’s the first time in the 67-year history of Hans Raj College that the command of the institution has been handed over to a female.
Dr. Rama had taken over as an Assistant Professor for Hindi at the college in August 1991. She is also the first ever-appointed Principal from the Hindi Department at the college. Dr. Rama is an alumnus of Delhi University with her degree in M.A. and M. Phil. (TV Media) from the University. She also has completed her Ph.D. in Journalism and Magazine Media from here. Dr. Rama also has a Post M.A. Diploma in Translations and Linguistics. Her diploma in Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) is widely recognised. She also holds a degree from Kota Open University in BJMC. Apart from various academic achievements to her credit, Dr. Rama has also written nine books out of which five pertained to the studies of mass communication and others were taken up for literature and related subjects. . Her book, ‘Women and Print Media’ received an award by India Map magazine and it also got accolades from all its readers. She was also conferred with various ‘Best Teacher’ awards during her teaching career.
Dr. Rama told DU Beat that she will work in cohesion with the faculty and students and cooperate well to take the college to new heights. The students have already begun to feel the change under her tenure with the tightening of rules.
Image Credits- Principal’s Office, Hans Raj College
Enactus has been a pioneer in changing the lives of students and communities all around the world. But what makes it so special?
Last month, Enactus conducted its national competition which saw a participation from 60+ college teams from across the country. While all of the teams had projects which made a difference for a different community, teams from Hans Raj College, Ramjas College, and IIT-Delhi stole the show.
Here is a list of projects that were run by the winning teams, each including their impact and sustainability figures:
Enactus Hansraj had two major projects- Project Boond and Project Mithaas
Project Boond
Venture – Providing unprivileged masses an access to clean drinking water through production of low cost water purifiers that run without electricity.
Producers – Intellectually challenged individuals from NGO Samvedna.
People directly impacted – 6
People indirectly impacted – 440
Project Mithaas
Venture – The project aims at encouraging the farmers to take up the highly profitable business of beekeeping.
Producers – Farmers
Direct Impact – 6 farmers
Indirect Impact – 95 farmers
Enactus Ramjas portrayed 3 major projects and came first runners up –
Project Transcreations
Venture – Aims at financial, educational and societal inclusiveness benefits of members of the Transgender community by teaching arts of jewellery making, soft skills and many more
Producers – Transgenders
People directly impacted – 22 People indirectly impacted – 2580
Project Aradhaga
Venture – Project Aradhaga aims at the social and financial upliftment of the unemployed women of the slums of Jahangirpuri and JJ Basti areas of Delhi by teaching them accessory making.
Producers – Unemployed Women
People directly impacted – 15 People indirectly impacted – 1550
They have another project named Project Amlaan which has just started.
Enactus IIT Delhi, the winners of the competition presented 2 projects –
Project Exelsior India
Venture – Teaching kabadiwaalas the art of managing money, eliminating middlemen, providing them with microfinance opportunities and finally making recycled notebooks with the material picked up by kabadiwaalas. Under the project, they also created cardboard tables with solar lamps for students.
Producers – Kabadiwaalas People directly impacted – 31,514 People indirectly impacted – 1,57,570
Project Aanch
Venture – Creating a stove which was eco friendly and trained women to produce them. It provides women highly cost-effective alternatives for cooking and reduces pollution.
Producers – Rural women People directly impacted – 2312
