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Harmony 2013: Day 3

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To Stephanians, the company of one another is absolute bliss that alleviates any spurt of boredom. As stereotyped as it may be reckoned, St. Stephen’s is a world of its own for the college dwellers who rejoiced in harmony in the entirety of the fest. Frequent showers of rain interrupted Day 3 of Harmony. However, this didn’t let down the spirits of the Stephanians and they kicked off with the day’s event with avidity. First event of the day was Scavenger’s Hunt, which saw huge participation. About 49 teams got registered for this fun trail. They were given a list of 48 items to be collected in 1 hour in which they could collect only 5 pictures in total for any item. Shreya, Siddharth, Anusha and Diksha battled out and managed to win this competition. Up next was FLAME {Fashion, Literature, Art, Music, Entertainment}, the Quiz that received a handsome response from quiz lovers and drilled them with some mindboggling questions. The students showcased their creativity with colors and brushes in a Texture Art competition. The topic given to them was “abstract” and students in large number painted their masterpieces. Sherlock Holmes drew huge crowds where a team of two {one impersonating Sherlock Holmes and the other as Watson} set to solve the murder mystery. All the teams were provided with a case study, which they were asked to solve in given time. Five selected teams who reached the finals were then allowed to interview suspects and witness the crime scene. “It was really very interesting, something different” shared of the participants. This was followed by Theatrics in the college hall. The aura of the college was very musical where songs were being dedicated by students to their fellow mates. Paintball and graffiti were also a welcome addition at the fest. Theatrics was conquered by Yang and Subodh, claiming the first and second position respectively. Giving way to sarcasm and exaggeration alike, Mocktaves gave vent to the mimicry talents of the students. Participants gathered to mock and imitate the extremely popular professors of the college who in satirical view had everybody rolling with laughter. Rahul emerged as the clear winner who with his extremely entertaining act had everybody in splits. Footloose was another event which commenced with a number of participants paired to rock to the tunes. Elimination after each thump rendered the top ten participants exulting in the glory and ultimately trying to oust each other. This by far was the most amusing event where everyone let their hair down.  The day concluded giving way to a rocking performance by the band Parikrama, preparations for which were in full swing.  

Sakshi Gupta ([email protected])
Poornima Kharbanda ([email protected])
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Campus Central

Harmony 2013: Day 2

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The second day of the three day long fest did not have many competitions lined up. There was the intra college Frisbee competition that hardly brought any crowd except the participating teams themselves. The food tasting competition, Khai Khai, saw large participation. The first round was a blind tasting, quite literally, as you were given- mostly Bengali- sweets to taste and recognize while being blind folded. If you could guess the exact sweet, not only did you earn respect but also full points. A fraction of the total score was awarded if one was able to guess the ingredients or generic name for the food item. Apart from these, there was the dodge ball competition which also exclusively saw Stephanian participation. Create it Quick was the competition that pushed participants to create as many origami Ninja Stars (Shurikens), clay bird figures, etc as possible in the given time. The street play competition, Anhad, began with much energy and vigour. Thirteen colleges took part and won the crowd over with their performances that communicated their message while tickling the audience’s funny bone. As per tradition, the plays had music, songs and interaction with the audience that made the spectators feel like a part of the play. The winners

  1. Hindu College-
  2. Shaheed Bhagat Singh (Eve) College
  3. Miranda House
The winning teams were given prizes worth Rs.2500, Rs.2000 and Rs.1500, respectively. Many people were attracted to the event and it was a big success. It was thought to be the most entertaining event of the day, as compared to the other competitions on day 2 at Harmony, 2013.   Shreya Mudgil([email protected]) Anugrah Gopinath([email protected])]]>

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Campus Central

Harmony 2013: Day 1

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The annual fest of St. Stephen’s College – Harmony 2013 began with a blast. It was wonderfully exhilarating with a variety of songs, dances, and videos. The inaugural ceremony began with the Indian Choreography Society showcasing beautiful, well coordinated, and traditional Indian dances. Following this was the Western Choreography Society; with a medley of contemporary Bollywood songs, they got the crowd in the mood to have fun. ‘Through The Looking Glass’ is the most awaited part of every fest at St. Stephen’s College. It consists of a video filled with pictures, which capture those deadly, can’t-be-missed crazy moments, accompanied by funny comments and gossip. It was shorter than usual – and dedicated to the graduating batch of 2013. However, it still brought smiles to the faces of many. The rest of the day was filled with events like Tug of War, Face Painting and a Science Quiz. There was lot of activity, and something to do for everyone present. The day ended with a Battle of the Bands event. It was a well organised first day – filled with excitement and laughter. It lived up to the tagline of the fest: colours of life – which were plentiful and present in every corner of the college.   Adita Bhatia [email protected]]]>

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Campus Central

Romantically Inclined: The 2nd Annual Conference-Festival at St. Stephen’s

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Spurred on by the success of the first edition, the Annual St. Stephen’s Conference-Festival was back between 15th and 17th February, 2013. With a start-studded array of speakers and panelists, the event was an immense success in this installment too. Here’s the list of panels, their Chairs and speakers and the research papers that they presented. Day 1, 15th February, 2013 Keynote Address by Prof. Michael McKeon, Rutgers University  “The Origins of the English Novel in the Parody of Family Romance” Panel 1- Monsters, Marquez, Modernism, and Love Chair: Michael McKeon Rapture: Carol Ann Duffy at the (he)art of rupturing the sonnet SohiniBasak / B. A. Honours English IIIrd Year / St. Stephen’s College Modernism and Romance/Anti-Romance: Time, Travel and Love in Virginia Woolf’s novels Deeptangshu Das / M.Phil 1st semester/ Dept. of English, University of Delhi Stranger in a Strange Land: The Case of the Monster-Lover AratrikaChoudhury /Jadavpur University /Department of English Agape and Eros in Gabriel GarcíaMárquez’s Romance: The Short Circuit PavelTomar / M. Phil/ Jawaharlal Nehru University Panel 2- Harry, Holmes and the Homoerotically Inclined Chair: Akhil Katyal Coming out of the Shoebox: The Remus/Sirius ship in Harry Potter fan fiction Achala Upendran Questioning Romance: The Modalities of Same-sex Desire in Early Modern Urdu Poetry Rafiul Alom Rahman/ BA (Hons.) English, 4th Semester/ Zakir Husain College (Evening) (Homo-) Erotically Inclined: Reconfigurations of the Holmes-Watson Relationship in Popular Culture Sameer Chopra / M.Phil. English / Delhi University Panel 3- KitneAadmi the?Makhmalbaf, Kiarostami, SRK and Campus Romance Chair: Karen Gabriel The Romance of the Campus: Genre, Affect and Political Subjectivity in Malayalam “Campus Films” Aparna Nandakumar / PhD Scholar, Dept. of Cultural Studies, English and Foreign Languages University / Hyderabad. A Moment of Innocence: Romance in the Realist Cinema of Makhmalbaf and Kiarostami Soumashree Sarkar/ Jadavpur University, / Department of English,/ Masters, First Year. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi? SRK and the cult of Romance Anubhav Pradhan/ M.Phil English / Jamia Milia Islamia Day 2, 16th February Keynote Address by Prof. Richard E. Miller, Rutgers University “Romance of the Apocalypse” Panel 4- Trash, Tragic, Tardis and Trans Romance Chair: Richard E. Miller “We Are All Stories in the End”: The Romance of Space and Time Travel in a Blue Box Urna Mukherjee, III B.A. (Hons) English, St. Stephen’s College Do Trash-Collectors Dream of (dis)Interested EVEs?: Wall-E, Robot Love, and the Dialectics of Redemption Arnab Chakraborty & Sujaan Mukherjee/ PG II/ Department of English/ Jadavpur University “The Love that dare not speak its name”: Forbidden Love and Tragic Romances in Fantasy Fiction Parvathy Rajendra/ Dept. of English/ University of Hyderabad Transhuman Romance Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay/ Kultrans, University of Oslo Panel 5- Devoted to Tradition: Riti, Devodaxi and TV Chair: Soofia Siddiqui ‘But I must keep my tryst’: Nayika in the medieval Riti poetry Ruchika Sharma / Asst. Prof. Dept. of History / Kamla Nehru College The Unheard Euphony of the Devodaxi Romance: A study of the Devodaxi Tradition of Assam Prerana Choudhury /School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Rini Barman /English Department, Jamia Milia Islamia Romancing the Disabled Body: Re-Thinking Corporeality in the Televised Articulation of Desire and Pleasure in India Vinita Singh/ M.Phil, Department of English, Delhi University Panel 6- Staging Romance Chair: Bhaskar Ghose Readings from “Salt”, a collection of short stories. Racquel Goodison / City University of New York: Borough of Manhattan Community College Puppet Mediates the Popular: Bollywood Bandwagon Manpreet Kaur / Asst. Prof. Dept of English / St. Stephen’s College The Crafting of Love (and why we shouldn’t do it) Paper: Somak Mukherjee (PGII) and Trisha Ray (PGI) / Jadavpur University Department of English. The performers are: Somak Mukherjee (PGII), Jayeeta Saha (UGII), Soumashree Sarkar (PGI), Aratrika Choudhury (UGIII) Mediated Perversion of Romance in Othello: Iago morphed on stage and cinema Nigitha John, Ann Susan Aleyas, Rishi Sood, Anisha Angellina Victor, Sameer Gardener, Anna Thomas, Twinkle Lal, Rizowana Hussaini , Aunnesha Sen, St. Stephen’s College “O re piya: The Woman and Romance” Ann Daisy Kavitha, Kavita Joseph, Laetitia Warjari, Priyanka Das Saharia, Urna Mukherjee St. Stephen’s College Day 3, Feb 17th Keynote address by Radhika Alkazi “Romancing the Stage: An Interactive Session” Panel 7- Love Notes: Mozart, Hindi Film Music, The Bandish and Thumri Chair: Giti Chandra Isharon Isharon Mein: Romance of Allusion in the Hindi Film Song Babli Moitra-Saraf / Indraprastha College Hori with Banwari: The Bandish, the Thumri and the Anxiety of No Influence Sonali Barua Mozart: Romantic and Anti-Romantic Sunit Tandon Panel 8- Politics and Romantics Chair: Tapan Basu Unmensch or Ubermensch?: A Commoner’s romance of Napoleon Supurna Dasgupta/ M. A. Eng. / Delhi University Valentine’s Day in India: Political Potentials of Romance? Kanika Sharma and Sakshi Dogra/ M.phil (English Literature) / Jamia Millia Islamia A Re-reading of African American Slave Narratives as a Discourse of the Romantic Ideal Shimi M Doley/ Asst. Professor/ Dept. of English/ Jamia Millia Islamia]]>

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Events

Bhaasha 2012 at St. Stephen’s

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India, with its cultural and linguistic diversity, has among the richest traditions of theatre in the world. Nearly every language, every region, has its own form of theatre. In an attempt to bring all these onto a common platform and learn from the various traditions in theatre characteristic to different Indian languages, the Shakespeare Sabha of St. Stephen’s College initiated Bhaasha, a Multilingual One-Act play competition in 2011.

In addition to this attempt, Bhaasha was also initiated to reflect the idea that that language, while being an important tool of theatre, is not the be-all and end-all. Bhaasha is the manifestation of our belief that theatre transcends language.

The idea of a multilingual theatre competition is pretty new to Delhi University and was conceived only last year. In its first year ‘Bhaasha’ was a bit of an experiment and entries were restricted to within Delhi University. We received wide and enthusiastic participation and the audience was treated to a feast of theatre over two days. The Shakespeare Sabha entered two non-competitive entries. The first was a short mime and the second, was ‘Ibn Batuta’, far more elaborate and wider in its scope. The production embodied the spirit and the underlying idea of ‘Bhaasha’. ‘Ibn Batuta’ featured seven regional languages. Actors recited poetry in Punjabi, Malayalam, Rajasthani, Manipuri, Tamil, Bangla and Urdu evoking themes and emotions varying from pathos to revolution. The concept and execution of the play was widely acclaimed. Of the competitive entries, it was Shunya, the dramsoc of Ramjas College that carried the honours with its brilliant play, “Bang! Bang! You’re Dead!” The honour of best director went to Aarushie Sharma and Heena Aggarwal of Ibtida (Hindu College) for their play “Us Paar”.

Having tasted success with our experiment, we have looked to expand the scope of Bhaasha. In only its second Bhaasha has gone national and much to our relief, multilingual. The entries this year are diverse in character and presentation.

This year, we open with ‘ABOHOMAN’, a play by St. Stephen’s based on an episode from the Mahabharata followed by ‘WHAT THE HELL’ – a comedy of emotions by Ibtida (Hindu College) inspired by Jean Paul Sartre’s ‘No exit’. Next up is ‘KUTTE’, Vayam’s (Shivaji College) adaptation of Vijay Tendulkar’s comment on the modern workplace. We wrap up the first day with Ankur’s (SGTB Khalsa College) take on Manto’s ‘THANDA GOSHT’.

First on 6th November is ‘LAAL PENCIL’, Astitva’s (Dyal Singh College) play on the association of a girl with her red pencil. Jadavpur University, Kolkata present their play ‘HARADHAN PRAMANIKER PROSTHAN’ – a growing up tale that connects six drastically different lifetimes together.  Following this, is ‘NOISES OFF’, a play by SRCC about the multi-fold, quieter behind the scenes narratives that play out their stories even before the real tale can begin. Last year’s winner, Shunya (Ramjas College) then presents ‘SAINTS AND SINNERS’, four stories, of four unscrupulous men. The concluding performance is that of the Hansraj Dramatics Society. Replete with songs, the play revolves around the passionate misery of Topan Lal Keshwani.

A brilliant experience and a celebration of Indian theatre, Bhaasha has been a treat for the audiences, performers, judges and organisers. We expect Bhaasha 2012 to be twice as good, twice as entertaining. And we hope that in the years to come Bhaasha will grow further and its underlying idea will come to fulfillment.

 

Visit their Facebook page for more details, http://www.facebook.com/Bhaasha.SSC.

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Campus Central

Alumnus of Stephen’s Flashes Middle Finger, gets a Display on Website

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In what comes across as an extremely astonishing episode, the website of St. Stephen’s College has on display some rather unusual content. Apparently, a link on the website titled ‘Sacrilege on St Stephen’s College’ has a footage which captures an alumnus of the College flashing the middle finger towards the CCTV camera.

Reportedly, on October 13, Saturday, a group of six alumni, led by Amitabh Pande and Ashish Munna Joshi, came to the College to donate money to the owners of the Rohtas dhaba, recently barred from selling rolls. While strolling on the premises, Pande, in full view of the students, flashed the middle finger towards the CCTV camera installed in the corridor of the Dining Hall.

While Pande, an IAS officer, claimed that the gesture was a sign of protest against the existing culture of terror and that he was shocked to note the presence of CCTV camera outside the Dining Hall, the College Principal Dr. Valson Thampu perceives it as an insult directed towards the institution.

In fact, a note by him accompanying the footage said, “It is a spectacle too disgusting for the eyes of anyone who feels for the College. Even so, after mature reflection, I have decided to post it on the College website, so that all of us can reckon the execrable extent to which some have sunk in their inveterate hatred to the College.”

While talking to DU Beat, Tarinee Awasthi, student of the College, said, “ I think that while the form may have been a tad immature, the issues the alumni were protesting against are somewhat justified. I fail to comprehend the need for CCTV cameras in the College. In fact, it translates into a prison-like surveillance and insistence on unthinking discipline.”

She further added, “By following this sort of practice, it is being assumed that all students are delinquents and must be monitored. Honestly, it is a little offending to be treated as such.”

Another student, who didn’t wish to be named, said, “Even though the causes of protest were valid, they shouldn’t have stooped down to such a level. By doing something like this, you are indirectly posing a question on the values you have imbued from the institution. There are more learned ways to voice one’s opinion. A quintessential Stephanian will never sink to this level. It’s utter shame and nothing else.”


Here’s the link to the video: http://www.ststephens.edu/SACRILEGE.htm

 

Vatsal Verma
[email protected]

Image credits: Additi Seth 

 

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Campus Central

Alumnus of Stephen's Flashes Middle Finger, gets a Display on Website

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In what comes across as an extremely astonishing episode, the website of St. Stephen’s College has on display some rather unusual content. Apparently, a link on the website titled ‘Sacrilege on St Stephen’s College’ has a footage which captures an alumnus of the College flashing the middle finger towards the CCTV camera. Reportedly, on October 13, Saturday, a group of six alumni, led by Amitabh Pande and Ashish Munna Joshi, came to the College to donate money to the owners of the Rohtas dhaba, recently barred from selling rolls. While strolling on the premises, Pande, in full view of the students, flashed the middle finger towards the CCTV camera installed in the corridor of the Dining Hall. While Pande, an IAS officer, claimed that the gesture was a sign of protest against the existing culture of terror and that he was shocked to note the presence of CCTV camera outside the Dining Hall, the College Principal Dr. Valson Thampu perceives it as an insult directed towards the institution. In fact, a note by him accompanying the footage said, “It is a spectacle too disgusting for the eyes of anyone who feels for the College. Even so, after mature reflection, I have decided to post it on the College website, so that all of us can reckon the execrable extent to which some have sunk in their inveterate hatred to the College.” While talking to DU Beat, Tarinee Awasthi, student of the College, said, “ I think that while the form may have been a tad immature, the issues the alumni were protesting against are somewhat justified. I fail to comprehend the need for CCTV cameras in the College. In fact, it translates into a prison-like surveillance and insistence on unthinking discipline.” She further added, “By following this sort of practice, it is being assumed that all students are delinquents and must be monitored. Honestly, it is a little offending to be treated as such.” Another student, who didn’t wish to be named, said, “Even though the causes of protest were valid, they shouldn’t have stooped down to such a level. By doing something like this, you are indirectly posing a question on the values you have imbued from the institution. There are more learned ways to voice one’s opinion. A quintessential Stephanian will never sink to this level. It’s utter shame and nothing else.” Here’s the link to the video: http://www.ststephens.edu/SACRILEGE.htm   Vatsal Verma [email protected] Image credits: Additi Seth   ]]>

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Juxtapose

St. Stephen’s v/s LSR: War Of The Cafés

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Graphic credits- Siddhant Sharma

Stephen’s steamed chicken momos or LSR’s kathi rolls?
Not only is Stephens known for its “egg” recipes- the delicious omelettes served with a knife and a fork,and the cheese scrambled egg, it’s Minced chicken maggi and dosas are also famous.
LSR on the other hand has to it’s credit a vast menu which ranges from keema dosas to butter chicken and from pizzas and hot dogs to seek kebab rumali rolls. While both these canteens assert themselves as “cafes” , it is still tough to say which is better.

Leave your comments to give us a winner.

Post your argument below.

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Spo(r)tlight

The Hiking Club at St. Stephen’s College

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Formed in 1949, this is the second oldest hiking club of India, the oldest being The Himalayan Club of Bombay. The hiking club of St. Stephens consists of 15 adventure sports junkies who take time out from their studies to celebrate the spirit of adventure. “College is the best time of your life. It is about making memories and having some fun”, says Suraj, Secretary of the Club.

The members meet every day and practice climbing at the Eshwaran Bharatan Memorial wall, an artificial rock climbing wall situated outside the college gymnasium. The annual St Stephen’s open short climbing competition also takes place here. The wall has been named after Eshwaran Bharata, president of the club in 1979-80, who was killed in an expedition in Lahaul.

“So what all activities do you do?” I ask Mohamin, President of the Club. “We’ve ventured into mountaineering, trekking, cycling, sport climbing and rafting. People think all this is a just-for-fun thing. But it’s serious business.”

The group has two divisions, one is the climbing team and the other is the organizing team. The latter concerns it with organizing treks and arranging for sponsorships. While membership of the group is strictly restricted to students of the college, everyone (that includes foreign exchange students, students from other colleges) is welcome to join the group in their treks. “The more, the merrier”, says Suraj, with a smile.

The club went to Kedarnath last year and also paid a trek visit to Ladakh. While most students prefer to cuddle in the comfort of their bedrooms during weekends, these guys choose to pedal away their weekends on cycle treks or sometimes go rock climbing in nearby locations like Damdama, Dhauj and Lado Sarai. They also organize talks with eminent personalities so as to learn the finer nuances of trekking.

However, a lot goes behind planning the treks. “We have a lot of work throughout the year. Before choosing a location, we have to see what season in favorable. We organize a long trek in the summer break and shorter treks in October, March and September, depending upon holidays. Then come sponsorships. A 10 day trek will have a budget of around 1 Lakh. So there is a lot to look into.” says Lucky, captain of the club.

Recently, the Equal Opportunity Cell of St. Stephen’s organized a trek for the visually challenged students, which was a great exposure to those students.

On being asked how the whole experience of being has a member of this club has been, they say, “The places where we go trekking are so serene and beautiful, and when you come back to the hustle bustle of the city it makes you appreciate the magical feeling of treks.”

 

 

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Campus Central

Sigh of Relief for Unmukt

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Latest cricket sensation Unmukt Chand, captain of the Under-19 Indian cricket team, might have garnered heaps of appreciation for his striking innings in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, but barely had he the slightest of idea that it would also trigger off a countrywide debate.

Apart from being an incredible cricket player, Chand is also a student of B.A. (Programme) in St. Stephen’s College. However, his association with the college has been rather hostile. Earlier this year, following the denial by the college authorities to issue him the admit card for final exams on the grounds of inadequate attendance, he decided to approach the High Court and filed a petition in May stating that since he had got admission under the sports category, a certain relaxation in attendance criteria should be given. Although, with the involvement of the court Unmukt was able to seek permission to appear for exams; he didn’t approach the court on time and consequently could appear in only two exams out of four thus failing to clear the same.

However, in what appeared to be a favourable turn of events for this talented youngster well-known sports personalities decided to pour in support and speak in the matter. From the former national-level cricket player Kirti Azad, also a Stephanian, to current captain of the Indian national cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni, lot of people raised questions about the harsh treatment meted out to Unmukt. The Principal on his part was caught in a no win situation as he would receive flak both for abiding by the rules and subverting them.

Apparently, Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal and sports minister Ajay Maken also stepped in and spoke to the Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh who assured them to resolve the matter on priority basis. While responding to the letter written by Maken in this regard, VC said that they have asked the St Stephen’s College Principal to forward them all the necessary papers so that they could help Chand, who led India to U-19 World Cup win.

In his letter to the VC, Maken wrote, “You would agree that fostering and development of a vibrant sports culture in the country which would ultimately lead to our better performances at the international arena is hurt precisely because of such systemic bottlenecks that only discourage young people from taking up sports but also stifles their career mid-way.”

Finally, after much hullaballoo, with the intervention of the Vice Chancellor, Unmukt Chand has been promoted to second year at his college but he will have to simultaneously clear his first year exams as well.

Moreover, Dinesh Singh also indicated that under the proposed structure — that is expected to be placed before the Academic Council in a couple of months — participation in sports activities will be accorded credit towards regular Daily Programmes and the students will have the choice of replacing some of the academic courses with a structured recognition of participation towards his/her degree.

 

Vatsal Verma
[email protected] 

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