the elucidator online - august 2014 - main edition
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A Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (Under Graduate) initiative.TRANSCRIPT
onlineThe Elucidator
An SIMC(UG) InItIAtIve | AUGUSt 2014
SIMPLIFY, LEARN, EMPOWER
FOREIGN LANGUAGECLASSES TO RESUME p2
Bringing the world closer through food: SIUDIVYA MATHIAS
Pune: The International Food Festival was held on the 29th August by Symbi-osis International Univer-sity (SIU) in the basement of Symbiosis Viman Nagar campus. It was inaugrated by Ms. Vidya Yeravdkar, Principal Director, SIU. Nearly 30 countries partic-ipated in the festival. Saudi Arabia, Syria and Germany were a new addition to this culturally rich event.
The participants were dressed and had decorated their stalls traditionally which added to the fes-tive mood of the night.
The essence of each and every country was felt in the variety of food that was served from the spices of Afghanistan to the Crepes
of France.Col. (Retd) C.V.Mohan,
Campus Administrator said “It is a delightful ex-perience. I like the culture,
TAPETICKER
Delayed rains in Pune lead to water shortage.The water that the students get in their hostels is paid for. It is high time that they un-derstood its worth. P2
Ukraine on the In-ternational radar, by chance or design?With the continued war waged by the rebels in Ukraine that has now affected global trade, it is evident that Russia still has a huge stake in Ukraine. P4
Air Asia’s entry into domestic Indian Aviation Industry.Air Asia’s Indian launch is a strategic move as fares are a critical factor in the service indus-try and in the Indian aviation business, the cheaper the better. P5
India ranks 5 in CWG 2014, bags 64 medals.Shuttler Parupalli Kashyap breaks 32-year jinx, claims men’s sin-gles badminton gold. P10
ethnic dresses; cuisines. It is out of the world.” Stu-dents got to see the free spirited Ugandans interact with the crowd through
their dancing and singing. Palestine had a sweet dish named Kasta and Mansaf which they sold for free in support in Gaza. They also had customers write down messages and prayers for Gaza which they stuck on their stall.
Other foreign students like Romay from Holland said that he really like the idea and found it planned out very good.” The event was judged by Mrs.Sarika Kamle and Mr Sunil Joshi who said that there was a lot enthusiasm among the students, they got to show their cuisine and dress up in their traditional outfits.
SAnGHAMITrA BAnerjee [email protected]
Pune Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication (UG) won the first prize at Pune Inter-college Debate Competition 2014. It was organised by Vaikunth Me-hta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM) in associa-tion with Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) and Young Communicators Club (YCC), leaving behind Army Institute of Technol-
Ms. Vidya Yeravdekar, Principal Director, SIU, inaugurating the Food Festival.
ogy (AIT) second and Sym-biosis Centre for Manage-ment Studies (SCMS) third.
Sixteen teams from Pune’s UG and PG colleg-es competed in the event inaugurated by the Chief Guest Ajal Kumar Agarwal, National President, PRCI; Major (Retd.) Rakesh Gu-lati- National Secretary General, PRCI; Prakash Jain from PRCI Hyderabad Chapter; Sanjeeb Patjoshi, IPS IG, Director – VAMNI-COM and Avinash Gawai, Chairmain, PRCI, Pune.
Ajal Agarwal enlight-ened the youth by telling them that ‘Communica-tion is the key to success’. He advised the competing students to master com-munication skill which will help them in all walks of life. Major (Retd) Gulati interacted with youth by explaining Aristotle’s three symbols of communica-tion- Ethos, Pathos and Logos mixed with many in-teresting elements for suc-cess, which illuminated the audience.
SIMC (UG) bags first prize in PIC debate
The Victors of Vaividhya ’14 : Batch 2015MAnek koHlI
Pune: The Batch of 2015 of the Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communica-tion - Under Graduate (SIMC - UG) won the sev-enth edition of Vaividhya, the institute’s cultural fes-tival held at Symbiosis Vi-man Nagar Auditorium on 26th July, 2014.
The spirit of the festi-val had once again been displayed, but this time
with a different seasoning. Within Vaividhya’s frame-work, a dimension of com-petition had been newly
introduced. The entire col-lege witnessed an explo-sion of hard-work, talent and cultural diversity; em-
bellishing the stage with a mélange of activity.
The performances com-menced with solo music and dance performances, including Western Duet Singing, followed by West-ern Solo Singing, Solo Dance and Bollywood Duet Singing. These were followed with group dance performances, including Folk, Bollywood and Con-temporary/Classical.
Ms. Nrupa Soman, Mr. Subroto Roy and Mr. Su-
has Ghatne graced their presence as judges for every category. After the electrifying performances, the award distribution was held. Professor Anupam Siddhartha, the esteemed director of SIMC-UG handed prizes to the win-ners. Overall, after win-ning in 5 categories, the batch of 2015 managed to clinch the first position.
Mr. Suhas Ghatne, cul-
tural coordinator and fac-ulty at SIMC-UG specified, “Vaividhya earlier was a platform for showcasing talent and social interac-tion. It is now a competi-tion, keeping Malhar, the competitive cultural festi-val of St. Xavier’s College in mind”. “The good thing about the new change is the fair judgment for inter college competitions”, he concludes.
Sarjana Singh won the award for Best Singer (Bollywood - Solo).
MURRAy RETURNS TOACTION p10
IS PEACE A DESIRABLEOUTCOME OF WAR? p4
‘Goooodbye everyone’Popeye and Jumanji star Robin Williams passes away.
21 July, 1951 - 11 August, 2014
SIMC-UG’s Theatre
Society runs successfully
reUBen [email protected]
Pune: The Theatre Socie-ty (Theatre Club) of Sym-biosis Institute of Me-dia and Communication - Undergraduate (SIMC - UG) has been running successfully every day for the past three weeks.
2Campus
AnjAlI [email protected]
Pune: The Foreign Lan-guages course conducted by Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communi-cation – Under Gradu-ate (SIMC - UG) will take place twice a week; every Monday and Friday from 5.00 PM to 7.00 PM.
The idea of a foreign language class didn’t go very well last year and they were called off midway be-cause of an unexpected low turnout of students. “Ac-cording to the enrolments received, about 40 stu-dents per language (Span-ish, French and German) showed their interest. But the final turnout was only 7 percent.” said Anu-pam Siddhartha, Direc-
tor, SIMC-UG. On being asked about the teachers’ response at the dispiriting low turnout and how op-timistic they are this year, he informed, “Teachers were extremely dejected and disappointed. They, in fact, informed me about the extremely low attend-ance. But they are definite-
ly looking forward to the new batch.”
Also due to less stu-dents opting for German language this year, the classes for the same have been cancelled. The stu-dents can only choose from two languages - French and Spanish; Span-ish available only to senior students. Batch 2017 can thus, only opt for French, if they sincerely intend to.
On the importance of pursuing this course and working hard to manage it with an already taxing routine, Siddhartha said, “A foreign language always opens up the doors for global opportunities. If a student manages well, he/she can learn three foreign languages by the time they graduate out of the college.
Hopeful days for foreign language courses and screenings
Prof. Anupam Siddhartha.
AnjAlI [email protected]
Pune: Additional ses-sions of screenings are expected to start after the 7th August, 2014. They will be held twice a week; on Tuesday and Thursday after college hours.
On how important these sessions of screen-ings will be, Anupam Sid-dhartha, Director, SIMC-UG said that for students who have a knack in film-making or an interest in film-viewing, the screen-ings will not disappoint them. When he was in film school, he was shown two films every day. Here, they (his class) would screen one film in two days. Also, the turnouts for these screenings were almost two per cent last year. The
Director hopes to see more sincere students using the facility this time.
“The genre of the mov-ies for this year will be comedy and suspense. Some of the key movies that students can expect are Tootsie (Director: Syd-ney Pollack), It happened one night (Director: Frank Capra), Annie Hall (Di-rector: Woody Allen) and Rear window (Director: Alfred Hitchcock).” said Siddhartha. On asking how a student is expected to utilise this facility and what exactly they should focus on while watching the movie, Siddhartha re-plied, “Look at what the movie is saying to you but learn how it is doing that. It is important for you to understand the message, and to observe the ‘how’.”
‘Screening Bonanza’
“Looking forward to learn from the hub of finance”, says Gupta
SAnjAnA [email protected]
Pune: Antariksha Gupta, a Third year SCMS student studying accountancy and finance, has had the privi-lege to be one among the two selected from Symbio-sis International University to attend one whole semes-ter at the Nanyang Techno-logical University (NTU), Singapore this July.Antariksha says he is proud about being selected for
NTU as the competition was tough. “Only five applicants were allowed from which two would be selected”, said Antariksha. In order to ap-
ply for the exchange pro-gramme, he had to write a 200 word essay on why he was suitable for the pro-gramme. He was screened for having good leadership skills and an inclination for social work. He said that this exchange programme would be a great experience as he will learn from the hub of finance, Singapore. Aman Deshmukh (batch 2015) from SIMC-UG had availed a similar privilege last year.
VAGISHA [email protected]
Pune: The fresher stu-dents of the Symbiosis Institute of Media & Com-munication - Under Grad-uate (SIMC - UG) who have come from different areas of the country and the world have fallen ill to common cold. Some fear of an impending Ebola epidemic around.
Dr. Rahul Naik, a lo-cal physician says that the number of cases coming to him is normal in com-parison with the number of cases that come during a weather change. There
Antriksha Gupta.
is very little difference between the climates of Pune and other cities and it may take some time for the non-localities to get used to the temperature of Pune.
“For those who have cold and are getting fever or body aches, one must keep in mind that there is nothing to worry about and also that you can al-ways visit the infirmary in the college or the hostel”.
“Prevention is better than cure, so if you feel like you might be getting the cold, visit the infir-mary and take preventive measures” Dr. Naik said.
College catches cold
SAnjAnA [email protected]
Pune: Hijra, in its 16th performance, was staged at the Symbiosis Viman Nagar Campus auditorium for the students on 6th Au-gust, 2014.
The two act play re-volves around the lives of the ‘hijras’ (transgenders) and throws light on how their life leads them to their ultimate future and deciding to get castrated.
The two-act play in-
cludes characters such as Farida, Shabbo, Pinky, Roza, Kareena, and Chan-da. It speaks on the lives of the transgender commu-nity and their struggle with the society. It also talks about how transgenders hide their true feelings be-hind their loud personali-ties. Concept of hierarchy was also very well estab-lished in a very different manner through their lives as transgenders.
At the end of the act, students personally inter-
acted with the artists and learnt about their experi-ence of the performance and preparation. Writer, Saggherr Loadhii, who is an alumnus of the Lalit Kala Kendra, University of Pune, later told that the entire ideation of the play was from his friend who had recently undergone castration.
The play changed perspectives towards transgenders and educated us with insights from their lives.
Through the eyes of a transgender
The initiative happens to be the first of its kind in the college. Charit Jag-gi, the Theatre Club head says that the idea began with the coming together of like-minded theatre enthusiasts willing to uti-lise their time post col-lege in practice of theatre.
“The theatre society in-teracts in a personal level where we do voice modu-lation, critical thinking, analysis and body lan-guage”, said Jaggi.
The Theatre Society for the future aims to work for a Thespo pro-duction, a Malhar pro-duction and an In-house production which is yet to be named.
Charit Jaggi.
VAIBHAVI [email protected]
Pune: After days of hot, scorching sun, the rains have finally graced us with their presence. Finally, we have a reason to pull the covers tight around our shoulders at night, rather than lowering the air con-ditioner’s temperature. This delay has meant a little more than what peo-ple realise. Girl students at the Symbiosis Hostel in Rohan Mithila acknowl-edged consciousness about this matter ever since the authorities started think-ing about restricting the provision of water.
Pune’s water resources are depleting at an appre-ciable rate. The water that the students get in their hostels is paid for. It is high time that they under-stood its worth. The Pune Municipal Corporation charges around Rs. 1400 per tanker. That is not par-ticularly cheap. It would help incentivize the water
saving mindset if we think about the places in and out of the city that get water only on specified times or not at all. A lot of preser-vation activities go around the hostel. Water recycling that involves reusing water
from the showers after be-ing treated in the toilets is just one of them. Notices were put up in the hostel campus that water supply will be cut down. This in-vited uproar amongst stu-dents. “It’s not that water
Pune’s scarce water
will completely leave us; but that doesn’t mean we waste what we still have. The consciousness and civic sense comes from within.”, says Retd. Col. C. V. Mohan, the campus ad-ministrator.
There’s only so much that the staff can do. A little bit of responsibility and awareness would help everyone. You can pay for everything, but you cannot revive exhausted natural resources with money.
Pune’s water resources are depleting at an appreciable rate.
The water that the students
get in their hostels is paid for. It is high time that they under-
stood its worth.( )
August 2014
3August 2014
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reUBen [email protected]
After the Malaysian Airlines was struck down killing 298 last Thursday and with the body bags being brought in Amsterdam, the world had revisited Ukraine.
It is shooting down of a Ma-laysian Boeing 777 (international flight) that makes the world joined the Euro-Russian tussle. After the shoot down it is evident that all Asian flights going to Europe can be seen vulnerable. But is this as sim-ple as we see it? Is the geopolitical situation of Ukraine worth consid-ering?
A quick review of the past tells us that Soviet Ukraine was a European leader in industrial production, an im-portant centre of Soviet arms industry and high-tech re-search.
After the fall of USSR in 1991, Ukraine ten years ago faced major crisis with rioters chanting slogans against Viktor Yanukovych, who won the largely rigged presiden-tial elections. By 2006, the same man came to power as Prime Minister in the Alliance of National Unity.
Disputes with Russia over debts for natural gas briefly stopped all gas supplies to Ukraine in 2006 and again in 2009, leading to gas shortages in several other European countries hence causing major problems to the European Union. In 2010, Ukraine reelected Yanukovych as Presi-dent. The same man was later ousted when he began shy-ing away from an association agreement with the Euro-pean Union and instead chose to establish closer ties with Russia.
On 1 March 2014, exiled Yanukovych requested that Russia use military forces “to establish legitimacy, peace, law and order, stability and defending the people of Ukraine”. On the same day, Putin requested and received authorization from the Russian Parliament to deploy Rus-sian troops to Ukraine and took control of the Crimean Peninsula by the next day. On 6 March 2014, the Crimean Parliament voted to “enter into the Russian Federation with the rights of a subject of the Russian Federation.”
With the continued war waged by the rebels in Ukraine that has now affected global trade, it is evident that Rus-sia still has a huge stake in Ukraine, a land they never re-ally left. First Cold War happened between USA and the USSR. The second may be the European Union against Russia.
Reuben Paul.
4editorial
Ukraine on the International radar, by chance or design?
THE ELUCIDATOR SPEAkS
Dear Editor,I wish to share with you the plight of us citizens when it comes to commuting daily to work or to college. In a busy city such as Pune, thousands of employees, officers and students want to reach their respective destinations on time. It is safe to say that the city’s public transport is laughable at its best. About 700 new vehicles are regis-tered on a daily basis, adding to the existing traffic bur-den.
I travel 24 kilometres in heavy rush hour traffic every morning from Nigdi to Viman Nagar in order to attend college. The first thing noticeable to a biker is the sheer lack of oxygen and the dangerous amount of air pollu-tion. Waiting at a traffic signal, we have to hold our breath to avoid inhaling smoke. Since we endure this hardship every day, there has to be a time when we start doing something about the situation.
Rather than spending money on fuel individually, groups of people should start carpooling, thereby reduc-ing pollution emission. After all, health is of great sig-nificance and this problem threatens ours as well as the health of our next generation.Sincerely,Aditya Suryawanshi
Letter to the editorTo write to the Editor, email us at:
Dance is the expression of the jubi-lant. While many people have under-stood classical dances to be solely for holy purposes, it is actually to elevate the spirituality of one’s own soul. Today, undeterred by mere cultural distinctions, the performing arts of the Indian diversity have reached all possible corners.
It is believed that in recent times, such art forms are fondly accepted by the young-er crowd. But is this really the truth?
The merging of different dance styles across the country has led to increased ap-preciation by people of every age. However, what they observe is a mixture; a brilliant concoction of things that are different in var-ious aspects. For example, a school in Mad-hya Pradesh had a Bharatnatyam perfor-mance on a Bollywood song from the movie ‘Saathiya’. The students were thoroughly impressed by the uniqueness of the act. They deluded themselves into
Defining Indian Classical danceIs it healthy to tarnish a totally pure and beautiful art form just because new
audiences expect differently from it?
Special
With the recent invasion of the Gaza strip on the 18th of July to fight off Hamas militants, Israel has finally done the ‘inevitable’. A simple question arises; is it in-deed ‘inevitable’ to survive as a nation without war in this day and age?
This question is especially dif-ficult to answer when dealing with the Israel-Palestine conflict, as the problem between the two parties is an ideological one.
With the world’s eyes trained on the actions of Israel, pathos-fuelled condemnation comes as second-nature. The Israeli state decided to launch operations focusing on underground tunnels used by the Hamas militants, after more than 100 rockets were fired into Israel at the end of a five-hour-cease-fire. However, the sites that Israel is bombing pose no mili-tary threats – hospitals, orphanages etc. This is in turn
IS PEACE A DESIRAbLE OUTCOME Of WAR?
MAnek [email protected]
An academic year finds itself etched into history, only to make way for another. Once again, the S.B Road & Vi-man Nagar campuses find themselves populated by faces filled with excitement, fear and euphoria. Amidst all this temperament, the freshers soon begin to realize the prevalence of the‘Symbiosis Culture’.
A typical Symbiosis classroom unites a plethora of linguistic cultures and a myriad of cultural distinctions together. This phenomenon leads to the realization of a ‘global classroom of education’, where Indian & non-residential citizens and nationally and internationally relevant concepts co-exist.
However, the battle against backlogs, the dreaded ‘Term not granted’, the dress code and the warfare against attendance also defines this culture. After all, when a university is dedicated towards transforming the average college student into an innovative and creative professional, the approach must be flawless.
The University enhances the student’s understanding of various dynamics and events that shape our planet. Recently, more than 40 Indian nurses endured a week long ordeal in Iraq, which has been subject to militant activ-ities over the past few weeks. ISIS, an Islamic-extremist group captured the city of Tikrit in June, rendering these hapless nurses stranded within a hospital. Weeks before this event, 39 Indian construction workers were abducted near the Iraqi city of Mosul. The question arises: how do these events affect us? The answer lies in the very basis of our existence. We have an intrinsic responsibility towards our human kind. Our race only progresses by collective effort. Symbiosis is about a metamorphosis from a singular, to a multi-dimensional global perspective. When we observe the entire planet within the same visual field, answers become more apparent.
A typical Symbiosis classroom would immediately unite continents, a plethora of linguistic cultures and a myriad of cultural distinctions together.
The World is one village.
Student ASSiStAnt editor (editoriAl) : MAnek Singh kohli | Student dy. ASSiStAnt editor (editoriAl) : AishwAryA BAnerjee | Student FeAtureS editor : BhArAt MiSrA | Student dy. FeAtureS editor : nikhitA GowrA
August 2014
leading to a growing sentiment of intolerance with Israeli actions. Israel is accused of no longer walking the path of ‘survival’, but cleverly using it as a tool for extermination.
One the other hand, one cannot ignore the fact that these tunnels constructed by the Hamas militants to at-
tack Israel are strategically placed un-der the afore-mentioned sites. There have been reports of the Israeli army sending warnings for evacuation be-fore carrying out heavy bombardment of places nevertheless; this does not free both parties from casualties.
In a particularly malicious game of killing and counter-killing, both par-
ties have retaliated as and when they felt that the lives of their civilians have been compromised. In the light of this irrationality, one cannot help but think in this day and age when peace-talks are being encouraged interna-tionally, peace is not the desired outcome of this war.
AISHWArYA [email protected]
thinking that they appreciate Bharatanatyam, when in reality, they hadn’t seen it at all. Classical art forms have surpassed the boundaries that were made by different cultures.
It is not bad that the dance forms are exploring their possibilities. That is the only way things evolve in this planet, be it art or a talent. What isn’t very good is the fact that we are forgetting the roots of such culturally
significant expressions. The modernisation of the Indian Performing arts is adulterat-ing the originality of it. Dances have become merely a source of entertainment when they were created to elevate a person spiritu-ally and emotionally. A variety of questions arise: Is it healthy to tarnish a totally pure and beautiful art form just because new audiences expect differently from it? How would it be fair to the dancer or the musi-cian?
These are the few questions that we, as the preserves of our culture, must give a thought to, without being neither too rational nor too conservative.
VAIBHAVI [email protected]
Vaibhavi Khanwalkar.
5Op-ed
AISHWArYA [email protected]
When the Indian arm of the Malaysia based airlines, Air Asia, launched its maiden flight on 12th June 2014, ri-val low fare airlines like Spicejet immediately slashed ticket costs. As a part of its plan, Air Asia wants to cut fares by 20 to 25 per cent and add 11 aircrafts each year.
Air Asia’s Indian launch is a strategic move as fares are a critical factor in the service industry and increas-ingly, in the Indian aviation business, the cheaper the better. According to the January-to-July numbers, low-cost airlines have raised their share to 62.3 per cent of the roughly 35 million domestic passengers who trav-elled in this period.
Air Asia is known for its vigorous and competitive low cost fares and this could impact yields of other do-mestic airlines which will be subsequently forced to re-duce their prices. Now this shouldn’t be a problem, es-pecially from a consumer’s point of view. Conventional market logic says that competition is a good thing. The catch however is, like Air Asia’s Tony Fernandes said, “there are no true low-cost airlines in India.” Low cost equals a compromise on quality and a rapid fall in ser-vice standards.
Air Asia’s entry into domestic Indian Aviation Industry
Sweden, a small constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe, will un-dergo its general election this year. As the polling process is getting clos-er, the political winds in Sweden seem to blow in the same direction, as they had in India. Radical parties are gathering influence all over the world and trends are the same in both the countries.
Sweden is based on a lot of fun-damental democratic values and the constitution has four laws mak-ing up the base of the governmental structure in Sweden.
Although anyone can start a party in Sweden, you need to have 4% of the national votes to be able to enter the ‘Riksdag’ (the Swedish parliament). The “Riksdag” pres-ently is split up amongst eight par-ties, divided into three blocks. ‘The Alliance of Sweden’ currently runs the country. It is a Centre-rightist alliance aiming for lowered taxes and lesser government-owned corpora-tions and can be compared to the Indian liberal alternative, namely the Congress. The Alliance occupies 49.28% of the seats in the ‘Riksdag’ im-plying Sweden is led by a minority government. The opposition is called the ‘Red-Green coalition’ which is collaboration between two socialist parties and an environmental party. They want to increase taxes and op-
With an upcoming election this Fall, the Swedish politics combats taxation and immigration.
Sweden - a democratic but politically divided country
SAnkeT [email protected]
India is a country where politics plays a major role in any policy or social cause which comes into prominence. Moreover, it is found that there are many aspiring politicians who are ready to lend in their hand for the noble cause. While we have a large number of business schools in the nation, there is a lacuna of political schools.
Political Schools: The
need of the day
Bright students around the world find themselves fighting for places at top institutions of their countries only to trip on the finishing line as their score lacks a tenth of a percent. This in itself does not constitute a problem, but needing to score as high as near to 100 % on an exam does. The problem can also be seen in A levels, GCSE and the grading system of Sweden. In order to match the right students to the right universities, the applica-tion process needs to be able to distinguish between the good and the great. However, not everyone is cut out to go to the best schools. We must universally move towards a harsher grading system that places the student in rela-tion to her peers.
The practice of ‘relative grading’, is often in place one way or another. Due to misleading notions on how the teach-ers should grade the students and pressure from parents who think
The eminent future of grading and education
HArIPrIYA [email protected]
Presenting his maiden budget, The Finance minister, Arun Jaitley, has treaded with great caution in handling the current economic situation and has not resorted to giant leaps. He unveiled the Union Budget for the financial year 2014-15 hoping to revive growth through structural reforms and to reduce dependency on borrowings.
The government accepted the challenging task of achieving a fiscal deficit target of 4.1% for the year 2014-15 and also aims at a sustained growth of 7-8% over the next 3-4 years. A few highlights of the budget include:
LCD, LED TV’s have become cheaper while cigarettes, pan masala, tobacco and aer-ated drinks have become costlier. On the other hand, 5 new IIT’s and IIM’s are to be opened along with 4 AIIMS like institutions. The government also proposed to launch the ‘Digital India’ program to ensure broadband connectivity at the village level. While Rs. 150 crore were allocated for increasing the safety of women in large cities, Rs. 2500 crore is the estimated expense of the ‘Statue of Unity project’. Rs. 100 of this amount will be given by the Government of Gujarat. Additionally, the Plan expenditure has been pegged at Rs 5.75 lakh crore and non-plan at Rs 12.19 lakh crore. As far as FDI is concerned, limit on foreign direct investment in the defense sector has been increased from 26 percent to 49 percent.
The increase in excise duty in cigarettes, aerated drinks etc. may dip profit margins for these sellers, but will not deter sales in the long run. And as for the monument which is touted to be the world’s largest statue may have cultural significance and will definitely become a tourist attraction in the future but for the present, the money could have been put to better use.
Budget 2014-15These schools can be
conceptualized in a man-ner where students, rather than choosing the conven-tional arts, commerce, sci-ence or diploma courses; choose politics as a branch and later make it a career. The schools could train them through theoreti-cal and practical lectures. Subjects such as political science, economics and so-cial responsibilities could be taught. This concept would not only make good leaders but great politi-cians as well.
The faculty would in-clude reputed politicians, political analysts and economists, providing students good leadership skills and proper exposure. For better functioning of practical tasks, all such schools would be connect-ed online and peers with similar mind-sets could conceptualize and imple-ment projects. After being trained for a certain dura-tion, they would be sent to intern directly underneath the members of the parlia-ment to attain an under-standing of the mechanism of political proceedings. If this concept is implement-ed in right earnest, the na-tion’s politics will alter on a large scale and we will be able to tackle our existing problems.
August 2014
pose privatization of the Swedish welfare and occupy 43.6 % of the seats in the ‘Riksdag’.
The last party is the newest in the parliament. They are called the ‘Swedish Democrats’ and they are a right-wing party working for a vast decrease in immigration to Sweden. They have a huge impact on Swedish politics since they obtained the ‘bal-ance of power’, meaning that they de-cide whether a proposition from the government is going to get passed or not. Radical parties, such as the Swed-ish democrats are gaining power in the parliament due to the financial crisis. Presently, the greatest fragmentation in the political struggle in Sweden is whether to increase or decrease In-come Taxes. The Red-Green coalition argues that the money used to decrease taxes should instead be reinvested into welfare and social security system. It is
indeed going to be a battle between the three different blocks. The current government is losing electors every public opinion poll and the Swedish Democrats continue to grow stronger. What is going to be really interest-ing this time is whether the two other blocks will continue to shut out the Swedish Democrats, or initiate a coalition to win. In what manner will the 7.1 million Swedes that are qualified to vote, vote this time?
FreDrIk [email protected]
teachers owe their students high grades, scores that are to be distrib-uted normally get pushed towards the higher end of the scale. Thence, we end up with a system where it is impossible to recognise the best as
they all hit the roof. It must be made sure that all students are
provided equal opportunity to pursue high-er education, regardless of caste or socio-economic status. The Indian state must diver-sify its higher educational institutes, directing funds to more number of universities, so as to reach out to places poorly associated with education. This combined with bursaries di-rected towards poor students, could lead to an upsurge in young people from poor homes availing education. In a country that is in the
process of becoming a major economical force, it is of utmost impor-tance to bring education to the common man.
ISAk [email protected]
6Inward
AnMol [email protected]
Faith that knows no boundsFaith that knows no limits
To some true faith astoundsFor others, it connects spirits
Faith once broken, never restoredFaith that broke, never was
Hence bestowing faith, few can af-ford
Without gain, without cause
For belief maybe momentaryBut faith perennial
True faith is voluntaryAnd in every way, surreal
Faith that surpasses everythingFaith that kills all apprehensionsFaith that keeps the fire burning
Faith that looks into dream’s ascen-sions
For it’s faith that bears hope withinOn whose shoulders life sustains
And its hope that keeps you giving inAll that your heart contains.
faithUSHnAV SHroFF
Lecherous men are hilari-ous. They are lost in their little minds and big sau-sages. With eyes like sau-cers, they sit like obedient dogs with other real dogs that wag their tails to catch a glimpse of a cheerleader or something similar; any-thing that would have them jumping and whistling like a baboon. The obedient dogs continue wagging their tails- wishing it to be dinner time again. On the other hand, the men put out their tongues and copy them. They are hun-gry for something different though. When they get up for dinner, all they leave behind is a hot television and a lousy ass-print.
Such people are every-where and as weird as it may sound, are essential to
laughably lecherousour economy. Bollywood benefits from this, espe-cially from the C-grade film industry. Take item songs for example. How much percentage of rape cases do you think could have been prevented if
Katrina Kaif hadn’t jiggled to the tunes of ‘Chikni Cha-meli’? But I bet she doesn’t feel guilty about that. Her bank statement is more than enough proof. Such songs nowadays are more required in a movie than a supporting actor. Uday Chopra would disagree.
Like a blushing ba-
boon’s butt, their face is something worth watch-ing. It suggests the obvi-ous, but gives away noth-ing else. Their mind needs more cleansing to do than the city’s gutters. I hear loud cries of cheer from
For example, you won’t find profes-
sors letting off the class early, hoping to get it off with a hot student in the break. Not un-less it’s porn, this almost
never happens here.( )
the slums of Dharavi right now. For example, you won’t find professors let-ting off the class early, hoping to get it off with a hot student in the break. Not unless it’s porn, this almost never happens here. Instead, giving Neetu an A+ is a much better way to give her a hint of what
you desire!Lecherous men aren’t
the shy types. They look at things way beyond their sight and have an imagina-tion that is far more crea-tive than normal people. After all, the amount of creativity that goes into creating names for these silly B-grade movies is more than enough proof. ‘Pati fauj main patni mauj main’, ‘Chanda ki doli sabne kholi’ and ‘saali nar-am jija garam’ aren’t mov-ies that Deepika or Katrina might not want to act in; no matter how much the audience desires it. ‘Jiju ka jojo’ takes the cake though. Forget the vulgar-ity for a few seconds and revel in the hilarious na-ture of such names. Find joy in the little things- for men may come and men may go, but Lecherousness stays on forever.’
CArolIne [email protected]
Mamma,I don’t even know why I’m abandoning the entire electronic world to send you this letter. College is getting to me I suppose. I find that I’m starting to appreciate you more now that I’m washing my own socks. Hostel life is excit-ing since every night is a party, and every morning in class, a new discov-ery to find ways of falling asleep undetected! Teach-ers are…well, teachers! My blatant and unwar-ranted use of exclama-tion marks is obviously a giveaway of my extreme
emotions at the moment. The seniors unintention-ally get intimidating, or maybe it’s just me who wants to address them as ‘Sir’ and ‘Ma’am’ all the time. I’m participating in more activities than the fingers on my hand, and people say that I’ll be ly-ing like a corpse in some dark corner by the end of the month. I have so many things to whine about that this letter might not even begin to cover it. But the thing that unnerves me the most is the names! Some are easy enough, but some are like tongue twisters and some people have names that probably require two passports to
carry them! Nevertheless mamma, I’m starting to find myself here. I’m living a dream, MY dream but altered to cater to my best needs, and I know I’ll probably start a monsoon with my tears at the end of it. Next time I’m just going to mail you though, this is way too quaint. I love you!So much love and hugs that you’ll get squashed,Miss Awesome
I found this yellowed page at the bottom of my mother’s cupboard, lying among many such of its kind. I’m thirty years old now, but I can still viv-idly remember those long
Yellow pages through the lens of a college student
hours of laughing over something senseless, the happiness of getting an A and the extra happiness when someone you hated got a C, bunking and then crying over attendance, watching everyone fall in TRUE love at least 3 times in a year - but at the end of the day, achieving the dreams and watching with pride as everyone, includ-ing you became the indi-viduals you once longed to be and more. We grew with the past and em-braced our future. The letter reminded me of my roots, and of how much we had progressed. I fell in love with life all over again.
}{}{}{}{}{
norIn [email protected]
That gasp; a gamut of shock and disillusionment that greets a female infant has that uncanny rhythm of monotony in a nation so diverse.
That rhythmic hymn ardently revered to by the patriarchal society; shap-ing culture and religion alike. Among female pro-tagonists that weigh a woman’s worth, Sita has persisted to be an embodi-ment of a ‘perfect’ woman, an epitome of inspiration to the Indian society. Her proximity to the demar-cated ‘lakshman rekha’ as-sessed her worth; the clos-
“A Debauched Whim”er she stepped across the line to freedom, the closer she was to the wrath of the ‘better’ half.
The ‘lesser’ sex is re-duced to an inhuman role of a commodity. Dowry de-termines her value; house-hold chores her efficiency and progeny her productiv-ity. Dumb driven cattle that women are treated as, it is nothing short of a shock to the society if she lacks the basic ‘training’ undergone: cooking, cleaning and mul-ti-tasking being the pri-orities. Freedom of expres-sion, even defiance and challenging the ‘lord’ of the house victimizes her role as she succumbs to the tyr-anny imposed. True status
of both the sexes have been cast into oblivion such that to many a-woman, domes-tic violence is justified in terms of her failing to com-plete her ‘duty’.
Breaking the shackles of the fettered mind-set, every woman has, to this day, nurtured a debauched outrageous defiant whim. Many have ignored it; much continue to wrestle with it and little has suc-cumbed to this ‘treach-erous’ wish to rebel for their rights. Nothing short of preposterous can de-scribe women who crave for respect, self-security and freedom. It would be too much to ask for of the stagnant society to grant
them their true worth; to let them sport their trends, choose a career, follow their heart and live their dreams.
Yet, women continue to nurture their dreams and slowly step past the ‘lak-shman rekha’, they strive to set a better example of life. Outstretched, helping hands slowly liberate the status of the ‘equal’ half.
Every year, March 8 is internationally celebrated as ‘Women’s Day’. India, however, is hardly ready for such a day when more than half of its women have ignored their nurtured dreams.
Surely, such a whim has to be debauched?
SHAYonnITA [email protected]
I recognized her the mo-ment I saw her and a mael-strom of memories kicked in: tall and poised as al-ways, she hadn’t aged a day. She still had the same dimpled smile, the delicate clear skin, and the full fig-ure which was now draped in an elegant coral pink sari. Her midnight black hair – thick and luxurious as always was pulled back in a loose c h i g n o n , perfected to let a few stray ten-drils graze the nape of her neck. I re-membered f l e e t i n g -ly those s u m m e r days, so long ago when I’d yearned for hours togeth-er to simply walk up to her, loosen her plait and run my fingers through the long, smooth waves.
Today, after fifteen long years, I was meet-ing her again. I had re-hearsed this moment a billion times in my head and thought of everything I would say – everything I would do; but somehow, now that we stood face to face after so many years – all my fantastical dia-
logues seemed ridiculous-ly lame.
She smiled at me – the easy, practised smile of a host and I in that moment, I realised two things. First, that she no longer remem-bered me; and second, that the smile didn’t reach her eyes, as in the old times it had always. Instead, her eyes, beneath the thick, long lashes looked tired – coloured with a decided shade of melancholy – and
I wondered, as I stepped into her threshold, what had h a p p e n e d to make them that way. She led me into her thirti-eth floor r e s i d e n c e which was
spacious and airy – an apartment that was class-ily decorated in a light French style with plush collector’s furnishings; and boasted of a beauti-ful view of the city. I fol-lowed her into her lounge, where she seated me on a chaise longue and herself took the sofa opposite me. We exchanged general pleasantries and she en-quired about my journey. And then, if I would take a drink.
...to be continued
FATEFirst of a many part series.
Special
August 2014
7Young Scribes
BHArAT MISrA,MAnek koHlI AnD SAnjAnA VenkATeSAn
[email protected],[email protected]
With Vaividhya having been a great success, we spoke to three of SIMC’s best singing talents about their mu-sic, their inspirations and the road ahead. Read on:
Q. How long have you been practicing singing for? What style/s are you proficient in?
Meghan Parekh (FY): I started singing back in Brazil at the age of 16. It has been three years since I’ve been properly singing. As a singer, I specialize in the ‘Soprano scale’.Anamika Tiwari (SY): I started learning at the age of 5.I have a 6th year degree in Hin-dustani Classical Vocal Music from Prayag Sangeet Samiti. Even though I’m a classical vocalist, I occasionally try Western, Folk and Sufi singing. I’m also a sucker for old Bollywood songs.
Sarjana Singh (TY): As a child I was never trained in music. It is by listening to radio and television channels that I started to sing. My mother encouraged me to sing more often. My singing master made me join the school choir in 9th grade. That is how I developed my skills in western music.
Q. What has been your favourite musical ‘moment’? Any amusing / poignant anecdote that comes to mind?Meghan: My most memorable experience was a talent singing contest in Brazil, where I conquered stage fright. Since then I have not looked back and gone on to the stage confidently.Anamika: I have a terrible habit of preparing for my performances at the last minute. I’m a nervous wreck a few minutes before going on stage. But there is this mo-ment after the sound check, before I begin, when chaos is at its peak. In that moment, my mind shuts everything out. That silence is my infinity. I feel invincible!Sarjana: I sang for Sympulse 2014 in the Solo Singing
Meghan Parekh, First Year.
The three nightingales of SIMC(UG)
August 2014
nIkHITA [email protected]
An ordinary looking old man with a clean ironed shirt was selling boiled eggs and masala channa on a 6x4 table. The sight fit perfectly into the busy streets of Dutt Man-dir Chowk on a Thursday evening. What stood out though was what I overheard. The man selling eggs as a footpath vendor greeted a kid in impeccable English as he flung a chana packet to him at no cost. This generous gesture, with such language was not as ordinary as he looked. It made me stall a bit longer and soon I found myself asking for “one boiled egg please”. As he cut up the egg and worked magic with basic spices to make it tasty, I mentioned to him that he spoke good English. We then had a long conversation about the journey of his life which held numerous surprises, but most importantly, great inspi-ration and respect.
The enterprising man goes by the name “Uncle Sam” and insists that he is only 68 years ‘young’. He refuses to grow old by mingling with other old peo-ple or sit lazily in his comfort-able two bedroom apartment in Konark Nagar. “Why live like a dying duck when you can be alive”, he says when asked about the story of how the stall came to be. Uncle Sam was born and brought up in Mumbai and is educated up to the fourth standard. He cannot read or write very well and be-lieves in the mantra, “See the world and learn”, of which he is a perfect example. All of English he knows has been merely picked up from his costumers and friends. “No-
In a dialogue with Uncle Sambody believes me when I say I am uneducated!” the man exclaims.
Retired from Interior Designing business in Mumbai, Uncle Sam migrated to Pune when his life was in dan-ger. There were 17 murder attempts on him for the sake of his large property but the courage and resilience that he showed is commendable. He thanks God for being with him in such times. “I am not too religious but i believe in God. I am not a devil!” he chuckles. He believes that all we really need is “good thinking and good conscience” to tick in this world without too much stress.
Uncle Sam chose Pune out of sheer randomness but likes it here, though his lifestyle has drastically changed.
He has an air of a typical social butterfly and has made many friends with his neighbouring shopkeepers and restaurant owners who hang out with him for a drink or two and also are very helpful in times of need. He lives, he says, a “happy and satisfactory life!”. When asked of his future plans, he says he was going to start another snacks stall named “Home” for where else can you find such tasty food?
Here is a man who has not been silenced by societal taboos
which would have otherwise stopped him from setting up a stall as humble as this one. Such individuals who are able to stand up for themselves and not succumb to societal pressure, are individuals to be looked up to. “One’s life is his birth right and one must live it the way he wishes to, not how others wish him to”, concludes dear Uncle Sam.
nIkHITA [email protected]
Sonia Singh, student of Symbiosis School of Economics, third year, has been selected for a long term exchange programme to Mexico which spans out over a period of one year. The exchange programme is organised by The Rotary International under Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) programme. Sonia has completed second year in BSC Eco-nomics and has interned in Bangalore with The Indian In-stitute of Management (IIM), where she worked with sen-ior faculty for research, and Hiranandani realtors (Private Limited Real Estate) in the finance department.
She was introduced to RYE in 2005 by her sister. She filled forms for short term but attended orientation in October which convinced her to go for the long term pro-gramme. Having applied for the programme in December, she appeared for an interview, and got selected after which she got in touch with the host family and researched about the country, the people and the food.
Eduardo Salas Lara and his family would be hosting Sonia in Huejutla, Mexico who only speak in Spanish. She opines that it is going to be interesting to try and commu-nicate with them in a language almost alien to her, on an everyday basis. She feels privileged to be representing our nation in a foreign land and wants to change the stereo-typed image of India. She wants to learn all about the cui-sine and traditions of Mexico as well as educate her host family all about what it is like to be Indian.
She is all ready to set out on her voyage which starts on the 15th of August, 2014 and hopes for it to be a memora-ble learning experience.
A similar opportunity was availed by Reuben Paul, batch 2015 who visited Sweden last summer as a short term exchange student under RYE.
A MEXICAN ADVENTURE
A student of SSE selected for a long term exchange programme to Mexico.
BHArAT [email protected]
There are musicians who play instruments, others who pen the lyrics and yet others who give the words melody with their voices. There’s another rare category of artists who perform all these tasks on their own; Shrawan Ba-nerjee of second year Communication Management falls under the latter.
Shrawan is a member of a rock band named ‘Stoned Seahorse’ based in his hometown, Bangalore, in which he contributes as the lyricist, guitarist and the vocalist. “It’s difficult to put a label on the type of music that we play,” he says, “but I guess you could say that the music ‘has the feels’. It’s psychedelic but with an emphasis on structure and lyrics.”
Talking about his inspirations, Shrawan lists greats like Abba, The Corrs, Norah Jones, and Guns N Roses as his childhood favourites. About his musical beginnings, he states, “until I was about 12, I wasn’t really into mu-sic, but then I heard Nirvana and was immediately ob-sessed.” He likens music to other art-forms of expression such as writing and painting, in that they are not entirely premeditated activities. “I guess the most inspiring part is the whole thrill of creating something that did not exist before,” he says.
While he faces obvious logistical problems due to his being in Pune and away from the other band members, he is optimistic about the future. The band is currently working on an EP (Extended Play), for which the record-ing is underway. “I’m looking at releasing it sometime in September-October,” he signs off. We wish our very own rock star the best for the future!
The musician amongus : Shrawan banerjee
(Western Genre) category and won. It was so unexpected!
Q. In what ways do you think singing enriches you?Meghan: I sing mainly because of a strong emotional connect to music. Anamika: Music is my cushion as well as my punching bag. It has given me confidence and shaped my personality. It’s such a com-
plete art form that you can sing away your time anywhere! Sometimes it’s my escape; other times, my identity.Sarjana: Music helps me stand out from others. It gives me my identity; makes me who I am.
Q. Any favourite artists, albums or songs? Meghan: I am a lot into rock and jazz. If I were to name a few key inspirations, it would definitely be the Black Keys and Billie Holiday.Anamika: I have never been able to give the correct an-swer to that. I listen to whatever comes my way!Sarjana: Sunidhi Chauhan. I like her because of her ver-satility. She has an excellent range of pitch and can sing songs of any genre effortlessly.
Q. Are you disciplined as an artist?Meghan: My frien Jai, whom I usually sing duets with has helped me develop a professional approach to music, before which I was very raw. I am constantly growing in experience and practice.Anamika: Back when I was in 7th grade, a handful of us had qualified for a National Level competition right before our exams. Nobody had time during classes so we rehearsed in lunch breaks. One busy day, I couldn’t make it to the practice and my music teacher sent for me. Knowing that I’d upset her, I hurriedly reached her room, touched her feet and started explaining myself. She stared at me till I finished and then slapped me. Missing practice was inexcusable. Coming late was inexcusable. Riyaaz never came second. 14 years of Hindustani Classi-cal has been a struggle. Discipline only made it easier. It’s how I was raised.Sarjana: I do not have a discipline for my singing. I com-mence practice only ten days before any event. It is just my passion for music that keeps me going.
Anamika Tiwari, Second Year.
8Reviews
BHArAT [email protected]
Richard Linklater is a director who consistently chooses to walk off the beaten path. Starting off with films like Dazed and Confused and Slacker, he established himself as a fresh and unique voice in experimental cinema. Fol-lowing up his initial successes with mature and heartfelt films such as School of Rock, Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight, Waking Life and Tape, he has cemented his reputation as a filmmaker who is always ready to push frontiers.
It appears that Linklater has struck gold once again with Boyhood, his latest independent release. Already being hailed as his magnum opus, it has garnered recog-nition and applause at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival and the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Boyhood chronicles the life of a 6-year old boy as he grows from childhood to adulthood, undergoing all the predicaments and pangs associated with growing up in a suburban American family. The highlight of the film is Linklater’s unique modus operandi: the film was shot over 12 years, with the actors coming together for a des-ignated period every year to enact their characters. Just as the characters grow in depth and experience, so do the artists enacting their parts on-screen!
Boyhood: Childhood in a film
The age-old axiom that ‘art mirrors life’ has been given a whole new literality with Richard Linklater’s path-breaking new venture. Af-ter releasing in the USA on the 11th of July, it appears doubtful that Boyhood will ever see the light of day on Indian screens. Here’s hoping that it gains more recognition in the coming days and has an India re-lease.
BHArAT [email protected]
The trailer of Vishal Bhardwaj’s third adaptation of Wil-liam Shakespeare’s timeless plays turns the widely popu-lar soliloquy, ‘To be or not to be’, on its head. ‘The Trag-edy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark’, arguably the Bard’s most brutal and arresting play is being made into Haider, starring a leaner and meaner Shahid Kapoor as the epon-ymous prince. Set in the war-torn valleys of present-day Kashmir, Haider promises to be an offbeat thriller with the usual elements that set apart Bhardwaj’s oeuvre from that of his contemporaries: sardonic humour, suspense-ful storytelling and a touch of insanity.
“Mai rahun, ki mai nahin…”“ ”Bhardwaj began his adaptation of the Bard von Av-
on’s works in 2003 with the near-perfect ‘Maqbool’, a modern retelling of ‘Macbeth’ set in the criminal un-derbelly of Mumbai. Featuring Irfan Khan as the titular character and Pankaj Kapoor as the chief antagonist (or anti-hero; whichever way you look at it), the film made ripples in the cinematic community for its lyrical writing and power-packed performances.
He followed it up with ‘Omkara’, a multi-starrer re-imagination of ‘Othello’ set in the bad lands of lawless Uttar Pradesh. He paints a canvas of blood-curdling vio-lence, inter-caste politics, jilted love and conflicted char-acters in grey and jilted love. Moreover, the filmmaker extracts a career-best performance from Saif Ali Khan, the principal baddie in the film. His character, the limp-ing, sneering Langda Tyagi, is the stuff of cinematic leg-ends.
Other movies in his filmography include a caper thriller (Kaminey), a scathing satire (Matru ki Bijli ka Mandola), two children’s films (The Blue Umbrella, Mak-dee) and a demented suspense drama (7 Khoon Maaf). With such an impressive bevy of cinematic outings to his name, one expects only the best from the multi-talented music director-cum-filmmaker.
Haider: Bhardwaj’s third nod to the bard
Boyhood chronicles the life of a 6-year old boy as he grows up.
HIMAnI [email protected]
The Fault in our Stars, the cinema adaptation of John Green’s best-selling novel is a story of two teenagers and their battle against life.
Hazel Grace is a nor-mal teenager battling with a not so normal disease: cancer. The story revolves around Hazel Grace and Agustus Waters both suf-fering from cancer and how they find their little infinity in the world which seems too unfair.
THE fAULT IN OUR STARS
Doesn’t disappoint, re-freshingly contemporary with an honest descrip-
tion on death.
The Fault in our Stars doesn’t disappoint and is refreshingly contemporary with an honest description on death. The way Hazel meets Gus is realistic and not too sugar coated. The movie perfectly captures teenage love moments; waiting for the texts, blush-ing, late night phone calls and shared secret codes.
What took the audience by surprise is that the mov-ie doesn’t delve much into the sad climax knowing both the leads are suffering from a disease where death is inevitable. Instead it fo-cuses on their dreams, ide-ologies, hopes and fears.
The plot is driven by Hazel’s desire to meet her favourite author, her health troubles and Gus telling her about his cancer re-appearing. The simple joys they share in between; going for a picnic to watch children play is beautiful. The climax, although not focussing on the gloomy ending, is disheartening; and truthfully leaves the audience in tears. For the brilliant screenplay, sim-plicity and amazing direc-tion, The Fault in our Stars is definitely worth a watch.
USHnAV [email protected]
This is the fifth book in the famous Lincoln Rhyme se-ries by Jeffery Deaver, which portrays Lincoln Rhyme as the forensic analyst and criminologist. He worked for the New York Police Department (NYPD) until he was para-lyzed from the neck-down, giving him movement of his head, neck and right ring-finger only. He is accompanied by his co-worker and love interest Amelia Sachs who is an active duty officer in the NYPD.
The plot here can sometimes be as multifaceted as a magic trick but the author skilfully juggles the various strands of the plot. The story revolves around a serial killer loose in New York City who kills people with the help of delusion and illusionistic tricks. There are many twists in this gripping tale that will keep you on the edge of your proverbial seat in anticipation and be as bewil-dered as the protagonist. Deaver does an excellent job of giving the reader a look into the mind of the antagonist, an illusionist who kills by his performances of magic. A master of misdirection creating a master illusionist vil-lain. Perfect.
One can connect to the way each chapter or each mur-der is prefaced with a considerate note to the Revered Audience- giving them short notes on the murder that is about to be ‘performed’ for their entertainment! This book is by far the best from the author’s stable. Anyone who enjoys learning about magicians and their tricks would not be disappointed by this novel. It has been a long time since I actually felt a burning urge to find out what happened next in a whodunit novel. And, Mr. Jef-fery Deaver manages to do just that.
The Vanished Man
The filmmaker extracts a career-best performance from Saif Ali Khan, the antagonist.
USHnAV [email protected]
The joy of reading a book years after you first come across it knows no bounds. You are filled with joy as you meet those characters again, you laugh your way through those incidents and then bid a teary goodbye as you finish the novel and keep it back in its rightful place. That is exactly what happened with me with regard to this devilishly funny caper of a novel.
Carl Hiaasen’s Sick Puppy deals with issues concerning the environment and the effects some greedy humans are having on it, but not in a way that makes you yawn and nod off to sleep. Instead, it leaves you asking for more at the end. The cast of characters created by the author in this novel seem so ordinary and some of them are, so everyday-evil that we cannot help but relate to them.
The novel is based within the lush politicos of Florida and involves an eco-terrorist, Twilly Spree as the protagonist- who has an unending supply of funds along with a subscription to anger-management classes. Having blown up his uncle’s bank on a lazy Sunday afternoon to ‘spread a message’ to his dear relative, the author’s characteriza-tion of the angry young man makes him someone to be reckoned with. Then, there is one of the most powerful lobbyists, Palmer Stoat, who arranges things for anybody who’s beneficial to him and his beautiful wife. Twilly, being an eco-terrorist, goes after Stoat. What follows then is total mayhem and frolicking fun for the readers.
Spree learns that the fate of an unspoiled, rich-in-nature island is at stake and that it would soon be lost within the happenings of the corrupt politics of Florida. Determined to stop this from happening, he takes steps that are more unbelievable than each of his previous ones. This book delights, being a laughter-riot all the way and there isn’t a grain of lie when New York Post states: “From start to finish, ‘Sick Puppy’ is a howl.”
SICk PUPPY
MAnek [email protected]
Director John Carney leaves no stone unturned whilst ensuring that his film retains its sweet flavour. Starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo as the leading cast, Begin Again is neither a sombre-yet-realistic retelling of a bygone musical era, like Inside Llewyn Da-vis, nor is it a romantic dedication to a particular genre, such as School of Rock. On the other hand, it is a subtle commentary on the malignancy of ‘studio control’ which has plagued individual artists throughout the world, fighting to make a name.
Yet, it is a mostly well-made, feel-good film. Conflict is almost non-existent, as the narrative style virtually dissipates it in a world of independent music, the city of New York and a breath-taking soundtrack. Keira Knightley, playing a young singer-songwriter, fits seamlessly into the shoes of her character. Her subtle, rejuvenating beauty is contrasted with the crass and dysfunctional character played by Ruffalo. At the best, he justified playing a role much suited to him, although it is Knightley who thoroughly impresses. Other cast members, including Adam Levine of Maroon 5 fame and James Corden, who plays the ideal supporting character, wonderfully execute their respective roles.
Yet, the story somehow comes off as pale, in content as well as in execution. The film justifies its main theme, but it neither uplifts it to a newer height, nor allows it to grow upon the viewer. Overall, the film is a must watch for anyone who enjoys a feel-good musical drama, however, one mustn’t expect anything breath-taking, unless they are understandably infatuated by Keira Knightley.
“BEGIN AGAIN - A SUBTLE STRUM”
August 2014
9entertainment
BHArAT [email protected]
Q. What inspires you to make films?Sushant Chaudhary: In a nutshell, for the love of cinema. I have always been a fan of visual storytelling, as opposed to other vocal forms such as creative writing. In motion pictures, I see the most palatable of art forms, and hence I am attracted to it the most. Aditya Khanna: I have always wanted to be a writer, but as I grew up, I realized I wasn’t exceptionally good at it. In my ninth and tenth standard, I was greatly exposed to international cinema, which is when I decided that making films would be a terrific idea. A viewing of David Fincher’s Fight Club sealed it for me and here I am!
Q. While making a film, are you more comfortable working alone or in a group? Sushant: I am all for team work. The number one rule of direction is to get people to work for you. It is a balancing act to keep in mind all the technical and aesthetic factors as well as getting other people to share that vision. Until now, I have had a strong technical base, but I am gradually moving to a greater aesthetic and artistic understanding of the medium. I have shot, edited and acted in my films so as to learn every aspect of moviemaking.Aditya: It depends on the people I am working with. I like collaborating with people whom I can trust and who trust my vision. This way, they can honestly and frankly tell me where I am going wrong. They must have a strong belief in the story itself, otherwise their interest and conviction in the project might dwindle.
Q. Tell us about your upcoming film. Sushant: It is called ‘Raat Baaki, Baat Baaki,’ and I hope to release it in the first week of August. As paradoxical as it may sound, it is a simple, straightforward comedy about loneliness. I have shot it wholly in my hometown, Chandigarh. Aditya: I have named it ‘They call him L’etranger in French’, and it is a loose adaptation of ‘The Outsider’ by Albert Camus. I have planned for it to be a 30 minute long film, something that I have not attempted ever before. It is a social documentary, and I have taken pains not to make it look pretentious and preachy. I will be aiming for an August second week release if everything goes as per schedule.
Q. Any advice to other aspiring moviemakers?Sushant: Four words: write, shoot, edit, repeat.Aditya: Just go ahead and make the film. Do not bother with the hang-ups of the process of filmmaker so early on, just write a script (or don’t if you have a solid idea in your head), shoot and edit it and show it to as many people as you can, for constructive criticism.
‘Write, Shoot, Edit, Repeat’: A Word with filmmakers.At the start of the new academic year, we notice a lot of students coming out with their short films with much fanfare. Not to be caught adrift in this tidal wave of
movies, we interviewed two such directors, Sushant Chaudhary and Aditya Khanna, about their upcoming films. Let us look at what they have to say.
Simply Comical InSIDeR. Vagisha Thakur & Mashumi Dave
nUMBeR LoGIC.
CIneMA SCoPe. Vagisha Thakur & Mashumi Dave
The eTeRnAL LIFT. Vagisha Thakur & Mashumi Dave
RARe WoLF. Jeremy Fernandez
CALVIn & hoBBeS.
MARKInG FRIenDS on SoCIAL MeDIA.
August 2014
PUBLished By: symBiosis institUte of mediA & CommUniCAtion (Under GrAdUAte), VimAn nAGAr, PUne, mAhArAshtrA - 411014editor-in-ChieF : Prof. AnUPAm siddhArthA | editor : Prof. VidyABhUshAn AryA | Student editor-in-ChieF : reUBen PAUL | Student newS editor : ArPit BhAtiA |
Student ChieF oF BureAu : sAnjAnA VenkAtesAn | Student MASter illuStrAtor : ArPit BhAtiA
10Sports
UnITeD neWS oF InDIA
Glasgow: Ace shuttler Parupalli Kashyap broke
a 32-year jinx to claim the men’s singles badminton gold, while the women’s
India ranked number five, bags 64 medalsdoubles pair of Jwala Gut-ta and Ashwini Ponnappa as also the men’s hockey team clinched silvers to cap an creditable Indian showing at the 20th Com-monwealth Games which closed late last night.
However, off the pitch, the arrest of two senior sports officials - IOA Sec-retary General Rajeev Me-hta and wrestling referee Virender Malik - on sepa-rate charges of drunken driving and sexual assault respectively came as a ma-jor embarrassment for the nation, which was earlier in the competition left red faced when a para power-lifter had to be pulled out of the Games and sent back home forfailing an out-of-competition drug test conducted in June. The incidents took some of the sheen off the impressive 64 medal haul - 15 gold, 30
silver and 19 bronze – that ensured a fifth place fin-ish in the leaderboard for India after England, Aus-tralia, Canada and hosts Scotland. It was India’s third best showing in the Commonwealth Games af-ter the 100 plus bounty at home in Delhi four years back and the 69 medals they picked up at Man-chester in 2002. How-ever, it was Kashyap, who brought the curtains down on India’s campaign with a historic gold after breaking a 32-year-old jinx and em-ulate former champions Prakash Padukone (1978) and Syed Modi (1982) to win the men’s singles title. The 27-year-old clinched his first major champion-ship by defeating Singa-porean sixth seed Zi Liang Derek Wong 21-14, 11-21, 21-19 in just over an hour at the Emirates Arena.
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Glasgow: Hailed as the best ever Commonwealth Games by Federation presi-dent Prince Tunku Imran, Glasgow 2014 celebrated the end of a memorable 20th edi-tion with a colour-ful clos-ing cer-emony.
In a sporting f e s t i va l r e c o g -n i s e d for the warmth of its welcome, the cer-emony at H a m p -den Park fittingly celebrated the event loudly and proudly, much like the spectators have done at each sport-ing venue. ‘The Common-wealth Games are known as the Friendly Games. Glas-gow has succeeded in mak-ing them even more than that,’ Prince Imran told the rejoicing crowd yesterday. ‘These have truly been the people’s Games. Scotland, you have welcomed the ath-
Glasgow Games hailed best ever in rousing closing Ceremony
letes of the Commonwealth and have contributed to them realising their dreams on one of the world’s great sporting stages. ‘Scotland, and Glasgow, you really have delivered in every as-pect the best Games ever.
Glasgow you were pure, dead brilliant.’ Britain’s Prince Edward officially closed the Games after the CGF flag had been handed from Glasgow dignitaries to officials from Australia’s Gold Coast, which will host the 21st edition of the event in four years time. Glaswe-gian-born singer Lulu began the show with athletes from the 71 Commonwealth na-tions and territories emerg-
ing from tents adorning the Hampden Park track where six-times Olympic champi-on Usain Bolt ran Jamaica to relay gold a day earlier. Welsh rhythmic gymnast Frankie Jones, who won six medals at the Games,
received t h e D a v i d D i x o n a w a r d a f t e r b e i n g n a m e d as the o u t -standing athlete in Glas-gow be-fore the hando-ver to the Gold C o a s t
took place. Singer Kylie Minogue, one of Australia’s most famous exports, de-lighted the Hampden Park crowd after a video had shown a glimpse of what awaits on the Gold Coast in four years time. The cer-emony came to a close when a lone piper, standing on the roof of Hampden Park, played Auld Lang Syne be-fore being joined in song by a jubilant stadium.
reUTerS
London: Andy Murray re-turns to action for the first time since surrendering his Wimbledon crown this week, insisting his coach-ing liaison with Amelie Mauresmo is long-term.
The Scot began working with Frenchwoman Mau-resmo shortly before Wim-bledon but a disappointing g r a s s -c o u r t s e a s o n r a i s e d question m a r k s about the longevity of their partner-s h i p . Murray, however, says he has en-j o y e d working with the f o r m e r Wimbledon champion at his training base in Miami as he prepares for the US hardcourt season, which concludes later this month with the US Open at Flush-ing Meadows. “We’ve agreed to work together and I think from both sides we’re willing to do what it takes to make it work long term,” Murray, 27, was quoted on the BBC’s web-
site ahead of the Rogers Cup in Toronto, where he is seeded eighth. “I really en-joy working with her, she’s helped me a lot.”She inte-grated well with the rest of the team. It’s been a good start. Now it’s about me producing the results.” The next few months are critical for Murray who dropped down to 10th in the world rankings following his
Wimbledon quarter-final defeat by Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov. Murray is with-out a title for more than a year and is also struggling to qualify for the year-ending World Tour Finals in London with the likes of Dimitrov and Canada’s Milos Raonic beginning to make deep inroads into the top 10. On the plus side, he has few points defend
during the north Ameri-can swing, having lost in the last 16 at Torontoin 2013 and the quarter-finals at Cincinnati and the US Open before his season was curtailed by back surgery. Mauresmo’s task will be to help Murray return to the kind of form that saw him win the US Open in 2012, when he beat Novak Djokovic in an epic final. “I
sat down with her the day a f t e r W i m -b l e d o n , we made a plan for the next few months, in the b u i l d up to the U.S. O p e n , ” M u r -ray said. “(Hitting
partner) Dani (Vallver-du) and Amelie will both be there at the US Open. “That’s the plan for now, but I plan on working with her for longer than post-US Open, for sure.” Murray could face a tricky start in Toronto with Australian upstart Nick Kyrgios, Ra-fael Nadal’s Wimbledon conqueror, a likely second-round opponent.
Murray- Mauresmo partnership long-term
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Kolkata: Kolkata foot-ball giants Mohun Bagan is likely to play their first match of the season against Tollygunge Agrag-ami, which will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium on the August 11.
The Preliminary Round of the Calcutta Football League(CFL) Premier Di-vision is currently under-way with the following 16 non I-League clubs play-ing against each other in a round robin league format, out of which the top eight teams will be qualifying for the Final Round: BNR, Aryan Club, Tollygunge Agragami, Dalhousie AC, George Telegraph, Bha-wanipore Club, Southern Samity, Railway FC, Police AC, Eastern Railway, Peer-less SC, Army XI, Kalighat MS, Calcutta Port Trust, SAI (Eastern Zone) and Kalighat Club.
As per the schedule, Mariners will kick-off their CFL Premier Division campaign against Quali-fier 1. In all likelihood, Tollygunge Agragami will be finishing as the Quali-fier 1, as they have so far bagged 29 points from 13 games. With 2 games still to be played, they are comfortably placed at the top, 5 points ahead of Kalighat MS. Currently after the 13th round, Tol-lygunge Agragami is be-ing followed by Kalighat MS (24 points), Police AC (22 points), SAI (Eastern Zone) (22 points), Aryan Club (22 points), BNR (20 points), Southern Samity (19 points), and Army XI (19 points). The last 2 rounds of the Preliminary Round of the Calcutta Football League Premier Division will be played on August 5 and 7.
The top eight teams along with the 3 I-League
teams (Mohun Bagan, Kingfisher East Bengal, and Mohammedan Sport-ing) will then be participat-ing in the Championship Round where the 11 teams will play against each other (points will not be carried forward from the prelimi-nary round). The team with maximum number of points at the end of the Championship Round will be declared Winners of the Calcutta Football League Premier Division.
Mariners likely to face Tollygunge in their first game of the season
Special
August 2014