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August 28, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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DUSU POLL New Delhi, August 27 The decision to give the party ticket to Ragini Naik for the post of president has raised a few eyebrows, since the ticket comes at the expense of experienced NSUI campaigners such as Rohit Chowdhary and Harsh Chowdhary. The policy of ‘glamour politics’ has been made worse by the surreptitious manner in which this decision was passed on to the NSUI workers. A large NSUI contingent was expectantly awaiting the announcement of Rohit Chowdhary, also the current joint secretary of the DUSU, for the president’s post and had gone to the extent of printing campaign posters for him. Ragini Naik’s nomination came as a major shock to this NSUI contingent for they had “never even heard of Ragini before”. It is believed that Rohit was offered the ticket for vice-president’s post but declined the offer as “he only wanted to work under someone senior and more deserving”. Rohit’s supporters claim that “she (Ragini) has not even attended an NSUI meeting before” but “had the audacity to fill in her application only for the post of president when everyone else had filed their nominations for at least two posts.” What makes Ragini Naik’s nomination even more dubious is her inexperience. She is a second year student of Kirori Mal College (KMC), and does not have any extra-curricular experience - apart from active participation in college societies - to her credit. Her nomination was pitted against Rohit Chowdhary who has been college president, NSUI West Campus president and is currently the acting secretary of the DUSU as well as the state general secretary of the NSUI. It seems that the NSUI just wanted to stick to last year’s winning formula of fielding a woman candidate. But, last year stands as an exception since the three years before that had proved that women candidates could not ensure election victory. Even assuming that the NSUI was compelled to field a woman candidate, questions can be asked over the decision to overlook Mina Dabas and Meenakshi Sharma, both of whom were strong contenders, and can boast of a more impressive list of merits to their name. In fact, Mina Dabas as college president has the affiliation of Aditi Mahavidyalaya with the DUSU to her credit. Widespread opinion has it that the NSUI wanted to field a “presentable” candidate, which is where all others lost out to Ragini Naik. Even as state president of the NSUI Anil Chowdhary claims that “Ragini will go far in politics and meets the requirements,” union workers try hard to understand what is it that a worker needs to receive a party nomination. In fact, a large number has vowed to vote for Nakul Bharadwaj (ABVP) and believe that his victory is imminent, not because of his own ability but because of NSUI’s dubious policies. It seems that the run-up to the polls will not only require the NSUI to gain the confidence of DU students, but also regain the confidence of their own party workers. |
GLITZ & GLAMOUR Is the tall sleek figure with a perfect face, glossy hair and translucent skin that stares across from billboards, TV screens and magazine covers your role model? Is it her vital statistics that come to your mind when you eat or go clothes hunting? Are you one of those who would give sumptuous food a go because your
old jeans is still waiting
for you?
If yes, you may be hankering after ill health more than good looks. Thin has been in for as long as we can remember, this despite warning from doctors and fitness experts and also confessions from the reed thin models and actresses. Thin is also harmful holds little meaning for those who can afford more than two square meals a day and consciously kill their appetite. A recent newspaper report which indicated the Body Mass Index (BMI) of some of the country’s most sought after (read ‘the thin’ and ‘the beautiful’) models should come as a revelation to the scores of girls who refuse to eat and starve themselves to attain the waif-like look. Says Dr Sanjay Chugh, a psychiatrist in Delhi, “ I have treated plenty of anorexic cases. Though most of them are between 15 and 20 years of age there have been cases where the girls were as young as eight or nine”. Dr Chugh, whose patients include professional models and air hostesses, adds, “The problem has in the past five years has multiplied 100 times. This probably is because of the overexposure through the media of the reed thin models. Earlier the focus was on looking thin and good, but now it has acquired pathological dimensions”. Says Rita (name changed), an adviser at a renowned fitness centre in the Capital, “An aspiring model, all of 16, came to us because she desperately wanted to get into shape. Even when we wanted to convince her that she should give herself time, she would refuse to believe us and go on a diet, which was more of a hunger strike”. Incidents such as these are increasingly becoming common. What starts as plain concern to look good gets translated into an obsession. Rita adds, “We have also had professional models coming in for exercise and diet recommendations. Though they are very strict about their grooming, there are times when they would confess that food was on their mind and to kill the thought they light up a cigarette”. Anorexia literally means “loss of appetite” but in reality anorexics are usually extremely hungry and often very interested in food. Although such people think about food most of the time, they restrict their eating and therefore lose weight. Anorexia patients, say experts, exhibit body-mind dichotomy where the body demands food but the mind refuses the same. This in turn leads to starvation, resulting in serious damage to vital organs like the heart and the brain. The other symptoms of this disorder are irregular menstrual periods, breathing difficulty, a drop in the pulse and blood pressure rates and slowing of the thyroid function. Nails and hair become brittle; the skin dries and acquires a yellow tinge. Anaemia, swollen joints, reduced muscle mass and light-headedness are among the other signs of anorexia. In serious cases, clinical depression cannot be ruled out and some even develop suicidal tendencies. Says Sarita (name changed), who underwent treatment for anorexia, “ Beauty pageants and film stars with their narrow waistlines can be very detrimental for the psyche of those who are not confident about their selves. It is a pity that events like these, which are meant to raise the low self-esteem of women in our country, are actually a healthy hazard”. Bhajan Sopori “ I have always experimented. To me experimentation and novelty are a challenge, which I must accept. It is perhaps for this reason that I have never confined myself to doing the routine things”, explains Sopori, who has had rigorous training in both Indian classical as well as Western classical music. The maestro has to his credit the introduction of santoor as a complete solo instrument, thereby bringing it on a par with the sitar and the sarod in Tantakari and Boles. Rendition of the Dhrupad Ang on santoor to the accompaniment of the Pakhawaj is also a part of his innovations on santoor. Having created more than 4,000 compositions and dabbled with films, his recent venture, a Kashmiri film titled ‘Bab’, recently won the Nargis Dutt Award. “ I have done the music score of the film and I have used various shades of Kashmiri music in the film. This movie had a sensitive story line and it was important to have the music gel with the emotions. I have included Sufiana and even the folk music into the orchestration”, says Sopori who was assisted in the venture by his sons Rustam and Sohrab. The musician, who has been awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi award apart from many others, rues the fact the government in the state has done precious little for artists and musicians. “ Some of my students from the valley who play the santoor are apprehensive about their future. The condition is disheartening. In July this year I had been invited to play in the valley. This concert was the first in the past 13 years and when the people got to know that I was there to play, they could barely control their emotions, they leapt on to the stage weeping. This is the power of music and love”. Elucidating further, he says, “If you are honest to your job, people will always respect you and love you, despite the circumstances”. Confessing that he alone cannot do much for music and the musicians, he adds, “Government patronage is a must for the artists, specially when times are not easy”. Sopori’s research on the sound has won him great acclaim and admiration. His album, titled ‘Naad Yoga on Santoor’, has found favour with the medical practitioners who prescribe it to patients. Sums up Sopori, “ Music has great healing power. And it is through music that one can win the hearts of people who may not be essentially musical”.
Silversmithing The Jewellery Design Institute has introduced a new course, ‘Silversmithing’, which aims to make designing knowledge centric. The one-year programme will include basic knowledge of design and other applicable techniques like cutting, sawing, bending, twisting, forging, colour oxidation, stamping, dying and emery finish.
Mommies-to-be Set up by Jhilmil Breckenridgwe in 2001, the inspiration for the store came from “personal needs”. Not being able to find “stylish and comfortable” clothes Jhilmil gave birth to Motherware, just a day before her third son was brought into the world. A store that started with one employee and from the space that a dining room could offer, Motherware is today a grown up baby.
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Born into a family that developed the Sufi Baj, a style of santoor playing, santoor maestro Bhajan Sopori has for the past 46 years kept not just the traditional genre of Sufiana and classical music alive but strives to create what has not been attempted before.
Bid adieu to the shapeless gowns and kameez to hide the bulge. Expectant mothers are now going to have some stylish clothes. Motherware, a company set up to “serve the need of pregnant women”, have a host of knick-knacks to offer. From stylish maternity and feeding apparel to comfort products like maternity pillows, maternity belts and underwear the store has it all.