New Delhi, November 7
With the first semester exams to begin after 15 days, it's a tough time for Delhi University students and teachers, who are struggling to finish the syllabus, to complete assignments, internal assessment and wrap up the practical assignments.

For science students, the classes have already ended officially as the practical exams began on November 3. The main theory exams will begin on November 23. With just limited time left, majority of teachers from both science and humanities are yet to mark the internal assessment marks which count up for 25 per cent of the total marking scheme per subject.

With pending assignments and demanding extra classes for subjects where syllabus is still left, even students are in a fix.

Students are more sceptical about the exams pattern because of the new system.

"We are slightly nervous as our seniors had taken the exams under the annual pattern. It's the first time that we will be taking the exams under a new pattern. The element of surprise is just a bit too much to take," said Abhinav Sood, a first year student of Kirori Mal College.

"We cannot ask the seniors for readings because our course is different from theirs. We cannot even rely on any last year question paper as we have none. This is the first time that the semester model question paper will be set in humanities. There isn't enough time for tutorials or doubts clearing sessions. Assignments are heaping up and no time for self-study," said Depshita Bohidar, from psychology (hons), Hindu College.

"Exams of the postgraduate courses will start on November 19, while for the undergraduate these will start around the third week of November. While the exams of some of the science courses such as BSc (hons) computer science, zoology, botany, physics and mathematics will start on November 23, other courses such as BCom will start on November 25," said RC Sharma, dean of examinations, DU.

Teachers are also trying to put together last minute classes to complete the syllabi.

"The course for most of these subjects is almost over. But to cover whatever little is left, teachers are in the process of taking classes over weekends and even after college hours," said Abha Habib, physics faculty, Miranda House.

New Delhi, November 7
After hostellers of Daulat Ram College protested on Saturday night against the administration's decision that bars the students from keeping mobile phones or laptops in rooms, Delhi University Students Union today supported their cause and said it would take the matter to the vice-chancellor.

DUSU president Ajay Chikara, along with other students, will meet the university proctor and the dean of student welfare tomorrow to discuss the matter.

"Due to holidays on Sunday and Id, we could not speak to the college authorities. Though Daulat Ram doesn't participate in DUSU polls, their grievances will be taken to the administration. Troubled students have been contacting us for help," said Chikara.

"How can not using mobile phones or laptops help a student? Our projects, slides, research files and so much more needs to be on our laptop and not on a public computer in college library", he added.

The hostellers at Daulat Ram have also alleged that they are subjected to random frisking and checks during the night time. As the doors do not have any latch, resentment among the students has been building up for the past few days, especially the girls.

Finally, they decided to stage a silent protest on Saturday night, braving the midnight chill by staying out of their rooms.

Ira Pandit, media coordinator of Daulat Ram College, said: "The students' amenities committee and the principal met yesterday and discussed the matter. Students were assured that no one will be penalised for having protested. All their grievances will be heard and redressed as far as possible."

New Delhi, November 7
The Delhi pavilion will showcase century-old handicrafts of the country's Capital at the India International Trade Fair this time, unfolding the artistic grandeur through six intricate crafts, including zardozi, minakari work and lacquer work.

Put up by the Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, the city government's pavilion promises to display the Capital's revolutionary artistic legacy that gradually evolved into becoming the favourite among the connoisseurs of craft.

While the pavilion, with an apt title-"DEHLEEZ", is expected to be a spectacular show of the artifacts and traditional artistic styles that the old city boasts of, it would also serve as a business promotion platform with a range of products speaking volumes of the artisans' finesse and art.

From November 14, the pavilion eyes to capture the maximum number of visitors from the country as well as overseas through its well-conceived stalls reflecting the theme "Indian Handicrafts - The Magic of Gifted Hands".

"Visitors would have on offer-a glimpse of the choicest handicrafts, including gems and jewellery, ivory work and ittar along with an oxpportunity to see gifted craftsmen at work," said chief management director, DSIIDC, Chetan Sanghi.

Elaborating on the tenor and architecture of the pavilion, he said from the main entrance, with the ambience relating to the heritage city of Shajahanabad, there would be the exotic architecture in mixed finish of yellow and earthy colours that would gradually greet the visitors to the pavilion inside.

The colourful stall would also have engaging sessions for the city's art lovers through the traditional crafts with an aim to make their date the finest one.

"People here are quite conscious of the art and crafts. The exhibition has been kept interactive through workshops. Craftsmen would demonstrate the skills of their art and the process of making their products," added Sanghi.

Targeting visitors of all age groups, the pavilion has put up sections that would display achievements spanning over a period of time from various departments and autonomous bodies under the Delhi government.

New Delhi, November 7
Following an incident wherein a 14-year-old Orissan maid was injured at her employer's house, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has written a formal letter addressed to the Resident Commissioner of the Odisha government.

In the letter written today, it has requested the commissioner to investigate the matter and provide assistance to the girl, Priya (name changed) and her family.

The letter was written to highlight the issue of child right violations.

The letter read that the commission has taken cognizance of the issue. The commission demands that the condition of the girl and her father at the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital be assessed through the OSD at Odisha Niwas. An interim report about this will have to be submitted to the commission by November 11, as per the letter.

The interim report will include the maid's home address, when and how she arrived in Delhi and the details about her employment.

The report will also include the treatment she has been given at her employer's house and how she was injured by the iron trunk.

The letter also demands assistance for the girl and her family from the authorities concerned of the Delhi government, Delhi police, Department of Women and Child Development, Odisha government and the District Collector.

An investigation report and Action Taken Report (ATR) will have to be given to the commission by November 21.

Copies of the letter were sent to the Secretary of the Department of Women and Child Development, Odisha government; DGP, Odisha; and District Collector and Magistrate, Balasore District, Odisha.

Priya was brought to Delhi one and a half years ago by her uncle, Suresh Behera. He had reportedly told her father that she would be given education and would work as a governess in a businessman's house. Priya was also promised Rs 1,000 per month as her salary. She was employed as a maid at the residence of one, Abhinav Arya, who lives with his family at Sunder Apartments in Paschim Vihar.

On October 21, Priya while lifting an iron trunk in her employer's garage was injured by it. The next day she was admitted to the RML hospital. She had been treated at the General Ward of the hospital for eight days. Later, she was shifted to the Gynaecology Ward. Priya's father only received Rs 10,000 for the one and a half years.

The Crime Branch has reportedly arrested Suresh and Abhinav.

New Delhi, November 7
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor, Balbir Tyagi and his brother were thrashed after their Honda City car scraped against a Tata Ace tempo at Vikaspuri this morning.

Balbir Tyagi is a BJP councillor from ward number 116 of Vikaspuri East. His brother, Vikas Tyagi is the BJP head of a block.

The accused have been identified as Rajesh, Amit, Gopal and Amit, who are between 21 and 25 years of age. They work with a transport company and were shifting household articles from one location to another at the time of the accident. The police has arrested the four accused.

Sources said that about 11.30 am today, their vehicles grazed against each other at Vikas Kunj in Vikaspuri. This led to an argument between them and the four accused allegedly started beating Balbir and Vikas.

Balbir and Vikas were taken to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where they are recuperating.

The police said that a case under the appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at the Vikaspuri police station. 

New Delhi, November 7
Id-ul-Zuha or the "festival of sacrifice" was celebrated across the capital today with traditional fervour and gaiety as thousands of faithful flocked to mosques to offer prayers.

Muslims attended prayers at various mosques in the city and hugged each other as an expression of brotherhood.

Thousands of Muslims thronged the 17th century Jama Masjid and other mosques like Fatehpuri Masjid and and Idgah Masjid in the capital on Id-ul-Zuha Monday, celebrating the festival with special prayers and the spirit of sacrifice. People, dressed in their festive best, visited the houses of their friends and relatives and offered gifts.

Chants of "Allah ho Akbar" resonated in the narrow lanes of Delhi's old quarters from the loudspeakers of the Jama Masjid, one of the main centres for Id festivities, while 1.75 lakh people attended the prayers at Fatehpuri Masjid.

"The Jama Masjid was packed; thousands of devotees this morning attended the namaz at 8.30 am. The namaz is usually conducted after one hour 15 minutes of sun rise," said Syed Ahmad Bhukari, shahi imam of the Jama Masjid.

Id-ul-Zuha is also known as Id-e-Qurban or Bakr-Id because of the spirit of sacrifice it entails. On this day, Muslims offer goats and sheep as sacrifice.

"The festival underlines the truth that sacrifice brings man and God close to each other. It is not about the sacrifice of goat or sheep, but a reminder of one's submission to God and the feeling of sacrifice and obedience attached to it," Mukarram Ahmed, a resident of Jamia Nagar in south Delhi, said.

People hugged friends and relatives while exchanging greetings after the morning prayer.

After prayers, the devotees sacrificed goats and other animals and shared the meat with their relatives, friends and the poor.

"In today's sermon, the imam gave an explanation for the celebration of Bakr-Id. The celebration is to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God. Meanwhile, Allah intervened to replace Ismail with a sheep," said 12-year-old Shaukat Ali, a resident of old Delhi.

The livestock markets in Delhi sold some of the popular breeds of goats like Mewati, barbari, desi and totapuri which arrived from neighbouring sates like Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and were mostly priced between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000.

"The meat was cooked for various lip-smacking dishes like biryani, kaleji and korma. We prepared sweets and desserts like sewaiyaan, phirni and kheer," said Nadia Shanaz, a homemaker.

Markets wore a festive look. Elaborate traffic and security arrangements were put in place for the festival.

India has the third highest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan.

Id-ul-Azha is celebrated worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God. - Agencies

New Delhi, November 7
Contemporary dance guru Brahim Bouchelaghem from France and a bunch of teenaged boys from the Khirkee Extension slum near Saket in the capital have something in common: they all dance hip hop.

Bouchelaghem, a French dancer of Algerian origin, connected to the hip hop dancers in Khirkee when he taught them head-spins and few acrobatic body movements at a workshop in the capital this week. The boys in turn surprised Bouchelaghem on Sunday at the fifth Delhi International Arts Festival with a spontaneous recital at the end of his stunning performance.

"Hip hop is becoming popular across the world because of its freedom of movement and flexibility of style… But it is a difficult dance to sustain," Bouchelaghem, who performed Sunday, told IANS.

"It has to be made more progressive so that the dance form can evolve or else it will be lost for forever… Not too many dancers take it seriously despite its popularity," the dancer said.

For the group of 18 dancers from Khirkee, aged between 15 and 16 years, Bouchelaghem's performance was a revelation that would help them develop "new body language".

"His workshop was very educative," said Astik, the troupe leader.

The group, which calls itself "Slum Gods", dances "to beat stress for two hours at the end of each working day".

The "Slum Gods" are associated with the NGO Tiny Drops. This allows them to use the Khoj International Artists' Association studio premises in Khirkee for practice.

"Earlier, we danced to express ourselves creatively; but now we pursue hip hop as an art," Kanhaiya, one of the dancers, said.

They learn from their guru "Hira, a hip hop dancer of Indian origin who has returned home from New York".

"And masters like Bouchelaghem expose us to the global trends in hip hop," added Astik.

Almost all the boys would like to make it to Hollywood as professional hip hop dancers.

Bouchelaghem, who is looking to fuse hip hop with traditional Indian dances in choreography, is "keen to return to India next year to work on a new creation".

"It might be my next project," the dancer, who is on his maiden visit to India, said.

Bouchelaghem performed "Zahrbat (he who cannot stand still)", a hip hop performance about an immigrant's return to his Algerian roots to pay a tribute to his dead father.

Bouchelaghem included a combination of funk, break dance, acrobatics, ballet and free-style hip hop to enact the game through complex body language.

He used enlarged playing cards and an empty suitcase that he remembered his father carrying back with him to Algeria.

"My father went back to Algeria in 1981. I visited Algeria (in north Africa) in 2003 and visited my father's grave. I wanted to create a performance in his memory… And choreographed Zahrbat in 2004," Bouchelaghem said.

Bouchelaghem, a self-taught hip hop dancer, is known for perfecting the free-style hip hop genre into an art.

He has travelled with Zahrbat - his choreography - to Europe, China, Russia and Korea.

"French hip hop is a contemporary artistic dance genre; different from the old school hip hop that originated in the coloured neighbourhood of Bronx in New York in the late 1970s as an expression of freedom by free-style teenage dancers on the streets," the maestro, who has been dancing nearly for 30 years, said.

Call it a cross-cultural osmosis or melting of socio-cultural divides-performing arts are finally smashing the walls. - IANS

New Delhi, November 7
Five more people were killed in two separate road accidents in the outer and west districts of Delhi during the last 24 hours.

According to the police, the first accident was reported about 11.30 pm yesterday at Punjabi Bagh.

The deceased have been identified as Ashok (50) and Tanishq (7), who were neighbours. The police said that there were also two injured persons, Manoj (26), Ashok's son and Prateek, who is Tanishq's brother.

"Ashok and Manoj had planned to take Prateek and Tanishq for a cruise on a motorcycle. The motorcycle was driven by Manoj, who had consumed alcohol. The accident occurred at the Ring Road-Rohtak roundabout in Punjabi Bagh about 11.30 pm. An unidentified truck hit the rear of the motorcycle," said a police official.

The official added that the children's family was not aware that Ashok was taking them on a motorcycle.

The four victims were taken to the Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, where doctors declared Ashok and Tanishq brought dead. Manoj and Prateek were discharged after receiving treatment.

The official said that postmortems of Ashok's and Tanishq's bodies were conducted at the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital. Their bodies were then given to their families.

The police said that the truck driver had fled after the accident.

A case has been registered under Indian Penal Code section 279 (rash driving) and section 304 (A) (causing death by negligence).

The second accident was reported about 2 am today at the Outer Ring Road in Pitampura.

The deceased have been identified as three friends Rajkumar (26), Mukesh (27) and Mahender (22). They were returning on a motorcycle after attending Mukesh's sister's wedding at his Sultanpuri residence last night.

"Mukesh along with his two friends were on a motorcycle, heading towards his residence at Wazirpur. A truck rammed into the rear of the motorcycle at the Outer Ring Road," said a police official.

Mukesh's elder brother had told him to quickly reach the residence at Wazirpur.

"Since the whole family was at Sultanpuri to attend the wedding, Mukesh was told to quickly head home. They were worried that someone might rob the residence at Wazirpur as no one was present there," added the official.

Two of the persons died on the spot while Mukesh was taken to the Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital. He was declared brought dead.

The truck driver, Ramdev, has been arrested, said the official. The victims were earlier employed together in a private company at Kirti Nagar.

New Delhi, November 7
A 27-year-old unemployed youth, who lost his job with a private bank during recession, was arrested here for allegedly cheating at least 50 people by promising them easy bank loans, the police said today.

Rahul Kaushal was apprehended from Harsh Vihar recently following investigations into a complaint filed by Shiv Dutt Sharma that he was cheated of Rs 4,300 by a person who promised him a personal loan of Rs 1 lakh.

"Sharma alleged that a executive of HDFC Bank called him on his mobile phone and introduced new loan schemes/plans of bank and promised to provide him personal loan of Rs 1 lakh easily and fixed up an appointment.

"Kaushal visited his house next day and Sharma gave him two signed cheques of Rs 4,300 and Rs 4,000 besides a blank cheque and Rs 1000 in cash. Kaushal remained in contact for 3-4 days and then went underground," Sharma said.

The fraud came to light when Sharma checked his bank statement and found withdrawal of Rs 4,300 from his account through a cheque, which he had given to Kaushal.

Investigations revealed that the accused is presently residing in Harsh Vihar.

Police raided several places and a door-to-door search was conducted and finally Kaushal was arrested from Harsh Vihar where he was staying with his family.

Kaushal told police that he was working in the Loan Department of a prominent bank and during recession, he lost his job. Due to indepth knowledge of the bank's plans, he started cheating people on the pretext of providing them easy loans.

"So far, the accused has duped at least 50 people of around Rs 1 lakh through blank cheques," Sharma said.--PTI