N.O.W. Campus Magazine Issue 1 by Samarth Chandola

n o t h i n g

o f f i c i a l

w i t h i n

Vol I | August 09

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Editor's blah blah... Nothing short of sheer universal conspiracy can explain things reaching a point where I have to actually write this short note. Despite our best lethargic efforts and constant putting-off of deadlines, we seem to have accidently done something somewhere that the Gods up there found handy, with the result that work on this inaugural issue is over and I find myself cancelling out on sweet sleep to write this. *Grumbles Much* NOW just added itself to the roster in the great scheme of things that be, and to celebrate, I shall now express eloquent words of wisdom that essentially capture the theme, spirit and IQ level of the magazine – Yadda yadda wadda wadda inga binga zongo! Also to be included here is a statutory warning which our legal counsel decided we must include after their top corporate lawyer read the magazine, threw his clothes off, and ran naked through the office singing “Mary had a little lamb” (His currents whereabouts are unknown, but he was last sighted singing “Humpty Dumpty” at a rival law firm, still naked). By touching the magazine, you are transferring all associated risks upon you. NOW is not responsible for any loss of sanity or derangement of the mind, and will feel no guilt whatsoever at having making you lose your normal life, lover, friends and family for the solitary confinement of the asylum cell. But don’t worry too much, for even if you do end up in the asylum with no life, we’ll ensure your monthly copy of NOW still reaches you. Who needs anything else? All this being said and done, I think I can safely conclude and go back to my beauty-sleep. Oh wait… I can’t sleep. I have to start working on the second issue… and then I’ll have to work on the third issue… and then the fourth… fifth… six… it’s a vicious circle! We’ve created a monster! *Hits himself on the head* Sigh… it’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it! As for you, an entire maniacal issue of NOW awaits you. Read in… Read on!

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Contents

Kampus Konnection

A-Part from the Crowd

Iconic Trends

Catching the Eye

Careers

City Beat

Scene 'Em

Music

Most Splendored Thing

Tongue (Firmly) in Cheek

You've Got a Friend

The Big Byte

Sports

Something New

Need for Speed

Contests

Subscribe NOW!

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Kampus Konnection Kriti Sharma Hindu College

Lady Shri Ram College

Established in 1899, Hindu College is one of the most famous colleges of Delhi University and was initially affiliated to Punjab University, who threatened to de-affiliate it in 1902 for lack of premises. However, a benevolent Rai Bahadur Lala Sultan Singh donated a part of his private property in Kashmiri Gate to the college. The present college campus, as it stands, was acquired in 1953 (we at NOW are doubtful if the new developments in keeping with the commonwealth games will leave any space for regular classes, but students don’t get your hopes too high ;-))

Sir Shri Ram, endowed with an indefatigable enthusiasm to actualize his dream, established this college in 1956 in memory of his wife, Lady Shri Ram, ‘to provide access to higher education of quality to women.’ This college, like Hindu, began in the humble precincts of Daryaganj but later moved on to its current premises in Lajpat Nagar.

Perhaps the only time when the college was completely shut down was in 1942, when students and teachers alike answered Gandhiji’s call to participate in the Quit India Movement. (So now you know what it takes to shut down a college – a man in a dhoti brandishing a lathi, that’s what!) The classrooms of Hindu college were once inhabited by the likes of Manoj Kumar, Vishal Bharadwaj, Arjun Rampal, Tisca Chopra, Loveleen Tandon, cricketer Saba Karim and director Imtiaz Ali. Imagine Manoj Kumar sitting under the oh-so-famous Virgin Tree and wondering about his future films. And when not checking out other chicks, Vishal Bharadwaj composing tunes (that would go on to become future hits) to impress his fellow-student and future wife. Loveleen Tandon recalls “sitting with Imtiaz and another friend and discussing [their] future plans”, as does Ali – “During our time, the principal PC Verma told us that if you are part of two productions, you could miss classes”. For the current batch, we hope that someday, we put your name here as well.

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The college website greets you with its famous motto – “That alone is knowledge which leads to liberation”. True to the word, the college – one of the best in Delhi – has become an embodiment for academic and extracurricular achievement (not to mention the gorgeous ladies). It is also one of the few Delhi University colleges to boast of a women’s hostel. Not many know that Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the leader of the National League of Democracy in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi, is from the Lady Shri Ram Political Science class of ’64 (you see, LSR girls are not just good at keeping lecherous men at bay, but perfectly capable of keeping entire governments at bay!). Another notable alumni is Bharatnatyam dancer Geeta Chandran, who lists ‘arguing with my spouse on the merits of LSR’ as one of her merits for he, unfortunately, ‘could not get into LSR’. The college also boasts other names like Naina Lal Kidwai, Anamika Haksar, Sabina Sehgal, Vinita Bali and Aparna Caur. College students swear by the bhel-puri outside college and admit that their perfect 10 figures can be attributed to running to the M-block market between classes. The cafe, the ruins and the back-lawns make L.S.R. the place to be in.

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A-Part from the Crowd Aakash Aggarwal Meet Vishwajoy Mukherjee [Ramjas, Eng(h), final year] and Prithvi Rohan Kapoor [Ramjas, Eco(h), final year] – two of the biggest names in the DU Debating Scenario whose yearn for arguments even took them to the UK last year. Sitting at D-School, they talk to NOW about Debating and DU. AA: How is school level debating different from university level debating? VM: At the school level, one is given weeks to figure out why something is a boon or a bane… at the college level, you have 20 minutes to figure out the best way to hide your ignorance about the given motion! PRK: Quite different actually. Style, format and the weightage given to different components is very different. While school debating is more delivery oriented, university debating is more argument oriented. You need to be spontaneous , quick thinking and logically consistent. AA: Which debating competition would you rank the best and why? VM: NLS Bangalore. We won the tournament two years in succession… guess someone really likes us! PRK: Mukh-mem at Stephens! It felt more like Great Britain than… well..Great Britain! May it please the hallowed portals of Stephania that it was indeed an honor to ramble on within those sacred walls. AA: DU debaters have strange superstitions. What’s yours? VM: I like to touch Prithvi’s thighs three times before I go to speak! (Grins) Not sure if that qualifies as superstition!

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PRK: I have many and call them idiosyncrasies instead. I kiss the microphone, make faces at the opposition, and wear my boxers inside-out before a final… Oh, and I also don’t shave during a tournament! AA: Some believe ECA can damage grades. True? VM: Don’t think there’s a causal relationship between my slipping academics and ECA… However, debating is a good alibi! PRK: Nah… debating doesn’t impact academics. Largely because once you start debating, you don’t have an academic life left to impact! AA: You two debated in UK. How was it? Is debating a great platform to *sheepish grin* know the girls? VM: It was Grand! Remembered by me for the Guinness Stouts (my first love), the fine French woman (my second love), and the Irish adjudicator who thought we brought the “crazy on” (apparently that’s a good thing). PRK: Debating in Cambridge felt like playing cricket at Lord’s! Debating different nationalities, keeping up with their accents, driving sense into the Americans, staying sober after a gazillion stouts, and keeping your feet on the ground after speaking with the

‘ waitress with the tattoo’… was quite difficult. AA: Your advice to freshers? Exposure or money? VM: I don’t do advices… that’s Prithvi’s forte. It is the exposure that the money can buy you, which is encouraging. PRK: Debate because you love to speak uninterrupted. For me, it’s the sheer thrill of having people’s attention and communicating a point. It’s the art that’s most important. AA: What has been your biggest goof-up during a debate? VM: I couldn’t stop laughing for 2 minutes in a 6 minute speech because I found a point that the opposition raised particularly dim! PRK: During the occasion of my first parliamentary debate, we were forced to defend how not allowing women in the army was a good thing. The ‘Mirandians’ made a point about how they gave blood every month, and I countered that Miranda was lying as there must be a three month gap between two blood donations. Even as my teammate lauded the point, the room filled with laughter as Miranda girls giggled to their hearts content!

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s d n e r T Iconic ma

by Kriti Shar

MEN: What to do if you don’t have it...

Wear turtlenecks and crewnecks

... the mass, we mean. We all like to drool

Go for turtleneck or crewneck sweaters in chilly weather as V-neck sweaters will expose your neck and thin features. Similarly, open-collared shirts won’t flatter you either, so button up your dress shirts as much as possible. Pay attention to the collar when you’re buying dress shirts and pick ones that have spread collars as they will make the upper portion of your chest seem wider.

over our tall, dark and handsomes, be it John Abraham or Denzel Washington. Unfortunately, all men do not emerge winners in the genetic lottery. That, however, does not make them eligible for expulsion from the list of the good-looks department. If you’re thin and think your chances look bleak, it’s time to cheer up! All you gotta do is:

Wear flat-front pants Wear jackets at the right length Make sure they all fall right under your buttocks. A short jacket will emphasize your height as well as your skinny waist, arms and legs. A long jacket, on the other hand, can make you look like a blanket-covered stick. Pockets also add a bit more volume to your shape (as do pleats), but we’d suggest you take care not to end up looking like Hagrid in his famous jacket, which appears to be made of nothing other than pockets.

Tailor your blazers It is important NOT to wear oversize blazers or sweaters with fitted pants; otherwise your thin frame will become glaringly apparent. Do avoid any loose fabric under the arms or in the shoulder area, lest you look like some huge chicken flapping its wings.

Avoid slimfitting shirts One golden rule – buy shirts that are neither too clingy to seem you’re making out with them, nor too large to make you look like you’re swimming in them. Choose slim-cut shirts and layer them to fake a bit more mass.

Go for straight-leg or slightly boot-cut shapes and steer clear of tapered trousers or skinny jeans and banish pinstripes from your closet to avoid the much-enamoured (...NOT!) beanpole look.

Buy blazers with small shoulder padding Defying the ‘bigger is better’ rule are blazers with small shoulder padding as they give your back and chest a visual boost, whereas massive padding will only make you seem like a small boy lost in a man’s jacket (even if it cost a fortune!).

Choose bulky fabrics When in style, thick corduroy pants can beef up your legs. During the colder months, skip out on trends like fitted, grandpa-style cardigans in order to avoid resembling a schoolboy, and try chunky, knitted wool cardigans instead.

The not -so-thin men need not start their work-outs yet, for in the next issue, we’ll tell you how to look great even with all those extra kilos!

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Style Icon: Barrack Hussain Obama Note: This article is the combined product of the stylist, NOW’s celebrated columnist, and the poor editor.

Why is he a Style Icon Okay! So, this dude is the American President and all. Cool! And he also ‘transcended politics to become an American Style Icon by adhering to the old rule of dressing for the job’. Ok, Whatever. What we at NOW like about the guy is that unlike some campaign-trail politicians (read Clinton) who wore jeans, he never dressed down for the cameras. Heck! The guy taught men how to wear suits again! For one, his suits are not at all flashy. Rather, they’re impeccably tailored for a truly classic look. Our stylist here at NOW wants us to include the following sentence- “Style never had anything to do with grabbing on to the latest fashion trends – rather, being stylish simply means looking good in whatever you wear”. Have you ever noticed that “the trouser cuffs of his suits break just enough across his cap-toe oxfords to perfectly end the slim silhouette that begins with the soft shouldered jacket” or “the smooth and elegant lines of his clothes perfectly match his debonair personality and the clean lines and drape of his jacket never seem ill-fitting or bulky”? Neither did us. Turns out we’re all blind and our stylist confirms that it is (indeed!) the case. *Stylist takes over* Not many are aware that he began his campaign wearing Ermenegildo Zegna suits, but just as Nicolas Sarkozy was lauded in France for wearing Prada, Obama soon found himself at the centre of sartorial questions. Rather than change his look however, he merely changed to similarly designed suits from Hart Schaffner Marx. Ultimately though, Barrack Obama’s style is much more than the clothes he chooses to wear. Obama’s unique style is expressed in how he talks, how he interacts, and the confidence he exudes. *Columnist

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shoots stylist* (Editor’s note: Crap! Will have to find a new one for the next issue and they don’t come easy!)

Dress the Obama Way Are you the American President? No? Then why do you want to dress like one? Oh! We’re supposed to tell you how to dress like him. *Shouldn’t have shot the stylist* Alright. So, umm, the foundational rule of The Barrack Hussain Obama Style is to keep your wardrobe simple and classy: finely made dark suits, a crisp white shirt and a camera-friendly pale blue or deep red tie to change things up. At his most casual, you might see him wearing the suit without the tie, or perhaps sans jacket and tie with sleeves rolled up just above the wrist. *To hell with the stylist! We can do this!* Now, Obama’s an intelligent guy. He wisely opts for three-button jackets that match the scale of his torso instead of a two-button one which go better with a shorter and more athletic frame. Men with Obamastyle long and lean bodies should avoid anything with vertical lines since that just makes you look taller. And stay away from suits that are tight - these just show off how skinny you are. The coolest thing about Obama’s dressing sense is his accessory (yes, there’s just one). It’s an uber cool Secret Service chronograph, which bears the seal of the United States Secret Service on a black dial with a black buffalo leather strap. (If you know where to get one, please gift one to our columnist.) Obama’s style statement thus, is refined yet simple: great suit, great shirt, understated tie, super kewl watch and the American Presidency! Way to go man!

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Catching the Eye College READ ON : The Curious Case of Calling : A All-Conquering College Life Journey Called First things first, the brother wags his finger in Life by Aakash Aggarwal disapproval to intervene. College is not always the Fourteen years of unadulterated fun and prime learning can seem like a dream from which one would never want to wake up. However, each of us impatiently waits for them to get over to embrace an alien path with new faces and newer challenges. We eagerly leave behind a beloved school to enter a dream college … What can be the reason behind such an unusual behavior pattern?

The investigating team at NOW decided to find out. Equipped with a magnifying glass and pen, it drilled its way into the minds of a peculiar brother-sister duo – the sister sets foot in the hallowed environs of North Campus even as the brother bids goodbye as he graduates.

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dream you harbored. In fact, the first few days (if not months) can actually make you ask, ‘what on earth have I done with my life?’ as you sit amidst strange faces. The sister cuts in. Rubbish, she argues. The excitement is always there, no matter what grades, course or college! The investigating officer looks at them threateningly. He signals them to be quiet. He will do the questioning. They will only answer.

NOW Why makes the mere prospect of ‘college life’ so ‘exciting’?

The sister cannot believe the question. Everything! You get to dress the way you like and dump routine uniforms! There are ‘lectures’ and not ‘periods’! You manage everything yourself! It’s an immense feeling of being ‘independent’ and ‘adult’. The best part? Bunking is normal!! The brother looks worked up. Blame it on the movies, he thunders! No, you can never break into a song anywhere in college. And thanks to marks allocated for attendance now, it’s not such a great idea to miss classes either. In fact, academics take a big leap from school days. College is SERIOUS business! However, the liberty to choose is certainly there. You choose your credits, behavior type and are left on your own in dramatics, debating and the like. Annoying teacher intervention is minimal.

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NOW What makes college so memorable? ‘Several factors’, says the brother as nostalgia fills the air. Awesome fun with friends, department trips, fests in campus… and ‘addas’ – JP tea stall at D-school, bhelpuri outside Hindu, cold coffee from KMC, kulchachhola opposite SOL, Tom uncle’s Maggie, or the many Chinese restaurants all around North Campus! They become a part of life. The sister keenly notes down the list of eating joints and types a reminder to remember checking these places the next day. She presents a fresher’s point of view. Every moment, she insists, is amazingly precious. The sea of people behind you at the metro station escalator, the walk down to college with smiles all around, the first cute guy you notice, going out with classmates for the first time or the last minute juice order even as the bell rings… moments cherished!

NOW Which friends last longer – school or college? The duo starts blabbering together. Officer intervenes. The sister answers first. Well, you cannot really bracket them, can you? School buddies retain their soft corners but distance, new pressures, social circle and different aims sort of re-order your priority lists. A reunion once in a blue moon helps, but then it’s never the same! The brother is shocked that his response is similar. Compartmentalizing friends can be a tad difficult. But what cannot be denied is that college offers you more variety, and you meet people from different social backgrounds, religion and geography. The gap between the privileged and the differently abled or the ones ostracized in the past is bridged. Your group is suddenly bigger – in terms of people, knowledge, cultures… it has more *searches for a word* substance, you see.

NOW There is a South Campus as well. Remember? Sure is, remarks the brother adjusting his glasses, and it has its own charm. The campuses are bigger and the

crowd’s more evened out… Venky has a lively market outside and colleges like LSR and DCAC have ‘happening’ hang out zones nearby. Life is different, but fun. North Campus is the ‘hub’ and thus the choice. The sister nods in approval. The only reason I chose NC, she knowingly says, is that I wanted more exposure and the metro made it more convenient. However, that doesn’t make SC a lesser choice. The colleges, especially the girls-only ones, are a world of their own. JMC with an open air, rocky GCR or LSR with special beds so that you can even go take a quick nap are unique. NC is just more abuzz!

NOW Right. What is college to you? For a start, it’s a big step… an important junction in a journey towards desired goals. After +2, it’s a step further, a bigger challenge – and I am up for it. I intend to make some friends, get quality education, and be better equipped for the road ahead. The brother looks at sister admiringly. Well said! College to me is… was, he corrects himself sadly, a sort of a supply station before a big fight. Get tanks refilled, batteries recharged, weapons uploaded and jump in. School is more of a starter but college is where the ‘coming of age’ happens. I’ll miss being here… The investigating officer has taken prodigious notes. After much analysis, debate and verification, the results are out. And they are stupendous. College is a once-in-a-lifetime experience – one is neither a tiny-tot to be taken care of nor an adult burdened with responsibilities. A trailer of life – with what’s best in it – is what college is all about. The experience is all-conquering and ranks first in timeless moments you wish to relive forever. CASE SOLVED. (Photograph courtesy: Anubhav Pradhan)

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Careers Study Abroad: Education beyond the borders by Sanjhi Aggarwal

Admissions for undergraduate courses in the University of Delhi have already been done with, and the lucky ones can be seen all over the city talking proudly in excitement. There are many though, who couldn’t make it to the university owing to one reason or the other. If you as well have missed getting admission here, or didn’t make it to a course of your choice, it’s nothing to be disappointed about as there as a plethora of international universities where you can apply and pursue the discipline of your interest.

Making the decision When making up your mind for international studies, it’s important to you use your own discretion and not be influenced by various non-credible sources. Although it is always better to avail professional guidance, the final decision has to be yours.

Popular courses and destinations Students usually go out to study architecture, engineering, medicine, management and accountancy. With the steep rise in the communication industry, disciplines like computers, animation, public relations and hospitality are also gaining pace. For years, destinations like USA, Canada and UK have been famous with students wishing to study abroad, but with growing opportunities, places like Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and Singapore are also catching on.

When choosing a University Always opt for well-recognised universities. It doesn’t need to be as popular as Cambridge or Oxford, but should at least be well known in the discipline you wish to pursue. It is crucial to research well and ensure the existence of a good support network for international students in the university before taking any decision.

When you apply 8

Rub your shoes and research extensively over the education system, syllabus, faculty and teaching techniques of the desired university before you make the final decision of applying to it. Application forms of most international universities can be procured online or by direct contact. Fill the form

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completely with no areas left blank. Check for loopholes and unanswered queries, as incomplete and ambiguous applications get rejected right away.

Document check with the application form

A covering letter providing information regarding your application Page long statement of purpose stating your objectives and the reason for opting for the concerned university Recommendation letters (at least two) from your professors who have taught you. They must be on the letterhead of the institution, duly signed and sealed A financial statement that shows adequate balances in your account to study abroad. A letter signed from the manager of the concerned bank on the bank letterhead is required to vouch for it An affidavit of support on Rs. 20 Non Judicial Stamp Paper Attested mark sheets of Class X and Class XII (by principal) Application fee in the concerned country’s currency Score card of English tests (TOEFL, IELTS GMAT) Your complete profile

To get going Once your application is accepted, file in for a visa straight away. Student authorization is important to validate your stay in an international land till your studies end. For this you require: Proof of identity (valid passport/ travelling document guaranteeing your nationality) Proof of financial support (showing enough money in your bank account to support yourself) Proof of unconditional acceptance (showing the name of educational institution, their letter of acceptance, the enrolled course and the duration of your stay) Medical examination (in some cases)

Budgeting the cause The initial expenditure will account for the cost of application, courier/ postal charges and the documentation charges. Once you get enrolled, expenses will also incorporate your travelling costs, accommodation charges along with personal needs and basic necessities. If your family can spend enough to send you abroad, it’s a silver spoon in your mouth. If they cannot though, it’s nothing to be disheartened about, as many banks will easily agree to aid you financially. Some universities also offer bursaries and scholarships to students, so always check if the university you have opted for has such arrangements.

A different experience Studying abroad is a great socio-cultural experience and certainly enhances your career prospects by adding considerable weight to your profile. It provides an expanded perspective and opens many roads to success. If you didn’t get what your discipline within the country, it’s no full-stop to your career, but an opportunity to look beyond the borders. Bon Voyage!

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8/7/09 4:44:36 AM

City Beat

Dilli’s Dil by Rhea Srivastava Whether you’ve lived here all your life or just moved in, you can’t help but love Delhi for what it is. And although its first impression may not be the best, behind the human and mechanical traffic, there is quite a multi-dimensional metropolis just waiting to be explored! For a student at the University, this can be quite a tedious task, since different people want different things. Thankfully, whether you’re a bookworm, a party animal (we wonder at the usage of the animal analogies ☺) or just wanna shop, there’s always some part of the city just waiting to perfectly cater to your need. NOW indulged itself (thanks to our eclectic staff) to explore our beloved city once again, just to find what region will make you tick.

know your haggling inside out, as that can get you your books at virtually throw-away prices. Of course, all that book-hunting can be tiring... so why not grab lunch at the world-famous Moti Mahal Restaurant with tea from Aap Ki Pasand and then a movie at the architectural marvel (not to forget cheap!) Golcha Cinema. And don’t forget to drop in at one of Delhi’s oldest book stores – the Delhi Book Store – to see a contemporary legacy, before curling up in your hostel rooms with the books you just bought at 1/3rd the price of your room mate! Damage on your wallet: NOT much...if you know how to bargain right!

NIGHT BIRDS – South Delhi

(S)AVANT GARDE – North Delhi

Not everyone can afford air-conditioned multi-storeyed book shops. For those study muffins who can’t find what they need at Kamla Nagar, the perfect alternative is Daryaganj. Easily accessible via metro and bus, this readers’ haven houses one of the most extensive collection of second-hand books in the entire city. Add to that the famous Book Bazaar on Sundays and there’s a real treat waiting for you – all the more so if you

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Whether it’s letting loose with some good music or enjoying that glass of beer, we all need our share of fun. Thankfully, every neighbourhood in South Delhi has some of the trendiest bars in the city. Why not start at the opulent watering F-bar in Ashok Hotel at Chanakya Puri (the place for fashionistas) or zoom right to the mall-hub at Saket to pay a pint at Ai in MGF Metropolitan Mall. Made by the Olive Bar and Kitchen guy (not to be missed again), Ai is one of the most classy abodes for night birds.

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While in Saket, who can miss the newly opened Hard Rock Cafe in DLF Place? Go crazy with live music and amazing food in one of the most famous restro-bar chains in the world. Also not to be missed is the roofterrace Tabula Rasa at the District Centre before hitting GK for the smartest bar in town – Smokehouse Grill. Top it all at the glamorous and (might we say) glittery Kuki at Masjid Moth. Damage on your wallet: A LOT, but it’s okay... for that one prefect peg ;)

SHOPPING JUNKIES – West Delhi Great for on-the-go shoppers, west Delhi has malls written all over it, whether its Pitampura, Rajouri Garden or Netaji Subhash Place (all connected by metro... YAY!). Whether you want the fanciest branded apparel or the cheapest export-surplus stuff, this place has it all. With loads of international brands along with a big Lifestyle store, City Square Mall at Rajouri Garden easily contends as one of the best malls in Delhi. Added bonuses include rides and games for siblings and three other adjacent malls to hop, skip and jump between. DLF City Centre at Shalimar Bagh caters to those with high purchasing power (read: your girlfriends) and if you really want to ’see’ a state-of-the-art mall, check out twin towers Mamram Magic just further on in Rohini. Remember, most of these malls host a range of multiplexes like Fun, M2K etc. to add to the experience. Damage on your wallet: Depends, though we’re highly doubtful you can control it!

you to have ice cream at India Gate? Made in commemoration of World War I (later updated for World War II as well) heroes and home to the Amar Jawan Jyoti, it connects directly to the Rashtrapati Bhawan at Raisina Hill through Rajpath (also the path for the annual Republic Day parade). The Predident’s residence is where Lutyen’s Delhi takes over. Be sure not to miss The Secretariats and the Parliament House with Anglican and Catholic Cathedrals on the way. Pay your respects at the nearby Rakabganj and Bangla Sahib Gurudwaras before lighting a candle at the Sacred Heart Cathedral and Church of Redemption. Finish your day delving into the past by visiting the National Museum which houses artefacts from the Paleolithic age to the Mughal period before coming back to the contemporary with the National Gallery of Modern Art. Damage on your wallet: Absolutely nothing! Isn’t it the best?

WASTED HANG(ers) – East Delhi We’re sorry... we tried, but there was really nothing in East Delhi that is better than any other region of the city (not counting Akshardham and Noida expressway). So we came to the conclusion that after going through everything else, you’d be too tired to go there anyway (just like us). But don’t worry, you always have the Yamuna River in East Delhi to commit suicide or something! Our celebrated columnist’s mother has a suggestion: In case you lose your certificates, you can go to the CBSE office at Preet Vihar. (*cue for incessant laughter*) or take your kid brother/sister to the Mother Dairy Factory (more laughter).

TIME TURNERS – Central Delhi

Damage on the wallet: yeah, right!

They say everything is accessible from central Delhi. If that’s true, are you in for a treat, my little heritage monger. Why not start with your favourite market, a marvel of European architecture and modelled on the Royal Crescent in Bath, England – Conaught Circus. Close by is Jantar Mantar, the famous 18th Century Scientific Observatory. And how can we forget to tell

Other stuff you could do in the weekend:

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1. Your college crush (sorry, we just couldn’t help ourselves) 2. A swim in the Yamuna River. 3. Go to some amusement park you went to as a kid. 4. Sit at home and study (HA!) 5. Move to some other city.

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Scene 'Em by Rhea Srivastava

ot kcaB Back to egelloC Movies When you’re in school, it’s all about academic achievement (otherwise how will you get into college?). Once you get into college though, sure... academics remain important, but a host of other things take over. It’s all about who you are, who you know, how popular you are, which clique you belong to, and how cool can you be... because that’s how it is in the movies.

Our movies show us a picture of the candy-coated-sugar-drop college we always dreamed of – where we can bunk all we want, where that popular guy will always have somebody putting in a ‘proxy’ for him, and where we’ll find true love... the sort that lasts forever (like THAT happens!). But most importantly, they give us lessons on friendship and tell us just how much fun college can be! So, to integrate the ‘reel’ with the ‘real’, here’s a list of must-see college-y movies to watch with your pals!

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Dil Chahta Hai

Perhaps a pioneering effort to understand the mentality of the youth at the onset of the new millennia, Dil Chahta Hai will always be remembered for introducing bold subjects like love between a younger man and an older woman, and for making Aamir Khan’s goatee (and Saif Ali Khan’s acting) popular. A fresh look at the lives of three justout-of-college friends, their unbreakable friendship, their careers, and their views on love, marriage and sex, this breakthrough film was packed with powerful performances from the superb ensemble cast. The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and the light moments, along with some witty one-liners, are the highlight of this great film.

Gulaal

A dark take on student and campus politics, Anurag Kashyap’s Gulaal is an out-and-out political drama. You will be surprised at the intricacies about campus and hostel-life observed in the storyline. Watch it for the performances and the morbid look at ruthless political games and ugly incidents of hostel ragging. We must see what the big fuss is about. After all, it took them seven years just to get the movie released!

Lakshya – Not set in a traditional college

campus, the first half of this movie shows the transition of a purposeless and confused youth into a focused and disciplined army officer on training at the IMA. The second half lets the poignancy of the romance seep in along with the brutality of war and violence, which lends fantastic support to the already fantastic storyline. The journey is unbelievable, and while the classy treatment may not find universal appeal,

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what connects us with the film is our familiarity with the main protagonist – the aimless Karan – and his metamorphosis from an ordinary life to an extraordinary one. All of us have gone through what he faces sometime or the other in our lives, or at least hope to find our respective paths to glory as well!

Movie of The Month

Rang De Basanti

Not really a “college movie” but who cares? RDB is one of the best movies of our generation, and is all about creating a thirst for change in the youth. Drawing parallels between British India and India ruled by corrupt politicians to move the story forward, the carefree lifestyle of the six youths is quickly changed into a fire of rebellion when tragedy strikes their own loved one. AR Rahman’s music is first-rate and the performances – especially those of Aamir and Siddharth – are haunting. And even after the time the movie ends, this remains in your head: Aye Sala, abhi abhi hua yakeen....ki aag hai mujhme kahin!

Rock On Okay, so technically, it’s neither about the youth nor about after-college perils. It’s about four estranged friends who meet again after years, their complicated relationships with their families and each other, their attempt to break out of their monotonous Nine-to-Five jobs, and most importantly, to not let go of a dream they saw years ago, while giving another chance to their friendship. It’s not only about the music (although that remains one of the most important aspects of the film) but also about emotions, nostalgi a and dreams. Even when tragedy ensues, you never really feel bad... instead, you cry and laugh with Adi, Joe, KD and Rob... and feel really good once the lights have brightened and the popcorn’s over.

Just like these movies, college life is a potpourri of joy, sadness, despair, hope and insecurities. The aim is to take it all with a dash of adventure, and watch movies to keep your sanity intact ;-)

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LOVE AAJ KAL WHO: Saif (eena) Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone. Produced by Saif himself and Directed by Imtiaz ‘Jab We Met’ Ali WHAT: As the name explains, it’s about love but also attempts to contrast eternal love stories of the past with new-age romantic comedies. A story about the changing yet constant face of love. WHY: Because it has hot Saif to keep the gals happy, hot Deepika to keep the guys happy, and Rishi Kapoor in an absolutely new avatar! Plus, the movie’s about love, what could be bad about that? Especially when it’s by the same guy who gave Shahid and Kareena their only superhit together!

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Music by Rhea Srivastava

Lines, Vines and Trying Times – JONAS BROTHERS

KAMBAKKHT ISHQ

Now now...there’s no need to get personal, which is exactly what the JoBros do with their fourth new album. Sure, it’s catchy and hip, but then, who said they couldn’t do that before? The album reminds us of how the Love Gods haven’t exactly blessed the poor souls, with Jo Jonas taking full revenge on ex Taylor Swift and the rest of the brothers’ Exs with “Much Better”, “World War III”, “Paranoid” and “What Did I Do To Your Heart”.

Director: Sabbir Khan | Music Director: Anu Malik Lyricist: Anvita Dutt Guptan

Technique wise, the boys do well when they take inspiration from the 80s Rock and Country, and thankfully, leave their teen innocence behind. It’s great to see them branching out into a variety of sounds with each song. FULL Volume >> “Poison Ivy”, “Before The Storm” (with Miley Cyrus), “Much Better”, “Black Keys”, “Turn Right” MUTE >> “Fly with Me”, “Hey Baby”, “What Did I Do To Your Heart”, “Don’t Speak” RATING >> TTT Moshable

The first big release after the strike...Akshay’s comeback after two major duds... a host of Hollywood Biggies... the music HAS to be good! In real Kumar tradition, “Om Mangalam” by guest composer RDB doesn’t fail to deliver. Thanks to its great vocals and catchy beat, the foot-tapping number will be a favourite amongst DJs for quite some time to come. But suddenly we’re succumbed to a horrible follow-up in the form of “Lakh Lakh”, lavish yet monotonous. “Kyun” adds the soulful element thanks to wonderful vocals by Shaan and Shreya Ghoshal, and the title track by KK and Sunidhi Chauhan comes as the surprise dark horse. Things heat up when the two lead hotties rock it with “Bebo”, and guest-composer Salim-Sulaiman’s “Welcome to Hollywood” is high on attitude. All in all, Kambakkht Ishq has a good combination of all styles of Indian music with loads of soul and loads of masala. FULL VOLUME >> “Om Mangalam”, “Bebo”, “Kyun” MUTE >> “Lakh Lakh” RATING >> TTTT FIERCE!!!

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JASHNN: the music within

Director: Raksha Mistry & Hasnain S Hyderabadwala Music Director: Sharib-Toshi Lyricist: Kumaar, Nouman Javaid & Nilesh Mishra The Bhatts have a long history of giving opportunities to newbies, and they do the same for Jashn in terms of music. Since common industry perception is that if nothing else in the movie is good, at least the music can be depended to rake in the moolah, Sharib-Toshi’s new musical duo have a lot of eyes on them. Nouman Javaid’s “Main Chala” – a song so beautiful that it’ll immediately pull your heart-strings – undoubtedly tops the album. “Nazrein Karam” and “Tere Bin”, while starkly different from each other, are both soulful romantic numbers. While the former gives a nice foottapping yet melodious track to the album, the latter – along with being hummable and lucid (thanks to Shaan and Shreya Ghoshal) – unintentionally adds variety to the similar theme seen in the rest of the songs. The album may not be as successful as the Bhatts previous albums, but there isn’t any reason not to pick it up just because it won’t have the same appeal as an Emraan Hashmi album. FULL VOLUME >> “Main Chala”, “Tere Bin”, “Dard-E-Tanhai” MUTE >> “Nazrein Karam” RATING >> TTT Moshable

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THE E.N.D – Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas have been known to record excruciatingly stupid songs which end up becoming the biggest chart-busters. We all know how much we love listening to their tracks for the first month and afterwards, only four words hang around in our brain – “What was I thinking??” The fifteen tracks on this new album are in tune with past hits of the group – and hence have dumb lyrics as usual – but are compensated as great dancing-numbers. The loud and crass fiesta include the already No.1 declared “Boom Boom Pow”, which is their best ever but an insult to music nonetheless. “Rock That Body”, “Ring-a-Ling” and “Now Generation” are all the usual – the group pouring their lungs out to the beat of heavy drums and even heavier guitars and keyboards. It seems like the group is experimenting in the studio in the actual album (No need for DJs here!). This album is still okay because it does bring the Peas a step forward from their earlier work, but with the price of becoming even cornier with time. FULL VOLUME >> “Boom Boom Pow”, “Rock That Body” MUTE >> “Meet Me Halfway”, “Imma Be”, “Now Generation” RATING >> TT Weaksauce

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Most Splendored Thing by Team NOW

q From Us, To You r Love. The world is full of it, you and I are full of it, and anything that has ever stood the test of time has had love as its foundational building material. It is the purest, most innocent and most beautiful form of expression known to man and nature alike. It is invincible, it is exquisite, it is simple, and it is essential. And yet when it comes to love within a man-woman relationship, love suddenly becomes a highly complex topic. People who are in love are full of rosy things about it, whereas people who are not consider it a waste of time. What makes people perceive love differently is individual experience – some have been or seen others heartbroken, whereas some have felt or seen total bliss. We at NOW are a crazy but nice bunch of people. We’re sad and unhappy about people messing up relationships because of misconceptions and generalizations about the other sex, and hence this small column. Men and Women are different. They think, feel, respond, love and communicate differently. Problems arise when a girl expects her lover to understand her like her girl-pals, and guys expect their girlfriends to react as their boy-buddies would. If we understand and accept the differences in our nature, we would all be able to truly and fully experience the beautiful phenomenon that is love. So for many many months to come, this column will be constantly graced with some of the wackiest, craziest but nicest minds at NOW, whose pure belief systems and innocent goals of spreading and letting everyone cherish love has increased our beloved editor’s workload by yet another page, who was kind enough to accept it all with an open heart. (Editor’s Note: #%@*&!)

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How to attract a Guy

Attracting the opposite sex can be hard (and having sex can be harder *Editor: Shut Up*). If you find the guy down there really cute, and want to woo him before he falls for that *beep* of a girl, keep the pistols and knives behind for we’ve done all the homework. Just follow these five simple steps:

1. Be Yourself: That

callipygian enchantress might shimmer with her sassy wardrobe (or the lack of it), but dressing up (or down) won’t help you grab hearts; only eyeballs. Listen to old granny. Be what you are. If he doesn’t fall for it, he isn’t your man!

2. Take-home

material: The fake

accent, the ‘bottoms up’ bet, or always asking for IT can make you popular, but not necessarily lovable. Every guy dreams of loving a girl he can take home to his mamma. Be just that. He wants a partner for a lifetime, not for the DJ night.

3. Puff him up: With all those bulging biceps,

raw stubble and torn jeans, guys are still little babies who need to told how fabulous they are. If you have been spending your dates telling a distressed soul how stupid/clumsy/careless/non-dancer/non-charmer and a jerk he is, bye bye. Tell them how fabulous and one of a kind they are! (Psssst! Honesty is not always the best policy)

4. Hand clasp: The guy never wants to feel or kiss

you all the time. He doesn’t die for those everyday love

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declarations either. Just let him know that you’re there irrespective of whether he wins or whether he loses. He values your warm hand-clasp more than your eyeliner or dipping neckline.

5. Interesting question: We can

be pretty weird (Guys keep saying that, don’t they?) Even when we demand equal rights till we go hoarse, we still dream to have a clueless idiot walk up to us and ask us for something we’ve been dying for. Before he falls for *beep* and your worst nightmare comes true, here’s a hint: Keep him interested. If you continue to look the other side or treat him only like a close friend, he will move on (In case you forgot, he’s human). Wait up for him and let him know he’s special. Okay… let’s say it aloud. Guys are dumb. Give them hints. Once they get it, they will pop the all important question eventually.

How to attract a Girl

Between scaling Everest and trying to figure out how to woo a woman, there are many who would (rightfully) claim that Everest is the easier of the two. After our sincere sociological experiment to attract women (ha ha ha) blew up in our faces with a combined force of over 36 slaps, we finally figured the error of our ways and gave up on deodorants, fairness creams, bikes and hot underwear. Instead we employed the following five tricks, and now have dates to run all through 2009!

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1. Confidence: Remember how mummy always

kept telling you to be more confident? Well, you should have listened! Girls fall big-time to men who are confident about themselves, but don’t overdo it. Acting like you’re the Mafia-Guy just won’t do the trick, unless you like the prospect of girls paying you your protection dues with rakshabhandan bonds. Practice being confident about yourself in front of the mirror, but if it cracks, come to us for special treatment. The crazed madmen writing this column will be overjoyed to help you!

2. Smile: Twitch your facial muscles upwards and hold. Repeat on seeing new girl.

3. Eye Contact: Lock target eyes and shoot zingy

signal rays. If she holds gaze and shoots invisible rays back, the next step involves bringing the eyes closer. Warning: Spectacles tend to get in the way of kisses. Wear lenses for healthy, non-frustrating relationships.

4. Signs: Much like football plays, the female

fraternity has standardized, unconditionally employed signals and it pays off for men to be aware of it. Playing with her hair while looking at you is a good sign. Whispering in her friend’s ear after looking at you is another. Take care to look around and ensure it is you and not the guy behind you she’s looking at. And no… fixing her hair is NOT a sign!

5. Ignore: Aren’t we geniuses? After telling you how to grab her attention, we’re telling you to shun it! This will begin the filmi phase of tossing and turning and sleepless nights of contemplation over your sudden change. That’s psychology (or so we’d like to think).

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Tongue (Firmly) in Cheek by Kriti Sharma & Rhea Srivastava

which bad Indian actor are you? by Kriti Sharma & Rhea Srivastava

c. Does a special appearance in Om Shanti Om count? WAIT! No one saw me??? WHO THE f*** are Preity Zinta and SRK?!!!

d. Which was my first?

1. What is your favourite song?

4. What is your favourite animal?

a. Aah aah eeo ooh ooh oo – The Chimpanzee Song

a. Chimpanzees – they are my lone friends in

b. For I’m a jolly GAY fellow! For I’m a jolly

b. Himesh Reshammiya. I have descended

c. Main to jatt yamla pagla deewana... sahi lyrics hain na papa?

c. Preity Zinta. She is my social animal...

d. I don’t like songs. I only like videos. That too with Riya Sen... *drool*

d. Do animals make out publicly??? *drools some more*

GAY fellooooowwww.... so says everyone! OR Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja Aaja

2. When you are wooing the girl of your dreams, what do you do?

a. “Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai.... Mujhe Kuch

b. I don’t woo girls. With pink vests and long

c. Papa ne dhaai kilo ka haath dikhake patai

d. I use a cellphone to videotape the two of us

Kehna Hai!” *hyperventilates*

the industry! My acting guru is also a chimpanzee.

from him – the resemblance is uncanny!

5. What is your favourite holiday spot?

a. JUNGLE!

b. Kolkata. I can watch MY movies there in

c. I love to be in my own kheta vich in my

d. Lollywood – the Pakistani film Industry.

peace, considering they run only there... KYA? JIMMY hall se hata di? NAHIIIN!

blonde hair, I am a girl.

thi, bhaiya ne dhaai kilo ka haath dikha ke bhagai thi.... mera haath to bas do kilo ka hai! *bites nails*

lovely Punjab.

making out. Does that make me a sex addict?

3. Which was your last successful appearance on screen?

a. Aah aah eoo ooh ooh oo!

b. “JIMMY” Hey! More than one person saw

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the entire movie... and it wasn’t dad!

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result!

TOP 10 ways to turn in an assignment

Mostly a's: You are Tusshar Kapoor. Your first movie was Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, in which you weren’t able to say anything. It was a hit. Your only other hit was Golmaal, where you can’t say anything either... it is safe to assume that the audience prefers you with your mouth closed. You also have a diploma on the speaking, mating and lifestyle habits of the chimpanzee.

Bring candles and incense to class. Before handing in

Mostly b's: You are Mimoh Chakraborty. The only reason you are still alive is because of your dad. You think you’re hot but you’re actually pretty ugly. Your voice sounds like fag and you’re a vaginal scar on your parents’ name. But don’t worry – you can earn your lunch money as a star in Tamil movies, considering you will be the only gora person there. It will be the biggest achievement of your life.

If assigned a 2000-word paper, draw two pictures of

Mostly c's: You are Bobby Deol. You are a black mark on your father’s name, who had class. Your brother acted constipated with a certain charisma – you are not even good enough for constipation. Furthermore, your brother and father both have a weight of two-and-a-half kilograms in their arms. You have not been able to accomplish even that, and thrive at the fact that you still get roles due to your only friend in the industry, Preity Zinta. Mostly d's: You are Ashmit Patel. Let me remember who you are, since neither your sister nor your girlfriend remembers you. The only reason people even know you is because a ‘certain’ pathetic little sex addict taped you and a respectable *ahem ahem* girl locking lips together and showed it all over TV. You didn’t survive the shock and ended up locking lips with Pakistani actress Meera for a C-Grade horror flick. But you’re so bad an actor that you even got HER chucked out of Lollywood.

the paper, perform an elaborate ceremony, entreating the gods to bless the paper and correct all your typos.

Get a large piece of paper or canvas. Smear paint all over it and hand it in as your paper. Explain that the topic was so emotional that mere words couldn’t possibly express what you had to say.

what the paper was supposed to be about. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

If assigned a paper in philosophy class, explain that you can’t do the paper because you’re not sure whether the class really exists or is it just an illusion created by your subconscious. If you do end up writing the paper, write about whether or not the paper actually exists.

Make a footprint on the back of one of the pages. When questioned by the professor, act like it’s nothing unusual. After all, he did tell you to include footnotes.

Refuse to do the paper on account of the fact that you’re a member of Greenpeace and strongly object to the gratuitous slaughter of trees caused by the massive amount of paper used in writing assignments.

TTyyppee eevveerryy lleetttteerr ttwwiiccee.. The night before the paper is due, call the professor and explain that you can’t turn your paper in because it contains sensitive military information only available on a “need-to-know” basis. Insist that General Schwarzkopf says you should get an ‘A’.

When your professor asks for an outline of your paper, draw the outline of the piece of paper you typed it on and hand it in.

Write the entire paper on Post-It notes and turn it in

by sticking them all over the professor’s door.

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You've Got a Friend Charnita Arora I’m 18 and not able to adjust in college. I have friends, but they’re always making plans to go to out and since I’m not from an affluent family, I can’t really afford it. I want to take up a part-time job to meet my expenses but my parents are against the idea as they want me to focus on my studies. What should I do? The transition from a protective school environment to a dynamic college one is challenging and one that prepares you for life. Under such circumstances, opening up with people comes at a best-left-untouched gradual and natural pace. Having a good time with friends is important, and so are part-time jobs that help teach responsibilities and give financial independence. What you need to do is learn to create a healthy balance between the two. If you are confident that you can manage a part-time job without encroaching upon your studies, talk and explain the same to your parents. A healthy combination of both will give you sufficient financial freedom while not getting in the way of your academics.

3 My best friend is struggling with a depression issue. What is the best way to help him without making him mad at me? I tried talking to him but instead of telling me what’s bothering him, he got pretty annoyed and doesn’t even talk to me anymore. I know something is wrong with him and I want to help, but I can’t!

Don’t. If he’s your best friend, he’ll eventually tell you. Be careful not to insist too much and intimidate him. Give your friend a little time and space – He might get over his depression by himself. What is important is that you show through words and deeds that you will be there for him whenever he needs you. Not only will this strengthen his faith in you, it will also give him the courage and balance to get over his problem or come to you on his own to share it. However, if you find the situation to be deteriorating rapidly, you must inform

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his parents about the situation and ensure that he has sessions with a professional counselor.

3 I’m 21 years old and graduating this year, but am at a complete loss as to what I’m going to do in life. I didn’t do well in my exams and am afraid I might fail. All my friends already have long-term plans but I just don’t have any clue whatsoever. Normally, I would talk to my parents about this, but I feel I don’t have a right to complain to them or tell them about the problems of my life when they are both almost fifty and have been working for more than 25 years. How can I or should I even approach them about this? Your worry is a practical question about managing your life and you should not be afraid of discussing it with your parents. In fact, your parents’ perspective might even help you in your decision-making process. Going through an introspection session (analyzing your strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes etc) might help you understand which career is best suited for you. In case you are pursuing a professional course, further specialization in the same stream is an option you might want to consider as it will buy you more time and skill to help you in making your life’s decision. Don’t be afraid to use certified personality tests on the Internet to help you understand yourself better and make future career options. Apart from the above, career counseling from experienced college faculty members, family and professional counselors can help.

3 I like this girl who happens to be my senior, and I think she likes me too, but I’m not sure. I’ve been invited to her house and have met her family, and we’ve watched movies and had

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fun times together. But she doesn’t talk to me if she is with her classmates or other seniors. It is very frustrating. I think we think alike and have the same interests, but I just don’t know what to do and if I should ask her out. Communication is the key. If you think you have developed a mature friendship with this girl, then the next logical step would be to try and express your feelings to her. Try and understand her needs, priorities and desires and accordingly build upon the mutual companionship that both of you enjoy. Asking her for coffee or lunch might be a good idea as it will let both of you spend quality time with each other, as well as provide you with that vital opportunity to express your feelings to her. Don’t have any mental blocks or preconceived notions about the difference in age, as it has absolutely nothing to do in both of you cherishing a long and sustaining relationship.

3 I am 20 years old and I’ve never had a boyfriend. I hate walking down the corridors of my college and see couples fondling with each other. I can’t help but ask myself what is it that makes other women so special? I consider myself to be smart, funny, caring, approachable and somewhat attractive. Most girls my age have already experienced the things that I haven’t – like going on dates, having their first kiss, holding hands etc. So what’s wrong with me? There is nothing wrong with you. You just need to work on improving your self-esteem. It is not right to question or bother yourself about you being single. Gradually, as you start valuing your being and individuality, you will rediscover the faith and confidence that you deserve to have. With such heightened confidence and selfesteem, you then might as well want to think about forming new healthy relationships.

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The Big Byte

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by Ayushman Jain

The Nokia N97

The Power of Touch Nokia’s done it… yet again. Just when we thought that the N96 was the phone to put all other phones to shame, Nokia’s gone one step ahead and come out with the new Nokia N97. Marketed as a ‘mobile computer’, the N97 boasts of every imaginable feature on the face of this planet, and a few from outside it too. So aside, all ye wannabecontenders, the big daddy of all mobile phones is here! It’s a Touchscreen! It’s a Keyboard! It’s Both!!! Bringing the best of both the worlds, the N97 sports a cool 3.5 inch touch-screen AND a QWERTY keyboard to go with it. Haptic Feedback makes the phone respond with a vibration every time you use the touchscreen, making you wanna go touchy-feely with the phone (Naughty! Naughty!). Make your friends jealous with the improved touch-screen, then watch them go green as you slide open the panel and type with blazing speed on the full QWERTY keyboard. Go touch, go type, go figure! It’s a Door to your World! The N97 is optimized for Ovi, Nokia’s ‘umbrella concept’ Internet Services. Finnish for ‘Door’, Ovi acts as a personal dashboard for sharing content with friends, buying music, and accessing third-party services like Flickr. No matter where in the world you are or go, you’ll always be just one-click away from entering your own multimedia-enabled world.

I’m So-Lo with Friends! With integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass, the N97 intuitively understands where it is. According to Nokia, the new ‘So-Lo’ (Social Location) feature can even auto-update social networks with real-time geographical info. Facebook status updates just got spicier! But hey, beware of your parents spying on you when you’re dating or partying. ;)

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Game-On! Nokia’s gaming platform – The N-Gage – just respawned with the N97. With the phone’s hardware supporting widescreen gaming, touch-screen gaming, and touchand-tilt accelerometer gaming, it’s never game-over, but always game-on! Fun with Widgets! Yes, Widgets!!! You love them, we love them, and apparently Nokia loves them too, because the N97 supports Widgets!! If you’re the widget freak that we are, you’re gonna grab the N97 the minute it comes out and fill it with all sorts of crazy custom widgets! After all, who can resist the urge to have his inbox, his facebook wall, and the weather in Timbuktu all in the same screen!! Eye Candy! Like its predecessor, the N97 comes with an in-built 5 Mega-Pixel Carl Zeiss Camera Lens, but the similarities end here. The LCD has an amazing 640x360 resolution, and the 3.5 inch screen has a true 16:9 aspect ratio. This keeps up with YouTube’s shift to 16:9 widescreen, giving videos shot from the camera as well as those downloaded from the internet a never-before clarity. (Oh, and did we mention you can just log-in to YouTube itself using the in-built Wi-Fi receiver?) Memories! 32 GB on-board memory! Need we say any more? Yes, we shall – it can be extended to 48 GB!! That’s more than the combined hard-disk space of this old computer I’ve been assigned to work on! The N97’s out-of-this-world features come at a cost. At

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approximately Rs. 33000, it’s definitely one of the most expensive phones out there right now. The pack also includes, among the usual stuff, a USB charger, and 3 months of voice guided navigation. Go ahead – be the first one to flaunt it. Because the N97 is here to stay! Do drop in at our facebook community to share your opinion and feedback.

Other hot upcoming gadgets to look for

of returning a series of page links which the user then has to manually visit and scan for his searched phrase. For example, let’s say Kriti over at the Style Section wants to own a bike and has – after much groveling and grinding – managed to convince her parents to let her have one. All she needs to do is type in a query like “Bikes India” and Google Squared will return a table with each row corresponding to a particular bike model and each column corresponding to an attribute like cost, image, acceleration , description etc. And not

Zune HD MP3 Player | Microsoft's i-pod!

http://zune.com

PSP Go | The new PlayStation in town

http://www.us.playstation.com/psp/systems/pspgo.html

Apple I-Phone 3G S | The new iPhone with 3G http://www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3g-s/

Samsung I8000 | The awesomest phone! http://gsmarena.com

USB Massager | A mushroom shaped massager to

ease computer-related tiredness! http://www.gadget4all.com/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00640



The Net-Tech

Google Squared Search The big Google Arsenal just got just got a bit bigger. Adding another weapon to their search-engine armory, Google has released its new search tool, Google Square (http:/www.google.com/squared). In an effort to make computers smarter, Squared pulls information about members of a category from all over the internet and presents it in a tabular format instead

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just that, but Kriti can even add her own columns to the ‘square’ to help future users who would search on similar lines! With one click, Kriti can potentially collect all the information she needs on bikes without having to search the net manually for each! She can even save the table using her Google Account, and move on to the regular search on Google from within the same page! All in all, Squared is an awesome tool for any kind of research work that involves facts and figures (The next time you get an assignment, you know where to search ;D). Although there are still a few bugs in this new technology, it holds a lot of promise, especially for the college-goer who loves to copy and paste!



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The Big Byte Tech-Lec

Google Search Tips by Ms. Lec

Bonjour boys and girls, eespecially my li’l naughty, sweet and hot muffins out there. From today, I shall be taking your hot-hot Tech Lecs. Pardon moi French Accent – I’ve just been back from a trip to Paris with one of my ex-students, and it feels as if the city’s spirit is still flowing deep within me… but I’ve been dying to meet my new students – I somehow always end up doing things with them – and I should say before the authorities come and spank me, that DU is hip, hot and happening, just like Paris! I love you guy out there, and hope you feel the same about me at the end of this… oh, oozing lecture! I should warn you beforehand… come winter or summer, my classes are hot affairs, both within the classrooms and outside it. And I just oomph at those who pay attention in my class and shower them with all my love! So brace yourself! Today’s lec is going to be on Google Search… a few tips that will make you go ‘eureka’ at the very first result you get from that plain white (Uh! I wish they made it spicier and sexier like me) Google page. So sit back now sexy, and watch me very-very closely as I begin…

Use Google as a Dictionary

Find Time and Weather

Ah! One of favorites! I just l-o-v-e reading Sidney Sheldons, and sometimes, I find oh-so-difficult words I’ve never heard before. Well, it’s a bit inconvenient for me to move ma sexy ass (mmm…) to go find a dictionary. I prefer to Google in “define: thunderbeads” to find the meaning of ‘thunderbeads’ in one go.

Well, this one came very handy on my trip to Paris. I thought it would be a good idea to know the time difference between India and France, and the weather conditions out there before going (though I could make things hot with my ex-student anytime, anywhere). So, I just typed in “time Paris” and “weather Paris” and I was all set!

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shift alt

> . ctrl

ctrl

Exclude Words

Finding Presentations and Documents

? /

alt

Another of my favs! Sometimes, you just don’t want a particular word included in your search, but it still keeps bugging you! For example, I love shopping for lipsticks online, but I don’t prefer Revlon. So everytime I’m looking for lipstick, I just type in “lipstick –revlon”. Google obediently gives me a list of bargains, but none from Revlon! Makes my life easy…

Still paying attention? Mmm good… let me loosen up my shirt a bit… getting a bit too stuffy here. Ah, that’s so much better. Now, when I was in college, my professors always used to bug me with assignments and PPTs! The smart me found a shortcut, and with the time I saved, used it to make hay in the classroom while the professor was looking the other way! Just search for “topic filetype: ppt” if you have been assigned a PPT on ‘topic.’ You can also look for pdf and word documents by using “filetype: pdf” and “filetype: doc”. You’ll thank me for this tip the next time you get an assignment, but don’t bother… I have my own ways of calling in favors later… in rooms other than classrooms…

Search Music

I know you guys love music and have wasted hundreds of hours trying to find and download that track you heard over the radio or at that party the other night. Well, I’ve found a way to make your lives easy and turn Google into a music-churning machine. Just type -inurl:(htm|html|php) intitle:"index of" + "last modified" +"parent directory" + description + size + (wma|mp3) "Avril Lavigne" For songs by Avril Lavigne. I’ve sexed up my I-Pod with hot songs using Google Search. And if you want to listen, feel free to come up over to my apartment… That’s all from me for now! I’ll see you again ma naughty ones, with more sexy stuff! I hope you’ll look forward to ma next lec! Wait for me, dream of me my hotties! Ciao!

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8/7/09 4:44:42 AM

Blog Review Name Link Writer

The India Uncut Blog http://www.indiauncut.com/iublog Mr. Amit Verma

For every blog that tries to explain, there’s one that tries to confuse. With its sweet satire on pretty much everything, The India Uncut Blog stands somewhere between the two. By the time we finished reading a couple of posts on this blog, we were wondering what has been ‘uncut’ from India? Amit Verma’s satire does not start and stop at Indian politics; He’s a pleasantly keen observer and naughtily pulls and tugs at every ‘moral’ and ‘immoral’ fiber of the country’s fragile society in a short, sweet and direct manner.

Peek-a-Blog "The simplest way to stop crime against women is of course to ban the women themselves, not their jeans. After all, if a pair of jeans came to college without a woman inside, would it get harassed?" – The Blog’s take on the banning of jeans for girls in colleges.

The blog is quite extensive and has been on-air for a long time now. With categories ranging from India, Aww!, Economics, and even Cows (not to be missed!), it offers something for everybody! The puns are subtle, the language spunky, and the writing easy to assimilate and sprinkled with the easy charm of a typical Indian writer. Go read this blog if you wanna have a laugh or two, or even if you just love satire!

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Content ★★★★✩ Layout ★★★✩✩ Writing Style ★★★★✩ Variety ★★★★✩ Readership ★★★✩✩

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8/7/09 4:44:43 AM

Sports The Sach Behind Sachin by Amith S Menon

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar – GOD to a billion cricket fans, and the messiah of Indian Cricket. Over 10,000 test and odi runs… and still counting. A gentleman, an artist, the greatest batsman ever to – whoa whoa whoa…hold it right there. Sachin – Great? Think again. Greatness is a word we loosely fling around when it comes to cricket. We’re at a stage of the game where if we go by Rameez Raja (God forbid we do!), every player to represent Pakistan in the last century is ‘Great’ (himself included). Greatness is as greatness does. And what greatness does is to inspire when the chips are down and rise when everyone around him has fallen (ala Rajnikanth!)

Mona Lisa pale in comparison! But let’s

To go by that, The Don, Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, Shane Warne, Jack Hobbs, Sir Garfield Sobers – these are players who in every respect deserve that title. Tendulkar, unfortunately, pales in comparison.

be rational here, or at least let’s try. Of

Every Indian Cricket Fan remembers

many have come in must-win games

every century Tendulkar every scored.

when we’ve needed them the most?

It’s more important than the grade on

Yes, Sharjah and the Warne Bashing instantly come to the mind, and how can one forget the CB series win in Australia? But apart from these rare instances, there aren’t many times when Tendulkar has played ‘Superman’ successfully.

your paper or the number of zeroes in your pay-slip. Be it against Australia or Bangladesh, a God-Avatar Tendulkar century is a Jessica Alba (read sight to 26

zealous fans tell me, it even makes the

behold). It’s a thing of beauty. As many

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all his zillions and zillions of centuries and match winning performances, how

Statistically, Tendulkar’s average dips alarmingly from well-within the high-forties to the depths of the lowtwenties in must-win games – a clear indication of his big-game temperament (or lack of it). Watching Sachin walk back to the pavilion with his tail between his legs

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is an all too familiar sight in a big match.

‘rested’… BAM! A glittering beautiful

And therein lies the problem. A Big Game Scenario is Sachin’s Kryptonite. How can one term Tendulkar great when he consistently fails to perform in the big games? When the team needs him the most, Tendulkar tends to perform his perfected Houdini Vanishing Act with great gusto.

T-20 World Cup Trophy found its way

Isn’t that usually the stage that separates the men from the boys? Isn’t that the time when one should actually be taking the bull by the horns rather than resting his aging legs in the pavilion after yet another low score? The Ponting Blitz vs India and Warne’s mesmerizing spell against Pakistan – two separate world cup final memories which will forever last the test of time. But what do we remember Tendulkar by? His Runs? His MoM’s? The Boost Ads?

What has Sachin actually won us? Yes, honor, valor and bravery are all well and good. But all his Man of the Matches, Tax Free Ferraris, Restaurant Chains and Param Veer Chakras aside, what has he won for the TEAM? Because the last time I checked, cricket was still very much a team game. The last time we won a world cup was in 1983, which means we’ve won ZILCH in the era of the GREAT Tendulkar! And the one time when Tendulkar was

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into the bare, barren trophy cabinet. Football, the world’s favorite sport, classifies its greatest ever players on a number of factors, with individual skill obviously being a prerequisite but Team Success being the major deciding factor. Which is why Pele is at the top of the pyramid whilst the late perennially-drunkbut-unbelievably-talented George Best (bless his soul) isn’t. If we were to apply the same logic to Cricket, Tendulkar’s lack of team silverware would suggest that the only list he’d make would be one incited by excricketer turned Tendulkar groupie, Sunil Gavaskar. It’s easy to dish out reasons. “What about the other 10 players”, “The expectation surrounding the great man is immense”. Well yes, but that’s where greatness comes in. The truly Greats, with a flick of their magic wands and a silent “avada kedavra”, are able to kill off the opposition. Tendulkar, on the other hand, uses his to gobble up sushi. The kind of dough he is paid and the status in society he is bestowed suggest it is very much his duty to live up to the expectations heaped upon him. If he can’t and wants to switch lives, let it be known I called shotgun first. But how does what I say matter? The legends have already spoken. Bradman, Warne, Gilchrist all term him the best. The entire ESPN-STAR commentary team (with Gavaskar leading the way) would second that fact. So what if he’s won nothing? Maybe… just maybe the fact that when he bats, a billion people are able to forget their sorrows and problems and for that duration, LIVE is all that matters... maybe that’s where his greatness lies. And maybe that’s how Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar will forever be remembered. The writer, according to our editor, is the devil’s advocate and can be spammed with hate mail at sports. nowmagazine@gmail.com

8/7/09 4:44:43 AM

Something New Belly Dancing b y Te a m N O W For quite some time now salsa has ruled the show. From stars shaking a leg on ‘reality’ television shows and your friends learning the fad at summer dancing classes, to even the neighbours’ Golden Retriever, everyone was doing it. Although these performances came complete with a desi tadka, there is a limit to everything and finally (yeahh.. like FINALLY!! We were tired of it!), salsa seems to have died its natural death. What has now got everyone shaking their booty (literally!) is Shakira’s favourite belly dancing. This dance would’ve probably not enjoyed the immense audience it boasts of if it wasn’t for her ‘hips [that] don’t lie’. According to Uncyclopedia (Wikipedia is so passé) Belly dancing (belyora insocumdancia) is a horrifically entertaining act in which people or animals dance upon the stomach of another person. It also claimed that after 4 hours of intense pain, a certain John Dyke died as all his organs crashed because of the immense weight of a bear who decided to make him the object of his belly dancing. Oh well, we’re not trying to put you off belly dancing. We investigated and found that Mr. Dyke had a bit too much vodka and died in a car crash. No, he was not driving... what he had imagined to be two belly dancing beauties in their sparkling attires were two cars approaching from opposite sides… CCDD (CRASH, CRUNCH, Dyke Dead)

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1. It reduces the risk of osteoporosis in women. 2. It provides a great workout for women as well as men (alright, it may not provide an entire body workout for the guys, but it sure does provide us with fantastic work-out for our eyes. ;-) )

3. It builds ‘cardiovascular strength’ and ‘tones muscles’. Your comment: I don’t give a shit as long as I get the eye-candy! My comment: I know you ape! But we’ve got to get the women interested for your own good! 4. It enhances posture as you have to thrust your chest (*drool drool*) and balance your weight. (PS - That can prove a boon for some other ‘exercises’ as well. PS 2 – NO WE ARE NOT HINTING AT WHAT YOU’RE THINKING YOU PERVERT!) 5. Relieves menstrual problems (Now that’s strictly for the gals and we’re not even gonna pretend to find something funny with that) The most important thing while learning belly dancing is your posture. The basic steps and techniques used in belly dancing involve circular motions isolated to a certain (ahem ahem! It’s not called BELLY dancing for no reason!) part of the body. Some of these are ‘hip circle’ and ‘chest circle’, and we figure the names are interesting enough for you to imagine the exact move. It was our original idea to include instructions to some of the moves in this article but as you can see, we’ve run out of space. Nevertheless, let none say that the staff at NOW can’t improvise!!! We’ve compiled a list of belly dancing lessons so that you all can easily ‘shake it!’ 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pvyXkFTa18&fe ature=PlayList&p=8402EF9DA057F73D&index=0 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-i2gl9288I&fea ture=PlayList&p=8402EF9DA057F73D&index=2 3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxYkdycN3WE& feature=PlayList&p=8402EF9DA057F73D&index=3 We’ll be back with ‘something new’ in our next issue. Till then, happy movin’ it!

8/7/09 4:44:44 AM

Need for Speed by Debabrat Sukla

The Mean Green Machine Bio-fuel and ecologically friendly cars are paving the future of the automobile industry The sun was out. A pleasant breeze… not a cloud in the sky. On such days, it’s a sin to keep dogs inside the house, much less humans. Gathering my self-esteem to the latter level, I stepped out of my apartment, closed my eyes, and prepared to guzzle in pure O²...I breathed…and tasted industry. I opened my eyes and a Hummer explosively shed a cloud of smoke on me. What’s the obsession with macho SUVs? With the Earth in dire conditions and the clock ticking down to an ecological doomsday, automobile companies around the world are investing in eco-friendly cars. And when we say eco-friendly, we do not only mean the tree-hugging type. The land rover model below is modified to be more green and frankly speaking, it bleeds awesomeness.

Eco-friendly cars are not only easier on the environment, they’re lighter on the pocket too. The motive behind an eco-car is to reduce CO² emissions in the air, which has reached alarming levels in major metropolitan cities across the world. Delhi itself is notorious for its pollution problems - the city adds almost a thousand cars a day to its roads. We figured this really doesn’t help the ecological picture much, so selflessly decided to dedicate this issue’s automobiles section to a cleaner and greener Earth.

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India has released an impressive ecological friendly car of its own. The Reva is India’s first electric-battery operated car. Marketed as the “City Car”,   it was specifically designed to reduce pollution levels across major metropolises. Released in June 2001, it boasts zero emission and no engine, gears, radiator and carburetor (psst… no maintenance cost!)! At 40 paise per kilometer, it also stands as India’s most economical car. A full charge of the car takes up to 9 units of electricity (That’s equal to running an AC and a T.V. simultaneously, which is damn good). And here’s the best part – it uses recycled batteries and bumpers!

The most common form of eco cars is the hybrid. This type of car doesn’t   completely run on fossil fuel, but uses hydrogen and/or electricity as well. In its endeavor for hybrids, Toyota has decided to launch the Toyota Pruis later this year. The 2008 international version of the car was the most fuelefficient and least CO² emitting vehicle. Our current source of energy comes in the form of fossil fuels, which are basically the remains of dead bugs and plants (Kinda gross really). Since you don’t need a degree in Science to figure out this source won’t last forever, the ones with the proper degrees are working on an alternative— bio-fuel; a cleaner, greener, renewable fuel that doesn’t add CO² and other agents to the air when burned. So before you consider buying a car, consider an eco-car. It’s nothing short of a style statement and lets others know that you care about the environment. In the long run not only are you doing you and your pocket much good, but the world around a much needed favor. Here’s to hoping for a greener future. Ciao!

8/7/09 4:44:46 AM

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...NOTES

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8/7/09 4:44:46 AM

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8/7/09 4:44:46 AM