NUJS What’s up

Theatre Auditions

2010-03-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

Cultural Committee stayed true to its word as a second round of Theatre auditions took place in the Audi. Though the laughter initially was on the performance rather than the success of the performances, things kept improving as the day wore on. For wannabe thespians, it was onehelluvan evening. Though barely 20 people had turned up, it was an enthusiastic lot. Animesh, Sudarshan and Amoolya gave everyone an outline of the play that they propose to put up around April, after which everyone tried out different characters differently. The theatre veterans were generous with praise as well as their help. They encouraged everyone to look up plays that they want to put up adding that they would only be too glad to offer their assistance in whichever way possible. Way to go!

AnonyMush :)

2010-02-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

MagCom heralded the coming of St Valentines to NUJS this year with the avowed resolution of spreading mushiness everywhere. Bright pink notices went up around the campus asking people to write anonymous notes to all and sundry promising that MagCom would take up the task of delivering February cheer. MagCom also provided colourful scraps of paper to all in class and cajoled/coerced students to write to whoever they wanted. And people responded by the dozen. For many it was a chance to acknowledge their long suffering friends and their teachers; for others it was the perfect opportunity to say something... anything to that special someone. On valentine's eve when the notes where finally distributed, most of the GB spent their time trying to figure out their anonymous message senders and bragging about the number of notes they got. All in all, it could be said that Stupid Cupid had a successful outing!

Dance Auditions...

2010-02-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

The Audi in NUJS probably has never looked this full as it was thronged by Noojies, who'd come down to have a look at the dance auditions organised by the CulCom on 29th Jan 2010. The top spots were secured by dancers who chose to perform more traditional classical dance forms or their variations such as Gayathri (1st Year), Alphonsa (2nd year) and Khushi (1st year). Many of the well know 'dance-icons' in Nujs were given widely enthusiastic encores and the only complaint possible at best was that the dancers could have been given more time up on the stage.

Activities of the Legal Aid Society

2009-11-11T06:10:00.000-08:00

This semester the Legal Aid Society has conducted a number of awareness programs in and around the University, as well as outside Kolkata the most notable of them being the RTI Camp at Ranchi between 6th-9th October 2009 aimed at creating awareness about the process of using the Right to Information.The camp was inaugurated by the Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi, Mr. Kamal Kishore Soan, and was a highly successful venture with a turnout of around 500 people right on the first day. Many walked in seeking details and to familiarise themselves with the process of composing and filing RTI applications. The Legal Aid Society members explained the format of an RTI petition and even helped those who had brought their relevant documents to compose their RTI petitions on spot. The District Administration had appointed an Assistant Public Information Officer (APIO) to receive the applications of the RTIs drafted at the camp.

The endeavour received a hearty welcome from the media fraternity which covered the event extensively in national and local newspapers as well as in television channels. This helped spread the word wide and articles in The Telegraph, the Prabhaath Kabar and the Jharkhand Jaagran brought in more people, rendering the camp fruitful to the society at large.

From the 10th – 12th October, 2009, there was also a seminar jointly conducted by the Media Information and Communication Centre of India, the Friedrich Ebert Shiftung, the Jharkhand RTI Forum and the NUJS Legal Aid Society on important topics related to RTI.

The Legal Aid Society has also involved itself in a number of other social issues this semester such as a Clothes and Fund Collection drive for Relief to the AILA survivors and a Survey and Situation Analysis of the Rag Pickers in Kolkata etc. They had also conducted a Legal Drafting Workshop in college and brought out their flagship newsletter "Access to Justice." Here's hoping their list of activities keep on growing!

Noojies' contribution to action against climate change

2009-11-08T00:18:00.001-08:00

October 24^th, the International Day for Climate Action, saw NUJS in a different mood altogether. Noojies made their own special contribution towards furthering the cause in the event organised by four NUJS societies - LCAS, Nature Committee, Society for Protection and Promotion of Environment (SPPE), Legal Aid Society and 350.org(which is an international grassroots campaign for mobilizing a global climate movement.)A host of activities were undertaken by the students. The morning ‘350’ formation in the quad, street art at Park Street, and specially, face painting at City Centre surely got the public interested. The amazing painting done by 1^st and 2^nd year girls attracted a lot of people at City Centre and a 'rally' later, the small but enthusiastic bunch of students ended up making it a worthwhile effort!

Enacted!

2009-09-25T10:35:00.001-07:00

Contrary to popular belief a Thespian does not refer to a resident of the State of Thespia (God Bless that land), it does, in fact, mean an actor or an actress. That is all there is to it. Or is that so? Sources reveal that the term may also be attributed to a growing bunch of students in NUJS who have taken to gather around in the Auditorium and prance around on stage. There have been two such conclaves to date. Three renowned thespians in Noojie circles, Amoolya, Animesh and Sudarshan, under the banner of the Cult Comm recently conducted Theatre Auditions on the 31st of July. Sudarshan first made the gathering form a group on stage and play zip-zap-boing. This particular game tested one's reflexes. After a while, they tested everyone's vocal skills, the loudness and carrying-capacity of their voices. For this the participants were required to count from one to ten, starting from a stage whisper to a stage shout. Then Animesh, Amoolya and Sudarshan acted out two short one act plays ("Words, Words, Words" and "Variations on the Death of Trotsky") as demonstration after which the auditions began.

The ones shortlisted out of the appearing 65 were called for the Theater Round of the Auditions subsequently. This round was more entertaining for the participants since they enacted one of the three scripts in circulation. A lot of groans went up towards the end when everyone present had to witness yet another monologue! Though the last few try-outs turned out to be well worth it.

The question on every young nubile mind is, 'What next?'

Let's hope the enthusiasm does not die out and Cult Comm's promise of staging at least one play next semester is grounded in more reality than the State of Thespia.

It Works!

2009-09-25T06:00:00.001-07:00

Do you remember how dangerous it used to be to visit the NUJS website? There is a rumour that the dull gold and white-ness had dissuaded quite a few new entrants from filling in the Entrance Examination form. You might look back with nostalgia at the hours of waiting before you got to see your results till the 'Bandwidth Exceeded' page would finally give way to the afore-mentioned beige and white-ness. Of course, you must also remember the virus detectors' going haywire at the first sight of the site (quite like a sneakoscope).

Well... for those of you who still don't know it, the Official NUJS Website, under the (what shall now be sorely missed) wing of Mr.Prabhash Ranjan, is finally in working condition! The website has been updated and upgraded. It no longer gets blocked by the Gibraltar-like calm persistence of 'Bandwidth Exceeded' on the screen when results are released. Nor does one's computer hyperventilate with virus alerts. In fact it looks quite nice indeed! Now jazzed up with some trendy shades of blue, it is quite pleasing to the eye. Not just that, it looks very neat, clean and organized with a refreshing effect of a spring-shower. Too much? Not really! Take a deep breath--- All the links on the website work!!

Well.. stop reading and check it out if you still haven't! It's all right there!

NPL Player Auctions

2009-09-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

The NPL is back! After the success of last year’s tournament which saw the Northern Nawabs emerge victorious in a much delayed final, the NUJS Premier League has returned for its second editions. Unlike last year’s tournament where the teams were arranged regionally, the organizers have this year opted to give team owners the freedom to brand their teams as they like. The NPL organisers chose the five captains – Kamaljeet Singh, Dilip Kataria, Shubhajit Banerjee, Adit Pujari and Rahul Sharma – who were given 3000 points to bid for registered players in an open auction, which was held on Tuesday the 8^th of September.

The auction rules were also tweaked this time around, as the captains were expected to buy a minimum of 11 players with their points, failing which their teams would be disqualified. Most of the captains came to the auction well prepared with an idea of the players they were most interested in. While the established old names were highly in demand, some of the captains had been keeping a close eye on the first years playing tennis ball cricket, hoping to pick up a few unknown talents cheaply. As usual, the sequence of players to be auctioned was randomly determined, and with the way things panned out, by the time many of the most anticipated players came on the block many of the captains had severely strained their budgets. Consequently, the prices paid for some players were substantially lower than expected, and the 5^th year Animesh Bisht, also known as RP, was far and above the most valuable player of the 2009 NPL auction. Some heated bidding finally ended with Rahul Sharma snapping him up for 900 points.

By the end of the auction, Dilip and Rahul Sharma husbanded their budgets well to finish up with the largest squads, having made 14 and 13 purchases respectively, while the other 3 captains just managed to fulfil their minimum purchase requirement. All teams now look relatively balanced, and the five captains seemed quite pleased with their new acquisitions after the auction. They also now have the option of recruiting general body members who did not register to be auctioned, upon payment to the NPL organisers. Presently, only three of the squads have found owners, but we hope that when the league commences after the Puja break, Adit Pujari and Rahul Sharma will have been able to tout the respective strengths of their teams to attract viable investors.

NUJS' Got Talent

2009-09-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

If the insistence of the judges to remain on stage is any indicator of the success of an event, NUJS’ Got Talent was a roaring hit.

After coaxing every dinnertime passer-by to take part, the number of participants was respectable. The auditorium was taken by a surprise to hold noojies to its full capacity, what after all those barely attended acad lectures! Those who thought they were too cool to take part, decided they weren’t so cool that they’d miss watching it. The one thought on everyone’s mind, while watching the participants- Do they hate themselves?! Them not figuring on the over-enthusiastic judges’ winners list notwithstanding, the 3 girls from the first year stole the show with their er… lawyer rhymes. What were they thinking, you ask? No one has got to the bottom of that. You could hold a debate whether the competition had to be called NUJS’ Got Guts instead; only, it’d be a one-sided one. Many a performance got people wondering about the right of some larynxes to remain in use. Another memorable performance was Khushi’s Kathak on Boom Boom Pow. Pipo’s ninja act thingies remain in memory too, but sources say some among the audience have been found looking up the Oblivio charm.

The fifth years’ imitation of the teachers won them the topspot while Aanchal Dalal sang her way into the second place. Joseph and Rituraj tied for the third place. That Friday evening, LCAS was a happy society.

Posters, Posters, Everywhere!

2009-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

A new one seems to appear each time you look. And getting more creative all the time. From the innovatively designed printed posters to the imaginative hand-made notices, the Hallowed Walls of this Institution of Excellence are perceptibly becoming a collage of inspired ideas. What with so many events being organised by different groups of students, whether on behalf of Societies or not, notice-board space is a coveted commodity. Every available surface is being flooded with fliers, including trees and lampposts! On a more serious note, it is a sad phenomenon that people have been removing posters even before the event they are advertising is over. We hope this is a short-lived trend. Here’s to the hidden artists of NUJS!

Vernacular Creative Writing Competition

2009-04-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

The Library Committee held its first creative writing competition to celebrate International Mother Tongue Day. Fittingly, the topic for the competition was how regional languages are languishing under the shadow of English. A spot of confusion was created when it was discovered that the mother tongue of one of the participating students was in fact English. Kinjal Ghose of the Fifth Year was adjudged the winner.

Creative in Class

2009-03-04T02:54:00.000-08:00

The Mag Com held its first Creative in Class (CiC). Given a randomly selected topic, students were asked to submit a fictional entry within the exact time taken by one class. Needlesss to say, the competition was organized and implemented without the knowledge of any teachers. Although the CiC could only be held for the Class of 2012, we were surprised at the level of participation. The winning entry, a short, non-scandalous and definitely non-libellous story, was written by Ankit Thakur. Special mention must also be made of Arpita, Shatadru and Jhalak for their thoroughly creative entries.

Library goes Wi-Fi

2009-03-04T02:53:00.000-08:00

Now you may sit coolly at any corner of the library and go surfing the world web. Capture the world in your comp as the library goes wi-fi. Yup! Great relief and reward for students constantly needing access to the Westlaw, Hein-online and other data-bases. In fact, believe it or not, this post was uploaded from the library - no wires at all! Further, the dedicated lease–line for the hostels is just split-seconds away; which means unlimited downloads and a lot more access on a much fast internet.

Annual Day

2009-02-26T03:02:00.000-08:00

The Eighth Annual Day was organized in precisely the same way in which the SJA had operated in the last academic half-year: with swiftness and extreme stealth. Hardly had we recovered from the Invicta-Outlawed hangover, and gotten over the postponement of the Annual Elections that we realized that the Annual Day was upon us again.

The event was graced by Mr. R.N. Jhunjhunwalla, Managing Partner, Khaitan and Co. as the Chief Guest. In his address, he congratulated the NUJS student community heartily on their manifold achievements and endeavours and urged them to maintain an adequate work-leisure balance in order to ensure that their juridical potentials got utilized to the fullest. The SJA President then came forth with his annual report, highlighting the achievements of the Student Body in the last six months of its tenure. And the lists were impressive indeed. In the last two hundred days, Ashish and his merry men had ensured inter alia, a fully functioning gymnasium, the completion of the University auditorium and Wireless Internet in the Library in addition to organizing Outlawed, Invicta and the NUJS Debate on far larger scales than ever seen before.

The Awards Ceremony that followed felicitated a diverse group of students for an equally diverse set of achievements throughout the academic year. While Pranay Chaturvedi and Ankur Dalal were lauded for publishing their first book, some won accolades for their Sporting, Debating and Mooting achievements, and some were crowned University Bhaiyya. Animesh and Tanya were adjudged Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year; and Sarbajeet bagged the Best All-Round Student Award. The Magazine Committee, not unusually, won the Best SJA Committee Award for its first time ever.

The cultural segment of the event kick-started with Shameek Sir and Anirban’s (from the LLM Batch) rendition of Bangla rock numbers. Neat Karaoke performances by Kinshuk, Udit and Zorthanpui were then interspersed with Ashish Arun who emceed on in his inimitable style, introducing newer and innovative awardees on stage, such as the Best Class Rep., the Best Office Bearers, and the Best GB Member. Three hilarious short plays performed commendably by Animesh and Sudarshan followed, which had all and sundry in stitches. Alarmingly, even Sayak from the Final Year shared stage time with Ashish in doling out his legendary PJ’s that critics have long acknowledged to be far potent than an mg of Zyklon-B.

However, the show was most definitely stolen by the girls from the Fifth Year with their dance-medley finale, featuring Bollywood classics from over five decades. The medley also featured a cameo by Dore who did a convincing Ranbir Kapoor, jigging to Bachna e Haseenon; and six shaded boys who suddenly entered stage without cue, rhyme or reason, shaking themselves to Emotional Atyachar. It all ended with a bang with all of the Fifth Years running onto stage and bopping away to Deewangi from Om Shanti Om.

The Annual Day was thus the culmination of an eventful year, and made it abundantly clear that the subsequent SJA had a lot to live up to indeed.

Farewell Party

2009-02-20T02:57:00.000-08:00

The Fifth Years’ Farwell Party at the BNR Club, Kidderpore saw its usual array of poignant emotion, boisterous revelry and the customary dash of smashed furniture. While the awards ceremony was funny, if a tad on the embarrassing side, and food and wine flowed merrily, the dance floor, unfortunately had to be shut-off early. The Club’s sprawling lawns, quaintly decorated pier and the invigorating Ganges air formed the backdrop to their concluding College party.

Badminton Mania hits NUJS

2009-02-15T02:50:00.000-08:00

Following the installation of light bulbs near the green patch in front of the Boys’ Hostel, badminton mania has hit NUJS with a vengeance. Ignoring wind currents and mosquitoes, games have been known to go on till 2 am and many a would-not-touch-physical-exercise-with-a-ten-foot-pole upstanding student of this college has been spotted making graceless swipes in the air.

Convocation and Alumni Meet

2009-02-04T03:00:00.000-08:00

The Third Annual Convocation was the first event to be held in our new and most impressively constructed auditorium.

With the Chancellor of the University having unfortunately being called off on urgent business at the last moment, the event was presided over by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Tarun Chatterjee, with Hon’ble Mr. Justice (Retd.) J.S.Verma as Chief Guest. The vibrant Batch of 2008, as well as LLM and M. Phil students were awarded their degrees by Justice Chatterjee, who emphasized in his spirited Convocation address upon the importance of lawyers as responsible members of society. Justice Verma, in his address highlighted the principal challenges facing the legal profession currently and the role that our bright graduates can play in redressing them.

The degrees were followed by the awarding of the Endowment Medals, monopolized by the nerdy duo of Rahul Chatterjee and Nirmalya Ganguly. Later, the newly graduated huddled gleefully in groups outside, taking photographs, interacting with teachers or guzzling on a delicious Bijoligrill spread in the quad. Soon afterwards, it was time for the batch photographs, and no sooner had the cameras flashed that a hundred-odd caps were up in the air.

Convocation night saw the much anticipated First NUJS Alumni Meet at The Stadel, attended by about 75 alumni members, most of whom combined their understandable joy at being back to their alma mater with astonishment at the changes that had come over in the last few years over the place that they had grown to love after five long years. Over delicious food, the Alumni relived old moments, fond memories and gleefully recalled the days when they were younger, slimmer and less responsible.

The old order might change; the auditorium might finally be made; and hostel curfew might have been relaxed: but as that day proved conclusively, there are some things that never ever change.

Saraswati Pujo

2009-02-02T02:47:00.000-08:00

The Goddess of Learning was invoked with the usual piety and fanfare by the theist and atheist community alike. Decked in traditional wear and armed with Taxation and Interpretation of Statutes Modules, the NUJS community proved that it did value its Gods, if only for tiding away the incoming end-sems. Apart from the usual community-lunch and the evening Antakshari, this Pujo was notable since girls were allowed to go for the immersion for the first time.

The NUJS Parliamentary Debate

2009-01-31T02:38:00.000-08:00

After a one year hiatus, the NUJS Inter-collegiate Parliamentary Debate bounced back king-style, with as many as thirty three teams from various parts of the country, and neighbouring Bangladesh battling it out for top rhetorical honours. After dominating most of the tournament, Team 1 from NLS Bangalore lost a tantalizing 5-4 split in the finals to Ramjas College from DU, with Vipul from NLS topping the Speaker Tab. The Competition had it all: adjudication histrionics, Tab-room drama, definitional challenges, a party on the roof and even a cross-team from DU which came over only for the love of debating. The tourney’s resurrection indicates a healthy renewal of impetus to debating in college which we can only hope is here to stay.

Outlawed 2009

2009-01-31T02:22:00.000-08:00

A motley crowd hung around in front of the stage set up in the quad, head-banging as a rock band performed. Another small group of harried looking people hung around near the side entrance of the college, cell phones in hand; these were definitely some of the organizers. A scattered crowd hung around, putting up posters or just laughing and talking, listening to the music being churned out, guiltily thinking they were wasting their time, but knowing full well that this was what made up college spirit. The morning half of each of the three Outlawed days looked and felt very similar to each other, except the Battle of the Bands that happened throughout Day 2.

The three days saw hardly a dull moment. The ambience was set by the fantastic lighting and giant posters put up on the acad block walls at the second college entrance. Blaring death metal made many a Noojie relaxing in the hostels want to kill the performers on stage. One of those times you felt you really couldn’t blame them for staying inside their rooms.

But it was in the evenings that the excitement levels really rose up. The first night saw Bandish performing in the NUJS campus.

A series of unfortunate events prevented Black Lips from turning up for the third and final night of Outlawed. They were sadly arrested for their (er… somewhat… er... lewd) stage antics at a stage show in Chennai, following which they went underground. Some were disappointed that they couldn’t hear the band, some because the arrest did not happen in college. Others who’d been having their doubts about calling the band, given their reputation, heaved a relieved sigh. It also, of course, meant that the SJA was no longer drastically short of funds. The flow of sponsor-money had been more like a trickle.

The gap in the plan meant that the self-styled college band (in spite of Vishnu’s insistence on it not being the college band, but a band made of people who “happen(ed) to be in the same college”, the GB’s spirit of solidarity is such that we just can’t think of it but as the College Band), Unlawful Assembly, would now open for Indigo Children (formerly Superfuzz). It was also U/A’s debut performance, with a fairly scary Joker in the form of Manu Chaturvedi creating sporadic diversions in the audience. The night also saw former Decibel member, Siddhartha Sinha coax his famous strain of Naagin from his guitar.

One of the other highlights of the three day fest was the Amazing Race organized commendably by the LCAS. The inter-college participation only made the event more fun as confusion reigned across the college grounds.

Some other events that saw sizeable participation though less hype were Face Painting, Twister (which made us wonder if Esha Shekhar had bones or was she just rubber), Musical Chairs (in which Vivek Menon came second to a NALSAR guy, but more importantly, managed not to break a single bone!), the Newspaper Dance (won by the team of future MagCom members Vaneesha and Shan after a very tough competition), Tug of War, Arm-wrestling… the list could go on!

Among other things, the Pictionary saw very enthusiastic participation. A high point of the game was when “Forrest Gump” was wrongly guessed as “Run Forrest Gump” due to some miscommunication between the team members which left the remaining participants and audience with tears of laughter. The Eastern Singing competition saw some bathroom singers test their vocal chords on stage. Some performances, like Kinshuk Jhunjhunwala’s, were hailed by all to be excellent. Some others were an affliction for the eardrums.

The cultural events, like the dance performance by a mostly first year team led by third years Abhisaar and Mikey, stole everybody’s hearts as well as the show.

What interested the volunteers and participants more was the free and almost unlimited supply of Mentos mints as they slogged it out at the mad rush of the registration desks. There did seem to be too much to do and very few volunteers, the number of whom surprisingly increased when the time came for purchasing Outlawed T-Shirts at subsidized rates.

All in all, the event was a huge success. Kudos to the SJA for executing the fest so well. We do seem to be improving with each successive year.

NUJS Nite 2009

2009-01-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

It was like magic. Little golden lights glittered on the shrubbery, a stage had materialised out of thin air and we wondered at how so much sitting space had been created, interspersed with angeethis that were warmly welcomed by all on the cold 3rd January night. The NUJS Nite, a post New Year get-together between the faculty and students, a modest affair started by the Mess Com in 2008 had turned into a full blown gala this year. Abhisaar led us through the programme smoothly with a little assistance from Kaushik Krishnan. Kaushik, alone, was as good as a Saif-Shahrukh compering pair at a Filmfare award ceremony with his ever witty expressions and inane descriptions.

Shameek Sir, better known as PinkyDa, was brilliant with his imitations of past and present luminaries of NUJS and, for once, we had a teacher having a go at a student, when PinkyDa recollected snippets of his conversation with a fourth year notorious for his PJs. The stage was set on fire when we had the ‘Powerpuff Girls’, Rukmini ma’am and Ruchira ma’am show us the right moves in a display of diplomacy and dancing, both setting their subject of sociology aside for the while. A second round of imitations, this time of the teachers and students by Arnab Roy, left the entire audience in splits. From the mannerisms to the style of speaking, he got it right, time and time again! The teachers good naturedly joined in the laughter at their expense.

A high point of the program was having the teachers tackle some tongue in cheek questions from the students, and the panache with which the teachers gave their replies made the entire exercise all the more interesting. One such Q & A round that had everyone doubling over in laughter was the one posed to the duo of Mr. Pritam Baruah and Mr. Shamnaad Basheer by Abhisaar. Even Dr. Poddar tackled his specific questions with finesse showing us exactly why this good natured soul is the representative of NUJS in CLAT. Special mention must be made of the background music (provided by SidSin and Saurabh Mehta among others) that greeted every new entrant on stage. Anirban Sir was welcomed with the theme song of Sarkar, Pritam and Shamnaad Sirs with Mai Khiladi tu Anadi, and to top it all our Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Dr. Prof. M.P. Singh came up on stage with the song Singh is King playing in the background! The programme ended with Rohan Sahai mesmerising the audience with three beautiful pieces that he played on a piano forte. He was encored and even given a standing ovation for his enthralling performance.

It was, all in all, an enchanting evening, with good music, dances and lots of laughter. At the start of the evening Ashish, the SJA President better known as Bappa, had recited a few lines penned by him, “Tu ugta hai main doobta hoon, par ravi toh hum dono hi hain / tu padhta hai, main likhta hoon, par kavi toh hum dono hi hain…” thus putting into words what events like NUJS Nite showcase that though there may be differences between the teachers and the students but sharing this campus gives us much to share, to remember and to laugh over.

Mess Uniforms

2009-01-01T02:40:00.000-08:00

With a view towards instilling a greater degree of professionalism within the Mess Staff, the Mess Com has now introduced uniforms and name badges for all the Mess Staff. This is seen as part of a larger plan to change the manner in which the Mess Com is viewed by the GB. Not only do these sharp looking suits add respectability, the name-badges have also proved to be a source of much amazement and interest. For example how many of us knew that Chottu’s first name was Pathik?

The Christmas Brunch

2008-12-26T01:06:00.000-08:00

The notice on Christmas Eve quite simply said that on Christmas morning there would be a brunch at 11 am. While this was taken by many as an invitation to sleep in on the merry holiday, the foresighted ones descended near the cesspool en mass to check whether the rumours of apple pie and maple syrup were true.

They were met with a veritable feast! There was dark coffee with a dash of hazelnut sauce – which in the generous spirit of the day, you could fill your cup to the brim with; also apple juice sparkling in little plastic cups (notice of course that this was an ‘and’ option which meant you could have both!) There were pancakes drizzled in maple syrup and honey, bread topped with cheese and veggies; risotto, which left some of the GB stumped (sample: yeh chawal aise kyo banaya hai? Why have they made the rice like this?). For the non-vegetarians there was Firecracker Lamb and Sheperd’s Pie, while the vegetarians had Au Gratin and Rose Potatoes with Onions and Barbeque Sauce. Last but not the least – there was plum cake with a chunk of vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry syrup and grounded cashew nuts.

No surprises therefore as to the fact that Christmas morning saw endless lines, with even localites who’d gone back home for the holiday rushing back to college just for the meal. What made the food seem even more amazing was the fact that it was served outside, near the cesspool. The benches, the steps, the edge of the cess pool were soon all filled with chattering laughing students, relaxing in the wintry sunshine as they ate the grub. Even the resident lecturers ate the meal near the cesspool, making the brunch seem like a large-scale college picnic.

What more can one want? The food was good, the company amazing and last but not the least - it felt like a Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve Celebrations in NUJS

2008-12-26T00:48:00.000-08:00

The Christmas mood which had set in since the Juno-X’mas Night came to a climax on Christmas Eve when NUJS celebrated the festival in its own special way. The Boys’ Mess which was the venue for the celebrations was bedecked with Christmas decorations – a result of the effort put in by some of the First and Second years who had worked all through the afternoon. Though the forty-five minute power cut just an hour before the starting time of the event gave everyone a scare, they didn’t let any of it dampen their Christmas spirit and the mess looked like it had never looked before.

The event, which was organised jointly by the Cultural Committee and the Mess Committee, and emceed by Abhisar Bairagi began at around seven. There were ten carols sung by the choir consisting of excited First years and Second years, with Joseph and Rahul Varghese on the guitar and synthesiser respectively. Starting with ‘Joy to the World’, the choir then sang ‘O come all ye faithful’, ‘Angels we have heard on high’ ,’Silent night’, ‘Away in a manger’, ‘Rudolph the red nosed reindeer’, ‘Santa Claus is coming to town’, ‘O Holy Night’ (duet by Zothanpui and Udit), ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’. Many of the General Body had made an effort to attend the programme by squeezing time out of their pre-planned arrangements for the evening and they responded with boundless enthusiasm to the programme. They sang, they swayed, they aaawwwed when ‘Rudolph the red nosed reindeer’ came on the stage and they clapped and laughed along, when Santa did his little gig.

There have been significant changes in the way NUJS celebrated Christmas this year- it was bigger, merrier and also yummier! Here’s hoping that these changes are here to stay in the way of a tradition in the years to come. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

- Sakshi Agarwal (First Year)

A Gym at Last!

2008-12-21T10:26:00.000-08:00

Having been in the pipeline for as long as we can remember, the NUJS gym was inaugurated by Prof. M.P. Singh on 22nd December 2008 amidst much fanfare. Students, faculty and administrative staff can now use the facilities of the gym for a nominal payment of Rs. 100 per month. Indeed, the gym, located near the side entrance to the academic block, saw a steady inflow of footfalls all through the evening. The administrative staff in particular made a beeline for the weights. Several members of the faculty also tried their hand at some of the apparatus. The gym boasts of a treadmill, two cycles, a bench press, two exercise balls, a multi-station and other paraphernalia.

Juno-Christmas Night

2008-12-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas came early to NUJS with the much-awaited first-of-its kind Juno-Christmas Night, billed as “an open-air acoustic sing-along concert under the stars,” featuring songs from the Juno OST and popular Christmas carols.

All afternoon, the campus was abuzz with activity and Christmas spirit as students from all years scurried about preparing for the event. Five o’ clock saw a large and enthusiastic crowd gathered in a semi-circle in the open space in front of the Boys’ Hostel: laughing, chattering, excited people in red and white, sporting Santa caps and clutching sing-along handouts with printed lyrics. The golden baubles from the campus lights added to the Christmassy air. The announcement of the Second Year results caused a minor delay, but the cloud of results had to drift away at the sight of so much merry-making.

Of the two emcees, Kavita was the epitome of the Christmas elf, spreading good cheer; Sroyon, the image of Father Christmas as a fifteen year old. The programme started off with them telling us why the programme had been organised that Friday evening: firstly, because many of us wouldn’t be there in college on Christmas Eve; secondly, to encourage people to donate their old clothes to charity; thirdly, to raise funds for buying iodized salt to be distributed to dwellers of nearby slums.

The first half of the programme comprised songs from Juno and some random songs chosen because they “fit in with the mood of the evening.” The all-acoustic ‘band’ was led by Appu and Joseph, with six or seven others joining in the chorus for some of the songs. The audience joined in with handclaps on the more peppy numbers such as Tree Hugger and Loose Lips. Joseph and Appu’s adorable duet on Anyone Else but You was especially well received, if the number of “aaawwww”s was any indication. Some of the songs carried dedications: Puff the Magic Dragon was dedicated by Appu to the Barbies and G.I. Joes lying forgotten in all our toy cupboards, and Ripzong dedicated Travelling Soldier to those who lost their lives in the line of duty in the Mumbai attacks last month. Just before we all broke for tea, Sroyon incurred Appu’s wrath by inciting the audience to request her to perform What’s Up by the Four Non-Blondes: “I’ve requested it like a hundred times but if you all beg her she might just oblige.” But oblige she did, and though she faltered slightly with the lyrics, she was as usual, note-perfect.

The tea tasted wonderful in the wintry evening, and was served for a change in kulhars instead of cups. Afterwards we all reassembled for the second half. We were greeted by a choir dressed in red and white that sang Christmas carols and was joined lustily by the all and sundry. Beginning with the sweet and calming Silent Night, they moved on to O Come All Ye Faithful. Voices reached a united crescendo on Gloria in Excelsis Deo. Joy to the World and Feliz Navidad officially ended the Juno-Christmas Night. But before the guitars and amps were packed up, another request came from everybody. How could one have a Christmas Night and not sing Jingle Bells?

It is true that Joy to the World started on the third take, Sroyon in his eagerness introduced Piazza, New York Catcher one song early and whistled off-key on Tire Swing, and the chorus was not always perfectly coordinated, but the enthusiasm of both performers and audience made up for the minor mishaps, and no one really minded. The evening ended with songs and smiles on everyone’s lips.

Protest Theatre/Film Fest

2008-12-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

The Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship Studies, Open Space and Cinephiles Anonymous hosted a theatre and film festival on 17th and 18th December 2008.

The festival kicked off with a powerful performance by Mr. Parnab Mukherjee. Parnab, one of the leading alternative theatre directors of the country, enthralled the audience with his three solo plays. The evening started off with a touching rendition of Mahasveta Devi’s “Breast Giver”. This emotional short story explores the conflicts faced by a young Adivasi women and also serves as a powerful metaphor for the exploitation of the underprivileged. Using simple everyday items such as tape, a churidar and a towel, Parnab’s one-man performance was an interesting example of a ‘Third Theatre’ production. The second play was about a woman who becomes the ‘object’ of a photographer’s project, only to face the dreadful consequences which follow. The last play describes a man’s thoughts just before he is about to commit suicide. The sharp and often provocative script set the tone for an intellectually simulating and culturally satisfying evening.

The movies to be screened included the “Brandon Teena Story” on which the movie “Boys Don’t Cry” was based, “Work in Progress” about the World Social Forum in Mumbai and a collection of short films on AIDS.

November Issue of Writer’s Block Hits the Stands

2008-12-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

The eagerly awaited November Issue of Writer’s Block, the (approximately) monthly NUJS rag, was released by the MagCom on 12th December 2008 (we did say it was eagerly awaited). The issue set a new record for page count and carried an unusually high number of entries by the General Body. Of particular note was Taking Stock, an article on the changing teacher-student relationship in NUJS. The article was authored by Goutham Shivshankar of the Class of 2009. Another popular new feature was Writer’s Blog—a selection of posts by Noojie bloggers featuring, among other topics, sneezing, child labour, mondegreens, insomnia, spies, bots, and Thomas Hardy.

Of course, the Issue also contained the regular features that people have come to associate with Writer’s Block. The MagCom Restaurant Review—titled Tea or Coffee—focused on Dolly’s Tea Shop and India Coffee House. The SportsCom was chosen as the MagCom 'Society of the Month', and the 'Know Thy Family' pages featured profiles of the campus security guards.

As usual, the issue attracted wild praise, a moderate dose of controversy, and furnished under-the-desk and over-the-pot entertainment during the week that followed.

First General Body Meeting of the Winter Semester

2008-12-11T05:39:00.000-08:00

A recent poll conducted by the MagCom found that 82.17% of the NUJS students have attended a GB meeting at one point or another. And why shouldn’t they? GB Meetings offer a chance to know, to gripe and to shout. Mix in a liberal dose of legal jargon and some everyday college controversies and you have close to two hours’ worth of entertainment that would give the latest Yash Raj a run for its money.

The first general body meeting of the Winter Semester was a surprisingly sedate one, with a modest turn out. Two amendments to the NUJS Constitution were made, one that confirmed the division between the Magazine Committee and the Juridical Review and the other relating to a Society’s power to show-cause GB members. Other maters of grave importance included the impact of the recession on the impending fests Invicta and Outlawed, and proposed changes in the Examination Rules and the Academic Calendar. Of particular note was the fact that all of the topics on the Agenda were covered, a feat rarely achieved.

Candle Light Vigil

2008-12-01T05:18:00.000-08:00

On 1st December, a candle light vigil was organised around the “Pillar of Justice” at the main entrance to the University campus. The idea for the event originated from the faculty. The Vice-Chancellor lit the first candle to mark the commencement of the vigil. A large section of the student body participated in the event, and over five hundred candles were lit. A two-minute silence was observed in memory of those who lost their lives. As part of a pan-Indian movement envisioned as a mark of solidarity, the students also wore white clothes.

A faculty member was heard to remark that this low-key and sincere event marked a welcome change from many that seem to be arranged by various organisations for the benefit of the press alone. The President of the Student Juridical Association also took this opportunity to announce an open forum for discussion that would be held on 2nd December inside the campus.

NUJS Football League

2008-11-30T06:48:00.000-08:00

As if the Inter-batch Football Tournament and Five-a-Side Football were not enough, the NUJS Football League has been added to the NUJS sporting calendar. Each of the four teams in the League has one or more ‘owners’—interested members of the student body and alumni. They were allotted a certain amount of ‘money’ which they could use to ‘buy’ players who signed up for the league. At a gripping auction held on 14th November, human beings were bought and sold like cattle.

Given the mode of team-formation, neither batch pride nor regional pride is at stake. Still the event has proved popular, proving that people here will get excited about anything. And why not? The matches have produced skilful football, on-field skirmishes, rumours of match-fixing, goalkeeping blunders and all the other ingredients of a truly interesting tournament.

The first half of the league, comprising six matches, has been played so far, and the transfer window has been opened with the Czars leading the table. Football fans are eagerly awaiting the second half of the season, which is to commence in the last week of December.

Basketball Diaries

2008-11-30T02:58:00.000-08:00

Under the enthusiastic guidance of Convener of the Year, the Sports Com held the first ever NUJS Inter Batch Basketball Tournament. Spread over two weekends, this tournament saw enthusiastic participation from students. The finals saw the Class of 2011 defeat the Class of 2010 ie the 3rd years belted the 4th years. Leading scorer Siddhart Rao aka Maamaa was spotted by a leading city sports club and is now the first NUJS Student to officially play in the city’s basketball Leagues. The initiative deserves to be congratulated and we hope that the Sports Com continues to hoop it up.

Blood Donation Camp at NUJS

2008-11-30T00:09:00.000-08:00

Over 110 NUJS students overcame their fears of needles, blood loss and pro-activeness to donate blood on 30th November 2008 at the Blood Donation Camp organised in NUJS, by the non-profit organisation LUCY. The Boys' Hostel Rec Room was turned into a mini-ward and the place was abuzz with donors, volunteers and LUCY officials.

As there were NFL matches that day and a lot of the players were worried whether donating blood would affect their game, special arrangements were made for players by which they could donate early on in the day; several of them, like Bunty Da (in the picture) were therefore the first to donate.

There was no dearth of volunteers scurrying around all over the place, playing multifarious roles. Some took up the role of cajoling and coaxing nervous students into donating blood, while others fussed over the donors, much to latter's enjoyment.

Just like last year (this being the 2nd Blood Donation Camp in NUJS), several hopeful donors had to return dissapointed, because of medical reasons. Many of them being teased, that it looked like they needed some blood themselves.

Several faculty members, mess workers and other staff also came forward to donate blood and some of the organizers of the camp felt that there would have been even more wider participation if the camp had been held on a week day.

Though there was some misinformation revolving around the magic number of 25, with one donor being told that it was the time it took for blood regeneration, while another nervous donor being told (much to her horror) that it was the time period for which her blood would be drained, the camp for most parts got over without any glitches.

At the end of the camp, apart from the wacky caps and stickers, each donor got the following sms:"

Thank you for the gift of blood you have donated for the welfare of society. Your single contribution will save three lives. You're a real life hero."

Because of the high quotient of modesty running in their veins (pun intended), several donors were heard trying to disassociate themselves from such an image stating firmly that they did it for the food.

Miscellaneous Sporting Activities in November

2008-11-28T05:27:00.000-08:00

The chess tournament, which in previous years was an individual open event, was held in the Davis Cup, inter-batch format this year. VD, JNU and Pranab Pegu emerged as the knights in shining armour for the Fifth Years. Playing the Sicilian defence with the black pieces and a variation of the Latvian gambit with the white, they sailed through to the finals, where they overcame the Third Year team 3-0 with 3 checkmates.

Also, in one of the most hotly contested events of the NUJS sporting calendar, the girls’ Throwball Tournament came to an end with the Fourth Years emerging as the winners. The finals saw them pull off an upset victory over the Third Years who have a number of University Team players on their rolls.

Le’Gala Windfall

2008-11-26T05:11:00.000-08:00

A highly enthusiastic contingent from NUJS, largely consisting of First Years, noisily descended upon NLS, Bangalore in mid-November to participate in Le’Gala. They got molested by eunuchs, trapped in a lift, and lost a contingent member to a leg injury, but they came through it all to win prizes in painting, sketching, clay modelling and street play.

The overjoyed contingent returned started for ‘home’ on the 24th with sweet memories, but not before being witness to the most awaited event of the whole fest: the Rock Show, better known as Strawberry Fields.

NUJS Hostel Safari

2008-11-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

On 18th November 2008, more than 50 NUJS girls made their way through the corridors of the Boys’ Hostel for the first ever NUJS Hostel Safari, an event organised by the MagCom. Armed with cameras, loads of courage and hankies to cover their noses, they bravely walked where few (if any) sane women have ever gone before.

To enrich the Safari experience, the MagCom provided them with guide booklets that contained floor-by-floor maps and highlighted the places of interest. Among these were the rooms widely recognised as the messiest and dirtiest in hostel, and also some which were so elaborately and painstakingly ‘done up’ that the girls themselves were left wondering if they should ask the occupants for a few tips on interior décor. Another prominent place of interest was the corridor where the ‘Pink Lady’, the resident ghost of the Boys’ Hostel, first made her appearance. The adventurers ended their tour at the terrace where some nutters (read MagCom members) put garlands around their necks and “served” them Pepsi.

For a few hours, the NUJS Boys’ Hostel was converted into a monument of interest and viewed through the eyes of an outsider. For a few hours, the Hostel felt like a different kind of circus.

Gym murmurs surface again

2008-11-14T18:57:00.000-08:00

NUJS shall soon boast of its own gym. Of course we have heard this approximately every other month for the last three years, but now the rumours are going stronger than ever. The SJA Prez tells us that things look more promising this time. About time too, because there is really no other way to sustain the liquid diets currently in vogue with the student body and also ensure that tummies do not burst through the buttons.

Under the proposed plan, Room 006 shall the gym instead of the reception, as was the case under an earlier (abandoned) plan. Two mechanical treadmills have been procured, the best that could be expected given the available funds. The weights are to be housed elsewhere. The tentative deadline for the gym was November 10 but at the time of posting, there seems to be no sign of any activity along this front. As of now, the only exercise we are getting is by keeping our fingers crossed. Keep watching this space for more.

Amazing Race

2008-11-13T05:33:00.000-08:00

The first ever Amazing Race (NUJS Chapter) was organised last year by the Law and Contemporary Affairs Society (LCAS) and featured among other activities – walking around the rim of the cesspool, two at a time, three legged. This time of course Amazing Race 2008 was bigger, weirder and for a lack of a better word, even more amazing!

Throwing plastic packets of water from the fourth floor, jumping around in gunny bags and eating exotic cuisine with some daab: these were just some of the things the participants of the Amazing Race 2008 were forced er…expected to do. The challenges were tougher; the tasks crazier – for example while Round Five involved Christmas caps and shaving form, Round Six involved the use of Rickshaws bedecked with multi-coloured heart-shaped balloons.

The race ended with Siddharth Sinha, Kamaljeet Singh and Pranav Mittal (a team comprising of Third Years) being declared the winners. With the continuing success of this year’s Amazing Race, the clamouring for an Amazing Race 2009 has already started.

Quantum of Solace

2008-11-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

Last semester, the newly constituted SJA wooed the General Body with a screening of Rock On. The special screening at Adlabs, Sector V met with an enthusiastic response with the tickets being declared sold out early on. This semester however the SJA organised screening of the latest James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace at INOX, City Centre on 9th November 2008, was received with considerably less enthusiasm by the General Body. Perhaps it was because that the average Noojie still prefers a Pierce Brosnan to Daniel Craig as the debonair agent James Bond, or the fact that a certain Second Year student had already treated most of her class to an earlier screening of the movie. The verdict seems rather unanimous for both the movie as well as the screening – we preferred the earlier one.

The End of an Era

2008-11-07T05:21:00.000-08:00

While the general quality of the Hostel food has improved substantially, there have been several complaints that the biryani is just not the same as it used to be. The Mess Comm, never shy of introducing menu overhauls, has therefore removed the iconic biryani from the Sunday menu. Instead they are serving Pulao with Chicken Kassa for the non veggies and some form of vegetables for the veggies. It seems that the day is fast approaching when only the old fogies will remember Sundays like they used to be: half-day classes and biryani for dinner.

Tata Sky

2008-10-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

The SJA and Hostel Welfare Committee decided to bring in some extra cheer for the residents of the hostels of NUJS during the festive season by getting TATA SKY connections for both hostels. The idea was that the students could catch the latest sporting action; enjoy a better viewing experience with the vast number of channels on offer and the superior picture quality. Unfortunately, residents spent the diwali holidays with no television because the trial period of the TATA SKY had expired and the local cable connection had also been terminated.

The mandarins returned from their extended holidays to find that though the new connection was up and running, the university administration, in its usual display of fiscal prudence and concern for student welfare, had subscribed to the TATA SKY “super saver” pack, meaning that all the sports channels as well as most of the movie channels can be viewed only by subscribing to them. However, students have been assured of immediate action in this regard. After all, Liverpool still has a chance of winning the Premier League!