It was the 3rd Annual United Nations Young Chnagemakers Conclave, 2013, the 
UE team got a chance catching up with the 'Young Cricket Sensation' a.k.a Unmukt Chand, who is proudly a part of St. Stephens College, DU.
All we can say is, the man is full of passion about his dream and for his country, also he dearly believes India would be a better place with educational revamping. The young man rather than jumping on Cloud 9, has his head sanely held high, for the right reasons. And to many of you, who just know him as a star would be happy to know, he's just a normal guy. Happy knowing him some more people! 

Radhika: Hey would you mind answering some questions?
Unmukt: Not at all, shoot!

Radhika: So as you flowed in about so much, the institutional revamping, the change in medieval mindset. How do you feel about the recent hue and cry in the society?
Unmukt: Very disappointed. I am ashamed as a youth and want to actively participate for any such cause. Sadly I wasn't able to be a part of the protests, but I would do everything in power to not let go any opportunity to stand up for the right reasons and social uprising, in future.

Radhika: What do you think would make the change happen?
Unmukt: The change in mindset is must. If people are not willing to change, things would not happen with a swish of a wand.

Radhika: You do accept, it's the basic level where we'll have to start. Don't you?
Unmukt: Exactly that's what it is, we just can't jump to the advance level and expect basics would accomplish. It's opposite rather, start with A and B would get better! [Bingo! Dude ;)]

Radhika: Okay, enough of heavy stuff, lets talk about the lighter aspects. How do you like all the
attention that you receive, from girls especially?
Unmukt (Laughing): It's paced down you see, but it does feel great. More than attention, there's the sense of pride I feel. It's great to see my parents smiling more than me.

Radhika: Being a DU'ite yourself, do you feel comfortable with the 'Semester System'?
Unmukt: I've never exactly been on the same page with the 'Semester System'.
When it's the peak time to study for the examinations, I'm busy with 'Premiere Leagues'. Also I remember the hay-wired situation for Sem-I, it was more like a nightmare. I expect a li'l better for myself and students alike, involved in the extra-curricular for the 'Country', especially. My friends are okay with the semesters, though.

Radhika: How do you manage everything, juggling with the studies & practicing for upcoming
matches together, especially when you talk about the peak time i.e March-April/October-November?
Unmukt: Well it's not exactly easy but friends help a lot. Studying with them makes it much better.
They keep me informed about the tiniest of events.

Radhika: Great experience talking to you Unmukt, so what would be your valedictory message for the varsity people?
Unmukt: Same here guys. All I would say is, believe in yourself and do what you're head-over-heels about. Passion for 'Music' & 'Guitar' and studying some random 'Honors' course doesn't exactly helps! :)

 
When we talk about emerging stars of Delhi University in the field of sports, we usually see boys popping out from the dense populated institution. However, nowadays when girls have shown that they are potentially equal or even better than boys, we see lots of girl population making their way in field of sports.

Naturally we frame a picture where girls show more interest in sports like badminton, tennis, chess, athletics, swimming etc. Very few girls find their future in boxing. We have a rising boxing star here in Delhi University named Ms. Dhanya Venkatesh from Kamala Nehru College who won the Delhi state women's amateur boxing championship and was a part of the Delhi contingent for the senior women's national boxing championship in Guwahati. We are proud of Dhanya for taking the name of Delhi University to a certain height and also encouraging more girls to participate and come up in different fields.

It was our pleasure to interview such a talented icon of Delhi University. Scroll down as we interview Ms. Dhanya :
We normally dont see much participation by girls in boxing. What motivated you to take up boxing?
Yes, you are right. There was a time when there were not many girls taking up boxing but then the trend is changing now. Girls are coming up in each and every profession and so is boxing. My coach Mr. Satheesh is my only motivation. He was the one who picked me up randomly from the football ground and asked me to box. I could not even imagine myself boxing. He believed I could. He was the one who saw the capablities in me and made me realize my potentials.

Who is your favourite boxing player?
Andrew FLintoff is my favourite mainly because he after making a mark in Cricket flipped to boxing and still managed to show excellence.

Tell us about your practice structure? How do you manage your academics along with boxing?
I practice 6 days a week from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. The practice sessions mainly projects on building up strength, stamina, endurance and tactics. To boost up myself, my coach also gives me verbal classes once every week. He teaches how to combat fear and to relax the mind. As far as academics is concerned, my teachers and classmates are very supportive. Even if I miss a couple of classes, they
help me learn the portions covered.

What, according to you, should be the right strategy for a boxer during the match?
Right strategy? Just be sincere to what you are doing. Take it up in your heart and do it. Success will be yours and especially in a sport, winning or losing does not matter. Participation is what counts.

Tell us about your biggest achievement till now.
My biggest achievement till date is undoubtedly winning the Delhi State Amateur Boxing Championship this year.

Is endurance better to have than strength in a fight? Or are they equally needed?
Personally, for me, both strength and endurance are equally important. As they say attack is the best defence. Also, it may vary from person to person. I really can't generally make a statement so as to what is more important.


What is the toughest challenge you have faced till now?
It is not really an easy task waking up early in the morning and practicing but one must always keep in mind the result you are going to get out of it as well as the satisfaction. That will help you keep going.

Something you want to share with our audience?
What I would like to say is that it would be great to see more women taking up boxing. There are a lot of oppertunities in the country. There are very few women boxers and even if one is not considering to take up boxing as a career,it is a great self defence. I can ensure you that you will never regret if you learn it.

It was a great encounter with an emerging DU Star. We ‘University Express’ wish Ms. Dhanya all the very best for her future and we hope more stars come up and make us proud.