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Image Courtesy : Google
As newspapers turns into e-papers, magazines into blogs, facebook takes over columns in daily newspapers, we welcome you to the world of digital journalism. Speed, mass coverage and accessibility are the new mantra of journalism. Digital journalism in today’s world appears to be limitless, containing all news pieces, updates, articles, debates on any public forum. Its accessibility is depicted as one can edit the piece as per the requirement. Less flaws leads to better communication.

Gradually with the decline of print media (due to the same old pattern they have been carrying for decades), digital media has come out with a boom and has taken over the media in the past few decades. Digitalization of various institutions and workplace has also been a crucial factor in its success. Its requirement of minimal investment and production has also worked in its favor. 

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Image Courtesy : Google
 The modern demands of today’s readers are well catered by the swiftness and new communicative forms of digital media. One of the most unique features of this type of journalism is that it includes every individual’s contribution and hence, is not confined to a specific section of the society. More participation generates more awareness.

To sum it up, we are the e-generation and hence the ‘e’ version of journalism. It’s a great time for journalism right now but better are coming our way soon, yet again, thanks to the digital media.

Aditi 
Columnist


 
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Director: Abhishek Kapoor
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Amit Sadh, Raj Kumar Yadav, Amrita Puri, Digvijay Deshmukh.

The movie can be described in three words: ‘Friendship’, ‘Politics’ and ‘Ambitions’! But these three words do not restrict the varying possibilities with which it can charms and leave the audience in a state of awe.

For all those who have not read the book ‘The Three Mistakes of My Life’ by Chetan Bhagat, on which the movie is primarily based on, the story is about three childhood friends, Ishaan, Omi and Govind, who together want to start a business of selling sports goods and start a cricket training institute in Ahmadabad. One is a district level cricket player; the second is a nephew of a Hindu politician, while the third is nerd. As the film unveils, it portrays the ups and down a childhood friendship has to face with the growing years as the reality of life seeps in.

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The movie has a calming and captivating backdrop, with intense use of colors to portray emotions. Its music lingers and does the rightful job of playing with the audiences emotions the way it wants to. With a tang of Gujrati lingo added in places, the movie is a happy package. But, at the same time, it leaves no stone unturned to instill fear and melodrama wherever required with loud cinematography, to showcase the conflict point in Chetan Bhagat’s story. It depicts the vulnerability of strong emotions like anger and sadness.

In all, the movie leaves you satisfied with the mix of simplicity and impeccable screenplay by the actors, something that will find a place in your heart and bring a smile to your face when you catch a glimpse of it anywhere, even outside the theatre. In total, a must watch.


Anvita Mathur
Columnist


 
Author: Zach Wahls
Publisher: Gotham; 1 edition (April 26, 2012)

Genre: Personal account.
Setting: Iowa, USA
Narrative: First person.

Hardcover: 256 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1592407137

ISBN-13: 978-1592407132

Book Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches

Rating: 4.5/5

On the fateful day of January 31, 2011, Zacharia Wahls, then the 19-year-old lanky teenager, addressed the Iowa House Judiciary Committee in a public hearing on a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Iowa. The 2-minute speech went viral online and was millions of times within days. Hence began the journey of a lanky teenager to a man.

Zach Wahls, born July 15, 1991, is the son of a lesbian couple Terry Wahls and Jackie Reger. Elder amongst the two siblings, Zach is presently an LGTB activist. The book ‘My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family’ is actually the outcome of the ‘Most watched political video of 2011’. An extension to his dramatic 2-minute speech and the dozen interviews that followed, the 256 page-journey takes us through the ups and down of a family. This family is no different than any other, besides the small fact that it has two mothers and no father. And in all honesty, the writer never lets the reader realize this fact. There flow of emotions and circumstances is so swift and natural that the reader connects with them instantly. Such books are generally branded ‘superficial’ and ‘carefully-calculated’, but the narrative is so simple and the situations so genuinely relatable that not for a moment are the authenticity of the motive or the bigger picture questioned. 

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The story begins by describing the lives and situations of Terry Wahls and Jackie Reger, and the problems they had to put up with, even before meeting each other. The argument of same-sex marriage is woven into the personal accounts so beautifully that one cannot help but think, question and themselves the concept of gay marriage and the validity of law. Instances like bullying at school, imparting moral values at dinner, completion of homework etc. bring a faint smile because the whole situation is described so naturally and openly. For a first-timer, the writing style is casual, relaxed and very frank which helps in striking the right chord with the reader. The book has chapters titled according to the virtues and qualities of Boy Scout law: Obedient, Trustworthy, Kind etc and every now then, a huge dose of morals, which young Zach was taught, are explained at length. Some like, ‘Running from the truth leaves it chasing you’ hold special significance. But ultimately, the book serves the purpose it was written for: breaking the stereotypes and asking ourselves the validity and boundaries of law on same-sex marriage. All in all, the book makes for a heartwarming experience and teaches us the importance of family, however clichéd it may seem. It may look like that it’s trying to sell same-sex marriage and present a one-sided argument, but, any clever reader will be able to see past that. And that is the victory of Zach Wahls. As an activist. As a son.


Manav Seth
Columnist

 
Has it ever happened to you?

You are in a place where all you can hear is the sound of laughter, not boisterous like the ones that those Clubs do, but the kind that slowly mingles with the wind and penetrates every single soul in the vicinity. The sun takes a backseat when the little angels smile. We went there thinking we would help them so that they could add maximum value to these 3 days, but by the end of it, we were left wondering: Who helped who exactly?

Has it ever happened to you?

You are responsible for 9 kids, 24/7 for 3 days and 2 nights - A statement that would make others sweat their guts out. But not us. We know our kids better than Newton knew calculus, and we knew it's something we wouldn't want to miss for the world. One volunteer couldn't find a kid in his group of 9 children. After 3 frantic minutes when he did, before he could say anything, one of his own children walked up to the kid who was found and went all, "Kyu bhag gaya tha tu? Pata hai sir ko kittni tension ho jati hai? Bina bataye kahin mat jaya kar tu. Sir ko acha nahi lagta." Kids run away, they want to go to the toilet every hour, they throw tantrums by the minute. But then, there are moments like these. We were supposed to take care of these kids, but by the end of it, we were left wondering: who took care of whom exactly?
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Has it ever happened to you?

After spending the entire day running around playing games with the kids, chasing them all over the resort, having 8 kids before a session but running breathlessly to find the missing one, listening to their stories by the bonfire at 11pm. By the end of the second day, one volunteer was left with swollen feet. He couldn't walk properly. The kids wanted to know what was ailing their bhaiya, but would get a "kuch nahi" in return. At night, when they all retired to bed, the kids offered to massage his feet, but that only embarrassed him, and he refused. Not taking a no for an answer, the kids literally pinned him down to bed, 5-6 holding his arms and legs while the rest massaging his feet, till he gave up and let them do it in a civilized way. He had started
feeling better even before the kids had started it. We wanted to heal their inner wounds and assuage the pain, but by the end of it, we were left wondering: who healed who exactly?

Has it ever happened to you?

At the second day, 8 out of 9 kids were seated at the table for lunch. But the volunteer did a count before entering the hall - there were 9 kids inside the hall. He had to help the kids observe table etiquettes, make sure they don't overload their plates, teach them how to use a fork, but for that, he wanted all of them at the table. He got back empty-handed only to find that one kid standing at the table, with a plate of food in his hand. "Sir abhi tak aapne humein khana khilaya. Aaj main aapko khilata hun.' We wanted to ensure that the kids get what they truly deserve in these 3 days, but by the end ofi t, we were left wondering: who deserved what exactly?
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Has it ever happened to you?

At the end of it all, when a volunteer was dropping his kids off at their shelter home, they all got out of the cab. Almost as if synchronized, the kids stopped 10 feet from the main gate, put down their bags and stopped. The volunteer, confused, wondered what had happened. Before he could ask anything, a kid slowly went up to him and hugged him, wrapping his arms around his waist. Then another and another...until all the 9 kids were hugging and clinging to him. No one said a word, but the silence was comforting. The kids held back the tears because they didn't want to enter the shelter home after 3 days with tears in their eyes. The volunteer held back the tears because tears wouldn't do justice to those 3 days. We wanted to change their lives in those 3 days, but by the end of it, we were left wondering: who changed whose life exactly?

Has it ever happened to you?


- Praneet Saxena
Guest Writer and Volunteer at Make A Difference
 
Author: Sarah Dessen
First Published: April 6th 2006 by Viking Juvenile
ISBN13: 9780670061051
Genre: Young Adult.
Setting: Lakeview, North Carolina.
Narrative: First person.
Reviewer’s rating:5/5
Among the thousand things that we expect from people but fail to do ourselves are these two words: Just Listen. We always judge. We always think our version of the story is the absolute truth. What we don’t realize is that a single incident can tell a thousand different tales. All we need to do is...'Just Listen'. Sarah
Dessen’s Just Listen talks about this and more.

The story is about Annabel Greene, a model in making. She’s “the girl who has everything” – that’s what the TV commercial she’s worked on, says. But her having “everything” won’t make a good book. She’s the daughter who doesn't do what she wants to (which is not being a model) because she's afraid of being just
another dagger in her mother's already wounded heart. The youngest of the three sisters, Annabel strives for having someone who she could talk her heart out to but never comes down to doing that. All of her friends leave her, some because of the mistake she didn't make, others because of their misunderstandings. She spends her time with no one but herself. Until the day the 'Big' guy Owen tells her about the choices she has. Owen Armstrong is a classmate obsessed with music, freshly out of the Anger Management programme. They both work on their lives and try to make sense of it as they begin to listen not only to each other, but also to the voice coming from deep within. Parallel to this runs the story of Annabel’s two sisters. The eldest and the rebellious one is Kirsten, who’s been a model but had quit and joined the college. The middle sister Whitney is a model who has pushed herself too far in the profession. All the sisters are very different from each other but there’s one story that binds them all together.

Sarah Dessen, heart-touching books have not just attracted the target young adults but also the parents. She takes up adolescents’ issues like teenage pregnancy, anger issues, depression etc. Just Listen, for instance, talks about anorexia and rape of a teenager. And though the book doesn’t have a “How to
Deal With…” in the title, the story does help a great deal in making the reader understand the ways these situations could be dealt with. And most of the times, the solution is to “just listen.” So, all that you need to do is to just read and form your own opinion about the book because hey, it's totally worth it!

Happy Reading!


- Mansi Sharma
UE Columinist
 
Delhi has got so much to offer, that one couldn’t ever be disappointed by it. From top notch shopping destinations to exquisite historical sites and from multi cuisine restaurants to every other thelewala; Delhi has got it all. We bring to you the top 8 places in Delhi where you can hang out - 
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1. Chor Minar
Imagine the sight of a tower with 225 holes. And how about making each hole support a spear on which is impaled a human head. Yes, we are not reciting a story of a corny horror drama but taking you back into history. Situated in posh South Delhi, the Minar according to local legends was the ‘Tower of Beheading’, which displayed the slaughtered head of thieves. It was supposed to act like deterrent to ‘aspiring robbers’. But, a weirdly fascinating place to visit.

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2, Delhi Cantt
 India's capital city has its own share of ghosts and ghost
stories! The area around Delhi Cantt is said to be haunted by a vengeful spirit of a lady, clad in white dress, who asks for lift and then suddenly disappears! This spoof filled  place must be on the top of our list to experience horror adventures in the city,

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3. The Hauz Khas village
Hauz Khas Village is a perfect amalgamation of Delhi’s historical
lineage and the ‘bling’, it is very proud of. Built in the medieval era it is surrounded by an urbanized village. Historical insight, tempting art, mouth watering food and fine fashion boutiques, all can be experienced here. DU Colleges like Gargi College, Kamala Nehru College, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, etc find this place to be the best replacement for boring lectures. 

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4. Dilli Haat 
Dilli Haat beautifully reminds you how culturally rich our country is. This place has the capacity to lure every visitor with its colorful art, craft and food stalls of every state of the country and displays Indian heritage. An excellent place to hang around with friends who love textiles and are big foodies. 

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5. Kitaab Bazaar
 If you are a book lover, Dariyaganj’s weekly Kitab Bazaar on Sundays is a must visit for you. Various book sellers put up their collection on footpath and so this place provides you second hand books in excellent conditions and minimal prices. 

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6. Parathe Wali Gali
If you are a Punjabi at heart and looking out  for your kind of food then these parathes with huge amount of stuffing and loads of butter are just meant for you. The variety is sure to amaze you. This place is a 'must visit' for those who celebrate two things in life. Food and FOOD. 

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7. Agrasen ki Baoli 
Agrasen ki Baoli is hidden among the tall buildings of Cannaught Place, a short walk from Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, India. This place is historically so fascinating that one must not miss visiting it. This place is on the top of the list of all the photogenic friends because this place can definitely guarantee you some impressive pictures apart from learning its rich history. 

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8. The Kunzum Travel Cafe 
The Kunzum Travel Cafe in Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi is a place for travellers to meet, exchange stories and make friends. The day can also be spent over coffee and free Wi-Fi. They can simply sit back and enjoy as musicians jam around. The best part: you are not obliged to buy anything. And when you have coffee, you may choose to pay what you like.


- Shreya Seth
UE Columinist
 
Author: Cecelia Ahern
First Published: January 1st, 2008 by Harper Collins Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 9780007233687
Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance.
Setting: Dublin, Ireland.
Narrative: Two narrators, both first person.
Reviewer’s rating: 5/5
There are books that take the reader to a path breaking journey, at the end of which, the reader comes out shining; brighter and better than before. They tell you that you should always look at the brighter side of every situation you are in and how beautiful life is, even if everything that you believed in is lost. These
self help books have probably changed the minds of all those people who’d have jumped off the roof had it not been for these books. Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern is definitely not one of them. It doesn’t change your life or professes that life is the most beautiful thing to have ever happened to mankind. Yet, it makes the reader appreciate it, even if she/he thinks it’s not worth it.

Thanks for the Memories has two parallel stories looking for one common destination. An Irish woman Joyce Conway has just had a heap of disturbed times in her life. She's going through the loss of her unborn child and a failed marriage. Her miscarriage puts her life in danger because of the loss of so much blood. Add all those sorry faces that she has to face; her life is in a very clear mess.

An American man Justin Hitchcock, who has moved across the country just to be close to his daughter Bea, is recovering from his divorce. He is an art and architecture freak, knows Latin and Italian besides a great knowledge about Renaissance paintings and architecture. He comes to Dublin as a guest lecturer and has to donate his blood just to get in the good books of this gorgeous doctor Sarah. This blood saves Joyce's life when she has the miscarriage. After the blood transfusion, Joyce learns Latin and Italian overnight; apart from the detailed knowledge about the paintings and architecture. The rest is for you to find out!

This is one book that I just didn't want to have an end. The story won’t tell you new things. It won’t leave you with an ‘eyes-popping and jaw-dropping’ face of a newly recognized profound revelation. It is an amazing story which would make you laugh and smile through the tears. The best character of the book is Joyce’s 75 year old father, whom you’d love so much that you’d want to rip him out of the paperback and hug him tight! He’d make you laugh your hearts out! This fiction, ironically, will help you a great deal in going through the reality and not to forget, a better understanding of life and death and everything in between!

So, happy reading and carry a pencil to mark the beautiful sentences you’d find every now and then that I’m sure you’d want to remember for a long, long time. 


- Mansi Sharma
UE Correspondent
 
“Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur,
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty,
Purpurpurpurpur...”

Well, the Sheldon-maniacs would be humming to this melody in their minds as they read it. Whenever I find myself in the middle of a crisis or a mood swing, this comes to my rescue. While my mom would have wanted me to enchant the Gayatri Mantra, but I simply tell myself, “Keep calm and sing soft kitty.”

“Keep calm and be merry.”

“Keep calm and rejoice.”

Oh, seeing these one liners we all would have pictured the vivid hued Tudor Crown posters in our minds which are a rage these days. All thanks to the social networking websites and the unprecedented prowess of internet which boosts and popularises everything and anything. The catchy ‘Keep Calm’ one liners have become a favourite with the X-generation often adding to their knack of repartee. 
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For those of you who believe that it is a recent innovation, think again. The ‘Keep calm’ posters date back to 1939 which were used by the British administration at the time of World War II to raise the morale of British public with the ongoing social and political unrest and upheaval at that time. Though, it is true that these posters could not gather the popularity half as much as it enjoys today and thus, remain lesser known to people, owing to the kind of havoc and turmoil breeding at that time; lack of medium is just an added factor.

Some years after World War II, these posters were as dead as dodo and people became oblivious of them but as we often see that things from the past often make a comeback though not necessarily in the same frame or set up.  Unlike the time when it was used to spread messages of peace and deliverance and aimed to work as morale boosters, today they find their abode in much simpler and casual context with multitude companies using them as punch lines to promote their goods and services.

Today, with the commercialization and commodification trend hitting the world, we have all kinds of merchandise available at the click of a button. Also, exclusive Keep Calm apps on Google play itself a testimony to the popularity of these posters and slogans in various media and innumerable parodies and imitations. Myriad websites, production houses and printing agencies provide assistance in this process. Messages on these goods such as mugs, t-shirts, boxes etc range from cute to political, from art to sports, popular culture and what not.

 With this beautiful evening capturing my heart, as I stand in my balcony sipping hot cappuccino,  and enjoying the lovely weather, I voyage back to reality with my mother’s call who says “Don’t keep calm, do some kaam.”  and I rush back to my books, laughing at her humored remark.