One of the most precious memories we carry through our lives is that of our life being infused with magic and mystical elements.

As soon Christmas approached, we decorated our residence with fancy and florid materials; from stars to angels, to treats till lights; and we never forgot to pin the sock at the door. We always thought that more we decorate the place and the Christmas tree, more gifts we will get the next morning. We still remember the time when ‘Santa Claus’ used to leave us a gift beside our bed that we had secretly seen in the living room drawer that afternoon.

Picture
What fun it was. Till…BAM!

We got to know that it was our own sweet parents, who gave us the gifts
for years so that we believed in the fantasy of a person called SANTA!


We do remember that was one fine night (24th December) when we just doze off to our bed. And then, we see our fathers or mothers sneaking into our room and keeping the gift beside us. Then and there, the fantasy of the very existence of Santa oozes out in the air with disgust and utter awe and shock. As we grew we must have wondered how it was possible for Santa to give gifts not just for us but for children around the whole gigantic world, with such immense speed. Some of us did ponder why it was the Santa not generous to children in poorer countries or even the poorer children that we have known.

Our childhood days had taught us that Santa Claus is an overweight old guy with a long white beard, dressed in funny red clothes and is very fond of young children. He loves to give children presents and spread happiness across the globe. The fat mysterious man has spent hundreds of years climbing down chimneys in to other people’s houses and is also is scared of getting stuck in them. He keeps a track on children’s discipline in a red big book. Those children who were nice and not so naughty got presents and treat, while those who were mischievous would get thrown in a sack and drowned by one of Santa’s associates.

Nobody knows exactly how old Santa Claus is. But he ‘is’ old, that's for sure!

It is said that before he was our very own Santa, he may have been Saint Nicholas of Myra, a 4th-century Greek Christian bishop of Myra (now Demre). If this is correct, Santa is approximately 1700 years old. That’s a little too old. Isn’t it?
Picture
So, how did he survive for that long? We don't know, but I think it has something to do with the way he lives. We all know that Santa has a deep belly laughter which he uses a lot. (Ho, Ho, Ho!). And laughing is definitely good for health.

The houses that Santa has to visit are scattered all over the globe. That’s quite a distance. But Santa, for all of his old fashioned appearance, has GPS, or some super fast sleigh. The reindeers Santa has are pretty tough, for being able to carry all the weight of gifts and presents. Of course Santa only has just  8 to 10 reindeers, concluding each flying reindeer has the power of half a million normal reindeer. People from all over the world must learn work efficiency from Santa’s elves who work day and night all around the year just for one day.

Well there are many opinions and facts on this. Many people say that Santa is real, that he wears a red suit, and that he lives at the North Pole, making presents for kids and delivering them all over the world on Christmas Eve in his sleigh. Some people say that he doesn't exist and the existence of Santa and his decorative tasks is a myth. On a personal note, I believe that even though Santa Claus has broken millions of hearts over the years, he is still very real in the hearts and minds of parents and children and in the spirit of Christmas. Santa Claus helps us celebrate the spirit of Christmas to spread joy and happiness.

Well, it is all about what you believe the magic, enigma and the festivity of Christmas is special and alluring. I think Santa is a special thing; it brings all the fascination and charm to the festival of Christmas.

Keep believing! Wishing all the readers, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Picture Courtesy - Google

 
So yes, It began in the year 1913 and it’s still the most common way of providing entertainment to the audience around. Oh well, do I give out an impression of discussing and explaining a history chapter? I am afraid that I might be disappointing you and with all due respect to history lovers, it’s a No.  When Indians come to think of entertainment, majority of the people would rush to gather a bucket full of butter popcorn  or ‘shingdaana’ or ‘time–pass’ a la potato chips and relax ;  catching up on the latest blockbuster. Yes, we talk about Hindi Cinema aka Bollywood today.
Picture
Watching a movie, during a few decades back was all about a family get together - enjoying, whistling, clapping on action scenes, throwing chawanni on the screen when the hero came out as a winner. It was all about Amitabh Bachchan’s action movie, the tragedy king Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna’s  charming style of romancing with his heroines and Mithun Da’s Disco steps and Helen’s gorgeous moves, Hema Malini as the Dream Girl, Asha Parek’s experimentation with the choice of roles to mention a few. Movies were so much about the acting skills of the actors and the unsurpassed beauty of the actresses. The dialogues and the scripts are recalled and appreciated even in today’s time. How can one forget the memorable dialogues like “Inn kutto ke samney matt nachna” or “Kitney aadmi thhe” or “rishtey mein toh hum tumhare baap lagtey hai, naam hai shehensha”. Also,  who can forget Mr. Mogambo or Crime Master Gogo and the very famous, Gabbar? The movie, actor, actress, costume, songs, villain, vamps , dialogues, to sum up ,just about everything in the movies then were so well described and intricately defined.

Picture
Let’s just forward the time a little, well, the check list goes somewhat like this – Actor, Actress, Action scenes, Item number, masala songs, big budget. About the movie script and the acting skill – Let’s just leave it here, depth analysis might just spoil the fun.
No doubt that the actors are loved for the performance of the action scenes, dancing on the foot tapping tracks, showing off their six-pack abs. Only the acting and the script remain a question  mark in today’s big budgeted cinemas. It’s a race among the Khans to reach the big hundred crore target. The rest of the elements take a back seat.

I am not an accredited critique to criticize the changing trends in the Bollywood Cinema because no matter how much we say that acting skills have gone far away, the actors make a serious attempt  to sell and their confidence sells too.  After all, nobody minds two hours thirty minutes of complete entertainment be it Shahrukh’s romancing, Salman’s dialogue delivery or Akshay Kumar’s comic sense. Nobody refuses to shake a leg on songs like “Chammak Challo” or “Fevicol”. It’s an evolution in the Bollywood cinemas which is undoubtedly appreciated and accepted by the audience irrespective of whether  the scenes are even remotely close to reality. Very rightly said, Jo dikhta hai, who bikta hai…and hence, the story continues.

Picture Courtesy : Google
 
The recent Queer Pride March held in the capital last month questioned the existence of equal rights in our society as hundreds of gays and lesbians gathered to protest against discrimination, demanding their right to live a life of dignity. The first gay pride parade was held in New York City in 1969 which marked the beginning of modern gay rights movement. Various pride parades have since been successfully organized in various countries such as South Africa, India, Israel, Taiwan, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Russia and Spain, to name a few. Though each  parade celebrates life in a festive mood, the variation is largely dependent on the political, economic and religious settings of the area. Even the most festive ones however, dedicate some aspect of the march towards victims of AIDS and anti-LGBT violence. 
 
Acceptance and equality remains a struggle for these sexual minorities as they are targeted and oppressed in all parts of the world. Many imminent politicians, individuals continue to express their opinions against homosexuals and gay marriage. The belief that it’s unnatural and a sin in the eye of a god restricts many to follow a path where everyone is treated equal in our society. Psychological theories suggest that homosexuality can be explained by a person’s environment. Whereas, biological studies suggest that genetic explanation is possible to some extent for different sexual preferences. Various studies have since been undertaken to prove that homosexuality is very much a part of our society and must not be overlooked as a disease or a mental disorder.   
 
Despite India being a conservative society, it has been successful in organizing its 5th gay parade this year. However, this change was not easy as opposition was faced as the political party BJP expressed its disagreement with the concept of a gay pride parade back in 2008. The very next day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appealed for greater social tolerance towards homosexuals at an AIDS event. Support from the government and victory came as a high court in the Indian capital, Delhi ruled on 2 July 2009, that homosexual intercourse between consenting adults was not a criminal act, which until then had been an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Many still don’t consider homosexuals as a part of our society expressing disgust and disagreement. Most of them base their opinions out of religious beliefs or just due to society norms. It’s because of these social stigmas that millions of people in India would still prefer to stay hidden in the ‘closet’ rather than live a life of dignity, where they are equal before the law for who they really are.                                                        
“In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.” 
 - Dalai Lama
 
Picture



Author            :  Suzanne Collins

First Published :  January 1st, 2009 by Scholastic Press

ISBN              :   0439023491 (ISBN13: 9780439023498)

Series             :  The Hunger Games #2

Genre             :  Dystopia, Young Adult.

Setting           : Post-apocalyptic North America. A nation called Panem.

Narrative         : First person, present tense.

Rating             :  5/5


It is so very hard to review a book when you’re afraid that whatever you say will give away the twist. And twists make this book one of the best cliffhangers of all times! Catching Fire, the second book of The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, is downright intense. Words, action, pain, fear, compassion, sorrow, yearning, everything tugs the heart of the reader and brings it right in the face. This book is addictive. (On a personal note, and because a little bragging every now and then doesn’t harm: I read it in straight 8 hours, having nothing more than a few cups of coffee.)

The book starts off a little slow but it all just adds up to the pacing climax that the book handles so well. The odds are never in their favor, but Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have won the Hunger Games and been awarded magnificent mansions in the Victor Village. They no longer have to worry about filling up their families’ bellies; they have enough for themselves and for others. For all you know, Katniss could have a relaxed life with her mother and her little duck (that’s what she calls her kid sister Prim). If only you knew better. The 74th Hunger Games had ended with Katniss defying the Capitol by pulling a little stunt with the poisonous night-lock berries. But can –or would- the Capitol, particularly President Snow, let it go?

A “yes” to that question will be too obvious for a good book. But how bad a “no” would Katniss have to bear? Trust me; you’ll be as clueless as Katniss is. The first person narrative in the book takes the brownie points for making this book so very powerful. While reading the book, Katniss’ inner voice will become the voice of your own heart. You’ll be scared like her; you’ll be fearless like her. What adds to the narrative skill is Katniss being critical of herself; you wouldn’t agree with whatever she does but you’d understand why she’s doing what she’s doing. And when you think you’ve figured out what’s going to happen to Katniss…when you think you’ve finally reached the zenith of what could happen to a 16 year old girl… a couple of words is all that Suzanne Collins uses to send you tumbling back to the ground. 

Moving back to the world of The Hunger Games reality show: Katniss was able to keep herself and Peeta alive in the first book. But anything against the wishes of Capitol- even living- is an act of rebellion. With her Mockingjay pin, Katniss has sparked a new spirit of rebellion in the Districts. And the Capitol is coming down on all this with a brutality beyond words. There are rumors that the ruins of the long destroyed District 13 house a secret resistance. Katniss is already on the hit-list of Panem's President Snow. Will Katniss and Peeta be able to become anything more than just a piece in the Games? Will Capitol be able to stop the uprising? What will the 75th Hunger Games have in store for the Districts? Catching Fire whets the appetite of the readers with these questions in every chapter and the hunger for answers isn’t satiated until the very end. 

Katniss struggles with her emotions. She’s unable to calm the districts’ desire to rebel against the Capitol: something the President Snow wanted her to do. Because of this failure on her part, the 75th Hunger Games introduce a new twist: it’s the Quarter Quell where the existing victors will have to be in the arena to fight for their lives. And thus Katniss and Peeta are tossed back into the arena where the action begins anew. The Hunger Games is revisited, new characters are introduced and it’s difficult for Katniss, and thus for the reader, to decide who to trust. It’s not apparent who is siding with the Capitol and who is secretly plotting the rebellion. This leaves the reader holding his/her breath right until the final page. A nail biting cliffhanger and Gale’s shocking revelation to Katniss will have readers running for Mockingjay, the final book in this highly popular series.

Once again, like The Hunger Games, Catching Fire too caters to the needs of a variety of readers. For the die-hard romantics, it provides a love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale. Along with other tough choices, Katniss has to choose between the boy who saved her life i.e. Peeta and her best friend and hunting partner Gale who’s been keeping their families alive. But the choices are never that easy. 

There is a lot more to the series than the love triangle though. Suzanne Collins is an advocate for educating youth about the realities of war. Being the daughter of a war veteran and military specialist, she grew up learning about the battlefield and understood the consequences of war. This is one point that critics have held against the book: the violent action sequences and unpredictable character deaths. The violent theme is there alright, but it must be noted that Katniss and others were trying to avoid the games and the whole book brings forth the futility of wars. There’s a reason why the book is for Young Adults or teenagers and not for children. 
 
Collins believes that young people don’t have a political awareness or understanding about the realities of war. And thus she creates a world which is not much different from the one we live & brings out the reality from a web of fiction. Portraying the Capitol as a totalitarian government gives a political angle to the book. The book is raw. It never feels like it’s a separate world. You go through every emotion that the book poses in front of you. You feel each and every word of it. And even when it ends, you can’t help but imagine what it must be like to have all hope striped from you at a time when your life should be bubbling with hope. Reading this book is like hanging from a fraying thread for dear life and holding on to it is really all you can do. The book is worth every experience. You’re going to suffer, but you’re going to be happy about it. It leaves you thinking about life and death and everything in between. 

With this book, you’re in for a great experience. So, Happy Reading and May the odds be ever in your favor.





 
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. 
Picture
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.

 
'There was a rope like structure jutting out of her body, probably her intestine.'

Sunday, the 16th of December 2012 would rather be marked the Black Day in Indian history, the night was stained and petrified with blood curdling, heart wrenching shrieks and howls of an innocent 23 year old girl, who probably didn't knew Doom was just inches away from her, ready to eat her alive. A fool she was to think boarding a Bus, so called public transport, was safe enough to happily escort her to her haven and, like so many other women, she was wrong. Her belief was killed not once, not twice but six times. Her body, her soul was looted brutally of its purity.

Those bastards not only ravaged her feminism, they crippled her entire psyche, every value that she stood for, every word that her world survived for 23 years of her existence. How wrong were those animals to think they'd survive such heinous act? She goes strong, yes she lives; lives to witness those animals dying, dying every minute they survive and begging yet for death to come.

How easy it is to burden someone else of your own dead thinking. Yes the Government is wrong; the Police, a bunch of stupid hoard never bothering with their duty; but what are we- Super Heroes? What a heroic act was it to leave two naked and humiliated, hurting and freezing to near death humans, uncovered? Not a single piece of cloth, not a hand to help, not a single tear shed for whole of an hour, and we call ourselves literates?  SHAME INDIA!

Being a girl I'm numb, shocked, scared and shaken to the very core of my nerves. It was her that night, it might be you, me, or someone dear to us tomorrow, and what would we do then? Another mass movement, another public act and it will lead to what? Four thousand more rape cases around India and nothing happening.
 
Oh, yes together we stand today, even after 6 days after the shameful act, bearing the laathi charges, water cannons, tear gas and what not to save the pride of the heroic girl and every other woman in India. Does that really help? 

Wake up India- High time. Wake up and vote! Vote for the right people and right cause, not for some promised amount of money or bloody gadgets or sugar-coated words of promise. It'd all be affordable with your own money, with right and sane people adorning the Parliament. False promises so made and chosen will eat our pride; rob us of our own sanity. Rapes would be their second nature. It won't cease- the hue and cries, until we wake up, wake up for the right cause and right people.

Every time Rape is reported, there would one of those moral police, some so called minister or one of our family member singing the same old story- "Girls mustn't wear provocative dresses.", "They must not walk on roads alone during night."

We still are a bunch of learned illiterates. It's not us who needs to change but the pseudo men mentality.

We might be fourth largest with the Armed Forces or whatever but even today, we stand nowhere when it comes to law, crime control and women protection. Of course, how is it possible when the one sitting there to protect us, are the ones on top of the list to commit such animalistic acts. The oath, the promises, the badges, goes all in vain.

A day before, funny it felt to see one of the political parties from DU supporting the cause.  Supposedly suffering temporary memory loss, for it wasn't that I remember just few months ago, a girl was publicly molested while one of their rallies took place? I don't question their support but the hideous people their group constitutes of!

A women today is safe nowhere. It's not our clothes or looks that'd change the situation, but revamping of the sick-chauvinistic-mentality.

Why a 10 year old girl in Kanpur was sickeningly ravished of her virginity? She wasn't provocating anything out of her innocent school uniform. She died, the accused still lives? What about the married women raped in front of her in-laws, she was clad in a so called perfect-Indian-attire Saree. What provocation a married woman might have demanded? When a 2 year old girl is raped by her own Father what provocative limits she must have crossed?

It's probably the word‘sex’ being treated a taboo in India that leads to all what's shameful and unworthy of acceptance. There is no need to shallow-worship Goddess Durga or Lakshmi. Rather respect the living flesh and bones of a ‘woman’.

WE ARE NOT YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY. We can't be some for-granted conclusion for the sole reason of having a Vagina.

Let me remind all of us once again- It's more because of a ‘women’ that we exist! Let men enjoy their rights and ‘no more’. Let women have their rights and ‘no less’.

Our Vengeance for Vendetta isn’t any entailment of violent act but violent words. A pen has always been mightier than a sword and it would be the same ‘sans justice’.

 
As the days of XIIth board exams approaches, the advertisements of various coaching centres reaches its peak for preparing you to get into the professional courses offered by DU . BBE holds a place amongst them. Bachelors in Business Economics or BA (Honours) Business Economics is a three year undergraduate professional courses offered by the faculty of applied social sciences and humanities under the University Of Delhi.

Started in 1995 in two colleges , BBE has emerged as an popular course of the University Of Delhi. The course is now offered in 10 colleges namely :
Picture
Bhim Rao Ambedkar College

Shivaji College

College of Vocational Studies

Gargi College

Lakshmibai College

Maharaja Agrasen College

Ram  Lal Anand College (Evening)

Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce

Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College

Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College

Any student with 60% aggregate in class XIIth with  mathematics and english is eligible  to apply for the course. Also a minimum of 60% in economics is indispensable for admission in BBE.  The 550 seats in BBE are filled through 50% weightage to the entrance test and 50% weightage to the marks scored in class XIIth. 

The six semester programme is designed to use the economic applications  in working of an enterprise. Basically this course a mix of intellectual growth and corporate exposure which includes  a study of economics, econometrics besides seven other specializations such as finance, marketing, quantitative techniques, international business, services (both financial and non-financial), entrepreneurship and  computers.

The industrial trips gives an opportunities to the students to look beyond the academics and understand the practical aspects of a business. Various inter-college events and festivals are also organized for the overall development of a student in different colleges. 
 
Often compared with Economics Honours , it is a more applied course while the former is a broader and theoritical version involving core study of Economics.

The most important yet dilemmatic  factor for a student is the future prospects of BBE . Most of the students are not very clear with the prospects of BBE and most of them have a question bothering their minds – “What after BBE ? “. 

A BBE graduate can easily fetch jobs in field of insurance, finance, consultancy, banking, stock markets, advertising and market research.  Also they can apply for Indian Economic Services (provided they opt for post graduate degree in Economics or Business Economics), Reserve Bank Of India and other Govt. exams including Civil Services etc. The central placement cell offers decent placements to the students and the on campus recruitments record good placement in MNC’s and in leading corporate firms like Capital IQ, DTZ, E Value Serve, Hewitt India, Reliance Life Insurance, Gopal Group, BIFM, Adroit Financial Services . 
 
The BEPC (Business Economics Placement Cell) is being planned to maintain a good record of placement for the students pursuing this high demand professional course.

For further studies a student can opt for masters in business economics , economics , business administration , commerce law etc. 
 
If you have an soft inclination towards economics and are interested in gaining knowledge in diverse fields beyond economics , BBE is an apt option for you . 

With a decent placement record , BBE has turned out to be one of the most sought courses of the University Of Delhi .
If you aspire to become a Business Economist, you could proudly say “Your Economy Is My Business!”
 
Picture



After a super successful puppet show at Delhi Haat, Kayakalp an initiative of Enactus SRCC invades the town with much more mesmerizing entertainment on the following dates :


24th December,Monday :LTG,Mandi House -7:30 PM

25th December,Tuesday :Epicenter,Gurgaon -3:30PM, 7:30PM

26th December,Wednesday: Alliance Francaise', Lodi Estate-7PM

27th December,Thursday :Alliance Francaise',Lodi Estate -3:30 PM, 7:30 PM


Project Kayakalp is an initiative that aims to empower the artists of Kathputli Colony of Shadipur Depot, consisting of Puppet masters, folk dancers, sword-swallowers, drummers, singers, magicians and fire fighters with a stable and sufficient source of income by identifying and capitalizing on existing markets and modernizing their art forms to tap newer markets. They represent an Indian heritage which is valuable and on the verge of being lost forever. The artists here have the potential to entertain the world.

| Mark your presence and do not miss the chance of feeling the traditional version of entertainment |


 
Intern (Research Coordinator) – Longitudinal Impact Study

Open Positions:
20

Last date to apply: 31st December 2012

Position Summary: The intern will play a critical role in the successful implementation of the Longitudinal Impact study. He/she will work closely with various stakeholders (Principals, Fellows, other teachers in the school, and students) to administer the end of year assessments and survey to the students. The intern will also be responsible for grading the assessments and student survey, ensuring reliability and integrity of the data collection process. Qualified candidates for this position should demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, ability to work with a large group of primary school students, and basic knowledge of spreadsheet applications (such as MS Excel). The candidate should also be fluent in Hindi or other local language, and be willing to travel to municipal schools within the city. 
 
Project Overview: Teach For India (TFI) has partnered with SIPA, Columbia University to design and conduct a longitudinal study. The study will enable us to measure the impact of TFI intervention by comparing a sample of our classrooms with non-TFI classrooms from the same schools. As we are rapidly expanding, ensuring that we have reliable impact measurements to define our programmatic operations is
critical to our long-term sustainability and success as an organization.
 
To date, we have measured our impact on students through a number of key metrics, most notably student achievement. Our student-centered metrics have primarily included external academic assessments to measure student outputs across learning subjects, such as Literacy, Writing, Mathematics, and Speaking / Listening.

We’re currently aiming to expand our metrics to further measure the impact our Fellows have on other key student inputs, such as student participation, motivation levels, time spent studying at home, values and mindsets, and other key indicators. In 2012, TFI strives to begin conducting a multi-year, longitudinal study – consisting of student surveys and external assessments – to measure these metrics within Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad.

Responsibilities: 

Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to:

- Undergo trainings to understand the scope of the project and various processes:
  o  Administering assessments and student survey
  o  Grading assessments
  o  Data management and collection
  o  Tracking student IDs and classroom/school IDs

- Coordinate with Teach For India Team and school authorities to ensure timely execution of the baseline assessments/survey in target schools.

- Travel to participating schools to conduct baseline assessments and student survey in classrooms.
        
- Grade assessments and student survey as per the rubrics, ensuring reliability and integrity of the data collection process.

- Transfer assessment and survey data on to easy-to-use MS Excel trackers.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

 - Fluency in local language
   o   Delhi: Hindi
   o   Mumbai: Hindi or Marathi
   o   Hyderabad: Hindi or Telugu

- Strong interpersonal skills; ability to influence and motivate team members and project stakeholders to achieve outcomes

- Adaptable and flexible in working style; willingness to travel within the city

- Basic knowledge of MS Excel

- Ability to work with large group of primary school students; classroom management skills (strongly preferred)

- Attention to detail
 
Education and Experience
 
- Previous experience working in a multicultural environment; sensitive to the diversity of our target population

- Previous experience working hard in a deadline-oriented, target-driven environment with respect for process and professionalism: able to keep himself/herself calm during high-stress periods

Application process

- Please  use this form to submit your internship application:

 http://teachforindia1.wufoo.eu/forms/internship-application-longitudinal-impact-study/ 

Aditi
Correspondent - UE
 
Zomato is one such startup of India which promises to draw a global picture. Seeing its steep growth in the last 6 months, it certainly deserves to be UE's Company of The Week.
Zomato.com started off as Foodiebay.com by Mr. Deepinder Goyal, an IIT Delhi Graduate and Mr. Pankaj Chaddah. It was in 2008 when they were working at Bain and Company when they decided to help their colleagues  at Bain by scanning and uploading Food Menus online. What started on the office intranet with about 50 menus soon became popular as word got around. Goyal and Chaddah decided to make a business out of it and made the menus available on a public platform.

From working at home to a 20,000 sqft. office in Delhi and branches in  Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Indore, Ludhiana, UAE and Sri Lanka, from initially investing Rs.50 lacs from their own pocket to getting Rs. 13.5 cr investment from Info Edge India Ltd. , the journey of Zomato has been stupendous. What took them to reach there? When you have a good paying job in one of the world's biggest management consulting firm, a degree from one of the India's best technical colleges and still you decide to follow that one thing that you love - that courage took them up where they are now today. Although they do not plan to stop here - afterall, sky is the limit. Future plans include expanding to Australia, Turkey and Hong Kong and hiring top-notch talent. 
 
Zomato also launched a print version of the content on the website in collaboration with Citibank in May 2012. The guides are marketed and sold under the name "Citibank Zomato Restaurant Guide". 

As of now, Zomato has 50,700 restaurants in 17 cities in 3 countries. They have an iPhone App, Android App, Facebook App, Windows Phone App and Blackberry App. Zomato allows users to rate restaurants, write reviews, see menus, sort according to variety of fields and above all simplifies life for the consumer in market which is over-flooded with places to eat. Zomato also runs a unique photo blog known - www.zomato.xxx which it calls as 'Food Porn'. Indeed, the company promises a steep growth in future.