Indian Institute of Students

There is a lot of fuss going on in the upper House of the Indian Parliament. Recently, the House had to be adjourned due to protests by women members of opposition parties that demanded that the screening of the documentary, 'India's Daughter'  be stopped. They have a very valid reason for doing so: Such a film, if broadcast, would put India into poor light in the international community. Leslee Udwin / The Guardian However, BBC went on to broadcast the documentary in UK; and unfortunately, Indian courts have no authority over foreign workings. There were mixed reviews from the Indian community there; and no one appeared to have been particularly pleased with the presentation and handling of such a sensitive matter. Jaya Bacchan, in a recent interview, stated that the film made the rapist a 'national celebrity'- and there's no denial there. There should not arise a misunderstanding here. I am not against free speech. I am not against the freedom of expr...

The 2015 Delhi Legislative Assembly polls was probably the most anticipated election of the fresh year 2015. Delhi, after all, is the national capital and the government there plays a vital role. Experts and political strategists argue that this is one of the most fiercely contested electoral battles in recent times- and they're wonderfully correct. From the AAP's revival to the BJP's lackadaisical attitude, it was sure spectacularly appealing to the common electorate. There is a rare unanimity among major exit polls this time. According to the polls, Arvind Kejriwal is all set to occupy the CM's chair yet another time, but his party has adopted a strict watch-and-proceed approach. No one's celebrating as of yet. The BJP might have to do some self-introspection as to what might have went wrong. A few days back I read a good article at Firstpost, titled, " Win or lose, Modi and Shah should learn from their mistakes in Delhi polls ". That essentiall...

A Candle Light Vigil in London condemning the Peshawar school attacks/Wikimedia Commons Over the last decade, there has been a exponential rise in the number of terrorism cases. From 26/11 to the Peshawar school attacks, these are horrific acts of shameless and brutal assault on innocent people. As  The Conversation  puts it, "Terrorism is some form of purposive and planned violence that has a political, religious, or ideological motivation. It is intended to coerce or intimidate and is targeted at civilians or government. Legislation prohibiting terrorism ought to have extra-territorial effect". It is an open fact that the ISI and the Pakistani Army has long nurtured extremist organisations. These organizations harbour militants in the name of Jihad, or holy wars. As long as your pet barks at others, it's fine. However, when that pet becomes a rogue stray and bites you back, that's when you suffer. That is precisely what has happened to the Pakistani Army. The...

"I must publicly laud the flair some people have got to create issues out of nothing. If evaluated analytically, PK preaches us to bust the business of those who exploit the afraid. The previous line is self-explanatory." I have a habit of browsing news channels whenever I get time. Some call it good; others tag me a "nerd". Yesterday, while browsing through the channels, I switched on to Times Now at prime time noon and rather found a shocking display: Right-wing activists vandalising multiplexes that screened 'PK' , a recent Aamir-starrer film. While this unfortunate incident occurred a few cities (Bhopal, Agra, etc.), it is common sense that such acts spread like wildfire. I am not paid by the ' PK' team, nor am I a hardcore purist. Therefore, I have scripted, what I feel is from a neutral perspective. In recent times, the RSS has stepped up re-conversion or ' Ghar Wapsi' programmes. These acts are not only uncalled for, but are also de...

"To me, education is something that actually makes a person wiser, and something that teaches one to be a better person.. Let me pose you a striking question. How would you have reacted if anyone threatened to close down your school, or college, or whatsoever it is?" Recently enough, I purchased the book titled, " Malala Yousafzai "- authored by the world's youngest Noble Peace Prize recipient. I am not a person who appraises books much, and you can call me a hard critic. As the pages went by, I understood a point: the value of education we receive. What is education to us?  If we ask anyone from a developed nation, I suspect they'd actually laugh at our benchmark for being literate. We are taught from rudimentary levels that a literate is a one who can sign a document. The standard defines it all. India's literacy rate, as of the latest UNESCO survey, stands at 74%. Would you help to increase it?  India has a lot of schools set up in urban tow...

“ Asche bochor abar hobe ”. These mere words make us feel disconsolate deep down. We all know the emotions that run through our veins on the day of Dashami. We want Maa Durga to stay with us forever, treading our path and always guiding us in life. Durga Puja as we know it is just not like the other pujas. Typical Bengalis will understand. I will understand and you’ll understand. There is a lot of hype and excitement in the minds of people of all age- whether be it 2-year old kids dancing in joy, or the 80-year old “ dadu ”. Everyone is united during this brief period of four days. We meet with old acquaintances we have long forgotten- meet up with old friends we have lost track of- and who not. And of course we can’t miss out the delicious part. The Lunch and Dinner menus. Ah! The very thought of having Mutton Biryani at dinner and other exotics accompanying it brings drops down every tongue. Simply because you’re allowed to eat- however much be your restrictions list- and becau...

Teachers Day, as we know, is celebrated on 5th of September every year. This auspicious day was a day when one legendary educationist was born- Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan. He dreamt big; and people who dream to achieve, experience the taste of success. Dr. Radhakrishnan went on to become the second President of India. He once remarked that teachers are people who "are the brightest mind in the country". Who is a teacher? Is the term allotted to someone who has the ideology 'Education for Money'? Or is it someone, who is committed to the welfare of a student's life and career prospects? The latter wins the case, hands down. Teachers provide us education. Education transforms into knowledge. Knowledge wields itself as wisdom. And wisdom is what human beings crave for. The entire spark is ignited by the teachers. The fifth day of September is specially designated for celebrating these invaluable preceptors who have influenced us. When we stepped into the fi...