A bid to know the Constitution better
On Saturday for 24 hours, 20-year-old Delhi University student Anukriti Garg will live the life of a person living below poverty line in India, and try to survive on ` 32. “Just my everyday travel expense from home to college is ` 150. And I use public transport! Maybe I’ll walk to college and survive on a banana,” Garg, a final year student of business studies in Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College says.
There are others too, engaged in different tasks as part of Samvidhan LIVE — The Jagrik Project, an initiative by more than 25 Indian civil society organisations. In the run up to the Republic Day, this project aims for youth to understand the constitution and its articles. After experiencing a change in mindset, as part of the project, the jagriks i.e. jagruk nagrik (aware citizens) share their experiences on the project’s Facebook page. “I dressed up in a salwar-suit for a day,” says Abhishek Mishra,
With a passion for music since childhood, DJ Zaeden, 21, aka Sahil Sharma was a mere 14 years when he started DJing. And now, the young DJ, who played at the DJ David Guetta’s recent gig in Mumbai, has received acclaim for his remixed version of the international band Maroon 5’s track, Don’t Wanna Know. He says, “I have been a big fan of Maroon 5 since school days. I got an opportunity to remix for them and made the a second year student of Hindi (Hons) in Ramanujan College, DU, who took up a cross-dressing task. “I chose this task to know why women face discrimination on the basis of their dress. The locals asked me so many questions so I understand best remix I could. I sent it to their team, and we got a mail from the Maroon 5 team that they loved the remix and wanted to release it officially for India. I initially thought it was a prank,” he says.
For DJ Zaeden, having played at Ibiza, Barcelona, Le Pineda, Mallorca and Amsterdam and at various international festivals, taking to a console in Delhi is extra special. “Delhi is always open to new music. I love testing out new songs in my home city. I love the vibe here. Nothing can beat the thrill of playing here.” why girls have to face lewd behaviour in western clothes. Where is our right to equality?” asks Mishra.
To understand the rights of the disabled, 17-year-old Kehkasha Sheikh took up the task of knowing the life of a disabled girl. “I knew her as a neighbour but when I started my project, I got to know that life isn’t easy for her. Here I was pleading my parents to get me a new dress exactly like my friends have, and here was this disabled girl who wished she could ever wear a simple jeans and top. Though her family has a comparatively stronger financial background, yet her dependence on her mother and sister to commute, takes away all her rights of freedom,” says Sheikh, a Std 12th student.
With songs such as Yesterday and Never Let You Go to his credit, Zaedan a globetrotter, says, “It’s amazing to visit different cities, but having played in different countries, I don’t see that kind of energy anywhere except India.” His new single, City of Lonely Hearts, has also just released.
Born and brought up in Gurgaon, the 21-year-old says, “It’s a beautiful place. I love spending as much time here with my family as I can because I also have a hectic travelling schedule.”