From Left to Right — Jibraan Mansoor, Nachiket Vaidya, and Aritro Bose
A group of three Ashokans — Jibraan Mansoor (UG 18), Nachiket Vaidya (UG 20), and Aritro Bose (UG 19) — participated in the Asian Parliamentary Debate held in SSCBS, Rohini, on the 1st, 2nd and 4th of September. After clearing the five preliminary rounds as well as the quarters and semis, the trio won the final round, beating 29 other colleges. They won Rs. 33,000 as prize money for the debate.
The Asian Parliamentary Debate covered a wide range of topics including medical rights, activism, religion, international relations, and communism. The topics of politics, and gender, which was the focus of the final round, were particularly enjoyed by our winners.
“There was a lot of focus on gender”, commented Aritro. “That was a refreshing difference from most other colleges because gender is a thing that a lot of people tend to compartmentalize”.
Nachiket, for whom this was a first win, remarked that teaming up with two of his closest friends on campus was a rewarding experience.
The three students are seasoned debaters. They are also active members of the Ashoka Debating Union. This semester, they hope to have more on-campus debates in addition to participating in those held in other colleges.
This weekend, Jibraan, Nachiket, and Aritro will be participating in Trivium, a debate hosted by Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh.
Philip Deweyi talks about experiencing a ‘classroom beyond boundaries’, interacting with eminent South African startups and learning the nuances of private sector collaborations with governments.
Major at Ashoka: Economics
Course at the University of Cape Town: South African Entrepreneurship Immersion
Built on the lines of strategic and competitive learnability in entrepreneurship, the South African Entrepreneurship Immersion organised by the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Ashoka in collaboration with Ingenious Faces, was a tremendously endless learning experience. Albert Einstein once said, “Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think” — keeping with this spirit, the program was designed with a balanced mixture of both in-classroom and practical learning. This is what I refer to as “classrooms beyond boundaries”.
Philip posing in front of the University of Cape Town building.
Throughout the program, I had the immense opportunity to explore intricate and complex disciplines of entrepreneurship such as leadership in today’s competitive economy, event staged pitches, enterprise marketing, technology commercialization, ethics in new and emerging markets, and understanding of the African start-up ecosystem with a case specific to South Africa.
The program kicked off with giving us an understanding of the categorization of energies that are dominant in both the entrepreneur and the entrepreneurial venture. These energies, as I gathered from the lectures, are predominantly pertinent in determining “Flow” i.e. a business planning based tool that enables an entrepreneur to create optimal experiences for optimal results, as well as answer fundamental questions such as, “Why you do whatever you supposedly do? When do you turn value into currency?” and the like.
Next was marketing, which focused on cultures, or what I refer to as innovative, cultural-based marketing in emerging markets, one of the most significant, yet commonly ignored issues. This particular session allowed me to develop new and innovative entrepreneurial approaches to society’s most entrenched problems, draw a road for collaboration with governments, and more significantly, develop a cultural based marketing campaign for a brand, all with the commitment of a team player. My team proposed a campaign dubbed “BABA.” i.e. Buy Africa, Build Africa, and even went on to win the challenge.
The Ethical leadership module of the course enriched my understanding of ethics as driven by values. The training here focused on the factors that influence choices, or rather business ethics, such as globalisation and culture.
The most fascinating, fleeting and interesting experience of the program, however, was the series of industry specific visits to various hubs such as the Amazon Development Centre, V&A waterfront and start-ups such as Pargo.
These industry specific visits presented an opportunity for horizontal and vertical interaction with the various founders and entrepreneurs, that transmogrified the conventional and traditional contact-sharing to networking and discussing their work, referred to as scale and ideas cross pollination. Additionally, it gave a one-on-one feel of how each of them was contributing to making the community better.
A key insight I took from these meetings was the importance of the question “WHY?” — the purpose behind why you do whatever you do, and its correlation with the entrepreneurial mind. Each entrepreneur, who shared their story, emphasised that they were either doing it to solve society’s most entrenched problems, or to help bridge the gap created by their government in rethinking and redefining the equality of opportunity. I also learnt that for my entrepreneurial venture to be able to deliver on its promises and achieve its vision, I need to connect with people with the right managerial competency, so that constant innovation steers the organization from its soul, the vision, while simultaneously helping me focus more on the ideas pertinent to its growth.
In conclusion, the Global Learning Program in Cape Town provided a holistic view on startup ecosystems and new perspectives on the subject of entrepreneurship. The activities were not only engaging, but also provided exceptional opportunities for an exchange of experiences, interactive debate, networking with emerging African leaders and entrepreneurs, and acquiring a better understanding of the ideals and principles for starting a successful entrepreneurial venture. Group based sessions encouraged team play while promoting strength based leadership.
Finally, I perceive that this program also offered a platform to share, exchange and familiarize myself with good practices as a channel for my personal development.
Disclaimer: We would also like to thank the Centre for Entrepreneurship, for providing the students with this wonderful opportunity.
The Edict would like to thank Ms. Anuja Kelkar from the Office of International Programs for her support in making this series possible. Ms. Kelkar is the one-woman army at the office who helps Ashokans with the arduous process of applying for and attending summer school. If you wish to attend summer school during your time at Ashoka, it might be best to approach Ms. Kelkar as the first step.
Diya Mukhedkar from the Class of 2019 tells us about her London experience, studying Children’s Literature through the ages and watching football with the English.
Major at Ashoka: English
Course at King’s College London: Wonderland: 100 Years of Children’s Literature
One of the reasons that I applied for a summer abroad programme was because I was eager to change my classroom context. Apart from wanting to meet people from different parts of the world, I wanted to live in a new city (outside of India).
When I was considering where to apply, one of my professors said that my choice should be driven by the city I was to study in, rather than the course.
I had always wanted to go to London, and therefore decided that King’s would be the perfect place to spend my summer. The description for my course — 100 Years of Children’s Literature — seemed the most exciting, especially since it involved several excursions within London.
Equivalent to a 100-level course at Ashoka, the course was informative and interesting. Like many summer courses, it catered to students that did not have prior experience with English. Sometimes, this meant that the seminars were driven by five or six students that were confident of their analyses, which lead to the seminars being quite repetitive. However, the course content and lectures were engaging and exciting. One of the strengths of the course was the way in which literary theory was put into conversation with the various texts we were reading.
My tutor was one of the best lecturers I have been taught by — she was extremely articulate and knew how to manage a very diverse classroom. She also made creative writing an integral part of the course. This meant that we wrote creative pieces almost every other day, as well as for our final assessment. In these creative writing workshops, the classroom’s diversity found expression: people’s stories emerged from various cultures and ways of thinking. As an English student at Ashoka, my assessments are primarily based on academic writing. Therefore, the creative component of this course challenged me and pushed me outside my comfort zone.
After my three hour classes everyday, I would spend the afternoons exploring London. From museums to picnics, I did as much as possible everyday, and can safely say that I immersed myself in the vibrant city life. One of my favourite picnic spots was the Kensington Gardens — the place that inspired J.M Barrie to write Peter Pan.
Diya (bottom row, third from right) with some of her classmates at King’s College, London.
My time in London coincided with the World Cup. This meant that quite a few of my evenings were spent at pubs watching English fans go wild. It was great to see how everyone came together to support their country. Wimbledon matches, second only to those of the World Cup, were screened all over the city. As someone who loves watching sports, it was an incredible experience to watch with the English, who share this fervour.
Three non-touristy things that are a must-do in London:
Picnics in Hyde Park: Just to lie on the grass, eat and drink. If you’re lucky, you might even have a chat with someone who has lots of stories to tell.
Shows: Whether it’s at the West End or any other theatre, any theatre enthusiast will get their money’s worth.
Watching sports in pubs: The atmosphere in pubs during any sporting event is something any sports junkie would love to experience.
I had been told by several friends that a summer abroad can be life-changing. After spending a month in the UK, I can vouch that this summer has indeed been transformational — at a personal and academic level. Living in central London by myself, travelling in and around London, and meeting different people were key factors of this life-changing experience.
Disclaimer: The Edict would like to thank Ms. Anuja Kelkar from the Office of International Programs for her support in making this series possible. Ms. Kelkar is the one-woman army at the office who helps Ashokans with the arduous process of applying for and attending summer school. If you wish to attend summer school during your time at Ashoka, it might be best to approach Ms. Kelkar as the first step.
Today, the student body of Ashoka received an advisory e-mail from the Vice-Chancellor’s Office regarding the establishments that provide drugs and alcohol in the vicinity of Ashoka. The notice reminded students that their presence at these establishments could be ‘construed as possible grounds for disciplinary action by Ashoka University’.
Ashoka Students Visiting Illegal Establishments Outside Campus
The advisory discouraged members of the Ashoka student body from visiting illegal establishments located near the college campus citing safety and security reasons.
Mr. Sachin Sharma, registrar of Ashoka University and one of the undersigned of the message, explained that “this is not a rule but an advisory sent to you [the students]”. He emphasized that one’s presence at an illegal establishment is only possible, not definitive, grounds to receive a disciplinary infraction.
Mr. Sharma explained that if external authorities appeal to the university to take disciplinary action on a certain case, they will have no choice but to do so. He clarified that the decision to take disciplinary measures will be reserved by the University on a case by case basis.
The current Alcohol and Drugs Policy of Ashoka University asserts that the ‘use of alcohol, tobacco, and other illegal substances is not permitted in the residence hall’. Dealing in narcotics in residences or campus premises will also lead to students being expelled from residential housing in addition to further disciplinary action.
This advisory comes after a rave party in Sonipat was recently raided by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s flying squad. 150 students in the Anjali Guesthouse, most of whom were intoxicated, were detained at Rai Police Station. This course of action was taken by the flying squad after they received information about frequent parties being thrown at the guesthouse.
“I don’t remember the particular point when I made a conscious decision to pursue economics, but there are numerous things to like about economics as a discipline. It tries to inculcate some sort of objective thought process or logic in trying to understand how people behave, which is also devoid of moral statements in general. Economics is there in every part of our lives: from what kind of food you want to eat, to what kind of people you want to interact with, or how you want to interact with them” said Professor Bipasha Maity when I asked her what drove her to study economics.
Professor Maity was born in Kolkata, where she also spent most of her childhood and college life. After completing her undergraduate studies in her home state, she moved to Delhi to pursue her Master’s at the Indian Statistical Institute. It was a completely new and an enjoyable experience for her because she was living all by herself for the first time. She then moved to Canada to pursue her PhD at the University of British Columbia, after which she taught in Japan for a couple of years. When I asked her what she liked about Japan, apart from the cherry blossoms, Professor noted, the food was specifically great. She loves Japanese food, and is particularly very fond of sushi, and also a dish known as kaisendon, which is a sashimi(raw fish), topped on a rice bowl, eaten with soy sauce.
Apart from Japanese food, Professor Maity also loves plants. She recalled how her father bought her a bicycle when she was a child, and given that there was no safe place to cycle near her home, she used to cycle on the terrace. Subsequently, there were many plants on her terrace, and her extended time with her cycle led her to befriend these plants. As she grew older, her love for plants didn’t fade. While pursuing her PhD in Canada, she vividly remembers how the leaves of the three giant maple trees outside her apartment turned scarlet in late October, creating a scene one would call no less than transcending, and how cherry blossoms (sakura) from cherry trees filled the streets in the Spring during her stay in Japan. Even in her office here at Ashoka, one cannot miss the numerous plants that fill the corners of her room.
Source: ashoka.edu.in
After returning to India, Professor Maity applied to many universities and didn’t specifically have Ashoka University in mind. She came to know about Ashoka through her supervisors who recommended it as it was a relatively new university in a liberal arts environment. She was attracted to it because she felt that she would have more control over how she wanted to go about doing things, and what kinds of research endeavors she took, not to mention the promise of a liberal environment and many well-known professors in the faculty. As a professor, teaching and research go hand in hand, and given that Professor Maity is very inclined towards her field, she also loves teaching economics. She feels that when one has knowledge about something, the ability to transfer knowledge to students is a rewarding experience in itself. When I asked her if she always wanted to be a professor, she gave a mixed response. In her words, “one of the first people that students interact with are teachers, and many automatically generate a desire to be a teacher too. It was the same for me.” While most of them change it over the course of their life and end up choosing different career paths, Professor Maity’s aspirations to teach did not waver. She certainly did not see herself teaching in a university, though. As she grew older, she slowly bought into the idea of teaching as a university professor.
When asked what would she do if she won a lottery, the professor said that she would open a café filled with bookshelves. Customers could go there to read while having a cup of coffee. She has, for the larger part of her life, been a book person. She loves history and fiction. She adores the work of authors like Hilary Mantel, Chinua Achebe, and Amitabh Ghosh, who write historical fiction, and non-fiction that touch many pertinent issues like colonialism and historical cultures. However, in more recent years, given time constraints, she has substituted to watching movies. Satirical comedies like Peepli Live are her favorite. She also enjoys watching House of Cards and is a fan of Robin Wright, who plays the character of Claire Underwood in the series. She felt strongly for the series, as in her words, “that’s exactly how politics work. They have some dark areas.”
It was an utmost pleasure to interview Professor Maity. Her passion for her subject was inherent throughout the interview. It provided me with an avenue to know the professor better and I am thankful to the professor for the opportunity.
Professor Bipasha Maity is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Ashoka University.
For those of us on social media, college began before orientation week. All my friends going to Delhi University updated me with happenings of their classes and societies, which left me feeling as if I was behind in life. My daily ritual involved sitting in front of the laptop for an ungodly number of hours. The only novelty was reading the introductions of my accomplished batchmates on Facebook groups, where I’d comment on people’s post when something intrigued me or when we shared a common interest.
Spoiler alert: I never saw those people again. Even if I did, they were so different from their online selves that I struggled to match the two profiles.
The moving-in day passed in a flurry of names, faces, intended majors, and hometowns. It reached the point that interactions became a match-the-following exercise which, more often than not, I ended up getting wrong. The next days could also be named “How I tried to stay out of my roommate’s way and avoided eye contact”. We weren’t sharing our life stories or treating each other to Mausambi juice from Fuel Zone, but at least we agreed to keep the AC off and fan speed on 2.
If you haven’t already, get out there and click a #sonepatskies photograph. | Photograph by Ketaki Mathur, Class of 2020
The common room in the hostel became the ultimate meet-and-greet hub, where the endless cycle of “Hi! What’s your name? Where’re you from? What’s your major?” repeated mercilessly, interspersed with a few games of UNO, mafia, or charades. The days seemed to have more hours than usual, or maybe that was because I was up until 4 AM! The sudden requirement of being social 24×7 after three months of living like a caveman was like coming out into bright sunlight after sitting in a dark hall for a three-hour movie.
Pro Tip: It is recommended to watch a sad movie before sleeping to neutralise the effects of smiling too much, too hard, all day (if you still remember what sleep is, that is).
Orientation week, or Dr Reddy’s Auditorium Week, helped me navigate the academic and student life at Ashoka, which is quite something to take in at first. Workshop after workshop, I battled against the blast cooling of the auditorium AC, the diminishing crowd as well as enthusiasm among students to attend these workshops. I had expected to face peer pressure about drinking or drugs but faced something much more shocking — the pressure to skip a session or two in the auditorium! If you did not detect the heavy sarcasm in that sentence then there are chances you will feel a little lost in college. Students, professors, administrators — though all from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, are fluent in the language of sarcasm.
Pro Tip: You might want to brush up your meme and pun basics beforehand.
Sitting for introductions to various majors in the academic expos leaves you even more confused of what your major should be (especially if you’re an Economics and Finance major). I was really excited to start my classes right away. Although, my enthusiasm was short lived due to the scarring experience of course registration on the LMS for the first time. It was no less than an academic version of the Hunger Games where, instead of weapons, you needed level-headedness and lightning fast reflexes.
Orientation week started with a comprehensive analysis of what I should wear to college, but it ended with the realisation that it doesn’t matter. Everybody has enough space and flexibility to be themselves. It was okay to wear anything as long as it was comfortable and kept you warm in the blast cooling of the classrooms. I also knew that I would more than survive college, no matter how crazy/hectic/inspiring the atmosphere of Ashoka was. It had already begun to feel like home.
Pro Tip: You’re going to make it! Just be yourself.
Anirudh Pisharam from the Class of 2019 talks about his time in London, from the streets to the pubs, and at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and shares some tips.
Major at Ashoka: Economics and Finance Course at LSE: Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives
One of my objectives for an ideal summer program abroad was to explore something I wouldn’t be able to at Ashoka. The Finance department at Ashoka did not offer a dedicated course in Options, Futures and Other financial Derivatives. Hence, an opportunity to take the course at a renowned institution like LSE was simply one I couldn’t miss.
One thing that surprised me during the course was how integral finance is in our daily lives. We often get the impression that finance involves people sitting in offices making money while contributing nothing substantial to society. However, I learnt how this is not necessarily the case. Even when we learnt advanced concepts like exotic options and swaps, I realized how understated their importance is.
This was only my second course in Finance after the introductory course, and I did not have much prior knowledge in the field. But the instructors ensured that this didn’t hamper my experience. Throughout the 3 weeks, while I learnt some new things that did build-up on my introductory course, most of our course materials were stand-alone and helped me explore areas of the financial world previously unknown to me.
The professors always tried to make sure the course was accessible to all sorts of students, even though the topics we covered often encountered limited accessibility, especially to those that were uncomfortable with math. The course required a beginner-to-intermediate level of integral calculus and an understanding of Taylor series. A big chunk of the course deals with Ito Calculus, which is a separate branch of calculus but was be taught during the course. Ultimately, what I found most important to the course was a hunger to learn and an ability to learn and absorb quickly, considering that it lasted for only 3 weeks! This meant that those looking to enjoy and explore London struggled to keep up.
One of the major changes for me during the summer school was the experience of living in a hostel outside the campus and travelling to class every day. Unlike in Ashoka, where everything is so close by, I found this sort of independence both limiting, as well as liberating.
While travelling ate up a good chunk of my time, living in central London also gave me opportunities to go around and explore. The vibrancy and diversity of life in the city, and especially in one like London, is absolutely mind-boggling.
Some tips for those going to London:
1. The first thing I did was to save the Google Maps for the Greater London area offline. I found this to be immeasurably helpful. One of my favourite things to do was to walk around the city in the evenings, often without anything particular in mind, just absorbing the life and energy of the place. Maps gave the freedom to walk, travel and explore London without fear of getting lost.
2. Carrying your student ID card is a great way to save money. A lot of places in London, including museums, restaurants and pubs offer student discounts from anywhere between 10 to 25%! Another useful thing (this is something I wish I’d done but didn’t) is to take advantage of roaming services provided by telecom companies like Vodafone and Airtel, instead of depending on other services like Matrix. The plans of the former were substantially cheaper and worked better than that of the latter.
Anirudh (fourth from Left) with a few other Ashokans at LSE
My time in London coincided with the World Cup, and one of my best experiences was catching the England games in the local pubs. The Three Lions performed admirably, and it was brilliant to see the usually negative supporters rallying behind their national side. The experience was exhilarating, and it was hard to not feel the passion and energy and join in with the rest. An especially memorable game was the last-16 match versus Colombia. The roller-coaster of emotions in a historic penalty shootout which England eventually won was unforgettable. After “52 years of hurt”, the supporters began to believe that Football was really coming home.
London is a historic city and is the subject of a lot of quotes. One that really struck me was by the author Samuel Johnson. He once wrote that “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” Now, this is obviously a little superfluous, but I would agree with the general sentiment behind those words. London offers a lot as one of the most diverse cities in the world, and one can see the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in this city. It caters to everyone’s taste and palate and ensures that everyone has something to take away from the city.
Disclaimer: The Edict would like to thank Ms. Anuja Kelkar from the Office of International Programs for her support in making this series possible. Ms. Kelkar is the one-woman army at the office who helps Ashokans with the arduous process of applying for and attending summer school. If you wish to attend summer school during your time at Ashoka, it might be best to approach Ms. Kelkar as the first step.
Garima Rastogi and Anoushka Agarwal write about their summer experiences in London. Both took the International Economics course at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Garima, Class of 2019 Major at Ashoka: Economics, with a minor in History
This summer, like many students at our university, I made my way to a different country to study something new. I thought it was the ideal course to study in this city and at this university; I had wanted to study something that was directly influenced by the location of the course. Along with broader lectures on trade in China, the United States and even India, we had an exhaustive lecture on Brexit. We also had the opportunity to discuss interesting nuances with a professor who was directly involved in the debate.
Garima at LSE
The course content was interesting and both the lecturers we had were engaging. What I loved about the course was that they didn’t compromise on the course content due to the time constraint; we learnt an immense amount about trade policies, exchange rate determination, currency crises, etc. This was also because unlike most other summer schools in the UK, the number of hours we spent in the classroom were more. The downside to this was that there was a shorter amount of time for us to see the city.
Someone wishing to do a summer abroad solely to see the city should definitely not choose to do a 300-level course at LSE.
Despite the short amounts of time I had, London proved to be a wonderful place to explore. And with LSE at the heart of it, I could get to most places without spending much time on the road. Almost all museums and galleries in London have no entry fee and have some of the greatest collections of art and historical artifacts. I would also recommend anyone interested in theater to catch a play at the West End Theaters.
Anoushka, Class of 2019 Major at Ashoka: Economics and Finance
There are certain experiences in life that you cherish forever and Summer School at the London School of Economics and Political Science was one such experience for me. To be honest, the only reason I chose the course I took was that I found it the most interesting among the other 300-level courses on offer. As I found out, the course had more to offer than I had thought. It drew from my existing knowledge in both microeconomics and macroeconomics, and built on that with many interesting theories on trade, and how trade policies affect countries around the world.
Given that it was only a 3-week course, and that it was a 300-level course, it became pretty difficult to manage coursework, especially for me because I found the London weather to be different, and took some time to settle. But I found the Teaching Assistants and the Professors to be extremely helpful. Since the United Kingdom is still figuring its way out of Brexit, a lot of focus was given on the workings of trade the economic impact it will have.
Anoushka at LSE
London as a city is extremely picturesque and its architecture gives it quite an old world charm. Just like any metropolitan city we have seen here in India, London is bustling with activity, people rushing to work every morning. But what makes London different from my hometown of Delhi is that even though everyone goes about their own business, they are extremely conscious about others’ comfort around them.
Walking down the street, it is common to be greeted with cheery smiles and morning greetings, and this really makes your day! Everyone is courteous and polite. The traffic laws are also followed.
Must Do’s:
– If you are a foodie, don’t miss the Camden Market and Borough Market
– Harry Potter fans, Warner Studios is a big, big must! It’s advisable to book tickets in advance as the tickets are always in high demand.
– For lovers of Shakespeare and theatre, the plays at the Shakespeare Globe Theatre are wonderful.
Then there is always the usual touristy stuff: museums, parks, the London Eye, etc. are good as well.
If you are planning to go to summer school at LSE next year, do take up the LSE housing instead of Airbnb or other accommodations, because I feel that the real fun is living the hostel life; that’s where most of the interaction takes place and actual friendships develop. Overall, my experience was wonderful and London truly lived up to the expectation of the city of dreams.
Disclaimer: The Edict would like to thank Ms. Anuja Kelkar from the Office of International Programs for her support in making this series possible. Ms. Kelkar is the one-woman army at the office who helps Ashokans with the arduous process of applying for and attending summer school. If you wish to attend summer school during your time at Ashoka, it might be best to approach Ms. Kelkar as the first step.
Recommendations from Prof. Clancy Martin, Prof. Madhavi Menon and Prof. Arghya Bhattacharya
We hope you have had a chance to devour the content recommendations from our first article in this series, which has contributions from Prof. Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Prof. Bikram Phukoon and Prof. Gilles Vernier.
For part two, we bring recommendations from our professors in the Literature, Philosophy and Economics departments.
From Left to Right : Professor Clancy Martin, Professor Madhavi Menon and Professor Arghya Bhattacharya
Professor Clancy Martin is a visiting professor of Philosophy at Ashoka University. Last semester, he taught two courses at Ashoka, ‘Existentialism’ and ‘19th Century Philosophy’, both topics he specializes in.
Professor Madhavi Menon teaches English Literature at Ashoka, and recently took a course titled ‘Advanced Theory — The Law of Desire’. Professor Menon has also recently published a book, Infinite Variety : A History of Desire in India.
Professor Arghya Bhattacharya is a member of the Economics department. His academic interests include macroeconomics (markets with frictions), monetary economics, and international finance. To know more about Professor Bhattacharya, read his interview on The Edict.
Movies
From Professor Clancy Martin –
Badlands. (American existentialist classic)
Full Metal Jacket (Kubrick’s best movie)
Vara (great study of women, love and dance by the Buddhist lama and filmmaker Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche)
From Professor Madhavi Menon –
Pedro Almodovar, Bad Education (More on the pleasures and dangers of education)
2. Asghar Farhidi, A Separation (Impeccable and Insightful Iranian drama)
3. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Goliyon ki Rasleela Ram-lila (Dangerous Desires)
4. Michel Haneke, Cache (What you can’t see can kill you)
From Professor Arghya Bhattacharya –
Lawrence of Arabia
Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson movie)
Grand Budapest Hotel (well, another Wes Anderson movie)
Books
From Professor Madhavi Menon –
Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children A breathtakingly inventive use of language. Magic!
Marcel Proust, Swann’s Way Richer than rasgullas; more delicious than a Dharwar peda
Tana French, The Likeness Haunting treatment of students and the simultaneous dangers and pleasures of education
From Professor Arghya Bhattacharya
Haruki Murakami, Hear the Wind Sing & Pinball Murakami’s first two novels — beautifully written (like his later novels). Wind is his first novel and Pinball is more of a sequel to Wind. He calls them “kitchen table fiction” since he wrote them at the kitchen table in his tiny apartment back in 1979.
Atif Mian and Amir Sufi, House of Debt An important book on the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession. The Financial Times aptly calls it “a summary of a highly serious programme of economic research”.
Aziz Ansari & Eric Klinenberg, Modern Romance A hilarious and entertaining narration of a serious multi-country study of dating habits & dating dynamics by American comedian Aziz Ansari and NYU sociology professor Eric Klinenberg. Interestingly these days a section of macroeconomists is showing increased interest in the matching mechanism of, and optimal strategies in the dating “market”.
From Professor Clancy Martin –
Celine, Journey to the End of Night (Must read, inspiration to Jim Morrison)
Basho, Narrow Road to the Deep North (One of the best books ever written, a travelogue with occasional haiku from a poet who was also enlightened)
Lydia Davis, The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis (the greatest living master and innovator of short fiction)
TV Shows
From Professor Arghya Bhattacharya
Dark (German TV series)
Broadchurch
Halt and Catch Fire
Professor Clancy Martin
Barry (very funny, creative new show by a great comedian)
Ru Paul’s Drag Race (my wife’s favorite show, I haven’t seen much but my wife and daughters love it)
Luther (violent but entertaining — I watched the whole thing while down with food poisoning from a bad oyster in a loft in the 8th arrondissement in Paris)
From Professor Madhavi Menon
The Sopranos Hell hath no fury like The Family
Prime Suspect Taut, brilliant, charismatic Helen Mirren
Dae Jang Geum Korean soap about the first woman physician in 16th century Korea. It’s also a show about food. Lots and lots of it!
edict backup 