ISG AL Habtoor Interior Design Student Challenge - INDEX 2009‏

The Annual INDEX Interior Design Student Challenge for the year 2009 was hosted by ISG Al Habtoor, a premier in the Construction and Design Industry at the Interior Design Expo (INDEX), held at Dubai International Convention Center (World Trade Center) from the 14th to the 17th of November 2009.

Display of work at the Convention Center

The Interior Design Department – Manipal Universit Dubai Campus, was invited to display their students’ work for the prestigious event. The main idea of ISG Al Habtoor was to focus a search on young flair and talent, in the students fraternity in UAE.

Display of the work done by the students of the Interior Design Department

The ISG AL Habtoor Interior Design Student Challenge 2009 was primarily aimed at bringing the students of various universities together to work on a series of projects during the course of the four day event. The universities that participated in the esteemed projects are as follows

· Manipal University  Dubai Campus

· Abu Dhabi University

· American University of Sharjah

· Preston University – Ajman

· Ajman University of Science and Technology

· Zayed University

The Bachelor of Arts – Interior Design students participated in the various competitions that were held by ISG Al Habtoor.

Farseena Farook won the 1st place in the Integrated Dining Table and Seating

· Deepa Venkatraman of the 3rd year B.A.I.D program won the 1st place in the Portable Temporary Office Desk category.

· Farseena Farook of the 3rd year B.A.I.D program won the 1st place in the Integrated Dining Table and Seating only from plywood category.

· Priyank Ladhawala of the 3rd year B.A.I.D program won the 1st place in the Relaxation Furniture for an Autistic Child category.

All in all it was a great experience from which the students gained immense knowledge and an exposure to the industry.

Courtesy Dept. of Interior Design

Manipal’s Ibda’a 2009 Nominee

Ibda’a Awards, the global media awards for students was launched in the year 2001 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

An initiation of Dubai Media City in alliance with the International Advertising Association, its aim is to appreciate young media talent from all around the world.

This year participating students could send in entries in any 12 categories which are Journalism, Radio Feature, Animation, Graphic Design, Analogue Photography, Digital Photography, Print Advertising, TV Advertising, TV Documentary, Film/ TV Feature, Mobile Film and Digital Design.

The winner of each category will not only get to meet top notch media industry professionals but intern with them as well. In the last three years, Manipal University has seen a number of media students participating in this competition with two of them even making it to the final round. This year again, two of their students have been nominated in the category of Journalism (non-news).

In this issue we interview one of the nominees- a first year student, Nikita Arora from the Department of Media and Communication.

Q: How do you feel being selected amongst all the other participants?

A: I am extremely glad that I have managed to make my university and my professors proud. This feels surreal. I now hope I can make it to the final three.

Q: Can you tell us something about your article?

A: It is based on protecting the environment on an individualistic level.

Q: How strong do you think your chances are of getting the award home?

A: I right now am very nervous but I do know the competition is extremely tough so may the best one win.

The short listed participants will arrive at Media City on November 16, 2009 and the final results will be declared at a gala dinner arranged especially for Ibda’a participants on the 19 November, 2009. We wish this young nominee the very best and hope she continues to succeed in all her future endeavors.

By Disha Laungani

The World within a Store

Photo Credit: Google Images

Book World by Kinokuniya at The Dubai Mall

Stepping through the entrance, one cannot help but be in awe of this massive bookstore. And why not, with more than half a million titles and thousands of magazines under its roof, Book World by Kinokuniya at The Dubai Mall is the largest book store in Dubai. Covering an area of 68000sq.ft, rows and rows of neatly stacked books and magazines are all that the eye can see.

From New Arrivals and Best Sellers to Literature, Travel, Hobbies & Craft, Food & Drink and Performing Arts; you name it, they have it. There also is a stationary section and an art gallery showcasing little figurines of famous movie characters, which is quite interesting.

Stocking 29 different categories under English books/magazines and books in 6 languages (English, Arabic, German, Japanese, French and Chinese), it won’t be surprising if you do not know where to start from. The store is as good as a library and provides excellent resources for research purposes. There is a little gallery within the store where book connoisseurs can pick up a book and read to their hearts content.

A reader’s paradise? This is where it is!

By Rabiya Sonde

LSD through Rhythm

Pink Floyd was a progressive rock band formed in the 1960s rising to fame with their psychedelic rock music. They released their first studio album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in 1967. They had decent measures of success with their following albums but, not until their sixth studio album did they catapult to fame.

The Dark Side of the Moon was released in 1973 and is amongst the most successful rock albums ever produced. It remained on the Billboard 200 for 741 weeks (14 years), the longest for any album in history. Each song in the album is a continuation of the previous track. The range of music on this one album really highlights the band’s amazing creativity. It contains a conventional rock track, in Money and then moves onto a soulful opera in The Great Gig in the Sky. Money has been the most commercially successful track of the album.

It is an album not to be over looked by any fan of the rock genre. It is one of the most unique albums ever made. It is not an album to be heard, it is one to be experienced. It is available in the U.A.E at all Virgin Megastore outlets for AED 110.

By Jeraz Pastakia

Manipal hosts the 2nd Annual India UAE Taekwondo Championship

The 2nd India UAE Taekwondo Championship was held in the Salahudin Club in Mamzar on November 6, 2009. Sponsored by Manipal University and co-sponsored by Round Table Pizza, this championship saw trained junior and sub-junior teams from both countries battle it out for the title.

The best of 23 fighters, between the ages of 6-15, were chosen from all over India and UAE, through national competitions. The UAE National Championship was held in February 2009.

Taekwondo can be translated to 'The art of Kicking and Punching' or 'the art of unarmed combat'. The sport has been founded in Korea and is one of the world’s most popular martial arts. Taekwondo philosophy represents the principles of the changes and movements in human beings. Taekwondo combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, meditation and philosophy. Making its Olympic debut in 1988 Korea games and is now continued as an Olympic medal sport since 2000 in Australia games.

They were judged on the basis of three events - Individual tool, Group tool and the Sparring. Al three events were intensely competed for by both the teams. The UAE team walked away with 15 gold medals, thereby bagging the Championship title. The Indian team won themselves a proud 10 gold, settling at second place to the title.

Krishna Kumar, Manipal University's Facilities Manager said “Manipal is proud to be associated with sports events like these. Taekwondo is all about boosting confidence and helps one to practice self defense.”

The man who made the event possible, Saeed Alrahyi, a Taekwondo practitioner himself said, “Taekwondo helps in the all round development of the individual. This is our second tournament and we would love to participate in competitions in India as well as other countries.”

M. Abdurahiman, the instructor of the UAE team expressed his joy at having won the championship, "We’re proud to have reclaimed the title", said the beaming coach.

Coach Pradeep. J, who accompanied the Indian team, said "We are very happy to be here, representing India. The kids performed better than we expected". He thanked Manipal University and said he was enthusiastic about more events like these in the future.

Mrs Nidhi Sharma, a proud mother of two participating children said that it was "quite an opportunity for the children to be representing their country at such a young age."

The Indian team was flown in for the event on the 4th of November. The youngest member among the Indian team was nine year old Namya Shree who was accompanied by her elder sister, also a competition entrant.

By Blassy Boben and Zaheen Hussain

Convocation Captured

Brochure for the event

Procession of dignitaries and the faculty members

Dignitaries and the heads of the departments

Recitation of the Holy Quran

Audience and the staff members at the event

Enthused graduates of Manipal University

 

Mrs.Uma Prasad hosting the event

Dr.B.Ramjee addressing the gathering

Dr. Vinod Bhatt, Registrar (IP) & Executive Director (P) Manipal University, India congratulates the graduating batch of students

Dr. G.K.Prabhu, Registrar of Manipal University, India adresses the graduating students

Mr.Syed Salahuddin, MD ETA ASCON Group congratulates the students on their acheivement

Dr. Arif Rahman, Finance Director, ETA ASCON Group addresses the gathering

Dignitaries at the ceremony

Graduates listening intently to the address

The throng of graduates

Students stand as respective heads of the departments confer the degree

Special awards were distributed to students who excelled in academic and outstanding performances

Staff members at the event

Post graduate students with their certificates

Volunteers at the event

Review – This Is It

The revival of bittersweet memories, the reminder of the talent that not long ago existed, this is the impact ‘This Is It’ has on its viewers. Directed by Kenny Ortega, ‘This is it’ was released in an attempt to recover the losses of the concert that Michael Jackson would have performed, had fate not snatched him away from this world.

It’s a documentary that consists of the late pop star’s concert rehearsals and behind the scene shots. The movie that is running in cinemas for two weeks only, raises the curtains on the true making of the 50 concert comeback tour.

It is a must see for all MJ fans

It also documents teary remembrance messages from his troupe as well as some of Jackson’s personal moments with his crew and the fan following that the supernova had.

‘This is it’ is meant for the hardcore MJ fans, for those who wish to hum along while they see the star in his last days. It truly brings back fond memories and makes the audience grieve as they remember the man who gave his heart and soul to music. A must see if you wish to pay tribute to the ethereal star for the last time.

By Disha Laungani

A Few Steps to Beat Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women. On Friday 30th of October 2009, a Pink Walkathon, dedicated to spreading breast cancer awareness commenced at 8am from BurJuman. It is an integral part of the mall’s Safe and Sound breast cancer awareness campaign. Now in its sixth year, this annual charitable event aims at raising both awareness and funds for breast cancer.

Approximately 8,000 men, women and children, and also a number of schools and corporate groups took an initiative, walking the 3.6-kilometer Pink Walkathon. All the supporters were provided with t-shirts, caps and pink ribbons to highlight their respect and dedication.

People turnep up in huge numbers to support the cause

During the walk there were many attractions which caught the attention of the audience. Face painting, balloon benders, pom-pom’s, pink drums and entertainment acts was enjoyed by all. “The generous spirit of the community is alive and well judging by the overwhelming response we saw today, a testament to their inherent generosity,” said Sabina Khandwani, head of PR and marketing, BurJuman.

One of the many attrractions at the Walkathon

Funds raised through the event will be monitored by Red Crescent and go towards generating greater awareness.

By Unzeela Usman & Deepa Narwani

Manipal Attends IFI World Interior Design Congress 2009

The International Federation of Interior Architects / Designers (IFI) World Design Congress was hosted by APID – Association for Professional Interior Designers at the Grand Hyatt Convention Center – Dubai from the 6th to the 11th of November 2009. The Interior Design Department, Manipal University Dubai Campus, was invited to display their students’ work for the prestigious event.

The Participants

Interior Design students from the 3rd and 2nd Year BA Interior Design Program participated in the events culminating in the World Design Congress on the 10th and 11th of November 2009. The congress attracted 35 designers of world renown in the field of Design and the faculty of the Interior Design Department was a part of the two day global design event.

Display of work done by students

Design activities including workshops on glass, 3-D Animation and interactive exhibits by the industry was a welcome exposure for the students and the faculty.

Courtesy Dept. of Interior Design

Pottery Workshop 2009: A Success

The 2nd edition of the Pottery Workshop conducted by the Interior Design Department from the 1st to the 5th of November 2009 was a grand success. The workshop was conducted by the renowned Ceramic Designer and Pottery Expert, Mr. Sandeep Manchekar from Mumbai, India. The workshop was conducted in three distinct stages.

Mr. Sandeep Manchekar with a second year student on the pottery wheel

The Basic Workshop for the 1st Year BA ID students introduced the students to various hand building techniques including the pinch technique, slab technique and coil technique. The students created various accessories using the above techniques during the workshop which included toys, boxes and utility based accessories.

The Advanced Level - 1 workshop was conducted for the 2nd Year BA ID students and students of the 3rd Year BA ID Business Specialization. The students learnt various techniques and created tiles using Islamic Patterns and concepts from Nature. They learnt various under-glaze and on-glaze coloring techniques on the sun dried tiles. The students also created a series of pyramid shaped candle stands and finally got hands on experience on the use of the pottery wheel.

Advanced glazing techniques being demonstrated

The Advanced Level - 2 workshop was conducted for the 3rd Year BA ID Product Design Specialization students. They created tiles using complex designs and also learnt the process of designing relief work and patterns on tiles. The students learnt the technique of preparing moulds for mass manufacture of tiles. They also learnt advanced glaze techniques including application of gold paint. They worked independently on the pottery wheel and created some interesting pieces.

Pieces created using pinch and coil technique

The Pottery Workshop was a grand success for the ID Department as there was a cohesive creative atmosphere where, both students and teachers were totally involved.

Courtesy Dept. of Interior Design

Fashion for a Cause

The Special Needs Family (SNF) Children Development Centre commenced operations in April 2007 as an extension of the Special Needs Families Support Group in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Centre is a dedicated facility for young adults with special needs, who would like to enhance their lives by contributing to the community in their own special way. Qualified and certified staff members assist in escalating their integration in mainstream society by imparting training, specific to every individual’s potential and vocational needs.

The official poster that entails the activities at the Fun Bazaar on 6th November 2009 which aims to support the SNF

The SNF organization creates a podium where the children’s interact and display their creativity. This initiative provides an opportunity for their families to understand the difficulties they face and also serves as a meeting point.

The SNF’s annual event is the Fun Bazaar, which is being held today on 6th November 2009 at the Sheraton Deira Hotel, from 10 am to 9 pm. Various activities like Magic shows, Harley Davidson Bike Rides, a Fashion Show by our college students along with children with special needs, food court, raffle draws, lots of products sold below the market price, games stall, on the spot prizes are few of the main attractions of Fun Bazaar.

Our very own Fashion Department will be taking part in the Fashion show that will be held at the Fun Bazaar. Mr. Kailash, a faculty member of the Fashion Department said, “Manipal got involved with the SNF organization about three years ago, when they had contacted us and asked us if we would be interested in involving ourselves with this noble cause”.

Students busy with preparations before the big day

(Photo Credit: Deepa Narwani)

The Fashion Department has its preparations for the event in full swing. The first and second years are involved in the designing of the costumes for the event. “These children are the models and also other models escort them on the ramp. Our students design the clothes that they would be wearing. This gives the children an opportunity to increase their level of confidence and gives them equal recognition.” said Mr. Kailash.

“The theme for the event is Sweet Factory. So we have planned a chocolaty feeling for the clothes and they are going to quite colorful. We are also planning on using sweets like candies and jelly beans on the garments.” said Leena Chapru, a first year from the Fashion Department.

“In addition to the preparations being done by our juniors, last year's Fashinova garments are also going to be used for the show.” added Manisha Sadhwani, a 3rd year Fashion Department student.

Here’s wishing good luck to all the participants and hoping that the SNF members have memorable day.

By Deepa Narwani

A Tiny Gesture can Inspire Huge Changes

Pulitzer prize winning authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn embark on a journey to reach out to the emotionally and physically captivated women. Their journey leads them to heartbreaking stories which are horrific in nature and moves their readers.

Together they have written Half the Sky Movement, which talks about the horrific experiences of women.

As their site proudly states "Women aren’t the problem they are the solutions along with men." This is enough to make the viewers understand the importance of women in the world and how imperative it is for us to do whatever we could to help them.

This intriguing http://www.halftheskymovement.org/ lays out an agenda for the world's women and three major abuses: Sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. Though there are many worthy causes competing for attention in the world. Half the Sky Movement focuses on this one because this kind of oppression feels transcendent – and so does the opportunity. Outsiders can truly make a difference.

Half the Sky Movement holds a segment of the stories of some of the women who have suffered brutality or has done well for the society for the benefit of others. The site also gives us an opportunity to do our bit for these ladies by citing various organizations which are working for the same cause, though some of these organizations might be small but their involvement in the project is significant.

To spread the word, Half the Sky Movement is also linked to major social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Stumble-upon, Delicious, Reditt and Dig.

We could help in this good deed in many ways, the least is by informing others about the movement and spread awareness amongst many by informing them about http://www.halftheskymovemnt.org/ and their objective.

By Nafisa Zaki

Day 1:Working with the Mould

The Pottery Workshop organised by the Dept. of Interior Design, which is being orchestrated by Mr Sundeep Manchekar, a man who has a passion for the clay begun today.

1st November 2009 was the first day of the workshop; this day entailed three classes which were spilt into 3 separate rooms. You had the senior most room (Advanced Level 2), constructing and molding of relief patters, this was thematic based. The other classrooms were for second year students (Advanced level 1) and the final room was a mixture of final and second year students. Advanced 1 differed from Advanced 2 in the manner of it being of a different theme (Islamic mural, Advanced 2 original theme). Materials was different between the levels as the lower level advanced had thinner slabs to work on and their was more technical conformity as compared to Advanced 2 which had more of a gung ho attitude.

Students on Day One of the Pottery Workshop

All pottery was done individually and the students were being graded with the 2nd years being marked for their History and Humanities courses and the 3rd year students for their product specialization.

The Manipal faculty in charge of the workshop, Mrs. Indira Bavre displayed the Kiln which she says is “kept standing at the temperature of 900 degrees Celsius for 12 hours and a further 12 hours to cool down”. She added with a bright colored apron that “The Kiln is fairly large in size and can hold up to 30 mugs or plates.” Fans of the movie ‘Ghost’ will be pleased to know that the pottery wheel will begin its revolutions on the 3rd of November. The 4th day of the workshop also has the construction of a large jewellery box.

Basic techniques for the novices will be taught on the 2nd of November. As the Kiln burns so shall our reporting for these next few days.

By Keegan G. Pereira and Amartojit Basu

The Essential Media Guide: A review on The Media Production Magazine.

For media junkies everywhere-(whether you are a media person, student or just a hard core media enthusiast) there’s a new way to quench your thirst of the media world - The Media Production Magazine.

Launched around the beginning of this year, Media Production (MP) is a monthly magazine that proudly states that it is the first magazine for creatives in the Middle East, on its website (http://www.mp-mag.com/).

The Magazine consists of media worthy content- such as media persons, latest events, institutes and media software and equipment in U.A.E.

The Magazine not only gives equal importance to all forms of media- such as video, print, audio etc. but even the advertisements displayed are related to media (in terms of equipment, media events, media outlets and institutes etc)

In its latest (fourth) issue (Sept-Oct. 09) Media Production heavily informed its readers about all the media events which have taken place and are about to take place as the issue focused on helping media creatives choose their right career path.

Events such as GITEX 09’, IBDAA Awards and The Media and Marketing Show 09’ were given focus to.

Available in 120 locations across the U.A.E, Media Production is available for purchase at bookstores such as ‘Borders’ (DIFC, Marina), Books Plus (Greens, Umm Saquim) and Superstores such as West Zone and Union Co-op, as well as plenty of other locations.

Those interested in universities and at work, can also subscribe to the magazine by simply downloading the subscription form (on their website, link provided above) and sending it to office@thinktank-me.com, or by just subscribing directly on their website.

For those unsure, there is a trial subscription available, where you can get three issues free.

Media Production is a great magazine for those who want to be constantly updated about the media issues happening in the nation. Universities especially, can benefit from it, as students can learn about various other institutes and competitions to challenge their creativity, and increase their knowledge.

The Editor, Ali Sultan, keenly writes in his editorial, ‘Use the maze on our cover (referring to the picture of a maze on the cover of the magazine) and discover the various ways you have to find your path that will enhance your creativity.’

We hope you give it a read and enhance your creativity!

Stacey Pinto

Back Into the Spotlight

Last year, a Film and Drama Club was established at the Manipal University to provide students with a chance to build upon their theatrical abilities.

“Through the Film and Drama Club, we are trying to create an environment where creativity will get a right perspective and a chance to flourish, thereby helping the students to overcome all inhibitions.” said Ms. Fokiya Akhtar, faculty in charge of the Club.

The Club is run extensively by the Department of Media and Communication. It aims to host regular screenings at the university auditorium. The movies lined up span various genres and the club will be organising workshops, seminars and discussion groups pertaining to the performing arts.

Ms. Fokiya Akhtar with members of the committee.

(Photo Credits: Aneesha Sudhir)

The movie screenings will be subjected to critique and debate in forthcoming workshops and group sessions. The objectives of the Club are to promote the theatre culture and provide students with a platform to nurture and showcase their theatrical talents.

Engrossed in the movie

(Photo Credits: Aneesha Sudhir)

This year’s edition of the Film and Drama Club took off with a movie screening held on October 22, 2009. The movie chosen was M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Unbreakable’, a psychological thriller.

Membership to this club is free and open to all students of Manipal. It is however on first-come-first-serve basis and only 100 seats are available.

For registrations, send an email to muazsm@gmail.com.

By Rabiya Sonde

Battle of the Whiz Kids

On Thursday, the 29th of October, 2009, Mathematika was held in our Auditorium. The winners of the preliminary round for the Mathematika battled it out in the finals.

There were seven teams in total, two from the Engineering Department and five other teams from BSC Information Systems Management and Department of Management Studies.

Mrs. Seena Biju, faculty from the Department of Management  Studies was the host of the event. Her energetic voice was enough to generate excitement among the faculty, students and the participants.

Mrs. Seena Biju, faculty from the Department of Management  Studies hosts Mathematika Quiz

(Photo Credits: Stacey Pinto)

The Mathematika was divided into five rounds with the first round beginning successfully. Round two was a new category known as the ‘Math crossword puzzle.’ Being the brain twister that it was, the audience, the contestants as well as the faculty enjoyed themselves, giving the answers. However that ended with two teams being eliminated.

Round three was known as ‘Pick.1.’ Here the teams had to pick one option from many math subjects. This ended with only the last three teams standing. Round four was also one, where a choice had to be made, this time among the different Departments of the University.

Finally the last three teams fought their way through the Final round - the Rapid Fire. The pressure was palpable. In the confusion of difficult questions thrown and rapidly passing seconds, many questions were left unanswered.

Soon the time ran out, marks were allotted and the results were finalized into the following:

1st place -Mir Hassan and Akhil Madan- 3rd year students from the Department of Management Studies
2nd place - Joshua and Rahul- 3rd year students from BSC Information Systems Management
3rd place - Sameer and Zainab- 1st year students from the Engineering Department

Proud winners of the Mathematika Quiz: Mir Hassan and Akhil Madan from the Department of Management  Studies

(Photo Credits: Stacey Pinto)

The winners of the Mathematika were overjoyed. “The questions were tough. We were at the edge of our seats the entire time. We just want to thank our Head of Department and the faculty for their support,” said Mir Hassan, from the Department of Management Studies.

“Winning the runners up position was so unexpected. Ms. Seena Biju kept pushing us to take part in the quiz, we are so happy with the result.” said Joshua, one of the runners up of the Mathematika.

By Sonya Mathias

'Unbreakable' is a 2000 release by M. Night Shyamalan. Like all his other celluloid offerings, Shyamalan brings his fetish for the supernatural to this movie as well. Unbreakable, with an almost negligible amount of action and flashy special effects, isn’t your average superhero movie. The movie is set in a painfully realistic setting, with mundane, middle class lives that reflect the audience’s own. This carefully constructed setting helps to keep the audience skeptical till the end.

David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is the sole survivor of a train wreck. Right after this incident, he is contacted by Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) who has suffered his entire life from a Type I osteogenesis imperfecta. Being an overactive brain confined in a fragile body, Elijah desperately tries to find an explanation for his near pitiful existence. He believes that David might mark the other end of the spectrum of humanity, one that stretches from the most inferior to the most superior of the human race. This proposition is as unfathomable for the audience as it is for David, who is a security guard at a campus stadium. His choice of profession is, like Elijah says, a subconscious effort at finding a job closer to the superhero description. His workplace, the campus football stadium, mocks his past footballer glory. Where’s the superhero, with his easy good looks and super strength?

The relationships depicted compel the audience into reflecting upon their own personal lives. Be it Dunn’s shattered relationship with his wife, or each of the character’s struggle to find their own purpose in life; Shyamalan shows no qualms about showing it just like it is.

For most of the movie, Dunn’s mundane existence has the audience struggling to place a finger on his superhero personality. Though highly suspicious of Elijah and his motives, David tests the waters of possibility that Elijah’s theories have opened up to him. His hesitation tells of the man yearning to leave behind the average tag. Each minute of the movie is pregnant with expectation, with audiences half expecting Dunn to rip his shirt and fly away in a flashy superhero costume. The setting is so ordinary; the audience’s ears perk up at the slightest reference to the supernatural. One such instance is Dunn’s yellow security rain poncho, which is a play on the stereotypical superhero.

Unable to decide if his abilities are a gift or a curse, Dunn’s shoulders stoop with the burden of his responsibilities. Though the film did not do too well at the box office, it has established itself as a cult classic. Unbreakable has been subject to a volley of comparisons to The Sixth Sense with the latter emerging as the crowd favourite. But despite its looming shadow, Unbreakable manages to hold its ground.

By Blassy Boben

Time to Trick or Treat!

Halloween, the festival of freaks and horrors is celebrated across the world on 31st of October.

The tradition originates with the Celts back in Britain celebrating their fire festival named Samhain on the very same day. This day marked the end of summer and the beginning of a whole New Year. For the Celts this New Year was a time for celebration. The souls of the dead were believed to revisit their homes on this night. Fairies that were perilous and evil got together in their quest to trick people into their fairy mounds and trap them for life. To guard themselves against all such evil spirits the ancient Celts lit huge bonfires on this night, thus calling it the fire festival.

The day is often associated with the colors black and orange which continue to be its trademark till date. A favorite figure of Halloween is the Jack-O'-Lantern, a hollowed out pumpkin carved with a scary face, lit on the inside by a candle.

Students celebrate the Halloween spirit

Kids eagerly look forward to Halloween for the tasty treats the festival brings. The best loved treat being whole apples rolled in sticky sugar syrup and a mixture of nuts. Pies, cakes, chocolates and a lot more delicacies are associated with this festival.

Today, Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing bright costumes and attending parties, ghost tours, having bonfires, visiting haunted attractions and a lot more crazy tricks, which one would possibly not think of.

In Dubai there are several events set up to welcome these wicked spirits, and there is no better place than the bars, hotels and clubs to get into the Halloween mood. Halloween is merely two days away. So what are you waiting for? Don your wackiest costume and put on your ghoulish mask to make it one hell of a night.

By Mrudvi Bakshi

The Unstoppable Force

Manipal’s finest were at it again when they beat the reigning champions, Preston University, in the semi–finals of the Pride Cup ’09 to book a place in the finals. We have shown excellent form throughout the tournament beating every team we’ve faced with ease. We will be going into the finals unbeaten in the tournament.

A huddle for confindence

(Photo Credits: Vinay Mehta)

In position

(Photo Credits: Vinay Mehta)

For the first round we were drawn in Pool 3 along with IITM, Middlesex University and Canadian University. Initially all three teams looked evenly matched but, by the end Manipal gave one dominating performance after the other. The momentum built up during the group stages helped us win the semi-finals in superb fashion by 43 runs.

Poised in thought

(Photo Credits: Vinay Mehta)

By beating last year’s champions, we have got a huge morale boost. We will now look to go into the finals all guns blazing and come out on top. The finals could be the toughest challenge yet for Manipal but, if they play in the same consistent fashion as they have done for the entire tournament, expect nothing less than an epic victory.

Relaxing before the taxing begins

(Photo Credits: Vinay Mehta)

By Jeraz Pastakia

Hold Your Breadth

Mathematika ‘09 took off with a preliminary round on the 27th of October, 2009. A huge turnout of 50 teams, each having two members, crowded the auditorium. They were divided into seven engineering and 43 non-engineering teams, all of who had brushed up on their math for the quiz.

50 teams crowded the place as they fought hard to do the math

(Photo Credits: Stacey Pinto)

Starting at 11.45am, the quiz continued for 45 minutes, with a minute intended for each question. Only the engineering students had a set of six complex questions, to defy their higher intellect of the subject.

You say it’s biased, they say bring on the challenge!

“It was so easy. The complex questions were a piece of cake, they didn’t even match our definition of ‘difficult’,” shrugged Nahim, a student of the Engineering Department. Denver, his partner, adds confidently, “It was like 10th grade math.”

Faculty from Management Studies were present and engrossed as much as the students

(Photo Credits: Stacey Pinto)

As soon as the clock started, the room was engulfed in an atmosphere of intense competitive murmurs. Ms. Seena Biju from the Department of Management Studies and organizer of the event said, “I’d assume kids would scare away form a math quiz, but to have such an overwhelming response, makes me so happy. Can you feel the heat in the room?” The tension and the nervousness could definitely be felt by anyone present in the room.

Mrs. Uma Prasad and Ms. Seema wait in anticipation

 (Photo Credits: Stacey Pinto)

 Mrs. Uma Prasad, the Student Services Officer said, “Initially I dreaded the outcome of this Math quiz. However the reaction seems very positive. I’m surprised.”

Many teams were happy with their performance. Half an hour into the quiz, Akhil Madan and Mir Hassan from BBA proudly announced that they had completed it. They said unanimously, ‘It was easy.’ Another team, that of Rokiya (BSc) and Rinsa (ISM), loved the Quiz. “It was good. We can’t wait for the result,” said Sarah and Sharon, an excited team from the BBA department.

Akhil and Mir, from BBA- Confident as they were done in just half an hour!

(Photo Credits: Stacey Pinto)

As soon as the warning for the last five minutes of the quiz was announced, the panic and hysteria rose. There were some who dreaded the quiz. Not so happy was Rachna form BBA. “I didn’t know a thing, and it was tougher than I thought it would be,” she said.

Reviving the math memory

(Photo Credits: Stacey Pinto)

Judging by the feedback, the quiz was certainly attempted by the students to face their fears since the non-engineering students were much higher than those pursuing the subject.

The end of the prelims

(Photo Credits: Stacey Pinto)

At the end of the day, only seven of the 50 teams could make it to the finals and the results are finally out.

The five lucky teams from Non-Engineering group are:

Nelly Mistry and Heena (BBA)
Aliya (BSC) and Salwa (ISM)
Akhil Madan and Mir Hassan (BBA)
Joshua (BSC) and Rahul (ISM)
Rohit and Guru (BBA)

The two teams from the Engineering department are:
Richa and Guru
Sameer and Zanaib

The final Math Quiz is set for Thursday, the 29th of October.

Until then, keep your calculators ready and your fingers crossed.

By Sonya Mathias