TL;DR: Powerplays and Power Plays

Greetings from the Board for Student Publications, IIT Delhi!

As the mid-sem break is halfway finished, students are gearing up to clutch, some for the even semester and the others for majors. In this TL;DR, we all had a roller-coaster ride, Inter-IIT cultural meet results, post-minor enthusiasm, and our favorite ICC Champions Trophy results.

Let’s take the ride then and get up to date on everything that has happened!

Campus Deadlines

SURA deadline: 12th March
DISA deadline: 17th March 5.00 PM.

Campus News

• The eKart for the general public has extended it’s timings till 4am and the eKart for ODI is available 24*7 now!

• SAC’s website undergoes a long-overdue revamp.

• Perplexity Pro is now accessible to all IITD students through their webmail.

• BSA General Championships are drawing to a close. Jwalamukhi Hostel celebrated voraciously as they prevented Zanskar from securing a three-peat.

• CAIC GC is underway after minor hiccups, a trailblazer for future generations.

  Sportech Informals set the stage for Sportech, where IIT Delhi bagged podiums in multiple sports, including Basketball(W), Squash(M,W), Table Tennis(M), Volleyball(M), Football(M) among others.
  

Closure of the Library

Chaos erupted (mostly in group chats) as the institute announced that the central library would be closed for an entire year due to renovations, starting tentatively from March 15. Reactions varied from stark indifference among those who last visited the library during their first week on campus to sheer distress among others wondering where else would they now procrastinate under the disguise of productivity.

With no official alternatives announced, speculation is running wild. Will students have to battle it out for ex-hall seats or will lecture halls be opened for those late-night study sessions? Amongst this uncertainty, it can be certainly said that this is going to re-ignite the long-standing debate over the scarcity of collaborative spaces on campus and calls for Inter-Hostel movement.

Case Comps, Coding, and Canvassing Poltu!

Buckle, for the next few weeks, is going to be a fun ride. With Pravritti and Tryst taking on the campus, students have prepared themselves for unique and ingenious coding, resume scanning, hackathons, and a few very grounded and concrete case competitions. This large variety of events is being overseen and handled by our extremely proficient organising committee, their expertise and technical knowledge will surely not lead to mismanagement. Following that we soon expect to see very healthy debates and campaigns for the various PORs for the next tenure. These productive discussions of ideologies will definitively elect the best and most efficient leader among the pool of extremely deserving candidates!

A Day at the Heart of Democracy: IITD Students Visit Indian Parliament

On February 28, 2025, a group of 20+ students from IIT Delhi, along with peers from 20–30 major colleges across Delhi, participated in a seminar organised by the Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) at the Balyogi Auditorium, Parliament Complex.

The seminar was themed “Constitution: A Living Document – The Journey of Democracy, Challenges, and New Dimensions”, aiming to educate the youth about the evolution of the Indian Constitution, its contemporary relevance, and the broader democratic framework. The session primarily focused on the constitutional framework's adaptation to evolving times, the evolution of feminism within the constitutional context, and the growth of diversity, equity, and inclusion in constitutional values. Several prominent leaders addressed the gathering, including Bansuri Swaraj, Shashank Mani Tripathi, and Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Inter IIT Cultural Meet 7.0 Results Out

While we published the previous TL;DR, our (cultured) students were on their way to the Inter IIT Cult Meet which was held at IIT Patna. This time, we are back with the results. IITD secured the third position here as well (matching our Inter IIT Sports Meet🥉) with 820.78 points.
Close margins and high spirits: clearly, the drama wasn’t restricted to the stage!

IITD performed quite well in the Speaking Arts Cup by securing the second position. We also performed well enough in Quiz, Theatre Arts, and Fine Arts Cups. As for the top spot - no surprises there- IITB secured it comfortably.

Final Standings:

1. IIT Bombay 1273.53 points

2. IIT Kharagpur 1051.03 points

3. IIT Delhi 820.78 points

Phoenix: E-Acads to Get a Makeover!

Phoenix, a developers community aimed to give students a taste of robust product development has now taken up a new project: giving E-acads a makeover. Phoenix started as a small group of passionate developers who wanted to work together and learn how to make products that can be deployed in the real world. What better way to do this than to start with making products and portals that serve and help solve and streamline various difficulties and aspects of campus life?

Phoenix has some impressive achievements under their belt including the Oauth for IIT Kerberos, Mercury IITD, sportshub.iitd.ac.in: Sports ERP, projects.apps.iitd.ac.in: Projects Portal for various projects, streamlining selection and choosing BTPs amongst others

Kaun Banega Crorepati x IIT Delhi

When Kaun Banega Crorepati opened its doors to quizzers, IIT Delhi students seized an opportunity. Priyanshu Chamoli (2nd Year, AM1) and Utsab Das (2nd Year, MT6) were shortlisted for the renowned game show. Utsab, winning the Fastest Finger First round, took the hot seat on 18th February and walked away with an impressive 26.6 lakhs. Chamoli ascended the hot seat on the 24th of February and secured 12.5 lakh rupees.

The Quizzing Club celebrated their victory with a live telecast of both episodes, cheering on their accomplished members. Both players had to pay taxes to their friends before Mrs. Sitharaman gets her share.

The Final Rush

With the onset of the final stretch for the BRCA Cup, the SAC has been bustling like never before. Record attendance, even surpassing those in the library the last week, has been a daily common . What is more surprising is the dedication of the house secretaries, more than the cultural secretaries, who, in this final leap, spend an unhealthy amount of time at Night Messes and Jia Sarai, talking about their “alliances” for the Street Play or Ragnarok. This dedication has trickled down to some 2nd-year students who have been pulling all-nighters to manage their time while they attempt to participate in the street play, the group dance, and the battle of the bands and are also seen arguing to be put in the team for 36 Blocks. When questioned, they claim to do it for their main character arc.

International News

Disaccord at the Oval Office

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, visited the Oval Office to finalise an agreement concerning Ukraine's precious rare earth mineral resources. The discussion quickly devolved into a heated exchange, the main point of conflict being that Trump insisted a ceasefire with Russia was necessary, to which Zelensky responded by bringing up just how much the Russians respected a previous such agreement and asked for assurances for the same not being repeated. Things only deteriorated from there, Zelensky struggling to get his voice heard while Trump and vice-president Vance accused him of ingratitude and disrespect, painting him as a warmonger "gambling with World War 3".

Interestingly, the highly fashion-conscious Trump, famous for his iconic 'red hat on suit' look, called Zelensky's decision to forego a suit, calling it disrespectful, to which he replied with "I will wear a costume after the war is over...". The Oval Office was also later visited by Emmanuel Macron, the French president expressing his sympathies and support for his fellow European, stressing the fact that Russia is the aggressor in this conflict and advocating for a long-term diplomatic solution, a message Trump was very amicable with coming out of his mouth.

National News

The Largest Human Gathering - Best Management Award?

Millions flocked to the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati for a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage - and ended up fighting for their lives as poor Prayagraj's infrastructure did its best approximation of a college student during exams, ending in more than 30 casualties and 90 injuries after a massive stampede. The police are rumored to be attending therapy for trauma from witnessing the tragedy despite their best efforts at waving their hands and hoping the crowd manages itself.

Officials, when questioned about facilities like latrines and refreshments - or the dearth thereof - replied that they should positively be ready by the next Maha Kumbh. However, experience with government projects warns us to take that projection with a grain of salt. The festival also saw big names like our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, various Bollywood stars, and even Coldplay's Chris Martin; although they skipped a few steps and directly took a dip in the safest parts of the rivers, barely missing out on full body disinfection to go with spiritual cleansing.

“Union Budget 2025”: Just Balance Sheet Management or Something for Change?

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s 3-hour budget speech introduced measures, including:

• Bihar remains the priority: Large funds have been allocated to Bihar to enhance the number of seats in Bihar the life of people of Bihar.

• Increased Income Tax Exemption: The income tax exemption threshold was raised to ₹12 lakh from the previous ₹7 lakh, aiming to enhance household consumption and savings. Also, the tax slab that makes us doubt our placement CTC has also been raised to beyond ₹24 lakh now.

• Private R&D Budget: An allocation of Rupees 20,000 crore to implement a private sector-driven research, development, and innovation initiative. At the same time, our neighbor has allocated zero for private R&D but with just a Dollars 50000 crore R&D budget, while we have Rupees 1.27 lakh crore.

• Multiple Popcorn Tax-Slabs: Amid the concern of food for the poorer sections of India covering a major population of our nation, supreme legislation of our country, the Indian Parliament is busy having a debate on tax slabs on popcorn.

• While the budget sets a fiscal deficit target of 4.4% of GDP, questions arise on the credibility of this projection, citing optimistic revenue assumptions amidst a slowing economy.

Indian Markets Embrace Monk Mode: Sensex Detaches from Gains, Seeks Nirvana in Red

India’s equity benchmarks, the Sensex and Nifty, extended losses for the fifth consecutive week, reflecting investor anxiety over slowing global growth, rising oil prices, and mixed corporate earnings. The Sensex plunged 2.8% to close at 52,100 after nose-diving 1500 points, while the Nifty dropped 3.1%, with sectors like IT, real estate, and consumer goods bearing the brunt.

Analysts say the blame goes to the cryptic RBI policy, prolonged high interest rates and lackluster monsoon forecasts impacting rural demand.

The only green things left on Dalal Street are the green plants and trees, which might as well get red soon, keeping in mind the current Sensex and our forgotten goal of reining in climate change.

Sports News

India Becomes the Undisputed White Ball Champions

The Champions Trophy is finally here after 7.5 years. The last rendition of the tournament was particularly heartbreaking for India, with them not just losing in the finals but against their arch-nemesis Pakistan.

After a dispute over security concerns, India was allowed to play their games at a neutral venue (UAE), where they started their campaign with a bang, defeating Bangladesh in a one-sided contest. India avenged their defeat against Pakistan soon when, with Kohli’s masterclass, they thrashed Pakistan with six wickets in hand. Their final group-stage match against New Zealand was a low-scoring thriller, and India won (thanks to Chakravarthy) to move on to the semis.

The semi-final bout was against the favorites, Australia. With fresh wounds from the ICC WC final defeat, India started a bit shaky, but with patience, defeated Australia in yet another beautiful game, thereby moving to the finals after taking revenge for the WC finals.

The final match of this tournament happened on the 9th of March when India met New Zealand in yet another ICC playoffs match after India suffered heartbreaks in the 2019 WC semi-finals and the 2021 Test Championship finals against them. New Zealand, batting first, struggled against the mammoth spin attack of team India, getting restricted to 251 runs. India, starting fiercely, started struggling against Santner and Co., and the match began to spiral down to another thriller finish before KL Rahul played the anchor role and guided the Indians to their record third Champions Trophy. Rohit Sharma was judged the Player of the Match, while the New Zealand youngster, Rachin Ravindra was given the Player of the Series award.

Entertainment News

Academy Awards fiasco

This year’s Oscars has ignited controversy and has shown how some Academy Members vote on a whim, without much thought or effort. The credibility of the Academy was not only questioned because of the allegations that have surfaced that Adrien Broody, the winner for Best Actor, used AI to enhance his Hungarian accent but also there’s the absurd revelation that some voters backed him under the false assumption that Ralph Fiennes had already won an Oscar while Brody hadn’t. In reality, the opposite is true.

The causal attitude did not stop there. Some Academy members admitted they hadn’t even finished watching The Brutalist before voting for it in the Best Picture category, dismissing it as “too long.” These instances have fueled public frustration, reinforcing that the Academy has lost its credibility. Legendary director Martin Scorsese went so far as to declare that the “love and passion” for filmmaking are now “dead.”

While discussing this with my friend, he remarked that the Oscars have now become like IITD House days - people getting trophies on a whim, with the credibility (read as soberness) of the deciders called into question.

Creative Section

Raisins - Scar

A poignant reflection on growing up and lost dreams—Soumya’s words unravel the weight of time, identity, and unspoken worries.

Raisins. I hated them as a kid. 
Yet they melt in my mouth right now, overpower the acid-battery taste of the burnt out vape I smoke.
There are other things I hated back then. Hated the way my mother hid her anxiety. Hated the way my father buried his sadness. 
All for me. 
Me? The raisin hater or the one with the vape? I do not know.

My parents were kids once.
Not adults like they are now?
When did they grow up, or how?
My father was once a teenage boy, who used to sit at the radio with his dad. Now I watch him hide unshed tears at the funeral of his mother. He never wanted to do mechanical engineering you know? But he did. 
Did he once write love letters? To a girl he saw a glimpse of everyday at the Rickshawala's place?

My mom, she used to say as a young girl, "Papa I shall not marry! I want to study science." But marry she did, after her MSc yes, but she did.
I am the proof of hundreds of her crushed dreams. Her trade-off.
Me? The raisin hater or the one with the vape? I would never know.

She has been dreamless for a while now. I wonder if she even remembers what she wanted.
And yet, she worries. Tells me about marriage, "Marriage is for stability, bachha..."
Do you feel stable Ma? I silently ask.
When my father finds my love letters hidden in a watch box, he worries. Doesn't scold me- just worries. "Take care of her", he tells my mother.
Maybe he worries I'll turn into an adult too soon. Just like him.

Worries his precious girl with short curls, who picks out kishmish from her kheer and hides them under the table, will take a few and chew them thoughtlessly, to forget the burnt out mango on her lips. Forget who she was. Become dreamless. Study engineering. Stop writing love letters. Get her heart broken. Stop looking at rain the same way. Stop herself falling in love. 

He worries, that one day, she'll hide her anxiety, just like her mother. And bury her sadness, just like him.
And I think- who me?
Me- the young one, or me- who's not sure who they are anymore

---

With that, we come to the end of this TL;DR! Signing off until next time!

PS: Had something you didn't like in this week’s TL;DR? Have any ideas/suggestions about what we should cover? If yes, then please take some time out to fill out this short feedback form to help us improve the newsletter further.