Festival for a genuine cause

Scintillation 2013’, the much-anticipated inter-collegiate cultural fest of Jyoti Nivas College which was held recently, saw participation from many of the City’s colleges and a lot of young talent coming to the fore.

What was unique about this edition of the fest was that for the first time in the history of the college, it was associated with a social cause — stopping cruelty against animals. Animal rights organisations — People For Animals (PFA) and Let’s Live Together, also tied-up with the college.

The entire campus was full of ‘Paws with a Cause’ slogan and posters with messages like ‘Shoot me with a camera, not gun’ and ‘Fur is not fun’. But while the theme was incorporated into the fest, it was also just about having fun. Groups of smiling students were seen around the campus — some dancing to the background music, some rehearsing for their events.

Over the two days of the fest, a lot of events took place – Indian and Western music and dance, treasure hunt, beatboxing, doodling, street dance, mad ads, fashion show, debate, ‘Pictionary’, photography, ‘Battle of the DJs’ and many more.

“We’re taking part for the third year and we came first for the last two years. This is the coolest fest of Bangalore. We took part in Western dance as our teammates are very passionate about dancing. This is a place where dance is encouraged to the fullest,” shares Rahul of Baldwin’s Methodist College.

For the organisers, it was great to see their efforts take shape. “A lot of thought and preparation has gone into making ‘Scintillation 2013’ a reality. The whole student union came together and carried out the work, which was encouraging to see,” says Trishika Kumari, the student council president.

Rochelle, head of the art committee, designed the brochures and videos for the fest keeping the theme in mind. She notes, “It was a very personal cause for me. When the theme was given, I sat down with it and everything just flowed out. It’s time that people stood up and gave animals the voice they deserve.”
Some of the participating colleges were PESIT, Kristu Jayanti College, St Joseph’s Art and Science, New Horizon College, Oxford College, MS Ramaiah College of Hotel Management and Indian Academy among others. “The fest was awesome. I took part in ‘Electric Heels’ and Western dance. We came here mainly to get a hang of how things are organised and it’s been a good learning experience,” says Aishwarya, a student of M S Ramaiah College of Hotel Management.