Nothing compares to the energy one can see during the first cultural fest of the academic year in a college.
There is chaos, preparation, high levels of competition and plenty of motivation and cheering from friends. What really stands out, though, is the new talent. It is the first time that freshers get a platform in their institution to show what they have to offer. It was no different at St Joseph’s College of Commerce, which recently hosted an intra-college fest for their students. The first two days was a management fest titled ‘Cipher’ and the next three days was the cultural fest called Kalotsav.
Held every year, this fest has always kick-started the festive fervour at SJCC. Rahul Gomes, the student president of SJCC, says, “The main aim of the fest is to find new talent. The winners of all the events in both the fests will get an opportunity to represent the college at other inter-college events.”
With the theme ‘Step up and show off’, Kalotsav had close to 38 events that focussed on every kind of talent, be it art, craft, dance, music or theatre.
Pilith, the cultural secretary of the college, says, “We have tried to bring in many creative events like ‘guitar wars’, a burger-eating competition etc. The fest is not only about the competition but also to allow the students to let their hair down and have a little fun.”
Apart from the events, every day had a dress code and the students were enthusiastic about each one of them. All the classes had a chance to suggest themes and formal wear, retro and tapori made it to the list.
For Leon, one of the students, the real highlight of the fest was the dress code. “People were actually putting in a lot of thought and effort into dressing according to the theme of the day. For the retro day, we actually had to raid our parents’ wardrobes to find something. Another big highlight was the dancing. We had live drum music being played and everyone danced together at the basketball court and had a whale of a time,” adds Leon.
Apart from showcasing fresh talent, Suveer Ahuja, a student of the college, says that ‘Kalotsav’ brought the college together.
“This was a great way for us to actually get to know our juniors and break the ice. I feel there is so much one can learn and take back home with us at the end of the fest,” he sums up.