The students of Symbiosis Institute of Business Management recently hosted a two-day extravaganza that comprised of two events — a cultural fest called ‘Jazz’ and an alumni meet titled Samaagam.

Around 700 people took part in the fest, including students from City-based MBA colleges as well as a few corporates.

To add to the excitement, the campus was filled with alumni, each of whom was keen to set foot in his or her alma mater once more.

The fest kicked off with ‘Symbphony’, a singing competition that was judged by Karthik Srinivasa, a postgraduate from IISc.

The event was clearly a crowd-puller and the beautiful performances left a favourable impression on those who gathered to watch it.

Prithvi Bhorali from Infosys and Swarna Rajesh from Christ University stole the show with their voices and won the first and second prizes respectively.

Up next was ‘Raazmataaz’, the dance competition, which was judged by Gayathri Keshavan, the director of the Academy of Bharatanatyam.

Participants of this event showcased a beautiful blend of Indian folk and western styles with a variety of genres including fusion and gidda.

The home team ended up winning this programme, while ‘Mango People’, the team from Christ University, came second.

“This energy-packed two-day event gives students a platform to showcase their talents, as well as a much-needed respite from the academic rut. ‘Jazz’ also provides students from different colleges with the opportunity to network and form a talent pool,” says Shrikaanth Iyer, one of the organisers of the fest.

Other crowd-pullers were Rangmanch and ‘En Vogue’, the drama competition and fashion show respectively.

The teams from Christ University and NMIMS walked away with prizes in the former, while the home team stole the show in the latter with its bridal theme.

Ex-students also had a great time during Samaagam, since they got to interact with each other and relive their college experience.

   Stuti Ahuja, a student from the junior batch, says “Samaagam is a great opportunity for alumni to stay connected with the college. Also, they get a perspective about the current students. It is a two-way process — the alumni get some interesting insights and the students get a chance to interact and get valuable information. Having been through the same phase, they could guide us well on how to go about everything.”