JOIN USIt is the season of college festivals and students are an excited lot. With several fests lined up, they are busy practising and doing last-minute rehearsals to ensure that they win laurels for their college.
Some of the festivals that are coming up are ‘Cul-Ah!’ being organised by Mount Carmel College, ‘In Bloom’ by Christ University and Saarang by the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai. Keshav K Rangan, a chemical engineering student from RV College of Engineering, along with his group of friends, will be heading to Chennai for Saarang.
A theatre enthusiast, Keshav says that such fests provide a platform for students to network with others having similar interests. “It’s that time when we can do what we want. Also, there is a professional feel to these fests. For instance, we get feedback from experts and tips on how to improve. It also gives us a chance to approach the judges when we’re holding a fest at our college,” he explains.
Keshav, who is currently on a short semester break says that the timing of this fest is very convenient. “It’s also a useful way to spend our holidays. We’ve been rehearsing for the drama competition. For our performance, we sometimes pick our own works and at other times, we enact popular texts,” he says. Srishti Gupta from New Horizon College, who is part of the dance team ‘Panache’, starts preparing at the beginning of the year for the fests.
“We perform Bollywood or contemporary style. And for that, we prepare two to three dances at the beginning of the year. Depending on the kind of fest, we modify the choreography according to the theme,” says the final- year BCom student. She adds, “The practice that goes on in the beginning of the year is intense. Sometimes, we rehearse through the day.”
Bharath, a third-year engineering student from PES South Campus, who enjoys taking part in ‘mock rock’ and ‘mad ads’, says that his group of friends are choosy about the fests they attend.
“Although there are a number of them, we participate in those that interest us. That’s because we have a packed schedule at college and don’t get attendance, which is a big disadvantage,” he says. He adds, “Depending on the kind of fest and the distance to the venue, we choose which ones to attend.”
Pointing out that the next two months are packed with fests, Derin Sara Mathew, a final-year student and student president of Mount Carmel College says, the fests are a welcome change from academics.
“It’s an escape from studies and also a time when students can explore their creative sides,” she says “It’s a hectic month for us especially since we have three of our own fests lined up. At the same time, we’re also trying to get students to participate in the fests of other colleges,” she adds.