Resembling a colourful village

Memorable Event

In an attempt to make the students familiar with their rich culture and heritage, Maharani Lakshmi Ammanni College for Women hosted the two-day long Janapada Mela in a grand style recently.

For the last six years, the College has been celebrating the festival with great enthusiasm.The college campus and the quadrangle were bursting with energy. Buntings and little strips of colourful paper were used to decorate the campus and the students were dressed in traditional attire. Palm leaves were used to create separate spaces for different stalls while the campus looked like a colourful village. 

There were different events that were held as a part of the mela such as folk dance, singing, traditional cooking, hair-braiding, rangoli and traditional games such as kunte bille (hopscotch), hagga jaggaata (tug of war), which contributed to the energetic ambience.  They were seen taking part in the extracurricular activities as well as enjoying at the food stalls. 

Ankitha P, a third-year BSc microbiology student, who anchored the show, explained that the mela was based on a theme, where a woman after her first year of marriage comes back to her village. 

The mela also saw a lot of food stalls. Aishwarya Appanna, a first-year BBM student, who volunteered at one of the stalls, said they served jolada roti, carrot halwa, buttermilk masala and aloo cutlet. Another food stall member, Apoorva, a first-year student, said that the different items that their stall served were relished by all. “We had something unique, a homemade item called Khata Meetha Imli Chocolate, which everyone wanted to try.

We also had chutney made from groundnut, masala lemonade and most of the food was served in adike hale (a traditional plate),” Apoorva added. She said that this edition of the mela was much better than last year’s since the involvement of students was much more.

Dance and other forms of entertainment were also a part of the mela. Pooja BM, a member of the fusion dance that was performed, said that it was a challenging and memorable experience. 

“The dance we presented had a mix of Manipuri and Garbha, and we practised only for a week,” shared Pooja.