JOIN USUtopia 2014’, the annual international students cultural fest, was held recently at Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM).
The fest was a roaring success and saw a wide participation of about 500 international students from over 20 countries.
True to its theme of ‘Heroes — Unleash The Unbelievable You!’, ‘Utopia 2014’ aimed to inspire youngsters and bring out their talent and dream.
The campus was decked with figures of heroes and other popular personalities.
From the gate, which had a spider web, to the auditorium with Batman in guard and the sea of super-hero T-shirts which the students sported, every bit of the fest was symbolic of friendship and even the timeless love one has for fantasies and fables.
The fest commenced with lighting of the lamp by chief guest, Mili Chadha of UT Starcom; Dr Rajesh Pandal, director of SIBM; deputy director VV Ajith Kumar and VG Venkatesh, the faculty mentor of the international relations committee.
Some of the exciting events were the tug of war ‘Hulculus’ and treasure hunt ‘The Mask of Zorro’. SFS College claimed the titles of ‘All Stars’ and ‘The Incredible’, the football and basketball competitions.
The highlight of the day was the colourful event — ‘Happy Feet’ — during which where students put on their dancing shoes and tapped to popular tunes. From the flowing melodies of Sri Lanka to the peppy numbers of Nigeria, the students danced to all kinds of songs and the winner was T John’s College.
‘Panache’, the fashion show, was also a grand success. Students wore costumes that were a confluence of various emotions.
A multitude of designs was presented with swank and style. Sambhram College bagged the first place with its elegant ‘Techno’ theme.
Said VG Venkatesh, “‘Utopia 2014’ enlightened the students with the perfect blend of Indian and international cultures. This made them feel that the world is a family.” Ridhima Pilani, the co-ordinator of the international relations committee, added, “I felt humbled seeing people from all over the globe under one roof.”
The fest was a success and the icing on the cake was the international food festival, which saw flavours from all over the world under one roof.
Breaking borders and merging cultures, ‘Utopia 2014’ was a joyful event that fostered togetherness as it helped students shed individuality and their earthy differences.