By Anshul Verma:
Delhi University is back in the forefront with its annual cultural festivals, this time it’s much bigger and better. Living up to their age-old reputation of entertainment blended with intellect, the colleges are set for the coming festivity.
The administration of Delhi University has always been a vocal proponent of the prevalence of extracurricular activities and has skilfully managed to get it institutionalized in nearly all of its constituent colleges. Every year, the academic council in consultation with the executive council sets apart a huge chunk of money from the annual budget of the university for the sake of undertaking and promoting cultural activities among the students.
From star nights to stage plays, celebrities to colossal posters, dance to music; all arouse an ambiance of gusto. Customarily, the 2-4 day fests have always gone onto become enchanting and memorable. Apart from prominent fests like SRCC’s ‘CROSSROADS’, Venky’s ‘NEXUS’, Miranda’s ‘TEMPEST’ and LSR’s ‘TARANG’, ‘ANTRADHVANI’ is the common customary festival of D.U which delineates Indian culture.
This time it is not only about the rock bands or big cheese, the diverse societies of colleges are creating a vibrant roof under which many talented students can show their skills and abilities and interact freely, thereby promoting the exchange of cultural ideas and thoughts.
The sorcery of the charm of DU fests is felt by one and all. The regaling leads the students to a stage of extreme ecstasy thus helping them in overlooking the huge load of studies for a considerable period of time. The various competitions which are held in which the students exhibit their talent with utmost zeal and ardour include debating, theatre, dancing and singing (Both classical and western), stand-up comedy, zorbing etc. making the festival a sure shot hit.
With 50,000+ watt of heart throbbing, sound penetrating drum beats, captivating bass lines and the melodious strings of guitar create a refreshing aura. The competitiveness of these fests happens to be at the zenith and for a matter of few days they become the epicentre of all the talented students in the country.
“This time we are intermingling Indian culture with western culture thus obliterating the cultural barriers which have for long acted as a divisive force between the East and the West. We are hopeful that our endeavour will help in diluting the hullabaloo of the clash of civilizations”, says Maharaja Agrasen’s Cultural Council’s President.
The cultural festivals of D.U are recognized as ultimate events for the city calendar. However, things are not as plain and simple as they seem to be. Last year, the fest of Ramjas College turned out to be tragic when a stampede broke out during the performance of Punjabi rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh.
Educational institutions are the very temples of learning and discipline. During such fests, breach of discipline and decorum has become a common practice which is facilitated by celebrities. A student of LSR said on the condition of anonymity, “A comedian had come to perform on our fest. He cracked a very lame joke when he said that Mayawati is very ugly and the only thing she can erect is statues (pun intended).”
Cultural fests are meant to honour student skills and celebrate talent. It encourages them to spare some time out of their busy schedule for extracurricular activities but students should not become materialistic during the season of fests by merely running after the prize money nor should they indulge in hooliganism during star nights.