Though I’ve completed my course at NITT, I still have that enthusiasm when I hear about the upcoming Festember. Hardly a month to go.
Festember X
The next edition of Festember is here in true cowboy style loaded with guns, hats and wagons. This years its being called Festember X instead of the usual Festember followed by the year. Refreshing change.
Sept 24-26th.
One of India’s best college cultural festivals. It has an impressive track record of being organized every year, right from the 1975. Many celebrities have performed at NIT Trichy for Festember and that includes Maestro Ilayaraja among others.
It is a must-participate event for lovers of music, dance, literature and arts. Look into the official site of Festember for further details about the events. There’s also an awesome publicity video this year.
Here are links to a few interesting posts about previous editions of Festember on my blog.
Tags: Cultural Festival, Fest, Festember, Festember X, Happens only in NITT, Kuraloviyam, Life at NIT Trichy, NIT, NIT Trichy, NITT
NIT Trichy | Alagappan | 
August 21, 2010 2:16 AM | 
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About a month back I got to know of a site, NIT Trichy Alumni Network which says that there’s a Global Aluni Meet happening at Bangalore on August 7th 2010. It is a new site being developed by the RECAL which is the Alumni association of REC/NIT Trichy. It is also in the process of creating a comprehensive up-to-date database of alumni contacts. A new site at the new domain is coming soon and till then the previous RECAL site remains the official site.
Here is the link for you. If you are an Alumni of REC/NIT Trichy then register yourself at the following link to include yourself to the database. Even those students passing out of NITT in the year 2010 are requested to register themselves at the site. You can also register for the Global Alumni Meet to be held on August 7th. It is a full day event and the targeted participation is around 1500.
If you have any suggestions/questons you can mail them at alumni[at]nittrichyalumni[dot]org
On an uneventful Sunday I chose to attend one of the guest lectures of Currents 2010. The reason being the topic of discussion – Blogging, something which I’m very passionate about. And more importantly the speaker – Kiruba Shankar. He is probably the best example one can give of Personal Branding. So I went for the lecture in spite of the fact that I’m from a different dept and not many other-dept guys were present at the lecture. Though the lecture got delayed too much, it was worth the wait.
He managed to keep the audience entertained through the entire duration of the lecture, something which is not easily achieved especially at NITT. He started off with a story of two friends trying to run away from a tiger and then went on to discuss how businesses could benefit from the social media. He cited quite a few interesting examples like Dominoes Pizzas, IIPM, Trisha etc etc to emphasize on the fact that social media can have a huge impact.Though I have read/heard most of what he said earlier, it was interesting just because of the way he presented the lecture.
Like him I too give importance to something called the digital presence. If you google for ‘Alagappan’ you are sure to find my domain name at the top. As Kiruba said during the lecture, my domain is my digital property and this simple search can be a substitute of a business card.
He also made people think on the fact that so much of data could be generated if all of us start blogging. Even his lecture at NITT could be soon forgotten unless someone writes about it. As of now there would be just a couple of tweets, a few facebook updates and this blog post which records his presence at NITT on this day.
“If only everybody starts making proper use of the various tools available to them, they can have a huge impact on this world.”
With the blazing hot sun, the temperatures have shot up to probably its highest ever at Trichy. And NIT Trichy with its frequent power cuts and water shortages is nothing short of a desert! Often we have to walk quite some distance just to get some water. NITT has become almost uninhabitable. Whats the point in constructing numerous hostels if you can’t provide proper electricity and water to any of them? it wont be long before this place become uninhabitable.
Amidst all this I get messages asking me to switch off lights during the earth hour. I would have happily switched off everything if it was some other ordinary place. But at NITT we have earth hours almost throughout the year that such a concept is absurd here! As one twitter update said – ‘Asking Indians to celebrate Earth Hour is like asking malnourished kids to forgo a meal because burgers are making Americans fat’..
*The two hours scheduled power cut was just increased in duration to three hours.!!!
Yet another festember has gone by. This one being the last one of my college life. Didn’t want to miss blogging about this. Thats why I’m back from a long hiatus.
Thanks to the heavy downpour in Trichy on Day 0, I couldn’t attend the inaugural function (in which the college presi wished everyone good morning at 6 in the evening) and I also missed a few performances by the Dance Troupe of NITT. But I did make it to the concert by Kadri Gopalnath. He started off with a few classical ones and eventually went on to what the audience really wanted – the ‘Anjali anjali’ song. Overall it was a memorable performance. It was followed by half-an-hour long fireworks display. The sky was completely lit and the I’m sure the awesome show would have caused a few accidents in the adjacent highway due to mesmerized drivers.
A few of the other events I attended were ChoreoNite and Tarangini the major events at barn. As usual there was an uncontrollable crowd shouting every time a team performs for some ARR song. There were quite a few catchy performances from various colleges. Vijay TV’s Super Singer winner Ajesh too had come over for competing in Tarangani with his college light music team. The crowd loved his performance.
Yet again, the Dance Troupe and Music Troupe of NITT were at their best. It is a great thing for participating institutions that they don’t have to compete with the hosts in the dance and light music events. Else the best they can get is the second place.
Another popular event at Festember every year is the pattimandram type of event conducted by the Tami Mandram of NITT. This year it just got bigger, with excellent group of participants and and awesome judge, Barathi Baskaran of Sun Tv Pattimandram fame.
This Festember wouldn’t have been fun without Sushish Kamath‘s workshop. He was called in for a workshop on Independent Film making and he was at his best. He gave us tips on how NOT to make a movie. He included his own experiences making TFLW and another movie He Says, She Says. He definitely kept his audience attentive even though the workshop’s timing made many of them stay hungry. It was indeed an enthusiatic turn-out. After all he is the best known film critic of south India.
The best of the events were saved for the final day. The ProNite show had an energetic Benny Dayal and a band called Bandish currently making waves in the music scene. Benny Dayal’s concert was simple superb, but had to be cut short as the girls were asked to leave early. Then a just-for-boys show by Bandish began enthusiatically at 11 in the night. The best thing was the absence of staff and the girls. With them in Barn, Festember wouldn’t have ended the way it did this year. 
Would never forget their performance I guess. They rocked the stage and the barn truly came alive with the whole crowd cheering. It ensured that Festember 09 ended on a high. Inspite of there being a few organisational glitches, and rain playing spoilsport, I would say that Festember 09 rocked. (and even kra feels the same).
Photos of Class Notes
A couple of days before the cycle test, one person gets a camera and starts clicking. The properly compiled notes of a studious person(mostly a girl ;P), pages of a rare text book, etc are photographed and circulated to all students.
This method is generally easier than photocopying since it is free and can be shared on the LAN. More importantly because a digital camera is easily available(even I have one – generally used for this purpose ;P) and also because an overwhelming majority of the students own a laptop or a desktop computer.
Putting Technology to a great use.. ;P
This was another event which attracted huge crowds during Festember 08. Basically it is a Tamil speech competition which had two rounds. The preliminary was a elocution competition and the finals was of the debate format. The finals was conducted by the Tamil Mandram guys in a format similar to the Pattimandram shows in TV. The judge we had for this event was Mr. Raja. He himself is a famous speaker in pattimandram shows.
The topic given to the three groups of finalists was – What does the youth of today wish for? Is it for a lover? Is it for an oversees job? Or is it for family and social recognition? Each of the teams had to speak from one of these three. The contestants from various colleges of Tamil Nadu, spoke very well and impressed. They had done more than what was expected out of them. Mr.Raja listen to each of them during the first round and gave then positive as well as constructive comments. He, then gave them another chance to speak and asked them to conclude. This was yet again formidable. He concluded saying that though a youth may yearn for love and an oversees job it the most important thing which he asks for is social recognition and a good family. And the other two may be means to achieve this.
The entire event had a festive feel to it. The comic interludes given by the judge and the contestants between their talks kept the audience tied to their seats. This event, which was widely praised, demonstrated yet again that Festember was one of the best student-run college culturals in India.
The name needs no introduction. From humble beginnings in Chennai, this man now rules the music empire. He made the world listen to Indian music. Even though he is a quiet guy he commands respect from musicians and music lovers. He has great technical expertise. He knows what his fans expect and connects well with all his audience. His music has changed the face of music in India. He is a guy who keeps changing well with time and brings out the best.
Well, for a music freak like me ARR is the Lord. Even after listening to his creation innumerable number of times one would never get tired. It is a magical experience. It boosts the spirits of everyone.
Many say “What’s life without music?”. Even I agree with that but I would like to add – “What’s music without ARR?” This was proved at our cultural fest, Festember too. Most of the events had the participants either singing ARR hits or dancing to his tunes. Pro Nite was an event which saw two prominent personalities, Drummer Sivamani and Singer Karthik performing at NIT Trichy. The 1hr long solo concert by Sivamani had him performing to various evergreen tunes of ARR. It was a truly interactive experience with his playing dexterity shining through. Even the next concert by singer Karthik had him singing from the diverse collection of ARR Hits. Truly, music is nothing without ARR.
Festember, the most expected event of the semester, began a bit late as usual. The Dance Troupe of NITT performed three dance sequences to entertain the audience and gather the crowds. That was used as a ‘Crowd-Pulling Technique.’ Soon after their performance we had the inaugural ceremony.
Then we had quite a bit of delay due to various technical errors. First, the publicity video about the previous editions which was played in the Barn got stuck in the middle and created a lot of trouble for the audio-visual team. Then the attempt to play it again was abandoned. Then we had the white screen in the grand old Barn falling down suddenly due to yet another error. It took quite a lot of manpower and consumed much time to remove it and fix it properly.
So, after all these delays the Light Music event Tarangini started. The judge for this event was Singer Benny Dayal ( singer of quite a few songs in new Tamil movies). He began by doing a performance himself. He sang the song ‘Taxi Taxi’ from the yet-to-be-released movie Sakkarakatti. Showing much enthusiasm and vigor, he tried to make the crowd crazy.
The event saw a list of participants from various places. Beginning at around 7 30pm it came to an end at about 12 midnight. Most of the performances were good and this time again it was SASTRA which wont the top slot. The second slot was snatched by JIPMER. (NIT T had won the first position in JIPMER’s Cultural Fest Spandan earlier this month). The third position was awarded to Thiagaraja College Madurai.
The day ended at midnight after the results were announced and the Director gave a memento to Benny Dayal for his presence.
Festember Day 1 begins today and has variety of events to entertain and enthrall everyone.
NIT Trichy presents FESTEMBER 08 , the cultural festival that is one of South India’s biggest in its genre.
It is not just about a plethora of events or for that matter a treasure trove of prizes- for this is where the moods and the motley crowds merge to embark on a journey bordering on creativity and imagination. Festember, as has been its tradition, this time too promises to eclipse what its previous editions achieved.
Come September 2008, and you’ll see a generation tune in, in an attempt to connect with the milieu and letting their spirits drop out, to discover their singularity.
Plan your stay in Trichy from18th to 21st September.
FESTEMBER
~~Tune IN~~
~~Drop OUT~~
www.festember.org
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