Manipal: Bollywood heartthrob Farhan Akhtar had the students of Manipal University grooving to his scintillating music on Saturday night at the Manipal Institute of Technology Quadrangular here as the curtains came down on a memorable note in the 36th edition of Revels, the official cultural fest of MIT.
Revels 2015 proved to be huge success in all respects; from its association with Hip-hop International to the outstation participation, from the sale of almost 1300 delegate cards on the first day itself to the biggest Proshow night ever, the success was unprecedented. The ProShow with Farhan Live also had an undercurrent of women liberation, with a couple of songs by Farhan dedicated to it, and he repeatedly urged the crowd to pledge for MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination).
Events based on innovative ideas have seen a large footfall this year. Moods, putting forth palettes of human emotions on words was a popular event under Dramebaaz category. Psychus, an off-beat category, piqued the curiosity of numerous students, with events such as Conquest, a labyrinth of manipulations, interpersonal skills, and stress handling to make one’s way up to be crowned king.
The fashion show under Haute Couture was a show stealer, with the turnout rivalling the Proshow.Zamir, the event showcasing talent in Eastern Vocals had its participants proving their mettle, some good enough to give the playback crooners a run for their money. Virtuoso, the instrumental affair saw a few prodigies handling uncommon instruments like the sarod, ukulele, darbuka with panache.
A huge audience gathered to cheer their mates in the western group dance category, which also had Hip Hop International pick up 8 crews, from colleges like NITTE and VIT Vellore for preliminary training rounds of an international level hip hop face-off, backed by VH1.4th day also saw crowd-pullers like Mr and Miss Revels, judging its participants on their latent talents and their presence of mind, Battle Of Bands, where 17 extraordinary performances were led by 3 teams from our very own MIT, including their crown jewel, The Lungi Band.
The photography events were also based on out-of the-box ideas, such as a creative take on mundane arrangements of various consumer products, to show them in a strikingly attractive light. The sports events have garnered an unprecedented popularity this year, with about 1100 outstation participants in their respective teams presenting a tough challenge to the hosts.
However, MIT teams didn’t let down their supporters, and proved their mettle by bagging the first place in football, hockey, squash(women) and tennis (both men and women), to name a few, bringing the Revels Sports Trophy home, VIT being declared the runners up.Other teams who showed an impressive performance at Revels’15 were NIT Trichy, KVGC Sullia, SSN Kalavakkam amongst many others. Relay races, discus throwing, long jump, and shotput were a part of the impressive athletics itinerary. From activities ranging from human foosball, to grappling, Parliamentary debate and musical events like Junk To Jam where participants used everyday items like bicycles to create music, Revels’15 provided every individual an opportunity to showcase his or her talents.
Lights Camera Action short film making saw Crayon emerging as the winner, a hard hitting piece on the freedom and safety of women. This edition of Revels has been constructed on an underlying foundation of SAHIL (Students Against Her Ignominy and Libel), carrying on the flame lit by MIT Sports Club with a cross-country run, broadcasting a collective emotion of the students against the restrictions, misogynistic beliefs, and superficial treatment of women.
