Here’s taking a look back at all the celebrity appearances to close off the session 2019-20. From politicians, to musicians, DU Beat presents to you celebrity highlights of the year.
DUSU ELECTIONS 2019, NSUI INDIA
1. Shashi Tharoor interacts with students on the eve of DUSU Elections
The NSUI along with Kerala Students Union on the occasion of the DUSU Elections 2019, organised a student interaction session with Dr. Shashi Tharoor on 4th September. Several questions were asked to Dr. Tharoor and he dealt with every question patiently. He also talked about demonetization, National Register of Citizens (NRC) Bill, and the Kashmir issue. Dr. Shashi Tharoor concluded the session by giving some advice to the students. He told them to not compete with others but with themselves; and that failure was a part of life, that without it there was no success.
INDIAN YOUTH CONCLAVE, DILLI HAAT, JANAKPURI
1. Workshop with ‘Little Things’ Star Dhruv Sehgal
Rose to fame from Filter Copy and Little Things, actor and writer Dhruv Sehgal conducted a workshop on creative writing at Indian Youth Conclave on 31st August 2019, which helped the aspiring writers to ace writing skills. He stressed on making observations which are free of cost, how everyone has a story, and how the blank pages are the best instrument for writers. Dhruv also highlighted the diversified and stark competition in the web series business, and insisted on the importance of following the rules which flourish creativity as opposed to the millennial’s obsession of breaking them.
RENDEZVOUS’19, IIT DELHI
1. The Trinity of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy at Rendezvous
The famous Indian musical trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy performed magnificently at Rendezvous: The annual cultural festival of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IITD) on 2nd October 2019. The trinity which completed 20 years in the industry interacted with the audience and made them groove at their beats and rhythms. They performed their classical hits such as Locha-e-ulfat, Mitwa, and Dil Chahta Hai which made the audience take a trip to nostalgia of the 2000s. Saving the best for the last, the trio concluded their performance with Phir Bhi Dil hai Hindustani and Breathless.
2. Moonwalk Magicians MJ5 at Rendezvous
The winner of India’s Dancing Superstar- MJ5 gave a riveting performance at day two- on 3rd October 2019 at Rendezvous: The annual cultural festival of IIT Delhi. The boy dance group is famous for its unique variations, formed from the inspiration of the famous pop icon Michael Jackson. The record holder group enthralled the audience with their beautiful synchronisation and smooth moonwalks. They also engaged with the crowd and got them grooving along with their performance. They put together a series of classic Michael Jackson steps along with some famous bollywood mixes for the audience to be entertained.
3. Amit Trivedi Steals The Night At Rendezvous
Singer, composer and lyricist, Amit Trivedi performed on 5th October 2019, the fourth and final day of Rendezvous at IIT Delhi, with his team consisting of Meghna Mishra who sang in Secret Superstar, and others. He swooned the audience with his majestic compositions from Udta Punjab, Manmarzyaan, Andhadhun, Dear Zindagi, and others. The audience was bewitched at the Coke Studio renditions of Chaudhary and Badri Badariya by the singer and his team. The mesmerising synchronisation of the harmony of the artists brought the night to an end in a way which was a memorable experience.
4. Laxmi Agarwal Gets Candid at Rendezvous
Acid attack survivor and a campaigner for rights, Laxmi Agarwal spoke candidly at Rendezvous at an event called FAIL. This was initially conceptualised in MIT, but had a desi side to it by having successful Indian speakers- talking about their failures in life. Laxmi was the first speaker and she had her audience hooked to her, for her life story was captivating. She told about her journey candidly: How she was spewed with acid at the age of 15, and how she came out of that as a warrior. She has started a campaign called Save Sale Acid, and has never looked back in her life.
5. Rajat Sharma Engages at Rendezvous
Chairman and Editor-in-chief at India TV, Rajat Sharma spoke at the event FAIL in which successful people share their failure stories. The Aap Ki Adalat host addressed the public in a different manner than other speakers and had a lot of interactive dialogues with them. The journalist also asked a lot of questions to the audience to keep them engaged, and shared his life story with them. His speech concluded his life journey and left the audience inspired.
6. Poetic Mehfil By Kumar Vishwas At Rendezvous
Poet and politician Kumar Vishwas won hearts on day three- 4th October 2019, of the annual cultural fest of IIT Delhi: Rendezvous. The poet recited a series of poems having a satirical hint to it and took jabs at the government during his show. He performed his ever famous poem Koi Deewana Kehta Hai and Ek Pagli Ladki Ke Bin which had the audience hooked from the charm of his endearing and mesmerising poetry recitals.
ANTARAGNI’19, IIT KANPUR
1.DJ Trinity Rocks At Antaragni’19
DJ Gian Nobilee, DJ Bonka, and DJ Ravator gave a rocking performance at Antaragni’19, the annual cultural festival of IIT Kanpur on the opening day- 17th October 2019. The EDM artists who have names around the globe, pounded the campus with some hard beats. His Italian music inclination, featuring live energy and electronic music had the crowd grooving to his amazing beats. The popular remixes by the DJ trio was the highlight of their performance and was much awaited by their fans.
2. Jab ‘Chai Met Toast’ Met Antaragni’s Crowd
Performance by the celebrated Indie pop band-When Chai Met Toast at Antaragni, IIT Kanpur, left everyone mesmerised. The young band, which hails from Kochi is known for mixing sounds from across East and West. The uniqueness in their style was reciprocated by a huge fanbase in the crowd. With their tracks like ‘Firefly’ and ‘Believe,’ they made the crowd intoxicated and thrilled with their music which had made a soulful connection with them.
3. Rap Hustle At Antaragni’19
At IIT Kanpur’s annual cultural festival Antaragni, took place the Rap Hustle between famous Indian hustlers like Kaam Bhari, Spitfire and SlowCheetah. The talented rappers jammed with the audience and had them awestruck with their rhymes and lyrics. Loud cheer followed every hard hitting lyric and their beats dropped with applause and charged up reactions. The arena was filled up to its brim, and so was the excitement among the attendees at the festival who enjoyed every bit of the battle.
4. Karunesh Talwar’s Hilarious Monologue At IIT Kanpur
The annual festival of IIT Kanpur- Antaragni, included a hilarious performance by the acclaimed Indian stand-up comic, Karunesh Talwar. The creator of stand-up specials like, ‘Paka Mat Na Mote’ and ‘Pata Nahi Par Bolna Hai’ made the audience break into laughter and giggles throughout his performance. The former member of the popular comedy group AIB, delivered the whole crowd some hysterical jokes and anecdotal stories which had the crowd side splitting. The comedian with his perfect timing had his audience cracking up the entire time.
5. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Trio Closes Antaragni’19
The highly acclaimed musical trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in their own magical way, closed Antaragni- the annual cultural festival of IIT Kanpur on day four- 20th October 2019, with their strong, energetic, and eclectic performance. As expected, the performance saw an overwhelming crowd and an exhilarating performance by the band, which had everyone rooting for them throughout. The band played a host of their famous tracks and the audience danced to the tunes of their famous songs including Sajdaa, Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe, Pretty Woman, Zinda and Gallan Goodiyan.
OASIS’19, BITS PILANI
1. Prominent Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali Talks At Oasis’19
The 49th edition of BITS Pilani’s flagship cultural festival, Oasis, held huge and star-studded events, and on 20th October 2019, saw the inauguration of the BITS film festival by Highway and Rockstar-director Imtiaz Ali. The director known for his work at redefining modern love in contemporary times had everyone transfixed when he communicated with them. Ali talked in detail and depth about his experiences with Oasis and reminisced about his student days. He also talked about handling rejections, among other matters which waved a sense of positivity in the atmosphere.
2. Sunidhi Chauhan Wins Hearts At Oasis’19
Sunidhi Chauhan, the queen of power ballads in Bollywood, gave the audience at BITS Pilani a whiff of nostalgia as she performed her classic songs from the 2000s and 2010s. Her performance drove the crowd to pure madness as she and her team of harmonized and whipped out their best moves together. Their synchronisation was top notch. The entire crowd danced all night and just couldn’t have enough of the singing diva.
3. Nucleya Hits EDM At Oasis’19
The EDM sensation of India-Nucleya, arrived at the BITS’19 cultural festival-Oasis, to give a powerful performance. Along with his desi brand of dubstep which is a major aspect of making his performance lively, were the trippy, random, and vintage Bollywood inspired visuals playing on the colossal stage screens. The credit for these designs goes to the EDM Maestro Nucleya’s frequent designer, Diprav Jadhav. With tracks from acclaimed albums like Raja Baja and Bass Rani, the DJ gave a splendid performance and be it the track Heer or Laung Gawacha, the crowd absolutely loved him.
4. BITS Brings Biswa To Perform At Oasis’19
The hilarious stand-up comic Biswa Kalyan Rath performed on the last day of the festival Oasis at BITS Pilani. The house was filled to its brim with spectators even occupying the floors. ‘Mast Aadmi‘- Biswa went on with his banter on engineering students, Indian civic sense, and other matters, leaving the audience in fits of laughter. The engineer turned comedian has not only come up with stand-up specials like ‘In Your Face’ and ‘Sushi,’ but also has created the web series ‘Lakhon Mein Ek’ that showcase the dark realities of our society.
SYMPHONY’20, JANKI DEVI MEMORIAL COLLEGE
1. Jass Manak Gives a Sweet-sounding Performance
Jass Manak, a famous singer-songwriter, performed at Symphony, the annual cultural fest of Janki Devi Memorial College on the 10th January 2020. His fans welcomed him on stage with posters and portraits. The audience was riveted by the Punjabi singer’s performance as he made everyone in the audience sync their steps with songs like Lehenga, Prada, Kajra Mohabbat Wala, Viah and many other Bollywood songs. The students of Janki Devi Memorial College were seen holding banners to stand against violence in educational institutions which was the theme of Symphony 2020.
BUSINESS CONCLAVE’20, SHRI RAM COLLEGE OF COMMERCE
1. Harsimrat Kaur Badal Speaks about Women Empowerment
Member of Parliament, Bhatinda, and Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing, Harsimrat Kaur Badal gave a speech on the empowerment of women and their rights on February 12th. She talked about the struggles she had to endure to be where she is today along with the struggles of many other brave women fighting for education. She pointed out how the majority of women in India are married against their wishes. She also took a minute to talk about her journey with Nanhi Chhaan movement to help women in Punjab.
2. Cast of College Romance Enlightens Everyone at Business Conclave
Three actors from the cast of web series ‘College Romance’ namely Shreya Mehta, Gagan Arora and Keshav Sadhna were a part of the YouTubers’ Panel at Business Conclave 2020. The actors discussed how YouTube is an extremely welcoming platform for aspiring content creators. They also pointed out the importance of originality and how relatable content gets noticed relatively more quickly. After the discussion ended, the audience asked several questions from the panelists such as the progress of season 2 of College Romance. On being asked about their political views, the three actors took a pass and politely asked the mediator of the panel to not bring politics into the picture.
3. Comedian Aakash Gupta Gives a Hilarious Monologue
Aakash Gupta, the winner of Comicstaan season 2, enchanted the audience with his wit and sarcasm on 13th February. The gymnasium of Shri Ram College of Commerce roared with laughter on account of Aakash Gupta’s hilarious imitations of people sneezing and laughing in the most unusual ways. He left the audience hooting with laughter as he went on to explain his crazy escapades in Delhi. Day two came to an end with the audience dying with laughter and it was a day full of entertainment.
4. Gautam Gambhir Gives a Noteworthy Speech at Business Conclave
Gautam Gambhir, an ex-cricketer turned politician, talked about his journey in the field of politics and addressed the audience about Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) recent defeat in Delhi Assembly Elections despite the party’s innumerable attempts to win the elections. He stated that no politician should ever be thanked for it is the duty of a politician to help the masses. The Padma Shree Awardee also pointed out the importance of self-motivation. He apprised the audience about his accountability to not just his constituency but all other constituencies that his party contested for.
5. Kapil Sharma Apprises the Audience at SRCC
Kapil Sharma, a prominent comedian in the television industry engages with the audience at Business Conclave on 14th February. In his speech, he stressed on the importance of writing part of a show and how the plot is among the most important factors that contribute to the success of a show. While giving the speech, he was reminded of his own college days in Amritsar. The comedian turned actor was also a part of his college theatre group which led him to pursue his dreams that later turned into a reality. The panel ended with a bunch of zealous students jamming on stage with Kapil on a rap song
6. Prajakta Koli Distinctly Converses with the Audience
Prajakta Koli, a renowned content creator and YouTuber who goes by the name of ‘Mostly Sane’, was welcomed on stage. She began to talk about her experiments with different fields and trying her hands on various careers. She started off as a radio intern and later explored content creation which worked out extremely well for her. She went on to become one of the most famous YouTubers in India. She mentioned that she was in collaboration with Lily Singh who is better known as the Superwoman. She described an indescribable moment of her life which was having tea with Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the US. She also highlighted problems in her career as such YouTube censorship. The audience was given a chance to interact with her and on special request, she enacted her character Montu for all her fans in the audience.
7. Kapil Sibbal Engages with the Audience at Business Conclave
KapilSibal, a renowned politician of the Indian National Congress and a Member of Parliament began his speech by mentioning how his family came to India after the Partition. He shed light upon the importance of freedom of the youth and the education system which seemed to have innumerable downsides. The Rajya Sabha MP also claimed that on the orders of the NDA government, educational institutions were ruthlessly ransacked where students were attacked. He could not stress enough on the importance of expression of dissent in a democratic country. He was hopeful about the country electing better leaders and better vice-chancellors of universities.
RHAPSODY’20, MAITREYI COLLEGE
1. Darshan Raval’s Exuberant Performance at Rhapsody’20
The students of Delhi University were enthralled by Darshan Rawal’s performance on the 21st of January at Rhapsody, the annual cultural fest of Maitreyi College. Despite the strict entry procedure, Maitreyi College resonated with Darshan Raval’s captivating voice. He started off with a few romantic songs and later went on to sing party songs like ‘Kamariya’ and ‘Chogada’ to make his zealous audience dance. The 25-year-old singer also dedicated songs to boys in the audience. He also gave challenged everyone in the audience to match the steps of his team. However, Darshan’s energy was unmatchable and his power-packed performance made Rhapsody’20 a memorable one.
ONE PLUS COMEDY NIGHT, SHAHEED SUKHDEV COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES
1. Rahul Subramanian Performs a stand-up at One Plus Comedy Night
Stand-up comic Rahul Subramanian performed at the pre event of the cultural fest of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies- Crescendo in association with One Plus on 25th January 2020. Amidst skepticism of cancellation, the show took place and Subramanian showed up casually with minimal efforts in appearance, and performed a spoof of his Amazon prime show ‘Kal Main Udega.’ He made jokes about DJs and how his life was as a management student in Greater Noida. He also interacted with the audience for most of the time and did improvisations.
UDGAM’20, RAMJAS COLLEGE
1. Fusion band Pakshee grooves in Udgam at Ramjas College
Ramjas College celebrated its annual cultural fest, ‘Udgam’ that was collectively organised by the college’s five cultural societies. The highlight of the fest was the performance by Pakshee, a Hindustani and Carnatic fusion band on 27th February. The performance by the band was electrifying and the students loved the unique beats of the band. The band members themselves were thrilled to see such an excited audience. With the band’s performance, the fest culminated. The performance was enjoyed by over 200 students that attended the ‘Star Night’.
NEXUS’20, SRI VENKATESWARA COLLEGE
1. The Yellow Diary Rocks The Evening At Nexus
One of the best indie bands: The Yellow Diary performed at the inaugural day of Nexus- the annual cultural festival of Sri Venkateswara College on 28th February 2020. They had the audience captivated by their fusion rock music and soothing synchronisation of Rajan Batra’s voice with instruments of the band. They uplifted the crowd with their performance of popular songs like Rab Rakha, Marz, and Tere Jaisa Hor Dissa among others. They saved the best for last and sang Kashmir which was much awaited by the fans. The band also distributed free T-shirts to some fans at the end of the show.
2. Ankit Tiwari Gives a Dazzling Performance at Nexus
The singer, music director and composer, Ankit Tiwari enthralled the audience at Nexus- the annual cultural festival of Sri Venkateswara College on 29th February 2020. Even in the midst of intermittent raining and delay the crowd was large and awaited the presence of this bollywood singer. Tiwari sang Bollywood blues and got the audience to sway especially when he sang his USP song of Aashiqui-2, Sun Raha Hai Na Tu. The singer also invited students to join him and sing on the stage and the vibe was celebratory.
Feature Image Credits: Surbhit Rastogi for DU Beat
Image Credits: DU Beat
Umaima Khanam
Suhani Malhotra
Aniket Singh Chauhan
Avni Dhawan
