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After four days of the overwhelming bonanza of celebrations, Mood Indigo, the cultural spectacle at IIT Bombay drew to a close with some memorable performances. Here is what we thought were the highlights of the fest.

 

NY Musician Vladimir Cetkar performs at Mood Indigo

A multi-talented musician based in New York, Vladimir Cetkar, known for his song ‘We will never end’, gave the much needed musical punch to heighten the spirits of the crowd attending Mood Indigo this Christmas. He not only performed his best-known singles but also caught everyone’s eye with his charming personality.

EIC fame Sorabh Pant enthralled all with his tongue in cheek humour 

Performing at his candid best, East India Comedy fame Sorabh Pant left no stones unturned at tickling the funny bone of his audience at IIT Bombay. From demonetisation to other upbeat issues, he gave a humorous turn to just about everything.

 

EDM Night with Anish Sood 

Renowned EDM composer and DJ, Anish Sood set the musical mood at Mood Indigo as the audience led their hair down and enjoyed his gig to the fullest!

 Arnab Goswami and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis discuss ‘Transforming Maharashtra’

CM Devendra Fadnavis and TV news anchor Arnab Goswami marked their attendance at Mood Indigo in a rather address engaging fashion as they discussed issues like reservation and vote bank politics, and left no stones unturned at taking potshots at other politicians during the interactive session.

 

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Arnab Goswami and Maharashtra CM at IIT Bombay | Image credits: Harshit Thukral

Renowned journalist Prabhu Chawla spoke to students about dynastic politics and more 

Veteran journalist news anchor Prabhu Chawla, interacted with various students at Mood Indigo, as part of the Literary Fest. The issue raised in his talk was the “rise and fall of political dynasties,” especially in the Indian context. According to him, dynastic politics in principle is undesirable but India as a nation has been accepting of political lineages. The fragmented nature of Indian politics wherein most political parties have cropped up in the fringes of the Congress party, has led to the fascination with maa-betaa sarkars and the like. In his view, the way to root out dynastic politics is by way of nationalism. A pan-Indian issue must be scavenged and propagated so as to gain a mass following. At the world level, with German and French elections being around the corner, Chawla predicts that “the lady is in trouble” (with respect to German Chancellor Angela Merkell) and that “France is leaning towards the Right.”

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Image credits: Hitanksha Jain

Shankar Ehsaan Loy set the musical tone at IIT-B with their gig 

Bollywood composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy drew curtains to the four-day fest with their super energetic gig as they performed their all-time hit numbers like ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’, ‘Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe’ and Shankar’s famous ‘Breathless’ track.

Feature image credits: Gerush Bahal 

Reporters:

Riya Chhibber ([email protected])

Abhinaya Harigovind ([email protected])

Swareena Gurung ([email protected])

Kavach Chandra ([email protected])

 

Picture credits: Harshit Thukral, Prateek Singh, Hitanksha Jain and Gerush Bahal for DU Beat.

 

 

A four day spectacle from 23-26th December, Mood Indigo saw a variety of speakers, competitions and events during the fest. We bring to you a list of some of the highlights of this annual cultural extravaganza that added colour, fun and frolic to the festival.

 

Conchord: The Acapella finals 

Conchord, the acapella music competition at Mood Indigo 2016, was a riot of melodious notes synchronised in perfect harmony, without the use of musical instruments. The event saw four teams battling it out in the finals-Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru; Gargi College, Delhi; Shri Mata Vaishodevi University, Katra and Hansraj College, Delhi. The competition was judged by three musicians-Kenneth Shakira, Shayla Saldanha and Caroline Pereira.

Swaranjali, Hansraj College’s Music Society bagged the first place, while Gargi College came second, followed by Mount Carmel College. Swaranjali enthralled the audience with their rendition of Bad Romance and Barbie Girl, inviting praise from the judges for the balance in their notes and the impeccable coordination within the team. While the all-girls teams from Mount Carmel College and Gargi College earned accolades for their bass voice and versatility respectively, the team from Shri Mata Vaishnodevi University was appreciated for their choice of a medley of foot-tapping popular music.

 

A photo posted by DU Beat (@du_beat) on

 

Coke Studio singer Mame Khan steals the show:

With his rendition of ‘Damadum Mast Kalandar’ and other songs, Mame Khan stole the audience’s heart with his super energetic and enigmatic performance. Not only did he engage with the crowd, but also crooned the classic ‘Damadum Mast Kalandar’ that left everyone mesmerised and wanting for more.

 

A photo posted by DU Beat (@du_beat) on

 

FusionNite: Karsh Kale 

The ‘fusion nite’ saw the renowned American Indian musician, composer and producer Karsh Kale set the tune straight for his audience as the jamming session pumped up the young lot.

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Karsh Kale performing at Mood Indigo

 

Saurabh Shukla’s Barff

Saurabh Shukla’s second directorial venture, Barff, was an event that was eagerly awaited at Mood Indigo 2016. The three member cast of Sadia Siddiqui, Sunil Palwal and Saurabh Shukla had a packed hall hanging on to their every word as the stage transformed into a scene from Kashmir, snow et al. Sunil Palwal essays the role of Ghulam, a Kashmiri taxi driver, while Sadia Siddiqui plays his wife, Nafisa. Saurabh Shukla is Dr. Siddhant, coming from afar to treat their unwell child.

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Saurabh Shukla performing in his second directorial venture, Barff

A palpable air of mystery and intrigue envelops the play, giving it the garb of a thriller revolving around the little child. Love, motherhood, a sense of attachment towards Kashmir, and fluidity in the perception of reality are intertwined to create an undeniable masterpiece. The acting is impeccable and lends depth to the three beautifully moulded characters. Nafisa’s heart-wrenching cries, Ghulam’s devoted love for his wife, almost bordering on naivete, and the doctor’s attempt to understand their world, could not have been portrayed more realistically. Reality becomes putty in the hands of imagination driven by intense pain and love. The set, which marvellously locates itself in a Kashmiri home and its surroundings, is meticulously thought out to the littlest detail.

Theatre Fest:  Daddy Cool

 A two-man act starring Jagdish Rajpurohit and Kevin Dave, ‘Daddy Cool’ is a hilarious play that charts the life of a father son duo. As the name suggests, the father is “cool” employing different parental tactics to fuel his son’s curiosity during his formative years. They include sending his son to a sex-worker so as to educate him about sex and smoking with him in order to dissuade him from doing so.

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There are some inevitable questions that come from young children which place their parents in awkward situations. The play focuses on some of these, especially regarding those related to sex. In the process, the ingenious ways in which parents often deprive their children of the right answers rather than touch upon the taboo topic of “sex,” are highlighted.


The most remarkable facet of the play was the effortless acting of the two, which required role reversals and multiple roles playing. The sheer task of holding the attention of the audience for an hour isn’t easy, and they did just that while also cracking them up the entire time.

Jayaprakash Narayan on Demonetisation 

As part of Mood Indigo’s Lit Fest 2016, renowned political informer and founder of the Lok Satta Party who boasts of a 16-year long career in government, Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan conducted an interactive session with the audience on the aftermath of demonetisation.

Dr. Narayan explained that the policy of demonetisation will not work in isolation as a “mantra or panacea.” It must followed by attendant steps to ensure that benefits are released. “One man’s sudden whim cannot become policy in a short period in a country of our size. But, the people of India are extraordinarily forgiving and are willing to pay the price in the short term,” he said.

According to Dr. Narayan, the primary role of the government is to create conditions for people to discover their own enlightened self interest, by delivering quality education and healthcare.

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In his closing note, Dr. Narayan appealed to the students to go beyond their textbooks and work towards transforming the nation’s future.

Street Play competition: Aagaaz 

Agaaz, the street play competition at Mood Indigo 2016 saw participants bringing tremendous energy and innovative themes to the fore. The 12 competing teams brought out various significant social issues through their nukkad natak. An outdated education system, rigid caste hierarchies and discrimination based on caste, the freedom to express one’s own sexuality and the hypocratic taboos revolving around menstruation are some of the pertinent issues raised by the teams. The event was judged by Tanya Abrol, Chintaman Sahastrabuddhe, Yusuf Qasmi and Padmabhushan Agrawal and was also attended by actor Pankaj Tripathi. Some of the participating teams include College of Vocational Studies, Sri Venkateshwara College, PGDAV, IIT Kanpur and Ashoka University. The judges laid down the yardsticks of a good street play as one that disseminates a universal message and entertains the audience simultaneously. The judges appreciated the diversity and relevance of the social issues raised.

 

 Feature image credits: Gerush Bahal 

Reporters:

Riya Chhibber ([email protected])

Abhinaya Harigovind ([email protected])

Swareena Gurung ([email protected])

Kavach Chandra ([email protected])

 

Picture credits: Harshit Thukral, Prateek Singh, Hitanksha Jain and Gerush Bahal for DU Beat.

Boasting of a huge array of events, Mood Indigo, the annual cultural festival of IIT Bombay kicked off on 23rd December 2016 with a number of scintillating performances and speaker sessions. Based on the theme – ‘One soul, one fest’, the Mood Indigo team likes to recognise themselves as ‘A Bombay Chronicle’. While the line up of events on Day 1 was overwhelming it saw competitions like Conchord, Drum circle, and other light events among others. While the star performances of the ‘Livewire Nite’ featured Crown The Empire, Skrat and others, the first day of the fest had quite an exquisite line up with speakers like the young and dynamic novelist, Durjoy Datta.

Some of the highlights of Day 1 are as following:

 

Vogue: The fashion show 

Mood Indigo’s Vogue, touted as India’s largest college fashion show, was an extravagant display of glitz, glamour and gloss. The event saw eight teams compete in two rounds. The first round, based on the theme ‘Raga Invasion,’ was an expression of the influence of music on fashion and saw participants drawing inspiration from Michael Jackson and punk rock to Indian classical. The second round, based on the theme ‘Asymmetric,’ was an array of seemingly conflicting shapes and patterns coming together in harmony. The event was judged by Sonnalli Seygall, Karan Berry, Leon Vaz, Vikram Singh Bawa and Instagram fashionistas, Isha Kanani and Meghna Kaur Kaushal. The judges were enthused by the energy and confidence translated into the show on stage. Pearl Academy, Delhi walked away with the first place, while the Faculty of Architecture, Manipal took second. Faculty of Architecture also took the title of ‘Best Design,’ while Tanvi, from Thakur College of Science and Commerce was adjudged the best model.

A video posted by DU Beat (@du_beat) on

The winners, Pearl Academy, Delhi’s fashion team, told DU Beat that they were thrilled to have won first place, having least expected it. “The hard work paid off, what with having sacrificed our vacations to participate and put in our best”, said a team member. Their entry for round one focussed on flowy outfits in earthy colours of deep red, orange and yellow, while they used asymmetric white frills in the second round.

Catch a glimpse of the #MannequineChallenge we gave to the winning team!

Durjoy Datta on love, break-up and success 

Having had an adventurous personal life himself, an accomplished novelist, Durjoy Datta spoke to the students at IIT-B about his idea of love, relationships and break-ups. While talking to the crowd, he discussed how his initial years involved a cynical attitude towards love and how his personal journey helped him pen down his books. On being asked if he believes in the idea of a perfect relationship, he said, “I do believe that there is something such as a perfect relationship. My idea about love has changed a lot in the last few years.”

 

Image by Hitanksha Jain
Image by Hitanksha Jain

Varun Agarwal: Love, Startup and Anu auntie


Filmographer, entrepreneur and best-selling author, Varun Agarwal was another speaker at the fest who highlighted the importance of finding the right passion and pursuing it. Using his own life events as examples, he stressed on the importance of living life to the fullest, by pursuing one’s passion while taking bold risks in the face of challenges. The right passion in his view is something that is obsessive and which one wouldn’t mind doing for free, pursuing it for the experience rather than the money. Money will eventually follow, if you earnestly follow and take forward that, which you are passionate about.

He said that the current generation is suffering from the “Steve Job’s syndrome” of following the masses in choosing their passion. It is important, however, to choose passions independently of society’s and media’s influence. Confidence, that insulates one from being deterred by the numerous judgmental “Anu aunties,” is the key.

It wasn’t surprising that the audience was in raptures by the end of the talk, eagerly asking questions and partaking in numerous jests against fellow spectators.
  

 ‘Livewire-Nite’ highlights

 

The enchanting tunes of Crown The Empire, Skrat and others got everyone’s foot tapping, as the ‘Livewire Nite’ ensued a rather musical tone to the day, making it the perfect way to draw close to Day 1 of the fest!

 

 

This four-day extravaganza stretching from 23-26th December is all set to witness some big gigs, including a finale performance by the Bollywood Composer trio- Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy.

Reporters:

Riya Chhibber ([email protected])

Abhinaya Harigovind ([email protected])

Swareena Gurung ([email protected])

 

Feature Image credits: Prateek Singh

Picture credits: Hitanksha Jain, Gerush Bahal, Harshit Thukral and Prateek Singh for DU Beat.

 

IIT Bombay’s annual cultural festival, Mood Indigo 2015 recently concluded on 21st December 2015 after 4 days of events, competitions and concerts. University of Delhi, like each year performed exceptionally well with Hans Raj College winning maximum competitions, followed by Kirori Mal College and Gargi College taking away other laurels.

Winners’ Tally

Hans Raj College

Indigo Saga (Contemporary/Choreography Dance Competition)
Ist Position – Terpsichoreon, Choreography Society of Hans Raj College

Mantra (Fusion Band Competition):
Ist Position – The Hans Raj Projekt

Taal Mel (Instrumental Duet Competition)
Ist Position – Vinayak Pant and Anirudh Varma, Swaranjali Music Society of Hans Raj College

Third Bell (Stage Play Competition)
Best Actor – Sahiba Bali, Hansraj Dramatics Society

Surshringar (Classical Solo)
3rd Position – Saptak Chattopadhyay, Swaranjali Music Society of Hans Raj College

Special Recognition
Opening for Pritam in the Popular Nite – The Hans Raj Projekt

Kirori Mal College

Livewire (Rock Band Competition):
Ist Position – High Time, Disco Funk Bank, Kirori Mal College
A trip to Prague for a Special Show as an award

Mantra (Fusion Band Competition):
2nd Position – Experimensions, Word Music Band, Kirori Mal College

Special Recognition
Opening for Lucky Ali in the Fusion Nite – High Time, Disco Funk Bank, Kirori Mal College

Gargi College

Singing the Indigos (Western Solo Singing Competition):
Ist Position – Shruti Dashmana, Gargi College

Conchord (A Capella Competition)
2nd Position – Euphony, the Western Music Society of Gargi College

Indigo Saga (Contemporary/Choreography Dance Competition)
2nd Position – Sparx, Choreography Society of Gargi College

MI Idol (Bollywood Solo Singing Competition)
3rd Position – Shruti Dashmana, Gargi College

Nrityanjali (Classical Solo Dance Competition)
3rd Position – Apurva Nambiar, Gargi College

 

Other Awards – LSR, SGGSCC, Venky

Indigo Saga (Contemporary/Choreography Dance Competition)
3rd Position – Choreography Society of Lady Shri Ram College

Desi Beats (Western Bollywood Dance Competition)
3rd Position – Misba, Western Dance Society of Shri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce

Beat The Street (Street Dance Competition)
2nd Position – Verve Dance Crew of Sri Venkateswara College

LSR's Choreography Society Mood Indigo
LSR’s Choreography Society
Check out the entire Winners’ Tally here.

Highlights

Apart from competitions, the four day festival featured various artists, politicians, comedians and singers for special events. Here’s a small glimpse of some special attendees at Mood Indigo:

Read the highlights of individual days here:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

 

DU Beat brings you glimpses from the annual cultural fest of IIT Bombay, Mood Indigo that saw performances and…

Posted by DU Beat on Sunday, December 20, 2015

Check out the DU Beat’s entire album of Mood Indigo 2015 here.

 

Iresh Gupta
[email protected]

Photographs by Tejaswa Gupta, Chirag Sharma, Paurush and Shubham Kaushik!

IIT Bombay’s annual cultural festival, Mood Indigo 2015 recently concluded on 21st December 2015 after 4 days of events, competitions and concerts. University of Delhi, like each year performed exceptionally well with Hans Raj College winning maximum competitions, followed by Kirori Mal College and Gargi College taking away other laurels.

Winners’ Tally

Hans Raj College

Indigo Saga (Contemporary/Choreography Dance Competition)
Ist Position – Terpsichoreon, Choreography Society of Hans Raj College

Mantra (Fusion Band Competition):
Ist Position – The Hans Raj Projekt

Taal Mel (Instrumental Duet Competition)
Ist Position – Vinayak Pant and Anirudh Varma, Swaranjali Music Society of Hans Raj College

Third Bell (Stage Play Competition)
Best Actor – Sahiba Bali, Hansraj Dramatics Society

Surshringar (Classical Solo)
3rd Position – Saptak Chattopadhyay, Swaranjali Music Society of Hans Raj College

Special Recognition
Opening for Pritam in the Popular Nite – The Hans Raj Projekt

Kirori Mal College

Livewire (Rock Band Competition):
Ist Position – High Time, Disco Funk Bank, Kirori Mal College
A trip to Prague for a Special Show as an award

Mantra (Fusion Band Competition):
2nd Position – Experimensions, Word Music Band, Kirori Mal College

Special Recognition
Opening for Lucky Ali in the Fusion Nite – High Time, Disco Funk Bank, Kirori Mal College

Gargi College

Singing the Indigos (Western Solo Singing Competition):
Ist Position – Shruti Dashmana, Gargi College

Conchord (A Capella Competition)
2nd Position – Euphony, the Western Music Society of Gargi College

Indigo Saga (Contemporary/Choreography Dance Competition)
2nd Position – Sparx, Choreography Society of Gargi College

MI Idol (Bollywood Solo Singing Competition)
3rd Position – Shruti Dashmana, Gargi College

Nrityanjali (Classical Solo Dance Competition)
3rd Position – Apurva Nambiar, Gargi College

 

Other Awards – LSR, SGGSCC, Venky

Indigo Saga (Contemporary/Choreography Dance Competition)
3rd Position – Choreography Society of Lady Shri Ram College

Desi Beats (Western Bollywood Dance Competition)
3rd Position – Misba, Western Dance Society of Shri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce

Beat The Street (Street Dance Competition)
2nd Position – Verve Dance Crew of Sri Venkateswara College

LSR's Choreography Society Mood Indigo
LSR’s Choreography Society
Check out the entire Winners’ Tally here.

Highlights

Apart from competitions, the four day festival featured various artists, politicians, comedians and singers for special events. Here’s a small glimpse of some special attendees at Mood Indigo:

Read the highlights of individual days here:

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4

 

DU Beat brings you glimpses from the annual cultural fest of IIT Bombay, Mood Indigo that saw performances and…

Posted by DU Beat on Sunday, December 20, 2015

Check out the DU Beat’s entire album of Mood Indigo 2015 here.

 

Iresh Gupta
[email protected]

Photographs by Tejaswa Gupta, Chirag Sharma, Paurush and Shubham Kaushik!

Mood Indigo wrapped up its 2015 edition on 21st December with the finals of Mantra, the fusion band competition, Beat the Streets, the street dance competition, amongst others as well as Humorfest with Vir Das and the Popular Nite concert featuring Pritam taking place.

Day 4 started bright and early with the finals of Mood Indigo Idol. The judges for the event were Mithoon, the popular music director, and Papon. After performances from the finalists, DU again saw itself placed amongst the winners with Shruti Dashmana from Gargi College ranking third.

Third Bell, the one act play competition, also saw its finals taking place. The first place was won by the team from Manipal Institute of Technology, the second from IIT Bombay and the third by Punjab Engineering College. Sahiba Bali from Hansraj Dramatics Society won the best actor award. After a grueling battle in the eliminations and the semi-finals, Beat the Streets finals saw The Street Buck crew from the Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce, Pune taking the top prize. DU’s own street dance favourites, Verve, from Sri Venkateswara College ranked second and the Tuttix crew ranked third. Street Dance Singing the Indigos, the western solo singing competition, had its finals on Day 4 as well, post its eliminations on Day 3. Delhi Colleges showed their mettle once again with Shruti Dashmana from Gargi College, who was amongst the top 3 in other music competitions as well, winning the first position.  Mayank Mittal from Delhi College of Engineering and Dimple Sankhla from Christ College Bangalore wrapped up the top three. Nita Mehta, popular cook-book author also spoke as a part of the Litfest, talking about her journey from starting cooking classes at home to writing books that were successful. She advised students to not do anything run of the mill and to always be willing to do something different in order to be successful. Vir Das performed as a part of the Humorfest for Day 4 to a packed auditorium. His session, full of innuendos and anecdotes, was met with enthusiastic laughter. Taking on everything from politics to love, and mixing doses of wisdom for life in them, he also didn’t shy away from making light-hearted jibes at IIT-ians. His account of getting a break in Bollywood and about a break-up saw the crowds reacting with applause and shouts of appreciation. [caption id="attachment_37152" align="aligncenter" width="754"]Vir Das performing at Mood Indigo 2015 Vir Das performing at Mood Indigo 2015[/caption] Mood Indigo 2015 closed with the winners of Mantra, the fusion band competition, which was The Hansraj Projekt, opening for Pritam. The concert saw him performing some of his biggest hits to an ecstatic crowd and ending with fireworks. Yet another Delhi University band, the band from Kirori Mal College came second in Mantra, with an original composition, Balma. The composition, with an Afro- Cuban Jazz feel, had Hindi and Carnatic vocals. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="37149,37150"]

Pritam mood indigo

The four days of the festival were packed with diverse events- both formal and informal- and all of them were handled well by the organizing committee. With the mood for the Hawaiian Escapade carrying on late into the night even after the concert, it was easy to see why Mood Indigo is one of the best cultural festivals of Asia.

Shubham Kaushik

[email protected]

Lovleen Kaur

[email protected]

Photos by Chirag Sharma, Tejaswa, Paurush and Shubham Kaushik

Feature Image Credits: Ranadeep Singh

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Day 3 of Mood Indigo, the annual festival of IIT Bombay, kicked it up a notch with finals of major events and many luminaries gracing the campus as a part of the informal events and the Litfest.

After a gruelling round of eliminations, the final round of Aagaaz, the street play competition took place. The winning spot was bagged by the team from KJ Somaiya Institute of Engineering and Information Technology, Sion, Mumbai. They were followed by Punjab Engineering College and Sinhgad College of Engineering, Line rounding up the top three.

Nrityanjali, the classical solo dance competition, saw its finals taking place. The judges for the event were reputed classical dancers Dr. Tushar Guha, Sunaina Hazarilal and Jayshree Nair. After a well competed round between skilled dancers from across the country, Dhanashree Pandit from Ferguson College, Pune was declared the winner, followed by Swapna Jog from ILS, Pune and Apurva Nambiar from Gargi College.

IMG-20151220-WA0027Taal Mel, an event that consisted of a fusion of western and classical instruments, also had its final round which was judged by Pandit Anuradha Pal and SV Ramachandran, both stalwarts of their chosen instruments which are the tabla and the violin respectively. Four teams had qualified for the final round post which the team from Hansraj College stood first, Pandit Deen Dayal Petroleum University stood second and a cross team from Jai Hind College and Shah and Anchor College stood third.

Conchord, the Acapella singing event’s final round had members of Aflatunes as their judge. Aflatunes, which is considered one of the best beat-box acapella groups in the country, also performed a medley of popular tunes after the event. The final round saw 6 teams competing for the top prize,  which was fiercely fought for by all teams who gave performances that made crowds gravitate towards the event. Mithibai College won the first position, followed by Gargi College and Delhi Technical University at the second and third places respectively. When asked about the event, a member from Aflatunes was all praises for the participants. Shruti,  from Euphony of Gargi College, said of the event, “This is our first time at Mood Indigo and while we were a little apprehensive about the open venue, we knew our piece was technical and good, so it would fare well, also because the judges know their music.”

The Humorfest with Papa CJ was supposed to be another highlight for Day 3 but the event was unfortunately cancelled and instead, an Italian artist performed comic acts. The other leg of the Humorfest saw Ahsaan Qureshi also putting forth his funniest best for the Mood I audience.

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Litfest for Day 3 saw Medha Patkar conversing about environmental issues and making poignant points about the lack of dialogue between the political powers and the environmentalists today. She also talked about how technology may serve to be advantageous or harmful depending on the choices people make.

The Litfest session with Shashi Tharoor drew the most crowd of all events in the day. Talking about India in the networked world and how globalisation was always inevitable, his talk was full of anecdotes from his life as a Stephanian and his experiences as a part of the UN and a politician. Ever the charming orator, he left an indelible mark on the audiences’ mind with his structured and clear speech. The third day of this festival also witnessed DJ Aceaxe and Sartek performing the opening act for the EDM night. It was followed by DJ Borgeous playing his popular numbers.  

The day wrapped up with the Choreo Night which was a combined spectacle of the finals of Desi Beats, the group Bollywood Dance event and Indigo Saga, the group Contemporary dance event. Teams from Mount Carmel College, Lokmanya Tilak College and Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce came first, second and third respectively in Desi Beats. The first position in Indigo Saga was bagged  by Hansraj College, followed by Gargi College and Lady Sri Ram College for Women.

#Live: #DelhiUniversity teams shine at Mood Indigo, IIT Bombay as Terpsi Chorean – Hansraj College Choreography Society… Posted by DU Beat on Sunday, December 20, 2015
[caption id="attachment_37057" align="aligncenter" width="960"]Mood Indigo Terpsichorean (Hans Raj College) – Winning team of Indigo Saga, the choreography competition at Mood Indigo[/caption] [gallery size="large" columns="2" ids="37065,37066"]

Shubham Kaushik [email protected]

Lovleen Kaur [email protected]

Photographs by Tejaswa Gupta, Chirag Sharma, Paurush and Shubham Kaushik!

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The second day of Mood Indigo, 2015 kicked off with the elimination round of Aagaaz, the street play competition with heart wrenching and rib-tickling plays plays on social issues by teams from colleges across the country.

Anita Nair was amongst the luminaries gracing the IIT Bombay campus as a part of the Litfest. She talked to a small gathering about her new book ‘Alphabet Soup for Lovers’ and combining her theory about the God Particle, food, and travelling into a quaint and unusual love story. The Bollywood panel of Litfest consisted of Bharathi Pradhan, an eminent journalist and author in talks with Ramesh Sippy, Rajkumar Hirani and Anurag Kashyap about the ‘Evolution of Hindi Cinema’. When asked about changes in the cinema, then and now, Rajkumar Hirani explained that the way of telling and absorbing stories is rapidly changing. Ramesh Sippy emphasized on the importance of content, which according to him, should never outshine technology. Calling failure his greatest motivator, Anurag Kashyap said that language is the greatest setback, when it comes to out reaching audience globally.

Bollywood Panel at Mood Indigo 2015 by DU Beat
Bollywood Panel at Mood Indigo 2015 by DU Beat

Tushar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani and Gauhar Khan from the upcoming ‘Kya Kool Hain Hum 3’ were also present to promote the movie and release the song ‘Jawaani Le Doobi’ off it.

Another highlight of Day 2 of Mood Indigo 2015 was the Humor fest that featured, for the first time in Mood Indigo history, a roast. With the popular Gujarati Bollywood actor Vrajesh Hirjee in the host seat and the brains behind The Comedy Factory, Manan Desai, as the roast master, Ojas Rawal, Zakir Khan, Priti Das, Arvind Vegda and Samvedna took turns to ‘clean roast’ not just the actor but also each other. Priti Das and Zakir Khan’s turns amused the audience the most.

Competitive events carried on throughout the day. Teams fought it out in the semifinals of the Beat the Street, the Street dance event, and Mantra, the band competition. There were also elimination rounds of Conchord, the Acapella competition and Taal Mel, amongst others. The KV zone offered a range of attractions lasting all four days with events like land zorbing, paint ball, archery, various dance workshops and an art zone with artists showcasing works like book sculptures, leather bound diaries and wallets and custom painted shoes. The day also saw the band Indian Jam Project, who are known to give a classical twist to popular theme songs, performing. The Dance Showcase drew huge crowds as well, with performances from groups like MJ5 and dancers from Terence Lewis’ academy. Day 2 of Mood Indigo wrapped up with Fusion Nite where the band Parikrama enthralled the crowds with their best songs, followed by a performance by Lucky Ali. High Time from Kirori Mal College won Livewire, the semi- professional band competition with their Progressive Disco Funk tunes. Not only did they get to share the stage with the Fusion Nite star performers, the band has also secured a show in Prague as a prize. 

Day 3 promises to bring with it even more fun and the finals of a lot of major competitive events including Western Dance, Street Play, Street Dance and others.

Shubham Kaushik
[email protected]

Lovleen Kaur
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Photos by Tejaswa Gupta for DUB

Mood Indigo, the annual cultural festival of IIT Bombay kicked off its 2015 edition on 18th December 2015. A four day festival themed ‘A Hawaiian Escapade’, it is once again out to reiterate its place as one of the best and most happening college festivals of India, if not Asia. It offers a plethora of events- competitive, horizons and informal- which would appeal to people with diverse interests. From Life-sized football and zorbing, to Pronites featuring the biggest stars, there’s something for everyone at Mood Indigo 2015.

  The first day of the festival kicked off on the right note with eliminations for a lot of major competitive events including Mantra, a music competition and Beat The Streets, the street dance competition. Vogue- The Fashion Show was also held on Day 1.

  Adding a dash of fun and humour to the entire setting were Fringe Fests, one of which included a comic act by Matteo Galbusera which had the audience in peals of laughter at his laugh-worthy performances using everyday objects like tennis racquets and balls.  

Day 1 also saw luminaries like Ashwin Sanghvi and Markandey Katju descending on the IIT campus as a part of the Lit Fest. Ashwin Sanghvi’s session, where he talked about the inspiration for his debut novel ‘The Rozabal Line’ amongst many other things had the audience riveted as he brought out startling connections between various myths and historical facts, making up a new form of mystery. Sanghvi stressed on the importance of learning how to unlearn and relearn, calling it crucial to discovering his journey as an author. He also highlighted the struggles of getting his first book published, which led him to decide to self-publish it after 47 rejections. He said, “The easy bit is the writing, more difficult is getting published.”

If Ashwin Sanghvi’s session ended on an optimistic note, Katju’s session was far from it. The former Chairman of PCI and the former Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi was in conversation with the Editor-in-Chief of the Mumbai Mirror about everything related to Indian politics and judiciary. Not one to shy away from making sweeping and often controversial remarks, Katju kept the practice alive by declaring that the pillars of the democracy had collapsed and that the State Institutions were hollow and an empty shell. He denounced Democracy as a defunct form of political system, especially in India, which runs on feudalism and communism. He went on to predict a revolution in India in the next 10 years, drawing parallels with the French Revolution. His remarks were mostly greeted by amused rounds of applause as the audience flitted between his booming oratorship and the rationale behind his remarks. The theme was democracy and politics which also ran strong in the Humour Fest.  

The day wrapped up with ‘Nostalgia night’ where Shaan performed on the greatest hits of Kishore Kumar. The second day of Mood Indigo will witness more competitions followed  by  a performance by the Parikrama band and ‘fusion night’ with Lucky Ali.

Shubham Kaushik
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Lovleen Kaur
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Images by Chirag Sharma, Paurush, Tejaswa Gupta and Shubham Kaushik for DU Beat!

 

The Festival or “Fest” culture is an integral part of college life and something no one should miss out on. Other than the DU fests we all know and love here is a list of five festivals that we think everyone should try and attend this winter or at least once during the course of their college lives:

 

  • Jaipur Literature Festival

    The Jaipur Literature Festival is one of the largest literary festivals in the world and not to mention one of the most exciting and intellectually stimulating. The 5-day extravaganza includes talks on numerous topics by world-renowned authors and speakers, book signings, concerts etc. Some of the speakers who have already confirmed their presence such as Barkha Dutt, Shobhaa De, Stephen Fry, Rohit Gandhi are sure to make this year’s JLF as exhilarating and enthralling as it always is.

    Image Credits: Creative Jobs
    Image Credits: Creative Jobs
  • Sunburn Festival

    Entering its 9th year the Sunburn Festival held in the last week of December is one of the most awaited events of the calendar for a majority of music fans. With over a 120 artists and 5 different stages this year’s festival is sure to be their best festival yet with international sensations such as Martin Garrix and David Guetta gracing the occasion. With over 3 lakh attendees last year, the organizers have made arrangements to ensure that this year’s festival is bigger, better and an experience like no other.

  • Mood Indigo

    Regarded as one of the finest college events in the country, IIT Bombay’s annual festival Mood Indigo attracts students from across the country every year. With a footfall of over 1 lakh every year, nearly 200 events and participation by over 1500 colleges, Mood Indigo is known for its elating atmosphere having hosted renowned artists such as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar, RD Burman and many more over the years. Here’s a round up of the events last year and here’s a list of the star guests and pro nights.

  • Unmaad

    In a city known for its music and culture organizing a college fest that does justice to the same is no easy task. Yet IIM Bangalore tries and makes its annual fest Unmaad bigger and better each year making it one of the biggest B-School Fests in India today. Scheduled to be held in the last week of January it is the perfect getaway from the harsh Delhi winter and platform for musicians, actors, debaters and fashion enthusiasts to showcase their talents.

With numerous other collegiate and non-collegiate festivals due to be held in the months to come, all of us can surely expect a fun filled winter!

Featured Image Credits: Sunburn

Shraman Ghosh
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