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Highlights of Hindu College’s Mecca 2014

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A rock night with Papon and the East India Company, a night full of dance with DJ Nucleya of Sunburn fame and Mohit Chauhan’s voice to wrap-up the three day fest – major events at Mecca 2014 in one line.

Along side elaborate crowds in the evenings, the fest was also rife with food and several informal events.

We list out all of it for you!

A devotional beginning

iskcon
Image Credit: Gurman Bhatia for DU Beat

The Annual festival of Hindu College, Mecca started on 20th February. Deputy Commissioner of Police, S.P.S Tyagi, was invited as this year’s chief guest for the opening ceremony. The topic for this year’s festival is “Brilliant Bharat”, celebrating the cultural diversity ever present in Hindu as well as an emphasis on uniting these feelings of brotherhood. Following this formal commencement of Mecca, the cultural show kick-started with a semi-classical dance performance by the Indian Dance Society, Adrita. This was followed by another enthralling performance, with Iskcon mustering heavy support as their Hare Krishna Mahamantra (Search for Happiness) were chanted and danced to by the engaged audiences.

Rock Night with Papon

Angaraag Mahanta who is more famously known to us as Papon performed at Hindu’s Rock Night along with his band East India Company on the first day of Mecca 2014. A large crowd turned up cheering as Papon stepped on the stage and took a hold of his mike. He started the performance with songs like Khumaar (performed by Papon in Coke Studio) which talks about how a guy is passionately in love with a girl but has to spend a difficult day waiting for the night to come when he can see her.

Post by DU Beat.

He also sang many of his more famous songs including Dinae Dinae, Kaun mera from the movie Special 26, Kyon from Barfi! And Jiyein kyun from Dum Maaro Dum. However, what really got the crowd going were Papon’s little quirks and jokes as he explained the meaning behind his songs and how in life everything figures out in the end and you find what you are supposed to be, like he did despite being a college dropout.

Post by Angaraag PAPON Mahanta.

DJ Night with DJ Nucleya

The second day of Mecca 2014 saw Nucleya take over the stage in collaboration with MTV Indies. Performing for the first time in Delhi University, Nucleya kept the audience on their feet for almost an hour long set. A bass heavy electronic artist from New Delhi, he played all his major hits including Street Boy, Akkad Bakkad, Bangla Bass and also a remix of Bollywood tracks like  Dum Maaro Dum and the Sound Trippin produced Tung Tung, which the audience enjoyed immensely. 

 Star Night with Mohit Chauhan

After the first day that featured Papon and the East India Company, the closing act of Hindu College’s Annual fest Mecca 2014, was all about Mohit Chauhan.

The popular singer of Silk Route fame, came on stage at quarter to six and the crowd went crazy. He started the concert with his Rockstar single, ’jo bhi main kehna chahoon’. Even in the first song, he made sure to interact with the audience making them go ‘ya ya ya’ in order to match the lyrics. Maintaining the romantic mood of the song, he went on to sing ‘Kuch khaas hai’ and then Yeh dooriyan followed by Tum se hi from Jab We Met.

Oodles of food

So many performances and so many activities do definitely leave our stomachs growling a bit. However, the numerous food and beverage stalls at Mecca indicate that the coordinators of the event had already foreseen such hunger. Making it an essential condition to avoid the embarrassment of Mecca 13’s lack of food joints, the Organising Committee seemed to really prep up the event this year around.

food

The cluster of food stalls in and around the Cricket Tree (C-Tree) had been converted into one of the major hangout spots of the festival. From the street favourites, Bhel-puri and chaat, to extensive preparations of Kathi Rolls and Shawarma’s, to elaborate wholesome lunch meals, the food stalls seemed to offer something for everyone. Yes, there was ice cream, a variety of popcorn and ‘Bangs‘ of flavour as well.

Informal Events

Apart from playing host to several major competitions, Mecca also included some informal events to engage the heavy traffic present at the college. These events, such as Face Painting, Paintball and Lazer Maze brought out a lighter side of the festivities.

lazermaze

Lazer Maze, a beat-the-clock gaming concept by the Start-up company Ent-Innova, involved an intricate heist mission, with its simple design creating quite a buzz around the college campus. The organisers were pleased with the response, considering their respective events were held at the same time as the major competitions. Paintball however, did not get the desired response as the Hindi lawns remained relatively deserted throughout the fest.

Winners’ Tally

Western Dance Competition

First Position: Mudra – Jesus and Mary College
Second Position: Verve – Sri Venkateswara College
Third Position: Oorja – Hansraj College

Nukkad Natak

IMG_1117
Gargi College’s Kshitij with their Annual Production Joota. Image Credit: Abhay Makhija for DU Beat

First Position: Gargi College for Joota
Second Position: Hansraj College for ‘Rihaai’ and SGTB Khalsa for ‘We, the people’
Third Position: Lady Shri Ram College for Jaha neelam hai Insaniyat and College of Vocational Studies for Lajja

Battle of the bands

First Position: Andolan
Second Position: Conundrum

Panache – The Fashion Show

fashionshow
The winning team from Lady Irwin College with the judge.

First Position: Lady Irwin College
Second Position: Pearl Academy of Fashion

By Akhil Goswami, Surbhi Grover, Isheeta Sharma and Mridul Sharma

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Hindu College

King of Tripura becomes a part of Hindu’s concert against racism

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Presenting a relevant cause using music, the final day of Hindu College’s Mecca 2014 began with a concert against racism. It saw performances by three bands of north-east Indian students.

The songs being mostly in their native languages, aimed to present the array of wide culture north-east India possesses. In an attempt to sensitize the youth towards the ‘different’ Indians and to highlight the gravity of racism they faced, Sh. Pradyot, the King of Tripura delivered an awakening speech towards the end of concert.

“We are more informed about the happenings of the world, than we are about those eight states of India. Hindi is just one language spoken in India, not the only language. We all need to make an attempt to understand and warmly receive the students who leave their hometowns and culture behind for better opportunities, only then we shall be able to see the rich cultural heritage of north east India and  its importance in Indian economy and socio political system.” the King remarked.

meccaidolwinner
The winner of Mecca Idol. Image Credit: Abhay Makhija

The musical mood continued as the finals of the singing hunt ‘Mecca Idol’ were scheduled for the next slot. Post the prelims, nine participants from colleges like Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Kirori Mal, Maitreyi, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Miranda House and IIT Delhi performed in to a packed  auditorium. The audience hummed along the Sufi tunes of songs like ‘nit khaer manga’, ‘lagan lagi tumse..’, ‘tere liye..hum hai jiye’ and ‘Roza’.

The first prize was won by Sarim Ali from Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College whose song ‘Teri Deewani’ had taken the event to new heights. The competion ended with a  musical performance by Aria & Alankar – the music societies of Hindu College.

Featured Image:  Sh. Pradyot, the King of Tripura. Image Credit: Abhay Makhija for DU Beat

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Hindu College

Gargi’s ‘Joota’ wins Nukkad Natak Competition at Mecca

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One of the lively most events of Hindu College’s  ‘Mecca’ was the ‘Nukkad Natak’ – The street play competition held on the concluding day of the three day long fest. The event saw participation from 12 Delhi University colleges including Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Shaheed Bhagat Singh (morning and evening), SGTB Khalsa, P.G.D.A.V, Daulat Ram College and Delhi College of Arts and Commerce (DCAC).

The competition saw budding college actors exhibit confidently and openly their feelings on serious issues like prostitution, weak judiciary, poverty and corruption.

The four hour-long competition was judged by Sh. Vipul Pachori, an eminent theatre personality from the National School of Drama. Team Kshitij from Gargi college bagged the first position for their play ‘Joota’, followed by a tie at the second position between Hansraj College for ‘Rehaayi’ and SGTB Khalsa for their play ‘We, the people’. Meanwhile, the third position was credited to teams from Lady Shri Ram College for their play Jaha neelam hai Insaniyat and College of Vocational Studies for their production Lajja. Mr. Pachori provided valuable feedback to all the teams so as to improve their future performances.

“The performance at Hindu for us,  was our third one of the day. The crowd was amazing, and results have only multiplied our happiness and boosted the morales” said Gurjot Sidhu, a participant from Hansraj College.

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Hindu College

Mohit Chauhan drives Mecca 2014 to its conclusion

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After the first day that featured Papon and the East India Company, the closing act of Hindu College’s Annual fest Mecca 2014, was all about Mohit Chauhan.

The popular singer of Silk Route fame, came on stage at quarter to six and the crowd went crazy. He started the concert with his Rockstar single, ‘jo bhi main kehna chahoon’. Even in the first song, he made sure to interact with the audience making them go ‘ya ya ya’ in order to match the lyrics. Maintaining the romantic mood of the song, he went on to sing ‘Kuch khaas hai’ and then Yeh dooriyan followed by Tum se hi from Jab We Met.

He had just commented on the number of people before him and those on trees and hostel floors when a group of guys jumped on stage and interrupted ‘Pehli baar mohabbat ki hai’. After the issue was solved, Mohit resumed with ‘Dooba dooba rehta hoon’. In addition to this, there were reported cases of people jumping walls and barricades in order to be able to attend the concert.

Mohit Chauhan ended his performance, the day and Mecca 2014 with the vibrant Sadda Haq.

Featured Image Credit: Sakshi Jaiswal

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Hindu College

JMC’s Mudra wins Western Dance Competition at Mecca 2014

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The western dance competition at Mecca 2014 began with Hindu College’s western dance society Aarambh performing on the latest bollywood numbers and building up the energy in the crowd. Hindu’s performance was followed by Jesus and Mary College’s dance act – one that garnered lots of hoots from the crowd as they danced on songs like ‘Pyaar tenu karde gabru’, ‘Tunal tunak tun’ and ‘Saat samundar paar’.

Indraprastha College for Women kept the girl’s college swag going with their performance right after JMC. Hansraj College was the first to break this monopoly with their performance which stood out with their patriotic twist as they built the tiranga with pan covers and a cycle tyre. In fact, this moment turned out to be the best moment for Mr. Sunil Chopra, Director of Indian Fiesta Latina and the judge of the show as he told DU Beat, “I absolutely loved the way Hansraj brought together the tricolours of our flag, it was a very deep and emotional moment for me and my partner Shalu”. Sri Venkateswara College came in next after Hansraj and displayed their dancing talents to the enthusiastic audience. Other colleges that performed were Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Daulat Ram College, North Indian Engineering College, Kamala Nehru and Satyawati. After all the performances Hindu performed again which was a non-competitive performance and brought the Western Dance competition to an end.

Hansraj

Mr. Sunil Chopra and Shalu Chopra, the judges for the event took the stage after that to share their opinion on the dance performances and to talk about the upcoming Indian Fiesta Latina which is going to be held from 11-13 April at The Leela, Ambience, Gurgaon and show the audience a 176 seconds clip on what IFL really is.

The result for the competition were announced soon after with Hansraj taking the third place. Sri Venkateswara came second while Jesus and Mary College grabbed the first place. With the same, Mudra – The Western Dance society of JMC also won a chance to perform at IFL 2014.

“We loved the energy the students put in, in their performances and the way they brought a professional touch with such amazing costumes and of course the way they never stopped smiling and enjoying their performance.” said Mr. Sunil Chopra.

Featured image: Western Dance Society of I.P. College for Women

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Hindu College

Papon’s ‘Khumaar’ grips Hindu College

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Angaraag Mahanta who is more famously known to us as Papon performed at Hindu’s Rock Night along with his band East India Company on the first day of Mecca 2014. A large crowd turned up cheering as Papon stepped on the stage and took a hold of his mike.

He started the performance with songs like Khumaar (performed by Papon in Coke Studio) which talks about how a guy is passionately in love with a girl but has to spend a difficult day waiting for the night to come when he can see her and moved on to an Assamese folk song that joins into a Punjabi folk song explaining how the song was about how India is united despite its diversity and even though our diversity might pose problems once in a while it’s all right because while the rest of the world is black and white, India stands out with all its colours.

He also sang many of his more famous songs including Dinae Dinae, Kaun mera from the movie Special 26, Kyon from Barfi! And Jiyein kyun from Dum Maaro Dum. However, what really got the crowd going were Papon’s little quirks and jokes as he explained the meaning behind his songs and how in life everything figures out in the end and you find what you are supposed to be, like he did despite being a college dropout. He also introduced his band mate Jinti who is professionally an automobile engineer but now runs cars through his guitar followed by a demonstration by Jinti on the same.

Papon ended his performance with “Banao” and a Bihu song for all his Assamese fans.

Right before Papon came on stage another artist performed on the stage of Mecca 2014, Jasleen Kaur Royal. Jasleen who is a Hinduite, has been a participant on India’s Got Talent and is currently working with Parikrama. She sang songs like “Pani da rang”, “Iktara” and “Shaam savere”.

Missed the performance? Here is another glimpse!

Post by DU Beat.
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Hindu College

Andolan declared winner at Mecca’s Battle of the Bands

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Twenty odd bands fought at the prelims in Cafe Morrison yesterday and only six bands qualified for the finals of the Battle of the Bands at Mecca 2014.

The finals started with two originals from the band Andolan. Their compositions were called Manmohini and Udh panchi. Rock and Raaga, the second band also started with a self composed song ‘for all the beautiful eyes out there’. Followed by the same, an ear- throbbing metal performance by  Conundrum from P.G.D.A.V college left the audience wanting for more. They sang two songs, again out of which, one was an original composition – Temporal Drift.

Post by DU Beat.

Zero Education also performed an their original compositions, followed by a gig by the Red Shorts. The last band concluded the musical madness with an original composition that was an instrumental piece called Dreams.

Andolan not only started first, but ended the show by bagging the first winning spot. Conundrum was declared the runners-up for the competition.

Catch complete coverage of Mecca 2014 here | Visit the Mecca 2014 Facebook Album here

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Hindu College

Mecca brings sport amidst cultural festivities with Street Soccer

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Football fans recently got together on the inaugural day at Mecca, as the Economics Department of the College organised an open Street-Soccer tournament. The 4-a-side football event was organised at the Ibtida lawns, which included 8 teams divided in 2 groups of 4. The matches, though only lasting 5 minutes each, entertained substantial crowds as teams progressed to knock out stages and beyond.

The matches were low scoring in general, with teams only conceding more than 2 goals on one occasion. However, despite the lack of goals, all the teams displayed a very attack minded approach to the game. The matches also stood witness to several rash tackles and challenges, however managing to keep a general fluidity to the game. By the time of the finals, a substantial number of onlookers had stopped to watch the match. Though only being a 1-0 victory, the mood of the match can best be highlighted by the fact that the supporters seemed to cheer and rant at every tackle and every shot.

The winners of the tournament, an all Hindu team, including Tushar Batra, Tajammul, Abhik Palit, Mrithunjay, Sahil Chunka, Lahm and Arjun Maharishi. They went away with a cash prize of Rs. 1500, while the runners up received a prize worth Rs. 1000.

Catch complete coverage of Mecca 2014 here | Visit the Mecca 2014 Facebook Album here

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Hindu College

Students engage in ISKCON chants at Mecca’s inauguration

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The Annual festival of Hindu College, Mecca started on 20th February. Deputy Commissioner of Police, S.P.S Tyagi, was invited as this year’s chief guest for the opening ceremony. The topic for this year’s festival is “Brilliant Bharat”, celebrating the cultural diversity ever present in Hindu as well as an emphasis on uniting these feelings of brotherhood.

inaugration

The elaborate opening ceremony began with a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony. This was followed by a speech by the Principal of Hindu, Mr. Pradyuman Kumar, expressing his gratefulness to the assembled chief guests and addressing the occasion with his special trademark Ghazals. Mr. Tyagi, who had prepared a few words of his own, also talked about the festivities being a great success, and encouraged students to work hard towards realizing their dreams.

iskcon

Following this formal commencement of Mecca, the cultural show kick-started with a semi-classical dance performance by the Indian Dance Society, Adrita. This cultural performance was a part-fusion performance, mixing elements of Indian classical routines to a relatively fast beat. This was followed by another enthralling performance, with Iskcon mustering heavy support as their Hare Krishna Mahamantra (Search for Happiness) were chanted and danced to by the engaged audiences.

Catch complete coverage of Mecca 2014 here | Visit the Mecca 2014 Facebook Album here

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