Mecca Archives - DU Beat - Delhi University's Independent Student Newspaper

What College Taught Me: From the Eyes of a First-Year Student

By Anoushka Sharma May 18, 2019

With this semester, the first-year of college comes to an end for many students. Let’s take a look at the learnings of a first-year student.

Exposure and Experience

The first year of college is an eye-opener to the real world, it gives you a view of adulthood and brings along a sense of independence. It doesn’t come easy to many, makes life difficult for a few, and lonely for others. But what it does give you is exposure and experience to cure that gaping hole of leaving your home, friends, school, and your city behind. An outstation student of the University said “Yeh Delhi ne toh meri Lucknow ki saari Nawabi hi nikal di, Kahan main vaha maze mein ghoomti thi, aur yahan auto vaalon se dus-dus rupaye ke liye ladti hoon (Delhi has taken away all the Lucknow royalty from me, I used to a carefree child. Here, in Delhi, I have to fight with the auto-rickshaw drivers for INR 10)” She agrees that college life has transformed her to become a better version of herself. She is able manage her finances well.

Friends and Family

Himanika Agarwal from Gargi College commented, “Everybody used to tell me that you never find real friends in college, even I used to believe that. But Glass Eye, the Film Making Society of Gargi College has given me some of the best friends I have ever had, who have now become my family.” In the first-year itself, you find your close group of friends who become your family and confidants, be it your classmates or the members of your college society, college helps you to find people who you remember all throughout.

Fests and Euphoria

The cultural fests organised by the University of Delhi (DU) colleges is another enlightening experience for the students. Fresh out of taking the first semester examinations, students attend fests with their ‘college gang’ looking up wide eyed at the glittering lights of concerts and competitions, breathing in the chaos, and adapting to the crowds.

My first-year, personally, gave me The Local Train, another staple name associated with the DU fests. This musical band and their brand of music, their lyrics, and the performances are worth it. Another student added, “I can easily say that my checklist for a happening college life ticked off with after attending Vishal-Shekhar’s concert at Mecca, the cultural fest of Hindu College.”

The ability to study overnight

College is not only fun and games, academics also play an important role. This involves projects, class presentations, reviews, internals, and exams. These conclusively teach every student to study or make a presentation a night before the submission. This might be unhealthy, but it is a fact.

A new perspective

Above all, for me, the first-year of college worked as a stepping stone in the process of unlearning patriarchal norms and misogynistic conditioning, we as naïve little kids were subjected to, throughout our childhood. Classroom discussions with strong opinionated teachers, debates with your peers and seniors, revolutionary texts and readings, interactions about the rights of the LGBTQ community, these have changed my perspective for the better. Looking back, I can now remember instances in the past which were problematic, but I didn’t realise earlier. These realisations are my achievements of gaining new and better ideologies and of becoming a more ‘woke’ individual.

Feature Image Credits: DU Beat

Sakshi Arora

Will it Take a Stampede for Unions to Take Security Seriously?

By Niharika Dabral March 28, 2019

By bringing a popular star, organising committees think their fest was a success, conveniently ignoring the ruckus and lack of security beside the glamorous stage.

Perhaps, it’s an Indian thing: no regard for personal space and history of crowd disasters. Everyone- the organizers or the participants- has normalised trampling and minor injuries. It’s seen as an indispensable part of fest experience. This explains why the President of Lady Irwin College, Nikita Tiwari, bombarded the comments’ section of our Facebook post that reported the injuries and mismanagement suffered by the guests at Quintessence’19 instead of accepting responsibility. In the same breath where they admit to being crowded, she stated how such incidents are common and regaled the tale of hard work that goes into organising fests.

At Reverie’19, the annual cultural fest of Gargi College, reports of rampant sexual harassment were especially shameful, considering the fest theme emphasised consent’s significance. Gargi’s Union had substantial time to craft a sensible reply and do a self-assessment but it chose to deliver a response devoid of any apology, even taking credit for victims who voiced their experience, by stating- “Their standing against the discomfort experienced by them due to some ill elements present in the crowd, stood testimony to the success of our theme.”

Maghendra Pratap Singh, Cultural Secretary of Hindu College Parliament, told DU Beat that the medical room in a building in the sports’ ground was open, and volunteers were available to assist anyone who needed help. Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) was on the same bandwagon, but both the colleges failed to provide concrete answers about why this information wasn’t publicised. In case of an emergency, how can a non-Hindu or non-SRCC student be expected to know where the medical room is? Does the union expect the aggrieved to look for volunteers, instead of rushing to a designated help desk that should have been placed?

In the backdrop of Pulwama attacks, India is vulnerable to terrorist attacks; fests, like all mass gatherings, have a risk of being a terrorist attack target, which makes the first line of security at the entrance gate crucial. The top colleges of India seem to forget this and open their gates for all. On the last day of Mecca (Hindu College), the gates were left open without guards at later hours of the fest. The Parliament had no response for this. In SRCC, the entry (that was initially via passes for non-SRCC students) was opened for all. When asked about it, a union member said the decision was made by the administration to curb passes’ sale.

There is also a trend of hiring bouncers from private firms to guard star nights. The SHO of Maurice Nagar, Mr. RA told DU Beat that police can provide close to 100 personnel for a DU fest, but witnesses present only saw a maximum of 12-15 men.

At the risk of being highbrow, LSR practices strictness like no entry post 4 p.m. and pass-entry only. Kaushiki Arha, President of the LSR Union, explains how the security team of Tarang had a total of nine heads and sub-heads, around 30 core team members with close to 600 volunteers who were divided into different slots over three days. She said that in addition to basic medical facilities available in the campus, they tied up with Apollo Hospital, who provided them with a doctor and an ambulance on the second day of the fest since it was expected to see the highest turn-out. LSR doesn’t hire any private security, and has proven to be self-sufficient in terms of crowd control. If Tarang can have this sorted, then why can’t others

If organising committees can spend to book popular celebrities, then it is realistic to expect that they make sure that barricades, police, ambulance, entry-exit procedure, etc. are in place. The only reason why we see a pattern of crowd disaster is that unions don’t care enough about security. No doubt that immense efforts are invested in organising a fest, but the argument here is of a continuous negation of apt security measures. With manpower, money, and time, the organisers don’t get to play helpless when things go south.

Feature Image Credits: Rishabh Gogoi for DU Beat

Niharika Dabral

Fest Season: A First Experience

By Anushree Joshi March 28, 2019

Massive crowds, endless music and celebrations, food, and fun; fest season in the varsity was a delightful time, with its own moments of ups and downs.

“For the longest time, having lived around the North Campus since childhood, I had heard a lot about college fests. We could hear the music at our home, the roads jammed because of crowds, hundreds of students seeking shelter in the cafes of Hudson Lane. I had anticipated a great time for my own first-hand experience and truly, the hype lived up to it all!” An excited first-year student from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) exclaimed, reminiscing the good time he had at Crossroads – the annual cultural festival of SRCC.

The fest season is, undoubtedly, one of the most exciting times on campus. Seeing as how it has almost come to an end by now, some of us have been left asking for more. Amidst the glamour and celebrations, there is a sense of connect that builds up between people. From charged dances to singing songs together at concerts, we all come closer. And it is these moments that some of the fondest memories of college life materialise.

Having observed most of the major fests in campus; from Reverie to Mecca, spread over almost two months, there was one thing that remained constant. Despite all the problems due to huge crowds and corresponding unruly behaviors exhibited by some people, there was a lot of joy that hit at the end of it all. “And that is what matters,” said Atima Bakshi from Hindu College, “To feel this sense of togetherness and joy with the right people.”

Truly, with the right company, enjoyment multiplies manifolds. Even as fests have become spaces for interactions and connections and celebrations, there is a lot that is awry about their organisation that needs addressing. For instance, dealing with some uncontrolled fanatics who barge into crowds; inebriated and wild. Fests have not been entirely joyous for a lot of people. There have been reports of people indulging in inappropriate behavior during fests. It is almost right to claim that fests have been given to celebrate cringe-worthy displays of power, usually by drunk men perpetrating toxic ideals of masculinity.

Every college union attempts to invite the most famous artists to their fests. This year saw performers like DJ Chetas, Guru Randhawa, Jassie Gill, Vishal-Shekhar, and Jubin Nautiyal with various other bands like The Local Train and Indian Ocean. This pursuit for the most famous artist becomes an invitation to a more rowdy crowd. Although the central idea is to invite the participation of maximum people, it is undermined by how poorly the crowds are managed.

For everyone who witnessed these fests for the first time, certainly the experience has been an amazing learning opportunity. Undoubtedly, it was an absolute joy listening to The Local Train’s tracks, or dancing to Vishal-Shekhar’s peppy Bollywood numbers at Crossroads and Mecca, respectively. But it was also a study in tolerance.

The idea of the fests wherein all colleges and their respective societies and departments conduct so many interesting activities, allowing an exploration into a plethora of talents of students, is also commendable. In the highly commercialised food stalls and high-end designed posters and merchandise, it is good that a space for art and aesthetics is retained.

Street plays, dance performances, fashion shows, singing competitions, or fine arts’ events and exhibits captured the spectators in stunning displays of aesthetics. Hansraj College’s Swaranjali to Hindu College’s Alankaar, or Gargi College’s Enliven to Miranda House’s Tanz – every respective society in their respective events presented perfections. The hard-work and efforts put in by students throughout the year were made absolutely apparent, with the performances only improving successively from Reverie to Tempest to Mecca.

As it was a first experience for many of us, it was also some people’s third and final time celebrating companionship and love and joy at a concert in their college. “This season has always been a blast. It is so difficult to believe that it has finally come to an end. But I feel that despite my third year, this was a first experience and it was superb. So I guess we could call this a first too!” said Bakhtawar Iqbal from Hindu College as he exited from the scintillating Vishal-Shekhar concert at his college, one last time.

There is some simple yet elevated joy in this season; something that I felt so strongly, something that I cannot wait to feel again. What about you?

Feature Image Credits: Saubhagya Saxena for DU Beat

Kartik Chauhan

Cultural Festivals

A Fantastic Finale: Mecca 2019 Day 3

By DU Beat March 15, 2019

The final day at Mecca was a spectacular display of glamour and celebrations. Vishal-Shekhar duo had the massive crowd crooning and dancing to their beats; a brilliant end to Mecca.

The third and last day at Mecca 2019 witnessed a multitude of events being organised throughout the college. From the first two days dedicated to dance and bands, the third day was all about music and theatre.

Karwan-E-Shaqafat, a gathering to celebrate the multicultural identity of Hindu College was organised in the Zoology Lawns by the Parliament. The event saw the participants performing classical dance forms and various other cultural performances.

Mecca also hosted massive participation on day three – in terms of the crowd. The huge sports complex was brimming with Hinduites and Non-Hinduites likewise. However, given the special space reserved for Hinduites, and also, the college IDs being checked by faculty members multiple times before the entry into the concert ensured minimum foolery. “The huge crowd was managed well. There have been instances where concerts have been unsafe spaces for women.” said a third-year student from Hindu College.

Champrange, the A Capella event was organized by Aria, the Western Music Society of Hindu College which saw the participation of several teams from various colleges. The first position was bagged by Euphony of Gargi College followed by Cresendo of Sri Ventakeswara College at the second position and Echo of Jesus and Mary College at the third position.

The third and final day of Mecca continued in high spirits. The day kick-started with arpeggio ’19 by Aria: the western music society of Hindu college followed by the western music solo competition.
Chudamani Iyer Akshara from Lady Shri ram college for women secured the first place, Raphroyia Kayina from Gargi College secured the second place and Khushi Pallavu from Jesus and Mary College secured the third place.

Alankaar, the Indian music organised Harmony ’19 for their search for Mecca Idol. The event was followed by Raagmala, a group singing competition. Daulat Ram College’s Ahaalya stood first along with Alaap of Sri Venkateswara College. The second position was shared between Miranda House’s Swaranjali and Hansraj College’s Geetanjali. The third position was shared between SGTB Khalsa College’s Swarang and Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies’ Dhwani.

At the historical Ibtida lawns, street theatre found life once again as many societies delivered their last performances for the season. The street theatre competition by Mecca in collaboration with Ibtida, the dramatics society of Hindu college saw participation of over 15 teams. The event ended with ibtida’s street production ‘outvoted’. The first position was secured by Et cetra- the dramatics society of GTBIT for their production “Don’t kill my vibe”. Kahkasha, the Hindi dramatics society of Jesus and Mary College secured the second position and the SRCC dramatics society secured the third position.

Alankaar, the Indian Music Society of Hindu College organized a solo singing competition named Mecca Idol which was judged by Pavitra Chari. The room echoed with canorous music when eleven contestants from various colleges gave their euphonic performances to win the title of “Mecca Idol”. Sakshi Taneja of Lady Shri Ram College bagged the first position while Sukriti Poddar of Gargi College came second and Dakshraj Sharma of Maharaja Agrasen College got the third position.

The Parliament of Hindu College in collaboration with Nakshatra, the Fashion Society organized a competition to crown Mr. and Ms. Mecca. The event was conducted in three rounds. The first was an online round followed by an introductory round and a question and answer round with the esteemed panel of judges which included Mamta Sharma Das, who is a Creative Stylist and the founder of Viva la Vida and Pooja Chopra, who was crowned as Health Queen India, 2018 and is the founder of PNA Origine. The highlight of the event was a ramp walk by the judges themselves. The title of Mr. Mecca was bagged by Yaduvansh whereas Suhani was given the title of Ms. Mecca.

Ibtida: The Dramatics Society also presented their powerful annual production titled ‘Outvoted’ at the Street Play event. A satire on the Indian politics, this performance was Ibtida’s outgoing batch’s last performance. The crowd cheered and connected with the emotional Ibtida team and celebrated along.

Panache, the fashion show competition organised by Nakshatra, the fashion society of Hindu College was adjudged by Mr. Viren Barman, Mr. India 2017, Ms. Mamta Sharma Das, creative stylist and founder Vive La Vida and Ms. Aishwarya Sharma, fashion and lifestyle blogger. The event saw participation from 9 teams which showcased their annual productions on themes ranging from Nature vs Technology to Depression. Debonair, fashion society of Daulat Ram College bagged the first position while Glitz from Kamala Nehru College came second.

To deliver the perfect finale, the crowd could not have asked for anyone better than the superb duo of Vishal and Shekhar. Performing some of their best tracks from Bollywood and their Coke Studio project, the duo had the crowd enraptured. The performance shortly also moved to a patriotic avenue as the band accompanying the duo performed ‘Saare Jahan Se Accha’. Both of the singers declared their gratitude towards an aazing crowd.

Kartik Chauhan

Sakshi Arora

Priya Chauhan

Jaishree Kumar
[email protected]

Cultural Festivals

Dance: The Highlight of Mecca Day 1

By DU Beat March 13, 2019

Celebrating nostalgia with the hashtag #PhirWahiDilLayaHoon, Mecca: The Annual Festival of Hindu College organised by the Hindu College Parliament commenced to a great start today.

In its 43rd cycle, Hindu College’s Mecca day 1 was all about dance and celebrating art and aesthetics. Day one saw participants contesting for their respective titles in various competitive events organised by the societies.

The college auditorium witnessed the inauguration by the principal in the morning. A classical dancer presented a graceful act to mark the commencement of Delhi University’s one of the most highly anticipated fests. Faculty memvers and students displayed their talents as they sang their favorite songs and narrated their poems to the audience.

One of the first events to begin, although not without some delay was the Beat Box Battle organised by Aria: The Western Music Society. As the President Bharg Kale of the society mentioned, the event sought to celebrate a highly undermined form of music. In the 90 seconds given to the participants, many of them gained a popular mandate amongst the listeners. The event host’s Gully Boy beatboxing performance was a highlight.

Although delayed by a couple of hours, the auditorium also saw various dance societies contest for the title of the winner of Arangam: Group Folk Dance Competition. Being the first event in Dasstan-E-Dharma, the dance fest of Hindu College saw 10 teams from across the varsity representing folk dances of India.
The winning team from SGND Khalsa College presented a charged Bhangra. The energy that all the societies displayed was contagious and had everyone among the audience swaying to folk beats. Miranda House’s team finished second with their scintillating performance of Kalbeliya from Rajasthan. The third position was awarded to Maitreyi College’s team who performed an energetic folk dance from Haryana.
Abstractions- the Fine Arts Society, of Hindu College organised its Poster Making Competition on Day 1 of Mecca, 2019. The theme for this event was ‘Binaries’, left open to interpretation. Six students from three colleges- Hindu, College of Vocational Studies and Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College participated and gave a tough competition.
Abstractions- the Fine Arts Society, of Hindu College kickstarted day 1 at Mecca, 2019 with its Graffiti Competition. The theme for this competition was Disguise in Colour. Two teams participated in the first round of this competition. One team was from Croydon- Arts Society of Indraprastha College for Women and the other comprised of students from Hindu College. The second round is going to held on 15th March.

The star-night of the first day of Mecca’19 had Saurabh and Co perform in the sports grounds of Hindu. They performed various Bollywood songs, Ek ladki ko dekha, lamberghini, and ghaata among others. This event happened when it was still daylight, and dusk brought with it the flashy stage and Progressive Brothers, along with DJ NYJ who played their DJ and self-compositions. This particular event was arguably more popular and packed with energy – both on the performers’ and the audience’s side. Closer, Let Me Love You, and some of their originals were performed.
Besides the actual performances, the stage was what caught the attention of people. With impeccable lighting and graphics, the Progressive Brothers said, “it is the best stage in Delhi.”

Feature Image Credits: Rishabh Gogoi for DU Beat

Kartik Chauhan

Maumil Mehraj

Shivani Dandhwal

Words that are Added to Your Vocabulary after Joining Delhi University

By Bhavya Banerjee May 31, 2018

When the month of May is taken over by the vigour of fresh University of Delhi (DU) admissions, it is time to recall and pay respect to the culture which these newbies will blend into soon. One of the intrinsic elements of the Delhi culture is the language passed down to us by our fore bearers! To familiarize you with the same, here are 10 words from that language, which will get added to your vocabulary when you spend too much time in Delhi University.

K Nags – Kamla Nagar, a cool hangout spot

Now, if you are part of North Campus, chances are you’d want to chill with your friends after going through hours of torturous classes. One of the cool hangout spots, 5 minutes away from the North Campus is Kamla Nagar. But, are you going to call it Kamla Nagar? Nope, you’re too cool for that. You, thus, call it K Nags!

“Hey, let’s go somewhere nice!”

“Yeah, man. Let’s hit K Nags and take advantage of our Stanza Living ID cards to get student discounts at some happening place.”

Mecca – ‘The’ Fest of Hindu College

When you enter Delhi University, Mecca changes from a peaceful place of pilgrimage to a place with colourful confetti and loud musical concerts! Mecca is the name of one of the most awaited fests throughout the year, in Delhi University. It is the annual cultural fest of Hindu College that takes place every year in March. “I was at Mecca” can never mean you were praying, after you’ve entered Delhi University!

“We’re all heading to Mecca. We’ll be back by 11.”

“Does your PG allow such late nights?”

“Bro, we are Stanzens!”

Soc (pronounced as sock) – Society

You are now a part of Delhi University, so welcome to the real world! We introduce to you a soc your mom can’t help you find. Every society in DU is called a soc because these societies are too active to have the time to say ‘Society’! (Not even being sarcastic!) Deb Soc refers to the debating society; Lit soc is the Literary Society etc. These societies are a great way to take your talent up a notch and be a part of a network of like-minded people.

“Guess who just became the President of Debsoc?”

“How would you even find time to manage academics, Debsoc work, and taking care of things like cooking, cleaning, washing your laundry, etc?”

“Dude, great minds don’t worry about trivial things – Also, Stanza Living takes care of everything for me.”

Fuchcha – A fresher

The word fuchcha traces its roots from the words fresher and bachcha. You are bestowed with this title when you enter college as a first year student. This is the time when your seniors will give you immense attention and build tight friendships with you. All of them will call you a fuchcha, until you suddenly enter the second year and have to do the same for the new set of fuchchas.

“Stanza Living seems to be the preferred choice of accommodation with the fuchchas this year.”

Satya – Satya Niketan

Satya may mean truth to you but you can’t be all truthful about the delayed assignments, missed tests, and low attendance. So, if a DU student is walking on ‘satya ki raha’, they are probably going to Satya Niketan, a cool hangout spot near South Campus.

“Now that we got our proxies, let’s go chill at Satya!”

Companion – A guide book for DU students

It is said that you create lifelong friendships during your college years. However some friendships last only a semester. They remain your ‘companions’ till the final exams and once you clear that, you get new ‘companions’. However, such ‘companions’ must not be underestimated. They are meaningful and useful friendships you can’t do without. English Honours students can probably relate the best.

“My friends and I haven’t studied anything but we’ve got a ‘companion’ which will help us during the exams!”

Superseniors – Seniors to your immediate seniors

If your course is a 3 year one, you will have just one set of superseniors. If you’re in first year, your only superseniors are the third year students. They never come back and you never get another set. They are guides you’ll look up to and learn the most from, even if you spend the least time with them.

“My superseniors were very sweet to us so we’re trying to make their farewell special.”

Tutes – Tutorials

Since each batch has a lot of students, it can sometimes be difficult for teachers to connect with each student. Therefore, the teachers like to divide the batch up into smaller groups that can meet the teacher every week at an allotted time. These classes with smaller groups are called tutorials. They are used for discussions, doubts, extra topics etc. They are almost like ‘extra’ classes. And while it may not be very cool to attend them, we thought we might as well give it a cool name to hide our pains!

“Bro, I can’t come right now, I have a tute!”

Ricks – Rickshaw

When you drop off at Vishwavidyalaya or the South Campus, the Electric Rickshaw drivers or bhaaiyas give you more attention than you’ll ever receive from your boyfriend, parents, or best friend. They will make you feel like a celebrity as they crowd around you and somehow judge which college you’re from based on how you look and what you wear. If they ask you ‘Miranda?’, they mean you look amazing! To suit all the attention you get, it is important to use a cool substitute like ‘ricks’ for calling the rickshaw, it lets you maintain your character. Only, the bhaaiyas might not understand you.

“Bro, stop the rick. Let’s go back and attend the movie night at Stanza!”

Jugaad – Making ANYTHING Happen

The University works on jugaad. Want fest passes? Want to complete an assignment in 2 hours? Want the Gods to come bow down to you? “Tera bhai jugaad karwa dega!” Delhi University has a lot to offer to its students. However, sometimes it becomes difficult to juggle all that you can do, simultaneously. Sometimes it’s the time constraints, other times it’s lack of contacts. But, remember there will always be that one person who can get the work done through jugaad! Keep them close!

“I don’t have the Crossroads passes. Koi Jugaad karwao, yaar!”

“Ask a Stanzen, they usually have jugaadu networks across the University.”
Feature Image Credits: Stanza Living
Khyati Sanger

Cultural Festivals

Zaeden Calls the Curtains for Day 2 of Mecca, Hindu College

By Vijeata Balani March 15, 2018

Mecca Day 2 began with the Street Play Competition that was organised by Ibtida, the Dramatics Society of Hindu College. The teams used puns and metaphors to talk about issues like politics, gender, and corruption in a hard hitting way. A total of 15 teams participated in the event out of which there emerged four winners. Natuve from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College and The Dramatics Society of Sri Ram College of Commerce tied at the third spot while Dramanomics from CVS secured the second prize. The first prize was secured by Aayaam from Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology. The competition was held at the Ibtida Lawns and generated immense attraction from the fest goers.

A host of other events were taking place simultaneously. Arpeggio, the A capella event organised by Aria, the Western Music Society of Hindu College saw soothing melodies at play. The event was adjudged by the esteemed judges Joshua Peters and Nisha. It concluded successfully with the winners being the Western Music society of DTU, Echo, the Western Music Society, and Western Music Society of LSR bagging the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions respectively.

Firestone, the western dance competition was organised at Mecca 2018 by Aramya, the western dance society of Hindu College. The auditorium was lit up with iridescent lights, colourful costumes, and up-beat songs like Swalla, Run The World (Girls), and O Oh Jaane Jaana. Every performance was ruthlessly energetic and made us move us move to the beats. Verve of Sri Venkateswara College was prized as the winners and Enliven of Gargi College was the runner-up.

Following this, Aramya, the Western Dance Society of Hindu College also organised the choreography competition. A host of engaging and mesmerizing performances with beautiful sequences were put up on display by the various societies. Each society put up a brilliant performance, making it extremely hard for the judges to select the top few. Sparx, the Choreography Society of Gargi College bagged the first spot whereas Terpsi Choreon from Hansraj College got the second position and Choreography Society, LSR bagged the third place.

You’ve Got Scale was the western Vocal Solo Event organised by Aria, the western Music Society of Hindu College. Christina A Dayal of Ramjas College bagged the top spot while Prabahan Shakya of Ramjas and Jannis Joe of JMC tied for the second position. The event was judged by Amartya Ghosh.

The Mecca Idol competition was held in the Hindu College auditorium and was one of the most anticipated events at Mecca 2018. A total of 108 people registered for the competition, out of which 30 were selected for the offline preliminary round which was held on day 1 of the fest. The finals were held on the second day of the fest, in which a total of 7 people participated. The third prize was secured by Sarat S Kumar while Shayan Chatterjee won the 2nd prize, both of whom sang Piya Tu Kahe Rootha Re from the movie Kahani. The first prize was secured by Sukriti Poddar who sang “Raina Beeti Jaye” from the movie Amar Prem. The event was judged by Shubham Sarkar, an internationally acclaimed violinist and the youngest recognized Hindustani Classicalist. The winner of Mecca Idol, Sukriti Poddar would be opening the star night of Mecca 2018 on Day 3, right before Amit Trivedi’s performance.

The closing act and the most anticipated performance, DJ Zaeden called curtains to Day 2 of Mecca. He entertained the crowd with Bollywood as well as western songs like Shape of You and Attention.

DU Annual Fest Season

Mecca’16 at Hindu College: Highlights and Events

By Sudisha Misra February 27, 2016

Hindu College’s annual college fest Mecca was a grand three-day event that was hosted by the Hindu Parliament from 24th to 26th February, 2016. The fest witnessed participation in different competitions from colleges all across Delhi University. The star nights featured several artists including Dariya, The RaghuDixit Project, DJ Funk, Anish Sood, Dualist Inquiry, and Salim Sulaiman.

Day 1: Inaugration, Battle of Bands, Western Dance Competition, and the RaghuDixit Project

Day 1 of Mecca’16 saw a huge footfall as a large audience had gathered for Battle of Bands and the Western Dance Competition. The day started with the Inaugration ceremony with one of the students performing a ‘Vandana’. The lamp was lighted by Hindu College’s principal Dr. Anju Srivastava and Parliament’s Prime Minister Ashish K Holaria.

The two main events took place in the auditorium. Aria, the Western Music Society conducted Battle of Bands which saw participation from around eight teams. The first prize was bagged by Play time from Hans Raj College and a Mufills, a collaboration of students from different colleges. The Western Dance competition saw a huge amount of participation and the audience thoroughly enjoyed each one of those. The first prize was given to Misba Dance Crew of Guru Gobind Singh College. The runner up was Verve dance crew of Sri Venkateswara College and the third position was given to IIT Delhi.

#Live: High Time from #KMC performing at #HinduCollege on Day1 of #Mecca2016. #BattleofBands Picture by @vegh_daswani for DU Beat! A photo posted by DU Beat (@du_beat) on Feb 24, 2016 at 1:36am PST

Aria also conducted Instrumental Solo Competition which started with KNC’s Anshuman Sharma’s performance. The star night featured The RaghuDixit Project, an Indian folk band that formed in Bangalore. Dressed in typical Indian attires, they enticed the audience with several songs, especially from their new album Jag Changa. The crowd immensely enjoyed their performance and even enjoyed the Kannada songs they performed and sung with them together.

Day 2: Rising Standup Comedy Competition, Nukkad Natak competition, Panache, the fashion show competition, and EDM Night featuring Anish Sood and Dualist Inquiry

The second day of Mecca’16 hosted Nukkad Natak competition and Panache, and several other minor competitions. Nukkad Natak competition saw participation from 10 teams with Dramanomics, CVS bagging the first prize and Kshitij, Gargi College, winning the second. Panache was hosted by Nakshatra, the fashion society of Hindu College. Guru Gobind Singh College emerged as the winners.

In picture: Day 2 of #Mecca, #HinduCollege’s annual fest, witnessing ‘Mera Naam Hai Nakli’, the theatre production of Natuve, #SBSC’s dramatics society.

A photo posted by DU Beat (@du_beat) on Feb 25, 2016 at 12:24am PST

Other competitions that took place were Photography Competition, Treasure Hunt, etc. The star night featured DJ Funk, Anish Sood, and Dualist Inquiry who closed the day with some great EDM numbers.

Day 3: A Capella, Western Music Solo competition, Indian Music Choir competition, Salim Sulaiman Day 3 began with A Capella competition hosted by Aria once again. Several groups came and sang songs in the A Capella format. The winners of the event were The Western Music Society of LSR College. Second and Third positions were held by Gargi College and Kamla Nehru College.

#Live: Results of #Acapella from #Mecca: 3-Zephyr, KNC 2-Euphony, Gargi 1-Western Music Society, LSR (pictured here) pic.twitter.com/5Jhe6OLG39 — DU Beat (@du_beat) 26 February 2016

The Western Music Solo was won by Kishore of Amity University. Isha Chakravarthy of Gargi College and Sparsh Vajpayee of LSR won the second and third places respectively. The Indian Choir competition was hosted by Alankar, the Indian Music Society of Hindu College. The winners of the competition were Maitreyi College, with Sri Venkateswara College and LSR winning the second and third positions.

Star night at #Mecca2016 : Salim-Sulaiman draw curtains for #HinduCollege’s Annual Cultural Fest. A crowd of roughly more than five thousand cheered as they sang Bollywood hits like Bang Bang and Ishq Waala Love. Image Credits: Mridul Kumar for DU Beat

A photo posted by DU Beat (@du_beat) on Feb 26, 2016 at 7:17am PST

The main event of the day was Salim Sulaiman concert. The duo and their band impressed the audience with their concert renditions of some Bollywood numbers like Aye Khuda, Haule Haule, Ainwayi Ainwayi, etc.

Mecca’16 in an overview:

Here’s all what Mecca 2016 at LSR was all about.

Individual Highlights of all the days:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

Check out DU Bear’s entire album of Mecca here.

Sudisha Misra
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