One day to go!

Lights. Camera. Action.

It's all set. The lights are lit. And the cameras are ready. The big cameras of cameramen, the small old cameras of participants and their friends, digital cameras of all those interested and the cellphone cameras of all those who keep it with them even after the ban on camera phones in the college.

Soon, that is, morning of 30th January they'll cry out 'action', that will last for four days.

And yet another Riviera will be over.

That was really some 'kitni-aasani-se-tumne-keh-diya-riviera-will-be-over' expected dialogue because there is a lot more to Riviera than I concluded it with. Uncounted number of students and even staff members shall be working and have worked day and night for these four days. Preliminary rounds for the selection of local teams have been going on for almost a month. Lot of students have been working for the preparations of sports, culturals, games and what not.

Let me take a look.

Enter the VIT. Go to the reception that has been working already, two days before the start of Riviera, day and night. You get past the Rangoli made there without ever realizing that there were at least 4-5 people who made it sitting there for hours. You cross the main building and see the big posters of gaming that catch your attraction for once even if you are not a gamer. You reach the back of the the main building, at Anna auditorium where these people are selling tickets and saying thank you just like the guy sitting at the billing counter of the nearest supermarket.

No exaggerations, they have made the ticket buying system this complex this time. Give your name at one counter that is according to your block, get the copy of your identity card stamped there and get the tickets at another counter that is serving only tickets. No names asked.

Come out of Anna. Most probably you will be using the back door because the ticket window is there just in the back corner of the auditorium. Can you listen to the voices of bands and some guy singing? (or shouting, depending on your taste) Most probably, Yes. Because whatever the time be, the bands there are practicing. Probably this is the other thing besides the reception counter that is working day and night.

That was just one side. Well, not of Riviera, but Anna. On the other side, there is Riviera control room. Colored in the colors of Riviera from the time when these colors were not even decided. Riviera control room is the place where everything is there, except time. The room is in a rush always, people come and go, plans are made, preparations are done, posters are colored, dance practice is done, volunteers come to 'do something' and register, experts are called and assigned works. So much happens there and this is the center. Which is standing still but running at an unmatched pace.

And then you pass through the road in front of library, where labour is removing the sand castles that were made yesterday, one by one. Sand castles, that are not just hardwork, but something that contain ideas, thoughts, a desire to win, and simultaneously, innocence. You sit there in sand for hours just to make something that you know will not be there tomorrow. Though, there are no waves from the sea, Sand castles are sand castles only and they are made to vanish.

And then there is the shade in front of the LH, where dance practice is going. Almost any time of the day I pass through that area I can see people dancing there. Be it an evening with the sun shining over or 8.30 night when I'm back from the food court.

And that all is happening when the Riviera has not started. When it starts, I hope it will be really much more enjoyable.

So, keep fast forwarding to rewind.