4 days.
129 colleges.
2125 external participants.
More than 30 cultural events. Plus gaming and sporting events.
More than 3 lacs rupees worth of prizes for cultural events only, which doesn't count informal events' prizes from sponsors like Airtel and the enormous number of chocolates given out to the audiences in almost all events.
1 Rock night.A concert by Shankar Mahadevan.A laser show, fireworks, an international juggling show, one DJ night, and Prakash Raj for the valedictory function of the festival.
That was Riviera 2008. In facts and figures.
But that is just a little fraction of the story.
Riviera 2008. Four holidays for some people, starting 30th January. And four 'work' days for many. When they worked day and night, and made the event a success. All the people who did their work with full devotion, or less than that, or more than that.
It was a show an entry point for some and a last event of its kind for some others like me. It was meeting new people, getting to know more about many, and enjoying with the old ones. It was watching people perform, seeing them doing things with a passion, it was watching teachers dance like anything, even with us and it was learning about students who thought these things weren't good enough to go out for.
Riviera taught me a lot. Till its last moments. In fact, even after the actual thing was over. It told me that even though I have worked on a lot of things, I have missed a lot many things in my college that could have done. My few hours at the reception desk made me realize that it's not just wastage of time or some boring piece of work given to people which they do sitting at these places. It's not just responsibilty but equal amount of fun (or maybe more) also. And, it has told me that even being the good guy I am, I am not the best guy out here (that much I knew for sure) and that there are people who are still hundred times as good as I am. (actually they call it being stupid, not just good, at both the levels, mine and 100 times that)
Truly speaking, fests like Riviera tell us the importance of work and activity in life. They tell us how important it is to think, to have new ideas and implement them. The same events, however interesting, if simply repeated, do not touch our souls the way they do for the first times. That is the reason 'Salad Dressing' and 'Kite Flying' were welcomed whole heartedly and were liked more compared to the old events like 'Wordsworth' which were removed from the list this time. The want of having something new made the 'Bluffmaster' as successful an event as the parallelly going ad-zapped which has been a favorite for years. 'Sand Castle Sculptures' and 'Rangoli' were liked a lot and people kept on clicking pictures of them even two days after the competition was over.
Anyways, now there are just two things. It was a great fun to be in the Riviera '08. And that it's over now.
Showing posts with label Riviera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Riviera. Show all posts
20080204
20080129
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.
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.
20080128
Sand Castles
It's all Riviera-Riviera. well, just two days to go for the Riviera, starting 30th Jan and 28th was looking all colored in Riviera, though I could not go to collect my Riviera T-shirt and tickets for the Shankar Mahadevan and Bandish and the from-where-are-they-coming Junkyard Groove. The dances are going all the day it seems and I can see boys and girls working hard to get their steps in right in rhythm throughout the evening, in the open shade. (God only knows what that term means. I don't know how an open thing can be a shade simultaneously but they call it so)
Today the most interesting thing on the show was the 'Sand Castle Sculptures' preliminary rounds in which people made beautiful designs of sand. It was near the ladies' hostel in front of the library. The game was probably scheduled at 5 because when I reached there people were ready to start with their piles of sand and it was sometime after 5:30.
Although the event was good, the organisers failed to realize that by the time the event will be over, the sun would be no more there over us and people there would need lights. The light available, when I reached again after 7, was too less and people were using cellphones' lights to keep their work going.
But unaffected from light problem, there were some beautiful designs to be seen. the first on I saw was a simple football field design. (Hope it's that only, as I would not be able to differentiate even if it was for hockey)
There were different type of designs. Some of them simple, but beautifully carved, almost perfect. Some were complicated designs, but not that accurate. Some were complicated, and still very accurate. Though the lack of light there posed problems for spectators also, it was altogether a great experience that reminded me of beaches and the sea.
It was nice to see that people were interested in the event irrespective of the troubles with light etc. and there were still some clicking pictures.
In short, though the event was not as good as it could be conducted, the organisers of the event should be appreciated for the innovative idea and a new start. Hope it gets only better in the future.
Today the most interesting thing on the show was the 'Sand Castle Sculptures' preliminary rounds in which people made beautiful designs of sand. It was near the ladies' hostel in front of the library. The game was probably scheduled at 5 because when I reached there people were ready to start with their piles of sand and it was sometime after 5:30.
Although the event was good, the organisers failed to realize that by the time the event will be over, the sun would be no more there over us and people there would need lights. The light available, when I reached again after 7, was too less and people were using cellphones' lights to keep their work going.
But unaffected from light problem, there were some beautiful designs to be seen. the first on I saw was a simple football field design. (Hope it's that only, as I would not be able to differentiate even if it was for hockey)
There were different type of designs. Some of them simple, but beautifully carved, almost perfect. Some were complicated designs, but not that accurate. Some were complicated, and still very accurate. Though the lack of light there posed problems for spectators also, it was altogether a great experience that reminded me of beaches and the sea.
It was nice to see that people were interested in the event irrespective of the troubles with light etc. and there were still some clicking pictures.
In short, though the event was not as good as it could be conducted, the organisers of the event should be appreciated for the innovative idea and a new start. Hope it gets only better in the future.
20080127
Riviera
Riviera, the annual cultural festival of VIT is about to begin soon. For details you can view the official Riviera site:
http://www.vit.ac.in/riviera/main.html
Other links on Riviera:
http://tubious.com/riviera-culfest
http://letmeknow.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/riviera-08-culfest-at-vit-vellore/
http://campus-indiarockz.blogspot.com/2008/01/riviera-08-vit-vellore.html
The korean link to Riviera is:
http://home.kookmin.ac.kr/~world/technote/read.cgi?board=announce&y_number=314&nnew=1
And you can see the translation here.
http://www.vit.ac.in/riviera/main.html
Other links on Riviera:
http://tubious.com/riviera-culfest
http://letmeknow.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/riviera-08-culfest-at-vit-vellore/
http://campus-indiarockz.blogspot.com/2008/01/riviera-08-vit-vellore.html
The korean link to Riviera is:
http://home.kookmin.ac.kr/~world/technote/read.cgi?board=announce&y_number=314&nnew=1
And you can see the translation here.
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