Clicked by Sarfaraz Jelil: A band performing at Alcheringa 2016, IIT Guwahati
January 28, 2016 marked the beginning of Alcheringa Gamescape, the four-day-long annual cultural fest hosted by IIT Guwahati. It is eagerly anticipated and widely loved by the students of IIT G (Guwahati) and all other colleges in the country, especially that of the North-Eastern region. Over the years, it has served as a rich platform for them to showcase their talents in diverse spheres ranging from poetry to fashion, from quizzing to rock band competition. This two-decade-long journey, with very humble beginnings, has succeeded to capture the imagination of the youth of the nation. In this span of time, it has metamorphosed into one of the biggest college level cultural festivals in Asia.
Alcheringa breathes fresh vigour into the campus scene as it comes to life with the cacophony of sounds and the blending of hues of the numerous events taking place simultaneously. The excited participants and the enthusiastic and encouraging crowd egging them on till the very end is a sight to behold. Hard as it is to keep track of every event and competition being conducted, one is left with no choice but to pick the favourites among them and revel in the talent-filled performances of these events. Amongst the events, the biggest crowd-pullers are Electric Heels, the dance competition, Haute Couture, the fashion designing contest, Rock-o-phonix, the rock band competition and Mr & Ms Alcheringa, the personality contest.
Apart from the intensely competed events, each year the crowd is enthralled by performances from the some of the biggest names in the music and entertainment industry and this year was no exception. Saaz, the classical music night, witnessed performance by brother-duo Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan. Blitzkrieg saw EDM (electronic dance music) artists ‘Dualist Inquiry’ and ‘Sandunes’ playing their unique brand of music and tapping into the energy of the crowd. Mika Singh featured in the Bollywood musical night Crescendo and made everyone dance to his popular tunes. Finnish folk metal band ‘Korpiklaani’ was the headliner of the rock band night Juggernaut and turned the performance grounds into a veritable head-bangers paradise.
As the cold January night grew quieter after four days of bustling and profuse activity, Alcheringa Gamescape 2016 drew to its closure. It left behind a trail of memories for the students who put in their best efforts to organize the extravaganza as well as for everyone who witnessed it. And with that it was time to get back to the normal hectic schedule of classes, labs, assignments and exams.
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