The Engineers of the Fest

To be a part of this big a fest is one thing, to make it happen is another. All that we see is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is so much more that goes into painting the fest the way we picture it to be. It is highly imperative to give the Student Council the credit they truly deserve. Curious as to how the Student Council ensures such a smooth and hassle-free course of the fest, we engaged in a candid conversation with them.

 

MTTN: How has Revels ‘17 been for the Council so far? Revels’17 has witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of outstation participants. What do you think may have led to this?

SC: Revels ‘17 is going pretty well for us. There has been very good coordination this time, much better than last time. Outstation participation has definitely boomed. One reason for this could be the fact that we started publicity at a very early stage. Two, for the first time, transactions have been made online, as have sports registrations. Basically, we have worked on the accessibility factor this time. This has made it much easier for outstation teams to register themselves and reach us.

 

MTTN: Improving accessibility has definitely served its purpose. How has it all been in terms of sponsorships and general expenditure?

SC: Expenditure has remained almost the same, but sponsorships have definitely been better than last time. This time we have Colors of Youth and Jio, in contrast to last time when the best we had was Roposo.

 

MTTN: Through the course of the fest, instances of sportspersons, dancers, etc injuring themselves are not a rarity. How do you manage that?

SC: Until now, colleges had to bear medical costs on their own. But this time around, we along with KMC took it on ourselves to provide them free medical facilities. They are our guests, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they have a good stay as well as that they come again.

 

MTTN: Absolutely. Increase in the number of outstation participants also means need for greater accommodation. How did you take care of the logistics?

SC: Honestly, we did find it difficult to accommodate all of them, but then we decided to arrange for rooms outside MIT – the KMC hostels, for instance. TV rooms in MIT hostels have been revamped to accommodate more people.

 

 

MTTN: What about the security aspect? How do you make sure outstation participants are back in their rooms on time?

SC: The perm time for outstation participants is 11. They have been a good lot. The outstation department has efficiently taken care of all of that, so there hasn’t been any real issue as such.

 

MTTN: How is the cultural participation this time? How popular have the singing and dance competitions been among participants?

SC: Cultural events always attract a lot of people; even outstation participants, for that matter. This time too, cultural events have had massive participation from both in-house and outstation teams. Fun fact: In the Eastern Dance competition, 5 out of 9 teams were from VIT.

 

MTTN: Okay, wow! Do you miss participating in Revels?

SC: (unanimously) YES!

 

MTTN: What do you think of the artiste line-up this time?

SC: We believe, the artiste line-up this time is highly underrated. They are definitely going to put up a brilliant show. We can hardly wait.

 

MTTN: We’re sure. Also, out of curiosity, how much thought goes into coming up with the theme? This year’s theme of ‘Carnaval’, implying celebration, strangely coincides with MIT’s diamond jubilee. Is it pure coincidence or intentional?

SC: A LOT of thought. We had to choose from a variety of themes, all of which were equally appealing. It is a task, really, coming up with the theme. Even when you do, things don’t end there. You need to make sure that the decorations match the theme and the overall look of the campus fits the mood indicated by the theme. As for the theme fitting the diamond jubilee celebrations, it wasn’t a coincidence. We wanted to celebrate the occasion, hence the theme.

 

MTTN: Interesting. Here goes a very random question. Who did you like better, Karunesh Talwar or Sahil Shah?

Shimona (Joint Secretary): Shubhang!

 

This sent the whole room into splits. “The Student Council stands answerable for most problems, and as such, we are often blamed very conveniently for glitches that take place. A few political problems popped up last time, but we ensured that the same doesn’t repeat this time”, says Darshan Nandekar, President of the Student Council.
We acknowledge the efforts of the team behind Revels’17. After all, pulling off a fest as magnificently, despite all the inevitable pickle, is no child’s play.

 

–  Priyanjali Roychoudhury, for MTTN

Interview by: Arjan Singh and Priyanjali Roychoudhury  

Pictures by: Jassil Jamaludhin and Samar Dikshit

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