Invictus: Day Two

The second day of Invictus saw both participants and organisers amping up both, the talent and adrenaline. The opening day of Vibes had gotten the ball rolling, and its successive day met everyone’s expectations. With a mix of literary and cultural events, everything the day had in store was met with anticipation and matched with skill.

Pass the Remote

“If it wasn’t for electricity then we’d all be watching television by the candlelight.”

That’s how much of an indispensable commodity the so-called idiot box has become in our lives, which made Pass the Remote the perfect outlet for this enchantment with the telly. The event was invigorating with the energy of all the participants and their hilarious performances, which left the audience as well as the judge with persistent laughter. The first round consisted of teams being asked to enact TV channels, which ranged from Telebrands to Star Plus, providing a plethora of TV viewing experiences in the 4 minutes of the performance. The second round consisted of the teams having to enact out random scenarios which ranged from a dinner date between Donald Trump and Kim- Jong-Un, to the Discovery Channel being run by animals to cover human beings. In addition to the amazingly creative topics, the judge had the option to put in a pause, slow-mo, fast forward or a parental lock feature during the performance to make it more challenging and entertaining. The event thus was fun not just for the audience but for the participants as well, who enjoyed taking on the challenge and often breaking the fourth wall to get their message. In the end, the judge, Dr. Tanmay Agarwal gave all the teams constructive criticism of their performances, thus ending the afternoon on an eventful note.

Hindi Poetry

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As Robert Frost eloquently put it – “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” The participants of the Hindi Poetry competition were given an hour to ponder over the three topics Aaina, Darwaaza, and Intezaar before they put pen to paper and let their thoughts find the perfect words. Later, they breathed life into the carefully crafted sentences through their passionate recitation, which was a joy to listen to. Despite the relatively smaller number of slots, the judges Lokendra and Usha had to do some careful analysis to select the best piece among the lot. In the end, it was decided that Sreya PS, Slot 3, would be awarded that honour.

Elocution

That public speaking can be, to put it mildly, quite an anxiety-inducing activity is a popularly voiced grievance. This sentiment leaves audiences even more in awe of the Brutuses and Mark Antonys of the world and their oratory prowess. The elocution competition that took place at the Demo Hall from 10 to 12pm on the 25th of April showcased the impressive talents of the participants, who were given 5 minutes to speak about anything of their choice. The topics chosen were wonderfully diverse. The judges for the event were Mr. Haneil and Mr. Rahul Putty. The first prize went to a subtly hilarious rendition of a poem from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which chronicled the fate of Violet Beauregarde, an incorrigible chewing gum addict who meets a sticky end. Another participant spoke with great fervour about atrocious crimes committed against women, her speech made all the more powerful and relevant in the light of the stories that have been in the news lately.

India Quiz

“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.”

These words by Mahatma Gandhi would make anyone ponder about what they know of the heritage of their own country, and the India Quiz was the perfect test to put that knowledge to use. Hosted by Dr. Sai Krishna Vadlamudi, the quiz concentrated on knowledge about events ranging from the formation of the Communist Party of India in 1926 to the article published in 2000 which inspired Swades. The event had a preliminary round which filtered out the top 8 teams who competed in the finals through 2 vigorous rounds of pounce and bounce intervened by a written round. The quiz ended with a hard-fought battle of wits among the finalists, resulting in only one victor but each team winning in their own right with significant knowledge having been attained. After all, “wisdom is not a result of schooling but a lifelong attempt to acquire it”.

Mime

The first event of day two to be held at the KMC Greens was flagged off on a note of intellectual silence. Through their well-directed acting, and the added challenge of an absent screenplay, the mime artists rendered their audience as speechless as they were. The themes ranged from abstract to those revolving around pressing social issues, leaving the spectators and judges alike wowed.

Classical Dance Solo

With power packed performances like the Alarippu, Shiva Tandava and those depicting Mahishamardhini, a divine energy was invoked onto the stage of Invictus, transporting the spectators to another era. The grace of the performers, tuned to the beats of classical percussion was a composite sensual delight. Performances from various schools of dance like Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, and Odissi culminated in a depiction of India’s rich and diverse legacy of classical performing arts.

Creative Duet

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With the creative duet, dance events faded out of the Invictus stage on day two at an all-time high! The duet dance performances had innovative themes like ‘sibling relationships’, ‘victory of good over evil’ and ‘a cute love story’, keeping the audience riveted. The cheer in the crowd was a perfect reflection of the precision of the participants. This energy peak heralded the arrival of a medley and made sure it left its mark on everyone present.

Western Vocals

Concluding the 2nd day of Vibes, the Western Vocals Group held in the Greens was a treat to the eyes and ears. With a good crowd and a decent buzz, the event took off with the introduction of its dynamic judges Mr. Gladson, Mrs. Narayani and Mr. Christian. Mr. Gladson Ravindra, a music teacher at Little Rock Indian School with 25 years of experience in teaching music is a guitarist, piano, and keyboard player. Mrs. Narayani is an extremely passionate music and dance teacher who was raised in Kolkata and has trained briefly for Kathak and Odissi. Mr. Christian is a music lover, bass guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and a recording artist who has won many accolades for the same. The soulful music rendered by each participant touched the heart of the ever-expectant audience and was thus reflected in the loud cheers and hoots in the Greens. Right from the 80s and to early 2000s, the songs were familiar to all the millennial students gathered there, humming and singing along the participants. This event marked a calm and peaceful end to an eventful day.

– As reported by Niharika Dixith, Shrey Srivastava, Vinay Reddy and Rohan Basak.

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