Invictus 2019: A Recap

The much-awaited third edition of Invictus, KMC’s largest intercollegiate fest, organised by the Student Council, kickstarted on 11th April with a multitude of sports events. April 12th marked the beginning of cultural and literary events. Read on for an account of the week-long extravaganza:

Day One

Painting

The first creative event of Invictus 2019, Painting, was held at BCLH from 10:30-12:00 pm. The topic was revealed to the contestants just moments before their time started. With only a blank sheet and a set of watercolours each, these contestants had 1.5 hours to bring their interpretations of ‘Psychedelia’ to life. The atmosphere was intense, each artist fervently striving to hit every one of the criteria set for them by the judges, Dr Bharti and Mr Surendran, including creativity, colour, clarity and more. The artworks produced at the end were stunning.

Hindi Poetry

The event began with the participants being provided topics for the day. The topics were thought provoking and diverse. They were given one hour to compose their poem. In this interval, they were also instructed to submit a copy of the same to the judges- Miss Usha Pai and Miss Maitreyee Mishra. The participants were judged on the basis of their writing and delivery skills.

Themed Quiz

The Themed Quiz, or Idiot Box quiz, as the name suggests, revolved around TV shows and anything remotely related to them. It was 2 hours of intense thinking and entertainment. From sitcoms like Friends and Brooklyn 99 to thrillers like Daredevil and Breaking Bad, the charismatic quizmasters covered a plethora of genres and question styles. There were 2 rounds, prelims and finals. The teams were well versed in TV show history, fan theories, the actors’ quirks- the more obscure the fact, the better known it was.

Day Two

Elocution

Communication is a pivotal skill in this era of ideas and collaboration. In this spirit, the elocution contest conducted on the second day of Invictus tested the mastery of the participants over their oratory skills. The participants were given 5 minutes each to speak on a topic of their choice. With themes ranging from women empowerment, animal cruelty and exam stress, the participants shook the hall with their exemplary oratory skills.

Potpourri

Day 2 of Invictus saw a delightful Potpourri of Taboo, Pictionary, and What’s the Good Word. The event had the participants racking their brains to come up with hints for their teammates for the phrases and personalities provided, a difficult task made more challenging by the time limit of ten minutes.

While Taboo had a list of famous personalities ranging from playwrights to Marvel characters, Pictionary involved creating renditions of proverbs and similes. With rules like there being no proper nouns allowed, the participants desperately tried to pepper in a bunch of inside jokes that only their teammates could understand, hoping they would strike an unlikely chord.

A test of vocabulary, artistic skills, knowledge of current affairs, and how well the teammates knew each other, the event was described by a participant as, “stressful, but it’s fun to come up with clues you feel are stupid, which your friends get because they are just as stupid as you.”

Monoact

Expressions can weave stories so much more eloquently than words can. This sentiment was proven to be true during the Monoact event, which kept the audience in TMA Pai Hall thoroughly engrossed in the reel of emotions that the participants portrayed.

Classical Vocal Solo

Shastriya Sangeetha is one of the crown jewels of Indian culture. With two major divisions and hundreds of variations, the tradition of Indian classical music continues to be one of the most respected schools of music in the world. The four participants of the Classical Vocal Solo competition sang in both Carnatic and Hindustani variations. The melodies imbued a calm yet elegant aura to the remainder of the events for the day.

Mime

Actions speak louder than words. So, when a strong message has to be conveyed, mime is the perfect medium to capture the maximum attention of the audience and help them decipher the nuances of the matter at hand. With themes centred around elections, Lok Sabha and politicization of the army, the mimers of Invictus put up a stirring show complete with background music and stunning beatboxing skills.

Pass The Remote

A one-of-a-kind event, Pass The Remote was a test of how well the participants could think on their feet, improvise and synchronize with their team members. The task of each team was to act out television channels (like Animal Planet, CNN news, MTV etc) which the judges could switch at a whim. The show was made more exciting with pause, rewind and start features. With hilarious parodies and amusing dramatics, it was an entertaining and unique event to watch.

Classical Dance Solo

Rhythmic adavus, precise and swiftly changing mudras, faces that enraptured the audience with their expressiveness: the Classical Dance Solo was a delightful treat for the classical dance enthusiasts in the crowd. Each performance by the participants was the culmination of years of practice and dedication, for the art of dance requires all-consuming involvement of mind, body and soul- it is no wonder that the judges were left impressed. 

Day Three

English Poetry

The third day of Invictus started off with the event of English Poetry which was conducted in Interact. The judge was Dr Manna Valiathan from the Department of Pathology. There were a total of 10 slots. The topics given were “aesthetics and identity”, “love is in the bin” and “it could have been you.” Each and every poem was written beautifully and performed soulfully. The judges were enthralled. The winners of this event were Neha Bhatia, Manya Middha and Sachi.

India Quiz

‘So you think you know your country?’ This was the spirit in which the quizmasters confronted the participants on the third day of Invictus. Nine teams with 3 participants per team competed in the preliminary round. Six teams made it to the finals. The finals had dry rounds and pounce and bounce rounds. The quiz was hosted by Ms Shreya Mathur and Mr Ayush Malviya, both famous in the Manipal quizzing community. The most nail-biting moment was the ultimate question where 4 teams stood at 85 points vying for the third position. Ultimately, the problem was averted with just one answering correctly thereby ruling out a tiebreaker. The questions of the quiz and the design of the rounds were enticing and stimulating.

Potpourri Finals

The Potpourri finals, much like the prelims, consisted of a fun array of interactive games. While dumb charades consisted of acting out movie and book titles, Pictionary was played with a twist, a handicap of sorts, wherein the drawing had to be made without lifting the chalk off the board or using the non-dominant hand. Challenge rounds allowed lesser scoring teams to ‘challenge’ the higher scorers for their points, so the gameplay was maintained at an intense level until the final round of Jeopardy, which was played in the usual style of questions having to be answered with a question. Overall, the event was a great way to spend a Sunday evening, with laughter and jokes streaming out from the classroom into the dark Interact lobby.

Street Play

The performances for Street Play carried strong social messages. With catchy slogans, confident voices and perfectly enacted scenarios, the event was an immersing one. Each performance was well-thought-out and well-coordinated.

Mad Ads

This event, with its remorseless mimicry of modern-day advertising replete with rhyming jingles, outlandish exaggerations and catchy tunes, had the audience in stitches in no time. The teams flaunted their capacity for out-of-the-box thinking and dramatic acting as the audience looked on, intrigued.

Western Vocals

A  considerable crowd gathered at Greens as popular songs were performed during the Western Vocals competition. Teams were given a total of 25 minutes and were allowed to perform either solo, duet or group songs within that time frame. Encompassing songs like Zombie by the Cranberries, to the forever famous Bohemian Rhapsody, the teams displayed both their commendable singing prowess and refined music tastes. The acapella performances drew cheers from the audience.

Creative Duet

The Greens stage witnessed beautiful performances for the Creative Duet competition. The audience seemed to be transported into a more vibrant, alternate realm as the dancers flawlessly executed their dance moves, weaving stories and evoking emotions with their steps and expressions.

Eastern Dance Solo

The Eastern Solo Dance hosted by the Cultural Committee of KMC witnessed participants performing dance forms ranging from Lavani to Indo-fusion in perfect sync to famous foot-tapping Bollywood songs.

Eastern Dance Group

The Eastern group dance event included a unique performance by one of the troops who via graceful movements portrayed the difficulties faced by a schizophrenic patient. It was a treat to watch and at the same time spoke volumes about mental disorders. The rest of the teams performed to a medley of songs, where one of the teams paid tribute to Madhuri Dixit, Dhanush, Prabhudeva and the Thalaiva – Rajnikanth, which was an instant hit with the crowd. The audience loved all the performances and were left wanting more.

Day Four

Face Painting

In eager anticipation of the wildly popular upcoming film, the topic for Face Painting was ‘Endgame’. Using faces as canvases, the participants came up with stunning pieces of art. It was a memorable and fun event for both the painters, and if we may so refer to them, the painted.

JAM

Setting foot in Manipal for the second time till date, India’s best JAMmaster, Hormuz Ragina, had the audience in the grips of his quick-witted repartee, ingenious double entendres and painfully hilarious puns. His unabashed and dynamic personality enlivened the crowd; a constant stream of jokes, spontaneous wordplay, and laughter ensued as he interacted with the students. The rounds were thoroughly entertaining for the onlookers, as the participants tried their best to keep talking in proper Queen’s English without being interrupted by their competitors. Hormuz’s easy, playful manner and sharp but amusing retorts made the whole experience a truly memorable one for everyone in the hall.

Bhangra

A nod to the harvest festival, Besakhi, the Bhangra event of Invictus saw participants performing the highly energetic dance form with vigour and zeal. The performances by the colleges were light-hearted and humorous, while also displaying technique and good choreography.

Western Dance Solo

Western dance soloists imbued the sultry afternoon air of the fourth day of Invictus with the magic of dance. The artists, dancing to songs like ‘Girlfriend’ and ‘Abusadamente’ had the audience at KMC Greens enraptured.

Western Dance Group

Troupes of dancers held the audience at KMC Greens spellbound during the ‘Western Dance Group’ competition on the fourth day of Invictus. Dancers shimmied and swayed through songs like ‘Rude Boy’ and ‘Call Me Maybe’.

Day Five

Debate

Debaters went head-to-head over topics on like whether permanent citizens of a state deserve special employment and property privileges, in the debate competition that captivated judges and audience members alike on the fifth day of Invictus, 2019 in T.M.A. Pai hall 3.

MELA Quiz

The MELA quiz, which stands for Music, Entertainment, Literature and Art, was conducted by Achintya, the Literature Club of Kasturba Medical College for Invictus 2019. The quiz did complete justice to its name and was highly entertaining, making the contestants rack their brains for the answers. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the questions that were posed and left the quiz knowing a little more about each field.

Eastern Vocals

The atmosphere of this event could be best described as vibrant. With teams participating from various institutes, excitement and anticipation were in the air. This event consisted of each group singing Indian songs, either as a group, duet, solo or as a combination, with a maximum time limit of 25 minutes. The beautiful renditions of Bollywood songs definitely got the crowd grooving and leaving the judges spellbound, making it quite a tough task to choose the winner.

Instrumental Solo

Next in line, after the remarkable performances put up by various colleges for Eastern Vocals, the Instrumental event began. Each group was given a total time limit of six minutes to perform using any musical instrument of their choice. The soft strums of the guitar and the gentle tunes of the keyboard seemed to envelop Greens in a cosy cocoon of music.

Dance Face-Off

The stage was lit on fire during the Dance Face Off at KMC Greens. Participants were made to compete one on one and the best dancer would move forward till only 2 remained. With no prior routine prepared, the dancers freestyled to various types of songs and allowed the music and rhythm to guide their movements. From hip-hop to Bollywood, bhangra to backflips, the stage saw it all. With every dancer better than the next, the judges had a difficult time to decide which of the energetic performances was the best.

Fashion Show

Day 5 of Invictus closed with the Fashion Show. The teams were allowed to choose their own themes, and from nature to dark romanticism, the stage saw a myriad of art and beauty reflected in the props and costumes worn. Most of the teams created their ensembles themselves and used the event as a medium to showcase their talents in designing and craftsmanship. The audience was left in awe at the transformation of the ordinary stage to a picture of elegance and style.

Day Six

Sports Quiz

Sports aficionados revelled in their love for sports trivia with host Major Chandrakant Nair on the last day of Invictus, 2019. Topics covered during the quiz in T.M.A. Pai Hall 3 include iconic football and basketball matches as well as the story behind the Air Jordan logo.

General Quiz

A game of general knowledge, wits and a smidgen of luck, the General Quiz hosted by Major Chandrakant Nair was a memorable event which rewarded the trivia enthusiasts in the audience with a number of satisfying Eureka moments. The questions were elaborate and well-thought-out, consisting of several rounds with interesting variations.

Battle Of The Bands 

The Amphitheatre was chock-full for the final event of Invictus 2019, Battle Of The Bands. The audience grooved to the feisty beats of the drums, melodic tunes of the keyboard, surreal strums of the guitar and soulful vocal renditions of beloved songs. As the evening deepened to darkness, the teams kept the crowd firmly entranced by their music. When the event finally drew to a close, Invictus 2019 finished with a flourish.

-Written by Vinay Reddy, Suhita R, Nitya T, Sriya Peri, Rupa Neelakantan, Mihika Antonia Dean, Aparna Bharadwaj, Zainab Juzer, Vagisha Dahiya and Niharika Dixith. 

 

Leave a Reply

Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.

Up ↑