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The Apprentice – Revels’15

Revels has always intended to incorporate events of a distinactive nature into its realm therein surpassing mere notations of its yearly existence. The second round of ‘The Apprentice’ saw the event inflate from its preliminary quiz round to that of a commerce attributed affair. Having successfully lapsed into the next round, the seven teams approached their designated desks and awaited further instructions with tainted breath.

The supposed team event segregated team members into an allocation of administrative heads and management heads. The administrative heads were furnished with a corporate dilemma each and were required to troubleshoot it before the esteemed judges. The allotted concerns fluctuated from overbooking mishaps and infuriated customers to fraudulent employees possessing unauthenticated diplomas. Next, the management heads were requested to occupy the dais and proceeded to engage in an intrinsic management meeting. The agenda of the assembly was employing a reservation quota for women in order to help them secure work posts of higher stature. While one participant made a paltry argument in support of the subject, an unexpected majority of the panel -inclusive of the woman aboard it- were against the matter at hand. “Women are indeed the psychologically superior gender. I believe that they possess exceptional skills and are fully capable of seizing opportunities. They are not in need of handouts” says Mr. Shubhankar Menon, a second year undergraduate of VIT who also agrees that the event in particular left him inspired with its interactive discussions and varied motions.

As its second round came to an end with an applause of gratification, the event had accomplished much more than what was expected of it. It attempted to spur the innate sense of ‘problem solving’ that a slim few are capable of, while coherently bringing matters of grave concern to light. Surely the next round promises even better prospects of heightening one’s entrepreneurial instincts.




Extempore – Revels’15

Paradigm Shift held its second event at the NLH, starting a little behind schedule, as most events are wont to do. Overseen by two organizers and several other members who dropped by from time to time, it was judged by two interns, and scrutinized by a timer that constantly changed hands. An event designed to put its contestants on the spot for a good two and a half minutes, it tested each participant’s fluency, diction, and wit.

Having close to forty registrations, with more bleeding in as the event went on, the organizers were forced to put a cap on the number in order to ensure they didn’t cut into the time reserved for their next event. With a healthy dose of external participants, and plenty who came to watch out of interest, the audience was varied and engrossed. As the room filled with noises both steady and wavering, impressions both feminine and (oddly) Kejriwal-like, the topics kept the interest levels high. From “all generalizations are bad, except this one” to “the speed of dark”, and quite a few odd ones in between, the changes of pace were a welcome breath of fresh air.

After each speech, the contestants were handed cans of Red Bull in the form of what would, at the very least, act as an unofficial consolation prize. As the smell of carbonated caffeine filled the air, the event began to wrap up, having elapsed nearly two hours. With the competition being rich, the one minute’s worth of preparation time was the deciding factor as to who made the cut. While there were a few genuinely funny speakers, the judges did complain of a lack of quality humour, while also maintaining that the topics were addressed in an interesting and engaging manner.




Dawn of The Innerpreneur – Revels’15

As Karl Marx best put it “Sell a man a fish and he is fed for a day, teach a man how to fish and you ruin a wonderful business opportunity.”

‘The Apprentice’, belonging to the category ‘EQ-IQ’, was one of the first among many events to start off Revels’15; and its frenzied, characteristic, manic status quo. A three round event, ‘The Apprentice’ is centered on the corporate sphere and all that is encapsulated within. Yesterday bore witness to the first round of this fairly sizeable event, which was essentially a quiz based around the various concerns that perpetrates the commercial sector on a daily basis.

As participants poured into the designated venue and filed themselves into teams of two, an innocent trepidation seized their minds as each team received its copy of questions. An appeal to value integrity over unfair conduct was made by the head of the event stating that the use of any gadgets would result in immediate disqualification. As the event progressed, a gentle murmur engulfed the setting. Momentous syllables of excitement, high fives of agreement and the occasional sharp snap of fingers were some of the many aspects of the event that marked the exhaustive use of the participants’ memory, all this under the supervision of the Vigilance volunteers.

All in all, the entire affair was conducted with the utmost level of professionalism and did not suffer any episode of mismanagement or accusations of prejudice or bias. The event was exceptional especially since there was no time restriction when it came to entering the competition itself.  The very notion that the participants discussed vociferously spoke volumes with regard to the criterion acknowledged while framing the questionnaire, many of which were intricately varied and amusingly relatable.




Giants on the Court – Revels’15

Sports are a big part of Revels, and basketball is perhaps the most exciting of them all. Day one of this year’s fest proved to be a good one for fans of the sport with nail-biting finishes, showboating players and enthusiastic spectators that cheered their hearts out. The participating teams were divided into two pools, and games were held simultaneously at the Kamath Circle and Sharada courts.

The first match-up of the day was between M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology and Mangalore Institute of Technology and Engineering, and it had everyone on the edge of their seats. The game was close throughout, but MSRIT pulled out in the end for 34-30 victory. A memorable highlight was the thunderous slam dunk by the winners’ big man Saukin, which had the crowd going wild.

Soon after was the most anticipated game of the day between MIT’s own A-team and CBIT. A large group gathered to see the A-team take the court, and their new green, white, and black uniforms had everyone talking. MIT being favourites to win Revels ’15, it was surprising to see them down 10-11 in the first quarter to a team that was not expected to put up much of a fight. In the second, however, they showed who’s boss. With great tenacity, hustle, and pinpoint passing, MIT closed the half up 26-13. Spectator Prasham Ladha marked out a fantastic alley-oop finish by Samarth Hattangady as his favourite moment from the game. With the outcome of the game pretty much decided, they coasted to a 39-19 domination of the visitors. Veteran Jijo James proud of the team’s effort, said, “Our men played hard. It was an easy game, they were sluggish early on, but picked it up later.” He also spoke highly of the team’s two first-years, Bharat Alapati and Sohail Kumar, who put in valuable second half efforts, playing with much emotion and vigour.

After bagging the silver at VIT’s Riviera, the MIT team is riding high on confidence. Day two of Revels promises to bring much more action in terms of sports, so stay tuned.




Unity is Strength – Rashtriya Ekta Diwas

“Imagine all the people, sharing all the world,” were the words John Lennon used to urge the world to embrace differences in race and religion, and to live together in harmony and peace. He lived and died in the hope that someday, everybody would share his ideas about unity and world peace. The world at that time had a long way to go, as it still does, to make a living like John Lennon wished for. However, India had already envisioned this goal about twenty years ago, when her constitution was framed. India, in all its endeavors tried to inch towards being that Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, and Democratic Republic that our forefathers wanted while upholding Fraternity amongst its citizens. To celebrate the unification of the country, the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, declared 31st October, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, as “Rashtriya Ekta Diwas” (Unity Day). Owing to this, Manipal Institute of Technology saw a zealous gathering of teachers and students on the day of celebrations at the IC stairs. To mark this occasion, the associate director of Student welfare, Dr. Veena Maben, addressed the crowd, inaugurating the Manipal Chapter of the Unity Day celebrations. This was followed by a speech from the former Student Council President, Virag Jasani who delivered a bilingual oath on Unity Day. The oath stated that the citizens of India would preserve the unity, integrity and the security of the nation. The audience treated this exercise with the seriousness it deserved; solemnly repeating after Mr.Jasani. The Joint Director then spoke to the assemblage about the ‘Iron man of India’, Vallabhai Patel. The gathering grew larger as the party moved towards the MIT cricket ground for the commencement of the ‘Run for Unity’. Participants of this event had to run to the lake and back and consisted of an amalgamation of the student and teaching bodies. One could feel their togetherness, as they crossed the finish line.




Talk It Out – The Religion Debate

Religion comes from the Latin words ‘religare‘, which means ‘to bind’, and ‘religio’, which means obligation. This, in itself, provides a brief insight as to what the word envelopes. The inhabitants of a region, united in their views of the workings of nature, fabricated ideologies in an effort to birth a concrete poster for their theories, and thus, the word ‘God’. Early man vied to explain natural phenomenon such as rain, thunder, lightning through religious channels, often revering divine intervention.

Ideologies changed as regions did, essentially becoming a reflection of the society which introduced them. Observations for healthy and safe living shaped into rituals and, some unnecessary, obsolete ceremonies became traditions.

The destructive confluence of Science and Religion has also strongly reverberated throughout the annals of history. The working of the world explained by men like Galileo and Copernicus conflicted with views set by religious organizations. Ontogenesis of science, as well changing social strata, nurtured fanatics amongst the religious. Attacks like the 26/11, and more recently, on Peshawar and Charlie Hebdo have been reasoned as means of protecting their God. Reason was attacked by fanaticism, in the name of religion.

Talk it Out, a club that discusses matters imperative to college students, hosted a discussion on Reason versus Religion. A distinguished panel offered their views on the issue and helped propel the discussion towards plausibility. Religion- what it means and how it started, were debated at length. ‘Opinions on religion as an attempt to structure society’, the ‘distinction between religion and faith’, and even the prospect of ‘religion being outdated‘ were discussed heatedly- briefly mitigated by Aaina Dramatics when they offered their views through a street play. The talk ended with people having clearer views on their beliefs but fazed about the precedence of religion over reason.

‘Religion versus reason’ would have to be deliberated several times before any conclusion can be drawn from it. Every religion in the world asks to seek truth and moral identity within the masses. But in a world that is so chaotic, materialistic and downright cruel, isn’t the belief in a greater being comforting? The evening gave fodder to that thought.

 




Republic Day Manipal

The 26th of January, 2015, saw KMC Greens decorated with twenty marching contingents, as part of the Republic Day celebrations conducted by the School of Communication. The event commenced at 9am with the Chief Guest, Dr. Ramnarayan, Vice Chancellor of Manipal University, hoisting the tricolor and delivering his address. A mixed bag of institutions was represented by their own marching teams, including participation from colleges, faculty, security as well as Asare- a helping hand to specially-abled citizens. 66; years ago, it was deemed impossible for a torn nation to pen down rules to govern its masses, and yet it was done. The participation of Asare embodies that very spirit of bravery and dedication, for “sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of, who do the things that no one can imagine.” They were greeted with well-deserved admiration and applause. The march-past was a sight to behold, with teams of dedicated individuals moving in seamless synchronization, wearing uniforms on their bodies and pride in their eyes. Ananya V. Rao, a fourth year MIT student and ex-Senior Under-Officer of the NCC, trained the marching team representing Manipal Institute of Technology. He said, “We practiced two hours daily for a week until the final event. This is the first time NCC isn’trepresenting MIT, and considering that, we had a very good student response.” Following the parade was a cultural program comprising a song and a power-packed dance. The former saw students crooning Tagore’s immortal ‘Ekla Cholo Re’. KMC was declared the Best Marching Contingent, followed by many cheers and a few sighs. The event concluded with a satisfied audience, and a flag flying high, with the wind merely fluttering its fabric; leaving the tricolor’s ethics constant and ironclad.

 




Keep Off The Grass

Drug addiction festers under the neglect of society, and to combat this neglect, MIT’s Rotaract club conducted a “Stay Safe” anti-drug walk, on the 9th of February, from Kamath Circle to Tiger Circle and back. The president of the organizing club, Sarvendra Agarwal, said, “People need awareness. The evils of drug addiction are worse now than ever, with nearly six deaths in the past week alone. We intend to make this the most powerful protest against drugs in thirty years.” The president, along with a few board members, could be seen working admirably, to organize protestors into a queue. Many posters condemning drug abuse like ‘Roll Shawrma, not a joint’ were made. Messages were circulated on WhatsApp groups that attempted to garner public interest in the event. Each protestor had a black ribbon tied to his arm. When the march concluded, the president delivered a moving speech as people lit candles in memory of the deceased.

On paper, this event was a huge step in fighting substance abuse. Reporting this march would have been an easy task if was one was to simply note and expand upon those above facts. For years, many evils of society have run rampant because of apathy. It’s about time that stops. What follows is the truth nobody wants to hear. The Rotaract did work hard, and they deserve credit for taking this necessary step. However, despite the hard work put in by the organizers, through no fault of theirs, the protest did not play out quite like it was envisioned.

There was a dire need to infuse maturity into some protesters as one could see people fighting over trivial things like holding catchy posters. Constant cribbing about the heat and eventual crowd dispersal at the sight of a food joint evidently showed that the crowd was spiritless. In fact, the only time the bored protesters at the back ran to the front was when a photographer was clicking a group picture of the protest.

The “Stay Safe” anti-drug walk was hence a necessary step in that it showed us how hopeless we are in the fight against drugs. Do we give up? No. Evil thrives when the corrupt indulge in it, and the good do nothing. Rotaract, as well as other clubs should conduct many more events to spread awareness until the seriousness and urgency of the drug threat gets hammered into the psyche of the average college tudent. Let the flame of the candles become an inferno that lays waste to the field of narcotics.

In ‘Bruce Almighty’ (2003;), God bestows his powers on an ordinary man, Bruce, who tries to test them out by parting his soup, mimicking Moses’ famous parting of the sea in ‘The Ten Commandments’. God calmly responds, “Parting your soup is not a miracle, Bruce. It’s a magic trick … A teenager who says “no” to drugs and “yes” to an education, that’s a miracle. People want me to do everything for them. But what they don’t realize is that they have the power. You want to see a miracle, son? Be the miracle.”




Draw Jopping! – Revels’15

The last page of any student’s notebook is never blank. Rough math work, lyrics of Uptown Funk and most importantly doodles of professors, of friends, or just random tornadoes and whirlpools. Have you ever wondered how that ordinary physics lecture transformed beautifully in your mind into an abstract so ethereal, it surged through your arms and came out as a spurt of ink? Sounds like a pretty great talent, doesn’t it? As Revels’15; promised every talent its unbridled flight, the category Kalakriti came up with one of the first events of day one, Comixtrip which, as the name suggests, is all about unleashing that cartoonist in you.

We spotted about five participants waiting already as we entered the venue, but the number soon went up to about twenty-five before the hour-long event started, albeit a good twenty minutes late. This is not the first time an event like this was being organised. The topic usually is very different and thought provoking. ‘Politics in India’ was the topic allotted in Revels’14; as told by Asif Ali from VIT University in Vellore, who participated in the event last year and came back for seconds!

The event focused on humorous comic strips on somewhat complex topics. The topic for Comixtrip Revels’15; was ‘Censorship- Assassination of an Idea.’ The participants were provided a kit for the event and the convenors couldn’t stop emphasising that the participants weren’t allowed to carry any drawing materials on them. Well, in a country where six bans have been imposed over just the last week, and with the so-called dangerous cartoonists around the world being threatened, locked up and even killed for just whipping up some colourful humour on paper, it was fair on the organisers’ part to ensure that the participants didn’t come armed with their weapons.

Jaskirat Kaur, a student of MCODS, was quoted as follows, “I take part in these events all the time. Doodling and cartooning are the best way to express what goes on in my head. What I do today would just be a reflection of my imagination.” The event took place without so much as a glitch. Their hands soiled with colour and the A3 papers soiled with their ideas, the participants remained engrossed throughout the hour. What a colourful start to Revels’15;.




Ready, Set, Go! – Revels’15

“Cross country: No half times, no time outs, no substitutions. It must be the only true sport”

On the pleasant evening of 7th of March, Revels celebrated sports talent with ‘the only true sport’. Cross country is sport where participants run in open air, through natural terrain which may take them through sun, rain, hail, sleet, snow or muddy, grassy plains or slopes. Manipal with its great variety in terrain is definitely a good stage for such an event. The aim of the run was to shortlist the best four male and female sprinters to represent MIT in the actual events during Revels. There was a massive turnout for participation as well as the audience. Kudos to those responsible for the event’s publicity. The path in front of the hockey ground was teeming with sprinters eager to show that they could go the distance and that they could do so really quickly.

James Joyce said “Rapid motions through space elates one”. It was evident that the students of MIT were in agreement with him. Albeit, there were very few female runners, every one of them was equally passionate about winning. The MIT sports club saw the event through without a glitch. The participants were registered and preparing for the four or six kilometers while The Director of Physical Education, Mr. Kempraj, explained the route that the runners were going to take while everybody stretched and prepared themselves for the race. Dignitaries in attendance were the Director, the Joint Director, the Chief Warden and the Director of student welfare, all of whom flagged off together.

The energy was contagious, and even the little children in Varchas assisted the flag off by animatedly shouting “Ready, steady, go!” The runners dashed over the starting line at Mr. Kempraj’s whistle. Within seconds, they were out of the campus navigating towards Manipal Lake. Keeping in mind that not everybody has a good running day, and definitely not the same level of stamina, an ambulance with a well-qualified physician followed the participants throughout the run. Sports club volunteers were stationed to help navigate. Equipped with water, they were a boon to the tired sprinters. The organizers even managed to get help from the police.

The first female participant, Ganga Shinghal, crossed the finish line with an impressive time of sixteen minutes while the first male sprinter, Kumar Shubham, took twenty two minutes. The path was not smooth and level, but they jumped, ran and jogged; whatever was deemed fit by them. Some participants drained, walked into campus, but broke into a run as soon as they sensed their competitors catching up. Some didn’t even have it in them to finish, but the encouragement of the crowd and the sports faculty refreshed their mind, body and spirits, helping them to cross the finish line.

Fortunately, nobody had to hitch a ride in the ambulance or ask for the doctor’s assistance.Having all participants finish a cross country run is a success in itself. And as is common at the end of any successful event, people stood around elated, which materialised into cries of joy, warm hugs and clapping. The sports club and their volunteers deserve a pat on their backs for pulling off such a big event, having ensured good participation and keeping in mind all the necessary precautions.