Event Overflow – April ’22

A packed April schedule of Freshers’ Night, Meltdown, Cultnight and the FHC Roast had energy, excitement and sleep deprivation on campus at an all-time high. With all the batches of students finally on campus following online classes, the anticipation for cultural events was high, and could be felt all over campus.

Freshers’ Night (9^th April)

The first of the April events was the Fresher’s Night of UG2k21. In the late-night (and/or very early morning) practices, equal time was spent on perfecting skits, songs and choreographies, as was spent on JC treats and bonding. Relentless practice for dance, skit and music is a rite of passage for UG1 students, and this year’s was more active after the hiatus caused by online classes.

On the day of Freshers’ Night, the amphitheatre was nearly packed, with students not just from UG1, but from all other batches as well. The atmosphere was electric, with cheers and chants as final sound checks (a.k.a. performers’ flex time) took place. The event got off to a delayed start (surprise, surprise?), but proceeded fairly smoothly. Aakash, Vayu, Prithvi and Agni houses put up music, theatre and dance pieces. Though the time limits were consistently exceeded by each house, with little to no correction from subsequent performers, the crowd was engaged and active.

Following the house performances, Round 2 of Mr. and Ms. Flair commenced. Qualified participants put up performances showcasing their talent, with strict time-limits. At this point, the audience had dwindled down to mainly UG1 students, but despite this, the crowd remained active, cheering for every participant that came up on stage.

Overall, the event received a positive response, not just from UG1, but from all the spectators.

Meltdown (17^th April 19^th April)

The flagship event of the Music Club, Meltdown 2022, was due to happen on April 17^th, but was postponed in anticipation of bad weather. Though it didn’t end up raining that day, many of the performers effectively used the extended timeline to incorporate more practice sessions in an already packed preparation schedule.

On April 19^th, the new date for Meltdown, the music from sound check sessions in the late afternoon sowed anticipation for the event. The audience filed in, and the amphitheatre was filled. Over a dozen bands with distinct genres and styles put up performances. A wide repertoire of songs took the centre stage; from global bands like Nirvana and System of a Down, to Indian bands like Local Train, there was something for everyone. IIT Hyderabad’s metal band was a highlight, and certainly a fan favourite.

The event was a success overall, and marked a significant return to pre-covid campus cultural life.

FHC Roast (22^nd April)

The highly anticipated Roast of the Frivolous Humor Club was held on April 22^nd. Lovers of humor and verbal burns filed into SH-1 in the Vindhya Block to watch the Roast event. The event got off to a delayed start because of the buggy sound system, which was fixed with a quick srujana run to bring mics and a speaker.

The comics made jokes about the Parliament and Felicity, as well as about some students that had previously consented to be roasted. Most of the crowd laughed and ‘ooh’ed in equal measure, though some first-years said that they did not understand the context behind some of the jokes. Regardless, the event received an overall positive review from the audience.

Cult Night (19^th April TBD)

Another greatly anticipated event was Cult Night 2022. The interhouse dance competition garnered much interest and excitement at its announcement. However, despite practices being already underway, the event had to be indefinitely postponed. A statement from the Coordinator of the Cultural Council explains the decision to postpone – “With a few days left for the event, we were informed that students had numerous deadlines, project submissions and upcoming end semester examinations. On top of this, due to the other events taking place during the same time, we were suggested to cancel the event since it would be difficult for students to make time and practice well enough for Cult Night.”

Event Overflow

Freshers’ Night, Meltdown and the FHC Roast, all taking part in the same month is not the norm for cultural events. There were concerns among students about the increased pressure on academics, given that more time had to be dedicated for rehearsals, as well for the event themselves. In addition, Cult Night was cancelled, partially due to the packed timeline of these events. The month of April really did see an event overflow, which received positive and negative responses from students, who were glad to see an uptick in cultural events at IIIT-H, but were also concerned about balancing their time.

Editor: Mayank Goel