Felicity Roundup (2k23)

Felicity! As our memories of this year’s fest turn two weeks old, we, the authors, present to you this article, in continuation of Ping!’s tradition of Felicity reportage. We hope you, the reader, are able to enjoy it, and maybe reminisce about the good memories you’ve made this Felicity ‘23.  

With Felicity right behind us, some of us are still recovering from the fest jetlag and the rest recovering from the Goa beaches; here’s our recap of Felicity 2023. 

For the diligent faccha reading this article some time in the future, Felicity 2023 officially began on Thursday, the 16th of March, and officially concluded on Saturday, the 18th of March. Emphasis: officially concluded. 

Among the regulars were the DebSoc’s annual debate competition, VimGolf organized in collaboration with the Programming Club and OSDG; the Chess Tournament on Days 2 and 3, as well as the LitClub’s Treasure Hunt, to name a few.

Other events making a return to Felicity included Footbids by the ASEC, a FIFA auction followed by a simulation tournament to crown the winner; and the Ramp walk organized by the Fashion Club, presenting an alluring assortment of dystopian outfits and passionate cosplays. 

There were a few new faces on the block this time too; Graphiti by Decore, a workshop on using Desmos to make artwork using graphs; as well as Git Mystery by the OSDG, where participants had to solve a murder mystery using their best git knowledge.

Our reportage would be incomplete without mention of the KTM stunt show. This was on Day 2, right outside H-105, with Babar Khan, winner of MTV’s Stunt Mania, as well as Sohail Khan; their stunning lineup of stunts left the audience utterly blown away. 

Now, we address the elephant in the room. The ominous gray veil draped around Felicity 2023: the ugly, ugly rain. It would be an understatement to say that the rain played spoilsport on many events here: the Inaugurals, both the music performances and the dances were inevitably postponed, in view of the rain.

The skit – an inalienable feature of Felicity –  too, witnessed a massive change this year, with nothing else to blame but the rain: the Felicity stage rendered unusable by the uncontrolled downpour, the skit had to be relocated to the sheltered H-105 at the last minute. However, this didn’t make it any less memorable. Running to H-105 in the rain and standing in the crowded classroom to witness a hilarious skit, made it quite unforgettable.

Over on the Felicity Main stage, the audience witnessed a full assortment of various talents: the hilarious Jaspreet Singh on Day 1 (and the FHC, too, of course) – and Day 2 was Anurag Halder’s concert. Another victim of the gloomy dark clouds, the student music performances, which were to occur on Day 2, were indefinitely postponed.

If Day 1 was a day for comedy; and Day 2 was a day for music – then Day 3 was a day for dance – with the Dance Crew’s Zest event and… rain (who would’ve guessed?) 

On a positive note, the student music performances, postponed from Day 2, finally took place. The work the bands put in over the last few weeks finally came to fruition in front of an enthralled audience. The DJ Ravator was also scheduled for Day 3, however his night venue was shifted at the last minute from the Felicity main stage to the Bakul Warehouse, for better or worse (opinions may vary based on who you ask.) As for the dances, we reiterate, that were planned as part of “Inaugurals”: they were either canceled, or postponed indefinitely.

And thus ended Felicity Day 3. 

We rolled over to Sunday, waking up just in time for biryani, scratching our heads and reopening assignments after long periods of inevitable procrastination; our Felicity was officially over. Formal Felicity reportage, over. Writing team signing out.

You’re still here?

Oh right. Felicity. You see, Felicity might’ve been over – at least on the almanac; in that sense, yes, our fest was over. The stage would be disassembled, the stalls removed (what remained of the ones that weren’t destroyed by the rain, I mean) and all four messes would be back and operational.

Except we’d been granted an unofficial extension. A Felicity ‘23 extension: and we’re grateful for that, surely we don’t get that every year. Sunday evening, at Amphi. Our unofficial Felicity Day 4.

And so the Dances finally inaugurated Felicity – the conclusion thereof. Weeks of sleepless nights and practice led up to this exhilarating performance.

Our evening concluded with Prof. Aftab’s stand-up set – an absolute treat, too good to miss: and if we take his word for it, a bang of a first attempt.

And that’s our Felicity Round-Up, folks. For real this time.

Okay, now go read Anne Frank, everybody.