The FUCHHA SKIT competition is probably the most eagerly anticipated event of the first semester. But, the weekend was made all the more memorable (maybe taxing) for the first yearites, courtesy the MOUSE WORKSHOP conducted by the Technical Activity Centre (TAC, IT-BHU) and ‘LITZKRIEG’, the inter-branch literary competition.
The IT BHU Chronicle takes a peep into how all these events went off.
CIVIL BAGS TOP HONOURS IN SKIT
The first year inter-branch skit competition which was held on the 24th of September, was, in keeping with tradition, a huge draw. Organized by the IT-BHU THEATRE group, weeks of hard work on part of the event managers and participants culminated in quite an impressive show.
The event, advanced to a 2:30 pm start as compared to the usual evening start faced a lull initially as a consequence, but as the crowd picked up through the course of the evening, G-11 had a typical IT atmosphere about it.
This year’s skit competition saw a record number of entries, and as a result, the audience did have its appetite whetted. The themes of these skits were all encompassing ranging from life in IT, corruption, life of teenagers, ancient Indian culture and so on. What was most noticeable this time around was that the usual catcalls and booing gave way to applause and appreciation. The event was graced by the presence of A.K Aggarwal (Gymkhana President) as well as an esteemed jury comprising of the hugely popular Bose Dada, Ms. Shobha Mishra, Mr. Neeraj Verma and Ms. Swasthi Mondal.
Bose Dada, towards the end was at his exuberant best, inspiring , but at the same time not shy of pointing out where we went wrong. He asked the winners to take the results with a pinch of salt and for those who missed out, told them that they were no worse off.
At the end of it all, it was time for the results, and Civil Engineering students for their portrayal of the way teenagers tend to live these days, deservingly ended up with the first prize. Chemical came second, with Metallurgy third and Mechanical ended up a close fourth. Of course, there were some long faces on the way back to the hostel, more out of disappointment at having missed out but for the winners, it was a case of celebration all the way. The only disturbing trend the entire night was the presence of some empty seats in G-11, though the atmosphere was lively.
The Chronicler wonders whether it is just one of the adverse effects of the internet. Anyway, that is for another issue.
“YES, IT’S MOVING!!”
Following on the heels of the ‘MOTORBOAT’ and ‘STRAWBRIDGE’ workshop which TAC had conducted last month (see CHRONICLE Sept. issue), the long overdue MOUSE workshop was held on the 25th of September. Due to time constraints, the workshop started as early as 7;30 in the morning , but still an amazing 150 first yearites (in groups of four) turned up despite the rigours of the previous day.
The problem designated to them was to design an autonomous vehicle that would move around a particular geometrical body, taking turns as and when it encounterd edges. The students were provided with the necessary motors, gears, body frame, tyres, switches and other accessories necessary to carry out the task. They were also briefed on as to how to go about making it by their mentors(TAC members).
Designing a robot, where precision in each and every detail is most important is not the easiest thing in the world as the students found out. At the end of 5-6 hours of toil, around 15 mouses were designed, out of which only 7-8 were in perfect working condition. As for the rest, they were given the kits as well as a further deadline, with participation in the robotics workshop at stake.
IT’S MECHANICAL THIS TIME
Literary activities in IT have usually been damp squibs with participation levels being quite abyssmal. So, it was no wonder that the organizers of ‘LITZKRIEG’
had to resort to an inter-branch competition so as to generate interest and participation. And did it work out well or what?
LITZKRIEG was a literary heptathlon comprising Extempore, Story making, Ad spoof, Dumbcharades, Jam, Lateral inversion and instantaneous delivery of songs with one’s own lyrics. Each branch was given the freedom of sending participants of its choice for every event with the constraint that an individual could participate in only one event.
Workshops were conducted prior to the event so as to brief the participants on the various events, which made it easier for them to perform on D-Day,the 25th of September in the evening. When it did get started, it was an experience for the participants, as most of them had never spoken in front of an audience. It was fun all the way with moments of hilarity in between. Even though most participants had difficulties in interpreting the topics which were often laced with with double meaning, what stood out was their creativity and ability to think on their feet.
Mechanical engineering students bagged the first prize in what was a role reversal from the previous day, with Metallurgy and Ceramics following close behind. Neha Jain of Ceramics was adjudged the best speaker. But the biggest winner that evening was the idea of LIT with a fairly well packed G-11, a stark contrast to what it had been in previous years.
At the end of it all it was time for the first yearites to let out a collective gasp of UMPHH!!! That, surely was a tiring but an enjoyable weekend.