Manipal: Farhan Akhtar rocks on Revels stage

Manipal, Mar 16: Bollywood heartthrob Farhan Akhtar had the students of Manipal University grooving to his scintillating music at Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) Quadrangular here on Saturday night as the curtains came down on a memorable note on the 36th edition of Revels, the cultural fest of MIT.

Revels was a success in all aspects: from its association with Hip-hop International to outstation participation, from the sale of almost 1,300 delegate cards on the first day itself to the biggest ProShow night ever, the success was unprecedented.

The ProShow with Farhan Live also had an undercurrent of women’s liberation, with a couple of songs by Farhan dedicated to it, and he repeatedly urged the crowd to pledge for MARD (Men Against Rape and Discrimination).

Events based on innovative ideas saw a larger footfall this year. ‘Moods,’ putting forth palettes of human emotions on words, was a popular event. ‘Psychus,’ an off-beat category, piqued the curiosity of numerous students, alongside events such as ‘Conquest,’ a labyrinth of manipulations, interpersonal skills, and stress handling.

The fashion show under ‘Haute Couture’ was a show stealer, with the turnout rivalling the ProShow. ‘Zamir,’ the event showcasing talent in Eastern Vocals had its participants proving their mettle. Virtuoso, the instrumental affair, saw a few participants handling uncommon instruments such as sarod, ukulele and darbuka, with panache.

A huge audience cheered their mates in the Western Group Dance category. Day four also saw crowd-pullers like ‘Mr. and Miss Revels,’ judging its participants on their latent talents and their presence of mind. ‘Battle of Bands,’ where 17 performances were led by three teams from MIT, including ‘The Lungi Band.’

The photography events were also based on out-of the-box ideas, such as a creative take on mundane arrangements of various consumer products, to showing them in a strikingly attractive light. The sports events saw participation of nearly 1,100 outstation members.

However, MIT teams proved their mettle by bagging the first place in football, hockey, squash (women) and tennis (both men and women), to name a few, bringing home the ‘Revels Sports Trophy’. VIT Vellore were the runners-up. Other teams who showed an impressive performance at Revels’15 were NIT-Trichy, KVGC-Sullia, SSN-Kalavakkam.

This edition of Revels was constructed on the foundation of SAHIL (Students Against Her Ignominy and Libel), carrying on the flame lit by MIT Sports Club with a cross-country run, put out the message of students against the restrictions, misogynistic beliefs, and superficial treatment of women.