Students at the Freshers Got t2 Talent competition at the Festival For Freshers at Presidency College. Pictures by Bishwarup Dutta

So what if they are often dismissed as fachchas/bachchas or freshers, they still deserve their very own party! And that is just what the first-year students of Presidency College got with Festival For Freshers, presented by ICON in association with t2 last week.

The day began early with a debate on the motion ‘Commitment In Today’s Society Is A Utopian Dream’. Students from 10 departments participated, with the speakers against the motion, Ahona Sen of sociology and Sounak Thakur of economics, winning first and second place. Ahona impressed with her argument that “commitment is the basis for any relationship” and even if “one isn’t committed to another person, one is committed to oneself and one’s own happiness”. “There are varying degrees of commitment. A party sympathiser or a voter may not be as committed as the person standing for election but that doesn’t mean that there is no commitment,” she argued. Those arguing for the motion cited the prevalence of live-in relationships and rising divorce rates to prove their case.

Up next, the event Freshers Got t2 Talent saw some interesting ideas emerge from students. While a young member of the statistics department entertained with his moves set to Main aisa kyun hoon from Lakshya, the competition also saw a fair bit of recitation and solo vocals. But what really got the audience at Derozio Hall going was the quartet from sociology who danced to Iktara from Wake Up Sid. Dressed casually in red kurtis and jeans, they won the first spot with their pretty moves.

What’s a fresher’s welcome without a Mr and Miss Freshers? So the final competition of the day was t2 Mr and Miss ICON, which had students dance as a couple in the elimination round. Five couples were selected after dancing to recent chartbuster like Raat ke dhai bajey and Prem ki naiiya after which they had to go through a Q&A round. Manjima Das of sociology dealt with a toughie like, “What would you do if the guy you were in love with kept flunking his course?” Aritri Das of economics faced an even bigger wit-teaser: “What would you do if your boyfriend told you he was gay and didn’t want to leave you since he still loved you?” The answer that won the smart lady the Miss Fresher title was: “At least I’d be the only woman in his life!”

After a performance by the college band Crimson Dust, it was time for bands Alienz and Prachir to bring the house down. A rocking end to a great evening.