Spectrum, the cultural fiesta by BL Block committee youth wing, hosted a variety of cultural and sporting events over the Kali puja weekend.
The opening ceremony was followed by a talent hunt, divided into three age categories, and events like sit-and-draw, carrom, chess, and rifle shooting the next day. The highlight of Day 2 was the musical evening by guest singers Sriparna Chandra and Rishi Panda.
One of the joint cultural convenors was Ritwika Sarkar, a 19-year-old student of St Xavier’s University, who had passionately organised the events alongside the other cultural convenors, Aranyak Mojumder, Anaranya Majumder, and Ruhani Chakrabarti. “We wait all year for Spectrum. This was my second year as cultural convenor, and despite college and exams, we dedicated ourselves to planning everything,” she said. “The main challenge this year was fewer participants in gaming and chess, as we introduced an entry fee for the first time and didn’t promote the games as much,” she added.
The highlight of the third day was a gaming competition, comprising Need for Speed Most Wanted (2005) and FIFA 18, followed by an arm wrestling competition, divided into under and over 70kg categories. There was also Brain Teaser quiz competition, treasure hunt, and Geet gata chal antakshari.
Kaustav Roy, 25, a veteran participant and now a part of Spectrum’s cultural committee, was excited about the introduction of the arm wrestling event. “We wanted to add a physical challenge beyond computer games. Since many in our community are into sports and fitness, arm wrestling was a great way for them to showcase their strength,” he said.
“The idea of starting the event came from our joint secretary, Syamantak Chandra, and I helped in organising the event,” said Saurish Gupta, a mathematics teacher and resident of Beleghata who has now become a part of BL Block Youth Wing. He was in charge of the arm wrestling competition. “Response was great, with around 25 participants. The above-70kg category was more competitive.” Riddhim Bhunia won the under-70kg category and Saurish himself took home the first prize among the 70kg participants. No girls showed up for this event.
Under gaming, Aranyak Mojumder won the NFS competition for the second time in a row, while Shameek Dey Sannamath, a multiple-time FIFA champion, repeated the feat yet again. “It feels great to win among so many young and enthusiastic participants, though the numbers have declined over the years as many have moved away for studies and jobs,” said Shameek, who was also the joint secretary of Spectrum.
“This year, everything went well, and preparations are underway for our 35th year in 2026, which we plan to celebrate on a grander scale with a 35-foot idol,” said advertisement convenor Kunal Biswas.