National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Patna's three-day inter-centre sports, cultural and literary meet, Converge 2015, got underway at the Mithapur campus on Wednesday.

Over 750 participants from 14 NIFT centres, including Hyderabad, Raibareli, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Kanpur, Mumbai, Gandhinagar, Kolkata, Kangra, Bhopal, Shillong, Jodhpur and Patna will participate in 60 events for 152 gold and 152 silver medals, 200 bronze medals and a champion's trophy.

The sports events include basketball, kho-kho, kabaddi, carrom, chess, table tennis, volleyball, throw ball, badminton, relay race, high jump, discus throw, javelin throw, long jump, shot put and sprints (100m, 200m, 300m, 400m and 1500m). The literary events include Sudoku, quiz, crossword, oratorical, debate and Ad mad, while cultural events include song and dance competitions, battle of bands, photography, and Mr and Mrs Converge.

NIFT-Patna director Sanjay Srivastava said: "We decided to organise the event to give the students a better experience of the state. The sports events are being organised at Patliputra Sports Complex and the cultural and literary ones inside the Mithapur campus. We are really glad and feel privileged to host an event of such a stature."

Apoorv, a student of NIFT-New Delhi, said: "These kind of events help us interact with students and brush up on our qualities. I am enjoying my stay on the Patna campus."

Kumar Vikas, an assistant professor with NIFT-Patna, said: "The main attraction of this year is the crossword competition. Photography and street plays are among the other major events."

Ritika Ranjan, a student of NIFT-Patna, said: "It really feels good to host such an event. We have tried our level best to accommodate the students and make them feel comfortable. The students have left no stone unturned to make this event successful."