MUSIC & MASTI: If you ever had any doubts that doctors are total party animals under those staid white coats, you had to be there at Lobelia 2016, the annual fest of R.G. Kar Medical College, held from June 21 in association with The Telegraph-YOU.
Nikhil’s playlist
• Mere bina
• Har kisi ko nahin milta
• O gujariya
• Alvida
• Sang hoon tere
• Lip to lip
• Fix You
• Sham
• You’re Beautiful
• Stop Staring
With a long list of onstage and off-stage competitions, the four fest days were totally action-packed. And on the evening of Day 3, the campus was smitten by singer-songwriter Nikhil D’souza (picture top), who sang English and Hindi numbers. The fest ended with Pune-based rock band Agnee (picture above) taking the stage by storm. They were welcomed with deafening hoots and cheers. While some sang along, others went click-click. “This is the 26th year we’re hosting Lobelia. We have introduced a lot of new events. Lobelia is a doctor-cum-youth festival,” said Arijit Banerjee, convener, Lobelia carnival committee.
Agnee’s playlist
• Aahatein
• Bhoy dekhash na
• Yaariyan
• Sadho re
• Kabira jab paida hue
ONSTAGE: The would-be doctors and their guests nailed it in events like Decibel (the singing competition, which saw everything from folk to rap), Verve (fashion show) and Follow the Beat (dance competition). Other popular events were Punch Line (stand-up comedy), Battle of the Bands and X-Factor (talent hunt). When the contestants were not busy scorching the stage, they lit up the auditorium with their heady cheers and hoots for their friends.
Fusion Beats, a group from RGKMC, performed a variety of Indian folk dances for the group dance section of Follow the Beat, the dance competition.
Winners: Indian Institute of Science and Technology (IIST) in the solo category, and Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, in group.
The second runner-up in Battle of the Bands, D’errohs, impressed the audience within minutes of taking the stage.
Winner: Pathetic Delusion
Verve, the fashion show, didn’t have a theme but the participants chose themes for themselves. Deeksha Barman (left), a second-year student of Calcutta Medical College, owned the stage in her green sari, depicting the ‘fourth chakra of life’.
Winner: RGKMC
Soumik Ghosh, a final-year student of RGKMC, wowed with his spectacular Kathakali performance to the song Dreamum wakeupum.
FLOWER POWER: The four days are spent in a state of euphoria similar to what “lobeline” from the lobelia flower (picture right) is supposed to induce. Thus, the name of the fest.
OFF-STAGE: From splashing it on a tee to a pop culture quiz, Lobelia had all bases covered in its off-stage roster as well. One of the most-awaited events was Avada Morghulis, a Harry Potter and Game of Thrones-themed quiz, conducted by Abhisek Sen, a final-year student of RGKMC. There was also Treasure from Trash (which called for creating things out of waste material), Mehendi Clash (a mehndi design competition), and Ba-War-chi or non-fire cooking. Splash-It — the T-shirt painting competition, which had socially relevant themes like ‘anti-tobacco’ — was a huge hit.
QUIZ TIME
• Name the orphanage where Tom Riddle lived as a child?
Ans: Wool’s Orphanage
• Which wizard created the first horcrux?
Ans: Harpo the Foul
• What is Vernon Dursley’s exact occupation?
Ans: Drill salesman at Grunnings
• Who was the Arithmancy professor at Hogwarts?
Ans: Professor Septima Vector
• Who made Viktor Krum’s wand?
Ans: Gregorovitch
• “In my dreams I kill him every day” — Who is ‘him’?
Ans: Rhaegar Targaryen
• Who created the first white walker?
Ans: Children of the Forest
• What were Tywin’s last words?
Ans: “You are no son of mine.”
• What is the gate that leads to the Eyrie?
Ans: The Bloody Gate.
DECK IT UP: The well-designed decor added to the carnival feel. The symbol of the Pegasus (in picture, left) signifies energy and vitality, indicating the mood of the students. In keeping with the theme — ‘Under the sea’ — students did up their campus with fish motifs and used blue tissue to make waves. To add a quirky touch, they reused old cola and phenyl bottles and made Minions out of them (in picture far left, below)! #SuperCute
Text: Megha Mukherjee
Pictures: Chanchal Ghosh, Koushik Saha and B. Halder
