XAVOTSAV’17 meant three days of music, magic and full-on masti
XAVOTSAV’17 meant three days of music, magic and full-on masti
St. Xavier’s College was the place to be on the weekend of January 21-23 as students queued up for the much-awaited Xavotsav’17, held in association with t2onSunday. Music, literature, sports, theatre and much more had college students from across the city vying for the top spots during the day, while special music acts saw them letting their hair down in the evening.
TT Bureau
Published 15.02.17, 12:00 AM
Agnee, which perfomed on the second evening of the fest, got the swelling crowd screaming, jumping and jiving to their brand of Sufi rock. From the Roadies anthem Manmaani to I Believe, the Pune-based band had the audience singing along to almost every number. The highlight was their rendition of the popular Aahatein. The college grounds lit up as everyone raised their flashlights and sang in chorus to the MTV Splitsvilla theme song.
St. Xavier’s College was the place to be on the weekend of January 21-23 as students queued up for the much-awaited Xavotsav’17, held in association with t2onSunday. Music, literature, sports, theatre and much more had college students from across the city vying for the top spots during the day, while special music acts saw them letting their hair down in the evening.
“Xavotsav is the No. 1 college fest in Calcutta and every January, all Xaverians look forward to these three days. The ambience is electric and the massive crowds show how popular this fest is. Agnee made everything perfect. I love their Aahatein,” said Abhilasha Jha (far left), a second-year BCom student at St. Xavier’s College, seen with friend Sushma Lohar from Asutosh College.
“Being in a college like St. Xavier’s comes with its advantages. The best part of Xavotsav? The lights and the music! The Xavotsav experience makes college life at St. Xavier’s complete. And I loved Agnee!” said Irene Choudhury, a third-year student of political science at St. Xavier’s College (far left), who was there with twin sister Sabreen.
Neel and the Lightbulbs got the crowd grooving on Day 2 with their eight-song setlist which included tracks such as Rewind and Big Mistake. “You guys are the people I wanted to be. So make sure you have an awesome time while you are here, because you are in a great college!” was Neel’s message to Xaverians.
CHAMPIONS
Srijan Bag, the general secretary of St. Xavier’s College Students’ Council, and assistant general secretary Jyoti Bihani — with Father Dominic Savio, rector, St. Xavier’s — lift the winners’ trophy at Xavotsav’17, which they then as hosts handed over to the runner-up, The Bhawanipur Education Society College. “Xavotsav’17 was a life-changing experience. When we organise such a big festival and see the happiness on people’s faces, the happiness and relief is unparalleled,” said Srijan.
DANCING FEET
J.D. Birla Institute wowed in Discotheque (Bollywood group dance) to the beats of Yaar na mile, Laila, Kuch kuch hota hai and Malhari. The Bhawanipur Education Society College came out tops.
Xaverians, led by Raghav Nevatia (right), dared to be different as they portrayed the story of the Ramayana through dance in Dance Of Life (western group dance). “Every year we try to come up with an offbeat theme. We wanted to show them something they haven’t seen from a dance crew,” said Raghav, third-year, BCom (morning). Winner: The St. Xavier’s College team led by Ralph Mao.
CREATIVE STROKES
Junkyard, the junk art competition, asked participants to ‘Explore Your Own World’ with newspaper, paper plates and cups. First-year BEd students Ananya Chattopadhyay (left) and Tapasree Gupta made a full-scale model of a specially-abled person crossing a bridge, signifying the will of human beings to overcome obstacles in life. They won the first prize.
Snowflake on the left cheek and a fire-breathing dragon on the right was the design that won second-year University of Engineering and Management students of civil engineering, Souptik Chakroborty and Angela Baidya, the second prize for Eyes Wide Shut, the face painting competition. The theme was Fire and Ice and the winner was Asutosh College.
First-year students Sagarika Das and Bijetri Pathak of Jadavpur University bagged the first prize for their portrayal of (in picture) a guardian angel in Tattoo Art. The theme was Wonderland.
Swapnanil Seal from MCKV Institute of Engineering got busy styling Torsha Chatterjee’s hair for Eyecatchers (the hair-styling event).
Winner: The Bhawanipur Education Society College.
Enchanted was the topic for Holi Hai, the rangoli event. While most colleges went for traditional patterns and designs, first-year student of architecture Jyoti Sarkar and economics student Riddhi Mahaldar, both from JU, used bright colours and flower petals for a landscape that won the first prize.
Kasturi Chatterjee and Paushali Bhattacharjee from South Calcutta Girls’ College grabbed eyeballs with their design God is Magic, for Rang De, the mehndi competition, which had Stardust as the theme.
Winner: St. Xavier’s College
Nail art is always a popular event at Xavotsav and this year was no different. Maitri Chatterjee and Papri Bhattacharya, second-year students of English at Bethune College, conjured up treasure chests, eyes and Illuminati symbols for the theme Secrets and Sparkles. They won the first prize.
“You start getting the vibes as soon as you enter the college grounds. The energy is contagious. This is our last Xavotsav and we will miss these three days of music and dance,” said Sohela Dutta, a third-year student of mass communication at St. Xavier’s College, who came with friend Saptarshi Mondal.
RAMP RAGE
LET’S PLAY
STAGING IT RIGHT
Jantar Mantar Jaadu Mantar was the name for the stage event, in which colleges put up 10-minute acts on the theme ‘Magic is in the eye of the beholder’. The Heritage College (above) put up a powerful performance on patriarchy, objectification and empowerment of women through mannequins, which won them the first prize. The Bhawanipur Education Society College and St. Xavier’s College came second and third, respectively.
FIRST COUPLE
Roshni Bhattacharya, a third-year student of mass communication at St. Xavier’s College, was crowned Ms Xavotsav, while Karan Sircar, a first-year student of mass communication at Amity University, was Mr Xavotsav. “I felt ecstatic when I won because I really wanted to beat Xavier’s!” admitted Karan.
P.C. Chandra Goldlites Diva 2017, in association with t2, is back. Xavotsav was the first registration stop, which saw 80 entries over three days.
Text: Sulogna Ghosh and Debroop Basu
Pictures: Chanchal Ghosh, Pabitra Das and B. Halder
