Pictures by Uttam Kumar Pal
Rourkela: Nitrutsav-2018, the annual festival of the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, has begun on the institute campus to celebrate the arrival of spring.
"The three-day festival is the most awaited event for the NITians and the participants," said student convener of the event Samyak Das.
The event has many activities. Apart from the academic activities such as debate, essay completion and creative writing, it has rock performances by the institute band. "There will be a performance by singer Papon on the concluding day," Das said.
Motivational speaker K. Benny Prasad inaugurated the festival on Friday evening.
Prasad said: "Such events help students face tough academic challenges of an institute and find their inner qualities."
Director of the institute Animesh Biswas appreciated the efforts of the students. "The event has given them an opportunity to develop managerial and leadership qualities," he said.
Kathak danseuse Malabika Mitra performed on the first evening of the event. She performed solo as well as recitals with her troupe. A crowd of more than 400 students watched the two-hour performance. "I love Indian classical dance and Odissi. Kathak is my favourite dance form and Mitra was simply outstanding," said Prakash Tiwari, a student of the institute.
Students also organised a fashion show, which was held at the Padmashree Dilip Tirky Stadium, located on the institute campus.
BAND NIT, a rock band of the institute, came up with a two-hour performance. Its lead singer Amruta Vashini, a student, belongs to the institute. The performance started from 9pm and continued till 11pm. The event had jam-packed audience, which consisted of students from the NIT and other institutes. "We have a good professional band," said Satish Verma a student.
According to an official press release, about 1,200 participants from various IITs, NITs and other technical institutes are expected to register for the event.