After 2 yrs, IIT-Kanpur hosting cultural fest ‘ Antaragni’
LUCKNOW : After two long years of inertia and distress, the muchanticipated cultural festival of IIT Kanpur, ‘Antaragni’ began in offline mode with enthusiasm.
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Awanish Awasthi, additional chief secretary, UP. IIT-K director, Abhay Karandikar said this festival would give people an opportunity to exhibit their talents in fields other than academics.
Chief guest Awanish Awasthi shared memorable stories from his life at IIT-Kanpur and how it shaped him into the person he is now.
As a part of India Inspired, V. Anantha Nageswaran - the chief economic advisor to the Government of India, in his address told the audience about his experiences, having taught in several business schools across India and Singapore and a corporate career spanning over 17 years.
The stage also got to witness a fierce battle of music with Sangam, in which groups from different states came together to commemorate the beauty of our rich traditional tunes.
Kick-starting the dance competitions under Antaragni’s umbrella was “Dance Battle”- a solo dance tussle that saw overwhelming participation with each one putting his or her best foot forward. Some of the most talented dancers of the nation were seen vying for the title, mesmerising the judges with their moves.
In Nrityangana, the classical solo competition, the judges Bijal Haria and D Padmakumar claimed to have been blown away by the high standard of the performances and found it very difficult to choose a winner. In the evening, the performances of Sonroopa Vishal, Azhar Iqbal, Sudeep Bhola and Ekagra Sharma at the Kavi Sammelan became an unexpected success as it was assumed that there won’t be many takers for poetry and ghazals in a youth festival.
The highlight of the day was the first celebrity performance of the fest by India’s leading experimental indie rock band, Delhi Indie Project.
The band gave a powerpacked performance with the crowd’s favourite songs like Rehnuma, Guzaarish and Yeh Dilli Hai Meri.