OFFLINE VERSUS ONLINE FRESHERS KA MAHAYUDH
Freshers’ take on the pros and cons of online and offline freshers’ parties
At the offline party, seeing your batchmates in person is ecstatic. PRIYANKA SINGHAL, Hansraj College student
While millennials and Gen Z were busy picking sides over what makes for a better #romanticbingewatch — Kdrama or SRK film re-runs — a new mahayudh on online vs offline freshers’ parties has stirred on campus! As outstation students root for online freshers, those in the city are all up for offline freshers’ parties.
Some students of Hansraj College recently organised an offline freshers’ party, unofficially. Priyanka Singhal, who was declared Ms Freshers, opines, “At the offline party, there was more interaction, and seeing your batchmates in person is ecstatic. While online freshers ensured that we sit in the comfort of our homes and connect with outstation batchmates, it lacked physical interaction. Living the experience means more than seeing it!”
For outstation students or Delhi-based students, whose parents wouldn’t allow breaking Covid-19 curfew rules, it’s a case of something is better than nothing. Mansha Khanna, a student of Hansraj College, who recently attended her department’s online freshers’ party, says, “Attending a freshers’ party right in the morning, in jammies and unkempt hair was never my dream. But keeping in mind students’ safety, online parties are the way to go. Also, an online affair means we don’t have to pay anything and introverts will not feel pressurised to socialise.”
But not everyone feels the same. Gargi Choudhary, a Daulat Ram College (DRC) student, says, “Without any preparations, I won the ‘Best Dressed’ title at the college’s unofficial freshers’ party. Our seniors arranged quite a few activities for us, including the famous ramp walk! The party wouldn’t have been a party if it was held online, as then you will miss the real fun.”
Harshita Chaudhary, also from DRC, was titled Dancing Queen. She says, “I was beyond excited! The seniors were warm to all of us, and we partied and enjoyed. Being in the same college, getting to know each other is necessary.”
But, did the pandemic stress out party funks? “Not at all! Everything and everyone was sanitised, all safety precautions were taken. The seniors made sure that everyone felt comfortable and enthusiastic,” adds Choudhary.
An online party isn’t a party, as you miss the real fun. GARGI CHOUDHARY, Daulat Ram College student