Date:21/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/21/stories/2007092162140600.htm

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Tamil Nadu

It’s a period of adrenalin rush for students

S. Aishwarya

Much expected ‘Festember 07’ starts with low-profile first-day events

— Photo: R. Ashok

FIRST SHOW: Students performing at the festival in Tiruchi on Thursday.

TIRUCHI: For colleges in the city, and quite a number of others across south India, ‘Festember 07’s start means four days of on-tap fun and unremitting adrenalin rush. Like all other years, the inauguration of ‘Festember 07,’ an inter-collegiate cultural fest organised by National Institute of Technology-Tiruchi, (NIT-T) kicked off with a low-profile start, only to get grander.

The Barn Hall was half-full when the Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, Tiruchi, V. Ramachandran, inaugurated the celebrations. Both Dr. Ramachandran and the Director of NIT-T, M. Chidambaram, went a trip down the memory lane, reminiscing yesteryear-cultural fests of Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai.

There was a resounding cheers from the students’ end when Dr. Ramachandran, in between his lucid narrations, said that watching movies “rejuvenates mind to perform better in academics.” Dr. Chidambaram’s assurance to make the accommodation more comfortable for outstation participants in coming years did receive deserving applause.

Minutes after the official start was wrapped up, the fest gathered steam, if the packed hall was anything to go by. The cultural events, which have been a huge melting pot of varied talents, have multiplied.

Hurrahs and boos

Even at the inaugural event, ‘Tarangini,’ the participants had a tough time captivating the crowd, which was on its toes right from the start. A light music event, it allowed film songs with accompaniments for 15 minutes. While the good performers were ably encouraged by the frenzied crowd, even a slight slip up wasn’t spared from reverberating boos.

The registration counter, meanwhile, was overflowing with representatives from various colleges and the hospitality desk had a tough time regulating the crowd. Myriad of events and scores of crowd are gearing up to make it big this year. Well, the ‘Festember’ has only begun.