Cultural E-fest at IIM Bangalore: Aarambh 2020
Bengaluru: The students of IIM Bangalore set a precedent by hosting an entire cultural evening, virtually.
Aarambh’20 was the first cultural event, jointly organized by the students of the 47th batch of the two-year Postgraduate and the very first batch of the Business Analytics MBA at IIM Bangalore.
As a tradition, the commencing batch of PGP students at IIMB is given an opportunity to organize the first cultural event of the academic year, Aarambh. This helps them, connect better with their peers, seniors and the school. COVID-19 did not dampen the students’ spirits. They took it all in their stride to put up an excellent show for their audience comprising faculty, students and administrative staff. Prof. Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director, IIMB, Prof. Padmini Srinivasan, Chair, PGP, Col. S D Aravendan (Retd.), CAO, IIMB, and Komala Devi, AO, Student Affairs & Hostel, addressed the students at the start of the event. “Outstanding talent and very professionally put together show, using the digital medium,” said Prof. Rishikesha Krishnan, after the event.
The event had a contemporary theme: E-mbrace and E-volve. There was music, dance, drama, art and fashion – online . The programme started with an e-lighting of the lamp followed by a melodious ‘Ganesh Vandana’. In accordance with IIM Bangalore’s culture of inclusion and diversity, welcome messages were expressed by students from various states in their native languages. This was followed by a dance sequence titled, ‘Zoom Barabar Zoom’. Most performances were collaborative, pre-recorded acts to ensure smooth delivery over the internet. Students beat all expectations while presenting an e-street play! A witty and humorous script kept the audiences glued to their screens. In line with the trend of online challenges, artists from the batch showcased their brilliant artwork by means of a ‘Paintbrush Challenge’. Simulating the offline event brilliantly, a live-musical performance was also organized during the show. Showing support for the commencing class, students from the PGP 2019-21 batch also presented an energetic dance performance. The show culminated with a vote of thanks from the student organisers and an address by the PGP Chair.
The commencing class of PGP and PGPBA has made an incredible start to their journey at IIM Bangalore and had a ‘Shubh Aarambh’ indeed.