It was the annual fest of the best-dressed campus in town. National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), in Sector III, held Spectrum 2018, with the theme of alternate reality, and colleges came from near and far to join what was one big party.

Off-stage events like “Task it up” had teams rushing to complete a series of fun activities before others. One round had all of them take off their shoes at a spot, run a distance and come back to put them on. Laughter and chaos ensued.

Another round saw all the males on the campus disappear. The task was for teams to apply lipstick and eyeliner on men. “Please, please, please!” a group of girls begged a male student who had set up a chaat counter. “We’ll eat all your phuchkas!” But the boy would have none of it.

Aritra Sarkar, another youth who was helping an NIFT friend put up a stall, was a rare man who allowed himself to be decked up. “I thought I’d help the teams out,” he smiled through scarlet lips as the teams fumbled to click a selfie with him to show the judges.

Students broke into flash mobs and came together to watch dance contests. Bhawanipur Education Society College won accolades for their dance to a medley of Bollywood songs with a message. Pratik Khatri played Mogambo, a skirt-chaser who finally gets nabbed by a gay man, played by Rounak Verma. “We wanted to portray gender equality, and show that men, women and LGBT all have equal rights and that no one has the right to harass another,” said Rounak.

Students had put up stalls selling cupcakes, stationery and accessories.

Madhurima Mukherjee, a first year student, had put up a tattoo corner. Some visitors longed for tattoos but were afraid their parents might not like it. Jhanvi Priya, another student, had found a way out. “I really love my dad and wanted my first tattoo to be dedicated to him,” she said, shutting her eyes tight as Madhurima prepared to ink a heart beat sign on her wrist with the word “Dad” on it. “It’s a surprise for my dad but I’m sure he won’t scold me now,” winked Jhanvi.

Style quotient

Piyush Kedia and Venkatesh Jaiswal of IIT Kharagpur nailed the quiz. “Our weakest link was the fashion-related questions but over all, I guess we pulled through,” said Piyush.

They fielded posers such as: Who introduced blue jeans? (Levi Strauss) Which actress, when asked what she wore to bed, had said “Channel No. 5 of course”? (Marilyn Monroe) and What kind of jewellery became popular in the hippy movement of the 1960s? (Bead jewellery).

The most awaited act had to be the fashion shows. The Bhawanipur college, for instance, interpreted the “alternate reality” theme by fixing the necktie and breast pocket behind one’s shirt and the Ionic Fashion Academy girls wore long flowy gowns that reminded one of leafy vegetables.

The host college had three entrants. The fashion and lifestyle department showed men with ram horns and girls with snake-like wraparounds with lights blinking on their clothes. The audience gasped collectively as one model took a fall but she recovered and the student emcee, Nandita Banerjee, couldn’t have handled it better. “A round of applause for the team and another one for the model who reminded us that the show must go on!” she smiled.

Another act that was warmly received was the fashion show by women in burkhas and hijabs with layers, sequins, and designs.

“We wanted to show that a woman in hijab can be fashionable too,” said Taqdis Fatma, a student of the clothing production technology department who walked the ramp. “Many of us wear abayas every day but it’s not that we’re forced to do so. It’s a choice and we’re comfortable in it.”

The segment featured seven girls, one boy and even a child. They paraded holding up placards with words like “Peace, love and harmony”.

“There is such camaraderie and brotherhood in the air,” smiled Nift director Col (retd) Subroto Biswas, who had joined the college during Spectrum last year. Harsha Singh, the cultural president of Nift, said the event had been a learning experience for the entire team.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph,Calcutta,India / Home> Calcutta / by Brinda Sarkar / April 20th, 2018