CHENNAI: The inter-school cultural festival of Bala Vidya Mandir, Kalanjali Ventures 2011 began Friday, and was nothing short of the true theme of Kalanjali, synonymous with the celebration of the arts. With a zesty mix of explosive choreography, mish-mash music, quiz shows and a variety of entertainment, the event turned the spotlight on gung-ho teenagers all set to showcase their talent.Throw in 50 schools, 27 events and stiff competition, and you have the recipe for a nail-biting battle for victory.There was no denying the competitive spirit in the setting that was marked by a flurry of activity, occasionally punctuated with nervous laughter echoing in the hallways. Add a gigantic Zoo-Zoo welcoming you at the entrance, some starryeyed youngsters sporting exclamatory marks, a few tongue-tied moments and impromptu jam sessions, and you've got some framed memories. Yes, Kalanjali lived up to its reputation, yet again.The cultural festival, well into its 17th year, was inaugurated by renowned theater personality ‘Crazy’ Mohan and the famous playback singer Krishh presided over the event as the Guest of Honor. In addition, eminent personalities from diverse fields like RJ Dheena, RJ Suresh, Aalap Raju, AV Ramanan, Uma Murali, painter Rama Suresh, dancer Jon Britto and Dr Naveen Jayakumar turned up to judge some of the events.Day one began with the prelims for most rapid-fire events, including JAM, Shipwreck, Block and Tackle, Young Advocates, Adzap, Voice Over, Dumb charades and quiz shows, as well as individual events such as creative writing and face painting.While day two comprised of the finals for all events, including the musical extravaganza of light music, western instrumental and of course, the fiery dance shows. Also on the list were offstage events such as poster making, cartooning and T-shirt designing where the creatively gifted had a field day.Kalanjali Ventures also saw a new addition to the list of events this year, a first of its kind, called ‘Robotics.’ DAV Boys Sr Secondary School, Mogappair won the All Terrain Challenge for this event after the ingenious students, K Rakesh Sundar, NM Vignesh, Patrick Gerard, Sujeeth and Dhruv Mishra proved their flair for engineering.Coming to the most crucial event of the festival, ‘Ultimate Venture’ that drew battle lines between contestants from six city schools, the versatile K Siddhanth of PSBB, KK Nagar, who also floored the judges with his acting skills and wit, walked away with an Apple iPad.Ultimately, Vidya Mandir, Mylapore, landed in first place, while PS Senior Secondary School emerged runner-up.For Classes 11 and 12 students of BVM who reveled in the grand success of the event, working doggedly all summer to find sponsors, design posters, banners, trophies and frame the rules of the game was worth the mighty effort. The event concluded with the valedictory function on Saturday.
Comments
0 comment