On the warm and delightful evening of 26th of August, the organising members and participants of Ethnic Night 2023 extended a sincere welcome to each and every student of our department with immense joy and pleasure to celebrate the intricate tapestry of cultures that our esteemed department wholeheartedly embraces.
The spotlight was on the splendid and varied cultural heritage that the students of our cherished department bring to life. Salutations went out, not only to the familiar faces that have been a part of our journey, but also to the fresh minds of HS23 joining for the first departmental event, marking the beginning of – what hopefully will be – a series of cherished memories.
Immense dedication and ardour was exhibited by the students, performers, organisers, and volunteers, especially the Department Secretary and his council, who had poured their heart and soul into bringing this event to fruition. As addressed by Appukrishnan, the DepSec, in an enthralling speech which enraptured the audience to break into a substantial round of applause, the resistance they faced from the department administration was not a challenge. The anchoring for the evening was done by Yazhini and Neel (yours truly).
The evening was kickstarted with an enchanting solo singing performance by Nadha Rashada. Her soulful melody was followed by Malavika, who graced the stage with her poetry reading and transported the audience to a world of emotions. Following them was a musical collaboration by Tanmay and Deepran, which surely enchanted the audience, who were singing and clapping along with every beat of their performance. Then came Supraja, all set to express her thoughts and emotions through her powerful and thought-provoking slam poetry performance.
The performances took a turn when Yashita, Deekshita, and Samyukta performed the first dance of the evening, showcasing their graceful moves and leaving the audience in awe. Following them came a unique performance of singing and whistle singing by Akash and Tunsen which took the audience’s breath away. The rhythm continued with the dynamic dance duo of Aswitha and Hari who furnished a performance that was the perfect blend of energy and grace.
After them came Kaushik Raja to contribute to the evening with his splendidly composed poetry. Despite being an organising member of Ethnic Night, Kaushik made sure to figure through the hectic schedule and narrate a poem due to the popular demands from many in the audience. Subsequently, Prateeksha serenaded the audience with her melodious voice.
The electrifying performance of HS22 Girls left most in the audience shook. The upbeat music and rhythm made some from the audience get up from their seats and join them on the stage. As the evening unfolded, Aswini from HS21 dazzled the audience with her solo singing performance.
There were a few other beautiful poetry recitations by Harshman and others, which was followed by the performance of Anindya Biswal from the new HS23 batch. Anindya began his performance with a poetry reading, and then a song played on the ukulele, but it was his rendition of “Hey There Delilah” which stole the hearts of the audience. After Anindya, Advaitha from HS22 performed a charming solo dance routine, followed by a dinner break, where students enjoyed pizza and soda.
After dinner, Arya and Samhita graced everyone with their harmonious and riveting voices followed by Deepran with a skillful guitar and singing performance. Then came Keshav with a session of comedy and entertainment and games, which engrossed the audience and made them laugh though the performance. As the end of this captivating evening was nearing, the momentum continued with a thrilling dance performance from the HS21 girls (and Naveen and Keshav). The dance routine prepossessed the audience, which joined the stage and kept the night going until 10:15 with an exciting jamming session.
One can safely say that the remarkable evening spread the magic of art and creativity through the students of our department. The students who have continuously been ignored and devoid of common spaces to enjoy each other’s company found the perfect place to enjoy a night of culture and happiness.
Report by Swapnaneel Dan
Photo by Sapan Kumar Tripathy
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