GUWAHATI, Feb 5 ? The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, celebrated the 7th national-level annual cultural festival, ?Alcheringa 2003?. Alcheringa, meaning ?dream time? is known for its rich variety of events and competitions and is one of its kind in the entire North East region. In the past, Alcheringa witnessed overwhelming participation from colleges all over India especially the North-East and West Bengal. The 7th Alcheringa had sponsorship associations with Coca-Cola, Carrier, Nestle, Samsung, Reliance and Godrej. The fest was held from January 31 to February 2, a release said.
The three-day festival features performances ranging from classical music to rock. ?Saaz?, the classical music show, featured maestros like Pt Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Pt Raajan and Pt Saajan, Mishra. ?Juggernaut?, the rock show, featured the best rock bands in India. For all those who missed out on ?Parikrama? last year, it had the heavy metal kings Brahma and set the stage on fire in Alcheringa 2003. For the western music fans, we had ?Crescendo?, the western music show. In the past, Euphoria and Sandeep Vyas had turned the crowd mad with their music and this time we invited Euphoria again to recreate the magic. There was something to appeal to everyone?s taste.
Alcheringa provided the much needed showcase for the hottest amateur rock bands of North East. In the past, the rock contest ?Rock-O-Phonix? had acted as the launchpad for now famous bands like Simplicity and Moonwinds. For all the dance enthusiasts, ?Electric Heels? was the place to show their talent. ?Chiaroscuro?, the fashion show and contest, opened the window of professional fashion world for the talented amateurs. For the wannabe models, ?Mr & Ms Alcheringa? was the place to be.
And that was not all. We had ?Bollywood Calling?, the skit contest, where, contestants had to make a spoof of any Bollywood movie and the evergreen ?Antakshari?. Other events included ?Kirnaankan?, the photography contest, ?Goldrush?, the treasure hunt, ?Street Act?, the dramatics event, ?Shades?, which was a three-day creative arts event featuring T-Shirt painting, mask making etc. ?Alcher Record Tod?, a game where an individual or college team can set their own records or break someone else?s. The records can stand for years as the vent had been made a regular feature of the festival. For those lighter moments, we had ?Informals?, the informal game show. This was also a three-day event and has proved to be one of the biggest crowd pullers.
The new entrants this year are ?Tarang?, the eastern music contest, ?Grind?, the DJing contest, ?Monopoly?, a take of the board game and ?Alcher Weakest Link?, the Alcheringa version of the famous ?Kamzor Kadi Kaun?. All the events featured the best graphic settings with digital video and audio. Also, with Valentine?s Day at hand, we had ?Random Hearts?, the game show, where contestants could see if they are made for each other.