Alcheringa (festival)
Alcheringa, IIT Guwahati | |
---|---|
Genre | Cultural festival |
Venue | Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati |
Location(s) | Guwahati, India |
Inaugurated | 1996 |
Attendance | More than 70000 (in 2015) |
Organised by | Student-Run, Non-Profit Organisation |
Website | |
http://www.alcheringa.in |
Alcheringa, popularly known as "Alcher", is the annual cultural festival of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati. It was started in 1996 by a group of students of IIT Guwahati. Since then, it has gone on to become one of the biggest college level cultural events in Asia. Alcheringa is conducted towards the end of January every year. Spread over 3 days and 4 nights, it attracts people from all over the world with its spectacular events and competitions. The 2015 edition, held from 29th January to 1st Feb, witnessedmore than 70 events. Students from about 350 colleges from all over the country participated and an attendance of more than 70,000 people was estimated.[1]
The four night cultural extravaganza also features many shows and performances by artists from all over the world. It also boasts of one of India’s best rock music contests: Rock-o-Phonix among other popular competitions.
History
Alcheringa, derives its etymology from an Australian aboriginal mythology and translates to “The Eternal Dreamtime”. It was started back in 1996 and has grown bigger and better every year since. 'Alcheringa: Magnum Opus' (2015) was the nineteenth edition of the cultural festival.
Year | Theme | Headlining Performances |
---|---|---|
2002 | In 2002, Parikrama[2][3] performed at Juggernaut, the Rock night, and Grammy award winner Pt.Vishwa Mohan Bhatt[4][5] performed at Saaz, the classical night. | |
2003 | In 2003, Alcheringa saw a performance by the rock band Euphoria[6][7] and the renowned santoor player Pt.Tarun Bhattacharya as the main attractions. | |
2004 | Indian Ocean, Vayu, a classic rock band and Mito, an Indo-German fusion band | |
2005 | Yin and Yang | Crescendo featured K.K. Juggernaut featured Mother Jane and Saaz had Pt. Bhajan Sapori & Pt. Sukhmoya Banerjee. |
2006 | Navras |
In 2006 Alcheringa hosted its first international act: the Pakistani pop rock band Strings.[8][9] |
2007 | Khalbali | Alcheringa hosted Remo Fernandes and Raghu Dixit |
2008 | Revel in Retro | Indi-pop singer Shaan performed at Crescendo. Juggernaut had rock band Pin Drop Violence. |
2009 | Around the World in 3 Days | Example |
2010 | Xtreme | the Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie[10][11] gave the first performance from outside the subcontinent. |
2011 | Light, Camera, Action | Maestros Vinayak Chittar, Arnab Chakrabarty and Aditya Kalyanpur performed at Saaz and RDB performed at Blitzkrieg |
2012 | Urban Odyssey | Israeli progressive folk metal band Orphaned Land[12][13][14] performed at Alcheringa. Along with that, Saaz featured the first ever Indian performance of Anoushka Shankar,[15][16][17][18][19] the world-renowned sitar player. In 2013, the Irish rock band Frantic Jack[20][21] performed at the festival. |
2013 | Parallel Paradise | Blitzkrieg featured Sunburn Campus Live and Juggernaut had Irish rock band Frantic Jack. |
2014 | Atlantis | Alcheringa went a notch higher, with a landmark performance by the legend Michael Angelo Batio[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] – the fastest guitar shredder in the world, the Bollywood singer Shilpa Rao,[30][31][32] and the Mexican trio- The Villalobos Brothers.[33][34][35] The surprise night i.e. Blitzkrieg featured Undying Inc, aboard the Red Bull Tour Bus,[36][37][38] on the last stop of its national tour. |
2015 | Magnum Opus | Juggernaut featured Australian symphonic death metal band Ne Obliviscaris. Saaz featured Ustaad Shujaat Khan. Crescendo had Lucky Ali and Blitzkrieg had Sunburn Campus. K-Pop boyband N-Sonic also performed. |
Events
Pronites
Alcheringa features 4 enthralling pronites that encompass every genre and set the stage on fire every night of the event. The Pronites and Pro-shows have something for everyone and are categorized in 4 types:
- The classical night: Saaz
- The rock night: Juggernaut
- The Bollywood night: Crescendo
- The surprise night: Biltzkrieg.
Some of the famous Bollywood artists who have earlier performed in Alcheringa are Lucky Ali, Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, K.K, Mohit Chauhan, Shilpa Rao, Javed Ali, Anoushka Shankar, Vir Das, Kalki Koechlin.
Alcheringa has also seen many awe inspiring performances from foreign artists. In 2015, Australian progressive metal band Ne Obliviscaris and Korean pop band N-Sonic performed as a part of the Alcheringa World Carnival.
Competitions
The competitions held during Alcheringa are a platform for students hailing from colleges all over India to showcase their talent and win exciting prizes. The competitions are divided among modules and each module is concerned with a certain genre of art:
Dance
The dance module comprises Electric Heels, the prestigious group dance competition, Step-Up, a knock-out style street dance battle, So You Think You Can Dance?, a solo non-classical event, Navras, a solo classical dance competition and Nach Baliye, the couple dance event.
Tarang(Music)
The Music Module comprises Voice of Alcheringa, a solo singing competition, also one of the most sought after events at Alcheringa, Raga High, Indian music competition between bands and Unplugged, a Country Music competition without electrical amplification.
Performing arts
Under this module the various events include Theatrix, a stage drama competition, a street play competition Halla Bol, a stand-upcomedy event Why So Serious? and mime competition Mute.
Fine arts
Events under this section of competitions include an on the spot collage making competition called The Big Picture, a sketching competition called Stroke of Genius, a T-shirt designing competition called Ink The Tee and a comic strip designing competition Comic Con.
Sports
The sports module comprises 5 on 5 Football, 3 vs 3 Basketball and Arm Wrestling competitions.
Class Apart
This section includes: • Rock-o-Phonix, a rock band competition which sees nationwide participation and is one of the biggest rock band completions in all of India. Winners of Rock-o-Phonix include Dark Carnage in 2012, The Urban Early Men in 2013 and UDX in 2014 and Reverse Tragedy in 2015. • Mr. and Mrs. Alcheringa, a contest that tests the participant's spontaneity, presentation, showmanship, charm and public speaking skills. • Haute Couture, a fashion-based team event. The team has to put up a complete fashion show within a certain curtain-to-curtain time limit. • Crossfade, a DJ-ing competition to spot emerging talents in the world of EDM. • Roadiez, based on the hit reality TV show MTV Roadies, the event tests the guts and patience of participants, by providing them with a series of challenging tasks. The finalists are then tested for their personality and appeal in front of a huge audience, cheering and jeering in equal measure. Roadiez has the honour of having judges like Anamika Dutta and Kiri who have been participants in the earlier editions of MTV Roadies
Digital Arts
A module including events to test the artistic talents using digital media. The events under this module are: • Custom Brush: a competition that urges participants to create works of art using the cursor. • Director’s Cut: a short film making competition • Minimal Poster: a minimal poster designing competition. • Snapthrillz: an online photography competition and a doodling competition Doodle Pad.
Alfaaz
The literary module of Alcheringa, Alfaazcontains the following events- Just a Minute, an extempore event wherein the participants' fluency in spoken English is put to test. Zephyr, an online creative writing competition which includes poetry and short-fiction writing competitions. Shipwreck, a competition that tests your convincing skills. QuizFest is a quizzing competition consisting of several theme based quizzes. Prominent quizmasters, such as Aryapriya Ganguly, Vijay Menon, Arnav Sinha, Chandrakant Nair and JN Ramanand, have presided over the event. Muse, a one-of-its-kind competition that puts to test the creativity, speaking skills and uniqueness of the participants.
Model United Nations, IIT Guwahati.
In 2014, IIT Guwahati organised its first Model United Nations, the first such conference in the state. The first version of the conference simulated The Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC) with the agenda "Responsibility to Protect."[39]
Informals
Informals are basically a set of informal and spontaneous events. The Informal events in Alcheringa include Crush, Blind Date, Eatopia, Bollywood Bug and Hai Dum on the informal stage. Online informal events consists of Entertainment Quiz, Alcher Feelings and Photo Con. A separate LAN Gaming event was also hosted in Alcheringa 2014.
World Carnival
World Carnival is a section of Alcheringa designed to promote cultures across the world in India. Alcheringa has a history of having artists from various nations as in Michael Angelo Batio and The Fastest Feet in Rhythm from the US, Rizumik from Portugal, the Villalobos Brothers from Mexico, Ciorras from Ireland, Ish Theatre from Ireland, Giuliano Modarelli from Italy and Eluveitie from Switzerland. The latest additions to this sparkling list were the Australian progressive metal band Ne Obliviscaris and Korean pop band N-Sonic thatperformed in 2015.
Udaan
Udaan is a social initiative by Alcheringa wherein the students of IIT Guwahati visit underprivileged children in various corners of India and light up a spark of hope within their innocent hearts. For the past three years since its inception in 2011, students of IIT Guwahati have reached out to various under-privileged children in villages, orphanages, slums, special care homes etc.[40]
Muse
Muse IITG is an initiative by Alcheringa which provides the contestant with a platform to showcase his or her creativity and uniqueness. In Alcheringa-Magnum Opus, Muse IITG drew a participation of over 4000 students across 7 cities. There is no age limit and thus Muse IITG brings participation of school kids in Alcheringa. It is conducted in three phases, in the first phase the participants are given a 3-page form for a nominal fee. The form tests perceptibility, originality and vision. The shortlisted participants from the first phase move on to the second phase where they are invited to IIT Guwahati to face a series of challenges which test the participants’ eloquence, persuasiveness and passion. During the third and final level the participants experience a plethora of interactive sessions with an esteemed panel of artists. These sessions are aimed at shaping the brilliant minds of the participants’ to help them realize their tremendous potential as an artist.
References
- ↑ Article, The Hindu (3 February 2014). "Alcheringa 2014 draws huge participation of cultural enthusiasts". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Telegraph (25 January 2004). "Reference for Parikrama". The Telegraph.
- ↑ Article, The Assam Tribune (11 January 2010). "reference for parikrama". The Assam Tribune. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Telegraph (25 January 2004). "reference for vishwa mohan bhatt". The Telegraph.
- ↑ Article, The Assam Tribune (11 January 2010). "reference for Vishwa Mohan Bhatt". The Assam Tribune. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Telegraph (25 January 2004). "reference for euphoria". The Telegraph.
- ↑ Article, The Assam Tribune (11 January 2010). "reference for Euphoria". The Assam tribune. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Assam Tribune (11 January 2010). "reference for Strings". The Assam tribune. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ video, Youtube. "reference for Strings". You Tube. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, NH7. "Eluveitie For IIT Guwahati's Alcheringa". nh7.in. Indiecision Staff. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Video, IBN Live. "Brictom by Eluveitie @Alcheringa 2010 IITG". IBN Live. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, Metal India. "Orphaned Land to perform at IIT Guwahati's Alcheringa 2012". metalindiamagazine.com. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Times of India (6 February 2012). "Orphaned Land rocks IIT-Guwahati". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, NH 7. "Anoushka Shankar, Others to Play IIT Guwahati's Alcheringa 2012". nh7.in. Indiecision Staff. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, NH 7. "Anoushka Shankar, Others to Play IIT Guwahati's Alcheringa 2012". nh7.in. Indiecision Staff. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Times of India (24 January 2012). "Anoushka Shankar to perform at IIT-G fest". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Saaz Archive, Whats The Scene. "Anoushka Shankar at Saaz, Alcheringa 2012, IIT Guwahati". whatsthescene.com. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, India.com. "Anoushka Shankar Wright Fest Alcheringa". india.com. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, Indian Music Revolution. "Anoushka Shankar To Perform at IIT-Guwahati Festival(2012)". indianmusicrevolution.com. Pravin. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, Offaly Express (12 February 2013). "Offaly band 'Frantic Jack' rock India". Offaly Express. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, weebly.com. "Frantic Jack Soar to new Heights". weebly.com. Jennifer Ormsby. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Times of India (29 January 2014). "IIT-Guwahati readies for annual festival". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, Whats The Scene. "Michael Angelo Batio live at Alcheringa, IIT Guwahati". whatsthescene.com. Nisith Bharali. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Score Magazine. "On the fourth night of @alcheringaiitg, shredder Michael Angelo Batio will be live on 'Juggernaut'". skore.in. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The North East Times (28 January 2014). "Guitar wizard Michael Angelo Batio to perform at IIT's Alcheringa" (PDF). The North East Times. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, University Express (26 January 2014). "Alcheringa, The Annual Cultural Festival, IIT Guwahati". University Express. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, NME. "Michael Angelo Batio to usher in a shredfest at IIT Guwahati's Alcheringa". nme.in. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, Indian Music Mug. "Michael Angelo Batio blazes through Alcheringa 2014". indianmusicmug.com. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Video, You Tube. "Alcheringa Atlantis 2014 – Michael Angelo Batio [Double-Guitar] [LIVE @ IIT Guwahati]". youtube.com. Vishal Anand. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Score Magazine. "Crescendo' on 1st Feb at @alcheringaiitg with the sensational @shilparao11". skore.in. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The North East Times (27 January 2014). "Guitar wizard Michael Angelo Batio to perform at IIT's Alcheringa" (PDF). The North East times. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Times of India (3 February 2014). "Reference for Shilpa Rao". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, North East Calling. "Villalobos Brothers arrive at Guwahati to perform at Alcheringa 2014". necalling.com. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Official Website, Villalobos Brothers. "Alcheringa 2014 Festival". villalobosbrothers.com. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, University Express (26 January 2014). "Alcheringa, The Annual Cultural Festival, IIT Guwahati". University Express. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Hindu (3 February 2014). "Alcheringa 2014 draws huge participation of cultural enthusiasts". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Score Magazine. "The #RedBullTourBus goes to IIT Guwahati later this month. Catch @UndyingInc at @alcheringaiitg on 31 Jan.". skore.in. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, University Express (26 January 2014). "Alcheringa, The Annual Cultural Festival, IIT Guwahati". University Express. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Times of India (3 February 2014). "Model United Nations at IIT-G fest". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- ↑ Article, The Times of India (23 January 2012). "IITians mentor needy kids". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
External links
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