India over the ages

The theme for the biggest event in Rolla this year - India over the ages. Diwali is celebrated in UMR with pomp and gaiety, with a mammoth effort put forth by the biggest organization on campus - India Association. Every year, it is a revelation to see people take part in large numbers, and it just keeps getting better every year. People hailed this as the best Diwali celebrations ever at UMR. The audience lapped up every programme in glee, and what with a wide variety of cultural extravaganza, it was truly a cultural treat.

The programme started with the origin of Diwali, depicting the gest of Ramayana, transcending to the present day celebrations of Diwali. This was followed by various dance programmes, interspersed with short presentations portraying India over the ages, from the Ancient India to India Today. The dances broke the myth of conventional hip movements and shakes with innovative steps choreographed by passionate individuals.


The 1950s was a period of classical elan and ease, where cinematic glory was all about simple music with profound meaning. Raj Kapoor is a popular figure in Indian cinema, and his movies evoked a passion and aura that was soothing and simple. The comedy drama found much delight with the audience when emulated on the UMR stage. The early 1980s witnessed the cinematic legend Amitabh Bachchan light up Indian cinema with his angry young man image that found immense popularity with the Indian people. This dance was replicated by enthusiastic participants of UMR lighting up the stage with wonderful dance steps.


Fashion show is a delight in any part of the world, and to display the wonderful costumes of India is certainly a consuming aspect of stage performance. This is because India is culturally diverse, and to display every costume can be totally consummating. But, it was a wonderful experience to see the team come up with an astonishingly wide range of costumes fill up the grandeur on stage.


The Musical performance group did a wonderful job in recomposing the National song Vande Mataram in accord to the original spirit of the musical. The hype of Modern India encompassing the loose western steps was checked out in Miner Boyzz' Tollywood performance of some fast musical, followed by some fast foot tapping steps from the Footloose dance. There was so much life and flexibility on screen that mesmerized the audience.


The All India dance had the main elements of Indian dance integrated in a composite structure - South Indian Diya dance, Dandia, Garbha, Bihu, Bhangra and Qawwali. All of them found their way in a single dance which was stitched in a nice sequence. There was so much colour and vibrance all around that it seemed as if all the colours of life had joined in at a single place at the same time. It was an enthralling experience.


The final call was the Grand Finale, and the patriotic fervour associated with the song charged up the audience. Three songs formed the composition and Vande Mataram reverberated the stands from Rahman's high quality vocal chords putting any fear of monotony(if any) into the backburner. This song has the capability to wake anyone out of their blues, and the only fear when somebody tries to bring this song to life is how anyone can choreograph the steps for this song. But, all this was laid to rest as the choreography for this song was top class with some fantastic formations. It was imagination at its best. A perfect end to a perfect event.


Cooking for 1200 people can be no joke and the cooking team laid out a rich plate of delicacies truly unimaginable. Let's get to the menu


Vegetarian

• Chole
• Capsicum Masala
• Vegetable Biriyani
• Coriander Rice
• Sambhar Soup

Non-Vegetarian

• Butter Chicken
• Chicken Biriyani

Sweet

• Malai Sandwich/ Double Ka Meetha

All this supported by butter naan.

Finally, it was the hard work of 138 dance participants, about 100 general volunteers and another 100 volunteers for cooking that saw the event roaring to a success. It was truly an unforgettable experience at the end of the day.

View the complete event on Google Video. Here is the link.

Also, give the search string as UMR Diwali on Google video to view all the presentations.

• Origin of Diwali
• Awakening of the past
• India's freedom struggle
• Ascent of India
• India Today
• Rolla Coaster

Enjoy the magnum opus - Diwali @ UMR!!!