Come ‘Festember’ @NIT

Festember’17 — the 43rd edition of the annual cultural extravaganza of the National Institute of Technology-Tiruchi (NIT-T) — is all set for take off on September 21.

The theme — The Orient — will manifest in celebration of the art, food and fashion of East Asia, and encourage the audience to enjoy the best of these cultures. The spirit of the fest has been embodied in its mascot: Hanzo, the Ninja.

Footfall of students from across the country for participation in 63 events is expected to exceed last year’s count of 15,000, according to NIT-T Director Mini Shaji Thomas.

Guest lectures

The highlight is the carpe diem series encompassing guest lectures by eminent personalities such as Michael Karp, VFX supervisor for several blockbuster films; playback singer Srinivas; popular slam poet Aranya Johar; and acclaimed film critic Baradwaj Rangan.

The lineup includes proshows — classical night by Shravan Sridhar from Non-Violinist Project on September 21, EDM Night on September 22 by DJ Shaan, Redbull Tour Bus/Rock Night on September 23, and Popular Night by Amit Trivedi and Troupe of Bollywood fame, Dr. Mini said.

The four days of festivities are a culmination of a number of outreach activities over the last few months. They include the first-of-its-kind indoor football tournament in Tiki Taka, Chennai; Rolling Reels Film Festival at NIT-T that saw record participation of over 150 films from nearly 12 countries; and GigaHertz, the premiere rock band competition held in Chennai and Bangalore to encourage rock music and invite participants to Festember on a national scale.

Also, the corporate social responsibility outreaches reflected in events such as Channeled Clarity for Charity at SBOA School in Chennai this year, in association with CRY on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day; Pages, a book collection drive conducted in Gnaneshwara Primary School in Trichy; and Vatsalya, an event for the elderly also conducted in old age homes of Trichy, she said.

Festember’17 presents 12 workshops focussing on areas such as singular arts and skills like one-stroke art, juggling, hypnotism, and on Eastern warfare such as Nunchako and Aikido.

For the first time, Festember has joined hands with Maggi, one of the pioneer products of Nestle, to organize ‘Maggi Innovation Challenge’.

Participants will have to demonstrate their prowess in cooking skills to bag exciting prizes.

A gaming station has also been arranged for hard-core gamers to show their skills.