Hogwarts in SMIT!!

One of the most awaited fests of our college, Echelon, organised by the Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) department blew our minds off yet again. It was no surprise that a theme as enchanting as “Harry Potter” mesmerised us, filling us with enough glee and excitement to keep on wearing a smile long after the fest was over. It was a tremendous success for both the organisers and participants of this grand spectacle.

The theme of the fest was explained by the emcees for the day as they took turns in talking about “Harry Potter” and his journeys. That was followed by the students of ECE talking about their department and what its influence on our college was. The well-decorated stage and an ever so enchanting flux lit up the meticulously-dressed emcees as they went on increasing our excitement about things to come. It was also declared that our chief guest for the day was The Director.

Some of the eminent personalities such as the director, Dean Student Affairs, Chief Engineer indulged in the age-long tradition of lightning of the lamp. It was a really auspicious occasion. Khadas and bouquets were presented to the dignitaries present on scene by the organisers, as a mark of respect. That was another tradition which had been followed through centuries.

The Director started his speech by talking about how the efforts from the training and placement department of the college has brought about a significant boom in the number of placements last year. He said that in order to be successful in our endeavours we must at first develop the skill of controlling our mind. After that, we should learn to channel our physical and mental energies into a single beacon enabling us to travel through the rough paths of life. He also spoke about how he is happy to see the improvements in our college. His words of wisdom are certainly not going to leave our side ever. His speech was powerful, informative and extremely profound.

The Welcome song was next to follow. It was a colourful performance by two eastern dancers clad in traditional Indian attire. It did not go with the theme of wizards and magic spells but did enough magic on our minds to tie us to our seats for the next three ours. The beautiful lighting coupled with the impeccably designed stage enhanced the music of the awe-striking performance as the viewers were left totally spellbound.

The next event was the introduction of all the characters in the novel of Harry Potter. Students were dressed as the characters present in the novel. Be it Hagrid, Voldemort or Harry Potter himself, all the characters were present.  The second spectacle was ‘Moves like a Jagger’ that is the solo dance. Then came the most awaited program that was the introductory round of Mr. and Miss Echelon 2014. Manosha Borah, Megha Roy, Yashodhara Sen, Bimlesh Sahoo, Sumit Thakur and Pallav Kumar Srivastava were the six contestants competing for the title of Mr. and Miss Echelon 2014.

After the introductory round of Mr. and Miss Echelon, it was Anurag’s turn to entertain the SMITians with his captivating Magic Show.

After the magic show it was the talent round where Megha Singh and Yashodhara Sen tried to charm the judges by their moves whereas Sumit Thakur and Pallav Kumar Srivastava tried to win the hearts of the judges by their singing talent but the judges were highly impressed by Manosha Borah’s lovely poem and Bimlesh Sahoo’s dance moves and crowned them with the title of Mr. and Miss Echelon 2014 respectively.

There was a duet performance after this on all-time favorite romantic songs. After that, there was the Fashion Show. The theme was witchcraft, feathers and natural life. The Fashion Show being over, it was the time for the seniors to rock the stage. The 2^nd and 3^rd year students of E&C department entertained the crowd with their moves.

Last but never the least was the most awaited program, the program which every SMITian wants at the end of every fest, the ‘DJ night’. All the students were set to groove to the juggled tunes of the DJ. At the end whether it was Ron, Hagrid, Harry or Voldemort, all enjoyed themselves at the DJ night.

- Yash Sharan and Hirak Dutta  

Interview of Dibyashree Pradhan

Q) I believe this is the first time anyone did something like this in SMIT. What inspired you to organise the Flash mob?

A) We have always believed that ECE is the best department and we put in a lot of hard work for the entire fest. The flash mob was probably the best way to show it. It is like a prelude to what comes next.
 

Q) How did you get the idea for a flash mob? Did you see it somewhere?

A) Yeah actually in the movie “Friends with Benefits”. There is a scene in which a flash mob takes place. So I kind of got the idea from there.

Q) I think we all want to ask this question, what do you have in store for us in the fest?

A) Tomorrow, you are all going to experience a magic world. If you are a Harry Potter fan and if you’ve ever wanted to go to Hogwarts, tomorrow is going to be your dream come true.

Q) So what was the main objective behind the flash mob?

A) Our objective was to connect with people. I am part of a dance group, Illusion but I’ve always wanted to be part of a huge group. We actually thought that people would join in but they started watching us so it was okay. I had thought of implementing it in Kaalrav but we couldn’t do it then. This also showcases the hard work and unity of the ECE team. We spent over 3 months preparing for this. The team spirit is amazing.

Q) What about the play? Whose idea was it?

A) The “Halla Bol” theatrics group should be given full credit for that. They approached us with the idea and we liked it so we included it.

Q) Lastly, do you have any more such plans for the college?

A) Well, right now, I’m exhausted and I cannot think of anything but I think that ideas will come and we’ll do our best to implement them.

- by Yash Raj Chettri and Ankita Chettri

Flash Mob!!!

It was just another evening at SMIT. The only difference was that people were gathered in front of the e quad waiting eagerly for the much anticipated flash mob organised by the ECE department. The crowd waited eagerly as some students set up the speakers. Murmurs could be heard clearly now as everyone was waiting anxiously.

Cheers and claps could be heard in the distance and in a matter of seconds, a large group of students all wearing black came running towards the venue. They were cheering the ECE department. The students were led by the familiar faces of Rohit Karwa, the VP of the Student Council, Dibyashree Pradhan and Punit Jain.

They got into formation outside the E-Quad and then the music started. They played cheerful and catchy tunes as the students in black executed the well-rehearsed dance moves with perfection. It was a wonderful sight as students of all semesters; boys and girls of different cultural backgrounds were dancing together. The flash mob showcased the fact that there is unity in diversity here.

After a while, the dancing stopped and the Halla Bol group started their ‘Natak’. It was a nice play with a theme that is very relevant in SMIT. The play highlighted the fact that students of SMIT often went out and got drunk, both boys and girls. They showed that this resulted in the students not attending classes regularly and as a result facing attendance back logs. It was a wonderfully scripted play with a hurtful amount of humour but never digressing from the moral they wanted to get across to the students.

The play ended and the dancing resumed for some time. After that, there was a fireworks display as fire crackers were burst from the roof of OBH. The show ended with cheers from the crowd and hugs among the ECE students.

Mr and Miss Echelon’14

                                     
The annual cultural-techno fest of Electronics and Communication Dept. of Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology, Echelon 2014 was held on 30^th March, 2014. Dedicated to the celebration of creativity, the theme for this year’s ECE fest was “Hogwarts”.

The Mr and Miss Echelon 2014 finals took place in three rounds. It had three participants in the male and female categories. The first was the introduction round in which the participants walked the ramp and introduced themselves.

The second round was the talent round where the contestants were given 3 minutes to showcase their respective talents.  A variation of talent could be seen on the stage in the form of dances, songs and recitation of poems.

The final round was the question answer round where the contestants were judged by their answers, confidence and by their personality. The audience were thrilled by the brilliant performances.

Finally the result of the event was declared. Bimlesh Sahoo and Manosha Borah were given the title of Mr and Miss Echelon 2014 respectively. They were each awarded with a satchel, bouquet and a certificate of appreciation by the HOD of ECE Department and thus this wonderful event came to an end.

-By Aakanksha Singh

Fashion Show-ECE2K14

The annual cultural-techno fest of Electronics and Communication Dept. of Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology, Echelon 2014 was held on 30^th March, 2014. Dedicated to the celebration of creativity, the theme for this year’s ECE fest was “Hogwarts”.

Fests are the elements to break the monotony of our college life and Fashion Show is the definitely the most awaited event. This Fashion Show had more than one theme like Witchcraft, Natural life and Feathers. The participants which were seven in each category were dressed up under these themes by the student designers who were also judged in the event.

The event started with a whole lot of excitement and the participants were seen walking the ramp on the famous Harry Potter movie soundtrack. Some models were dressed up as witches and wizards and some whose costumes were decorated with feathers and leaves. The models walked with all the grace and confidence needed for the ramp, the lighting and soundtrack being an integral part in creating the ambience of the event. The audience too had their part of fun and entertainment during the show.

All in all, it was a successful event which everyone enjoyed watching because of a fresh and new treatment of the theme.

- By Aakanksha Singh