It was 5th September, 2012. The atmosphere was heated and all the members of the organizing committee & participants were performing at the peak of their energy and efficiency. The forum in-charge [who thought himself as the God-Father] kept disturbing and upsetting the plans thereby making things even more difficult for us!
The program was scheduled at 10 AM. But the guests didn't arrive on time AS USUAL. The audience had started to gather and everyone inside the green room was getting tensed. The respective committee heads were giving final touches to their preparations and trying to contain their anxiety.
I was the coordinator of Styling and Anchoring. There was nothing to worry about styling as the stage had never looked so stylish before. All credit goes to my then team-mates and friends. I was feeling nausea-tic and suddenly I felt my throat getting sour & dry. I had to run to the washroom to puke. I had gone so terribly nervous before the show and the fortnight long exertion had started to take its toll on my body.
While I was busy expelling my nervousness my phone buzzed. I answered it after I stabilized myself and the news that I got from Roshan shook me to the core. The guests had arrived and the official introduction had begun but the Director of the institute was throwing tantrums saying that her speech was not ready. A chill went down my spine. I was in a bad state of panic but my colleague Syed had already started writing the matter and by the time I reached I was told things were under control! Mrunmayee and Aditi were at the podium progressing the formal part of the program. They both looked absolutely gorgeous and the way they handled their part was excellent. I am proud of them! :-)
After the introductions it was time for the lighting of traditional lamp and seeking the blessings of Goddess Saraswati. The guests went of the dais and the ritual commenced. Shilpa went on the podium to recite Saraswati Vandana. I was stunned, for she told me earlier in the morning that she had high fever. I don't know where she got her strength from, as the recitation was surreal and the audience applauded her very well.
The formal anchoring part went smoothly and the guests then occupied their reserved (extra cushioned) seats off the dais and then the lights were put off. All of a sudden there was an uproar in the auditorium. For a few minutes there was nothing on the stage but as soon as the COMETS-Behind the scenes movie started playing on the side screens and the speakers blew the music - 'Summer of 69', the atmosphere changed completely. I had never seen the audience enjoying so much.
But things were not easy for us inside as some of the singers had not arrived yet and some of the anchors were still preparing their scripts. I was frenzy and in a fit of rage when Rahul Ranjan (my junior from 2nd year) arrived and said, " Bhaiyya aap shuru karo baaki ka hum sambhal lenge! " Man! I had goose bumps all over my body when I heard that!
I went on stage with the mic in my hands and sweat all over my body. I had an audience of nearly 800 in front of me. I exclaimed , " SONI RE, SONI RE, SONI RE, SONI !!!" and the audience replied in unison " RAISONI...RAISONI! " The audience was responsive and full of energy and I had to take them on my side and the very next moment I again exclaimed on mic , " GANPATI BAPPA! " and the response was " MORYA!! " Mesmerizing it was!
Soon the musical journey began. Vaibhav was the first to sing that day who filled the crowd with energy with the famous Marathi song- MORYA RE! Thereafter the singers and my fellow colleagues delivered hits after hits like Main yaha...Tu kaha, Bijuriya, Dhunkee, Jab bhi ladki dekhoo and many more on stage and the audience kept on dancing to their tunes.
Soon the musical journey began. Vaibhav was the first to sing that day who filled the crowd with energy with the famous Marathi song- MORYA RE! Thereafter the singers and my fellow colleagues delivered hits after hits like Main yaha...Tu kaha, Bijuriya, Dhunkee, Jab bhi ladki dekhoo and many more on stage and the audience kept on dancing to their tunes.
If I remember correctly there were 15 singing performances in all and had it not been for those fabulous singers and my trust worthy anchoring partners Pratik, Rahul & Saahil and their mates, things would have not been so lively. The musical theme came to an end and now it was time for some gap filling and more entertainment! The savior duo, Kaushik and Amrik were all set to fuse some more fun in the audience and they kept the energy levels high through out. And who can forget Ajinkya's mimicry!
They bought us some time to breath. The anchoring part for the singing section was over and now we were looking forward to the dancing schedule of the show with 14 performances in store! I was there for anchoring for the first 6 dance performances and then I had 3 of my own dance performances. I was badly exhausted and so were the others who had being doing rounds without having eaten anything since the morning!
Never the less all my juniors and colleagues were beaming with energy. There were some discipline issues when it was reported that first year students had sneaked into the auditorium and to cap it off some more anti-social, self proclaimed Dons had also been upsetting the flow of program but the muscular discipline committee handled the things very well or lets just say in proper terms it was suppressed. Special thanks to Gurvinder and his philosophical speech to make people understand their limits. lol!
After that RJ Neal entertained the audience with his lively chatter and his daring entry midst the wild audience. Soon after the dancing schedule began. From Regional mixes to hip hops, Modern fusions to Old Ever Greens, every dancer was at his/her best. Esp the stunts performed by my juniors were mind boggling!
The hostel group dance and the on stage goof ups were making us laugh hysterically backstage. On top of that the fusion dance by Vishesh Tanushree, Samruddhi, Aditi, and there team sizzled the stage! Their sex appeal and their oomph factor was just mind-blowing! Also some of my juniors Ankita, Aditi, Akshya, Anand beautifully performed on a fusion of old songs!
After handling the anchoring part for the first 6 performances it was time that I slip into my dancing shoes. Rahul announced our names. I and Vivek were on stage! We had dared to attempt lyrical hip-hop on 'Dil Sambhal Ja Zara' from Murder 2! Never in my wildest dream could I imagine that it could go well with the audience but the reaction and the cheer of the audience was excellent and every time I see the video of that I get high! All the performances were huge hits and my friends Rushi from IT & Naveen from Electrical too added tadka to the dance show!
Then came the Musical Sket, another hit of the evening! It was a small act of just 4 of us Pooja, Lokesh, Gaurav and I. The act was based on how I and Lokesh were trying to woo Pooja on a bus stop and how our generosity towards the beggar (played by Gaurav) backfires on us and he gets the girl! And I still remember how the audience went frenzy seeing Pooja on stage in that Red dress - GAWD! She looked sensuous! There were a few tense moments on stage when I couldn't strip off my shirt in time and the second one was when Gaurav walked in an awkward slow motion lifting his left leg with left hand and so on....
There after the Rock Show was scheduled. The stage was set ablaze by the most popular rock band of Nagpur, the Awakening Souls, led by Vishal Krishnan L. The way he mixed with the crowd and took them on his side was awesome and by the time he got back on the stage every one was dancing and the final year guys were head banging for the entire time. Aniruddh was the star of head banging! And towards the end, when Sagar (VP Saab), Ankit (Prez) and I lifted up Vishal Sir, the ramp shook violently. The forum in-charge was on the edge of the seat fearing that it would break.
Soon after, the Fashion Show began. There were three themes - Dum Maaro Dum, The Engineers, Angels and Demons and 1 Hollywood Experience - The Dark Knight Theme. Never before in the history of college anyone had seen so many girls in Mechanical and on top of that their boldness and sexiness quotient had put other departments to shame. And it was not only about the hot girls but the macho hunks too. Pratik, Ujjwal, Prince, Sangram had set the stage literally on fire. No girl usually gets to see such chiseled body every day and their screams made it evident!
But the actual show began when the evening sun settled. It was time for the BAT to strike. The stage went dark and the music rolled. Everyone was waiting with bated breath to enter GOTHAM. Soon Ra'az Al Ghul (Shirish Konjare) walked in with his sword, and the adrenaline started to rise. He was followed by the Scarecrow (Antariksh Dutt) spreading his toxin all around. Next to come on stage was the Two-Face (Pratik Gupta) and Bane (Nikhil Gajapure) wrecked havoc next to him! More characters followed one by one. And finally everyone heard The Joker exclaim - WHY SO SERIOUS?
The entire audience of around 1000, screamed in unison when the Joker (Sapan Kapgate) walked in. [Even the annual cultural fest ANTARAGNI failed to gather such an energetic audience and retaining them till the end!] The terrifying scars and those cold eyes were enough to create a sense of danger all around. When he sat on the stool showing impatiently looking at the audience suddenly the lights went off!
The Knight had arrived. And when the lights went on The Batman (Sumeet Puranik - behind the cowl) was on stage out of thin air! There was no stopping since then, the wildness & adrenaline was overflowing everywhere! The next few moments and its aura is beyond the scope of my words to be mentioned here! The characters set the stage ablaze with their moves and the show soon came to an end with a special movie like formation! In one Nagpuri word - MAHOL!
The rest of the evening was spent in endless photo sessions, partying, hugs, contact exchanging, congratulating each-other and finally reminding ourselves that now was the time to rest and have a glass of water!
But COMETS was not just about this cultural smash! It was much more than that. The sports both indoors and outdoors was an example for others about the unity we had and the sportsmanship everyone displayed was exemplary. Thanks to Aditya, Saurabh and their fellow team mates. The wicked sense of fun, cooperation as well as responsibility shown by the juniors while practice sessions may it be fashion show or dance, styling or anchoring, singing or sports, was excellent!
To all my friends Roshan, Mayur, Riddhesh, Puneet, Saurabh, Sneha, Vivek S, Vivek T, Sapan, Antariksh, Abhijeet, Rohan, Nakul, Shilpa, Naveen, Ujjwal, Pratik G, Shripal, Dinesh, Bibek, Anup Singh, Pratik J, Syed, Mrunmayee, Kaushik, Amrik, Lokesh, Aditi Shende, Pooja, Aditi Subhedar, Ankita, Akshay, Anand, Rahul, Saahil, Sowjanya, Arihant, Aniruddh, Girijesh, Sangram, Ishan and the Civil guys who helped to create the BAT-SUIT and GOTHAM and many others whose names I might have had missed - Guys you all rock. I know its way too late to say this, but better late than never. I never got a chance to thank you all properly earlier. So this is my small gift to you all.
Of practice session from morning 8 to night 3, from hunger pangs to hangovers, from flirts to fights, from planning to laughing hysterically and bonding with each-other, COMETS had given a new dimension to friendship and living life. Some people might make fun of me for being so sentimental but it is worth mentioning here -
MECHANICAL DOESN'T JUST ROCK...
IT LEAVES AN IMPACT......FOREVER...
CHEERS!
After that RJ Neal entertained the audience with his lively chatter and his daring entry midst the wild audience. Soon after the dancing schedule began. From Regional mixes to hip hops, Modern fusions to Old Ever Greens, every dancer was at his/her best. Esp the stunts performed by my juniors were mind boggling!
The hostel group dance and the on stage goof ups were making us laugh hysterically backstage. On top of that the fusion dance by Vishesh Tanushree, Samruddhi, Aditi, and there team sizzled the stage! Their sex appeal and their oomph factor was just mind-blowing! Also some of my juniors Ankita, Aditi, Akshya, Anand beautifully performed on a fusion of old songs!
After handling the anchoring part for the first 6 performances it was time that I slip into my dancing shoes. Rahul announced our names. I and Vivek were on stage! We had dared to attempt lyrical hip-hop on 'Dil Sambhal Ja Zara' from Murder 2! Never in my wildest dream could I imagine that it could go well with the audience but the reaction and the cheer of the audience was excellent and every time I see the video of that I get high! All the performances were huge hits and my friends Rushi from IT & Naveen from Electrical too added tadka to the dance show!
Then came the Musical Sket, another hit of the evening! It was a small act of just 4 of us Pooja, Lokesh, Gaurav and I. The act was based on how I and Lokesh were trying to woo Pooja on a bus stop and how our generosity towards the beggar (played by Gaurav) backfires on us and he gets the girl! And I still remember how the audience went frenzy seeing Pooja on stage in that Red dress - GAWD! She looked sensuous! There were a few tense moments on stage when I couldn't strip off my shirt in time and the second one was when Gaurav walked in an awkward slow motion lifting his left leg with left hand and so on....
There after the Rock Show was scheduled. The stage was set ablaze by the most popular rock band of Nagpur, the Awakening Souls, led by Vishal Krishnan L. The way he mixed with the crowd and took them on his side was awesome and by the time he got back on the stage every one was dancing and the final year guys were head banging for the entire time. Aniruddh was the star of head banging! And towards the end, when Sagar (VP Saab), Ankit (Prez) and I lifted up Vishal Sir, the ramp shook violently. The forum in-charge was on the edge of the seat fearing that it would break.
Soon after, the Fashion Show began. There were three themes - Dum Maaro Dum, The Engineers, Angels and Demons and 1 Hollywood Experience - The Dark Knight Theme. Never before in the history of college anyone had seen so many girls in Mechanical and on top of that their boldness and sexiness quotient had put other departments to shame. And it was not only about the hot girls but the macho hunks too. Pratik, Ujjwal, Prince, Sangram had set the stage literally on fire. No girl usually gets to see such chiseled body every day and their screams made it evident!
But the actual show began when the evening sun settled. It was time for the BAT to strike. The stage went dark and the music rolled. Everyone was waiting with bated breath to enter GOTHAM. Soon Ra'az Al Ghul (Shirish Konjare) walked in with his sword, and the adrenaline started to rise. He was followed by the Scarecrow (Antariksh Dutt) spreading his toxin all around. Next to come on stage was the Two-Face (Pratik Gupta) and Bane (Nikhil Gajapure) wrecked havoc next to him! More characters followed one by one. And finally everyone heard The Joker exclaim - WHY SO SERIOUS?
The entire audience of around 1000, screamed in unison when the Joker (Sapan Kapgate) walked in. [Even the annual cultural fest ANTARAGNI failed to gather such an energetic audience and retaining them till the end!] The terrifying scars and those cold eyes were enough to create a sense of danger all around. When he sat on the stool showing impatiently looking at the audience suddenly the lights went off!
The Knight had arrived. And when the lights went on The Batman (Sumeet Puranik - behind the cowl) was on stage out of thin air! There was no stopping since then, the wildness & adrenaline was overflowing everywhere! The next few moments and its aura is beyond the scope of my words to be mentioned here! The characters set the stage ablaze with their moves and the show soon came to an end with a special movie like formation! In one Nagpuri word - MAHOL!
 |
| Why So Serious? Because - I'm BATMAN |
The rest of the evening was spent in endless photo sessions, partying, hugs, contact exchanging, congratulating each-other and finally reminding ourselves that now was the time to rest and have a glass of water!
But COMETS was not just about this cultural smash! It was much more than that. The sports both indoors and outdoors was an example for others about the unity we had and the sportsmanship everyone displayed was exemplary. Thanks to Aditya, Saurabh and their fellow team mates. The wicked sense of fun, cooperation as well as responsibility shown by the juniors while practice sessions may it be fashion show or dance, styling or anchoring, singing or sports, was excellent!
To all my friends Roshan, Mayur, Riddhesh, Puneet, Saurabh, Sneha, Vivek S, Vivek T, Sapan, Antariksh, Abhijeet, Rohan, Nakul, Shilpa, Naveen, Ujjwal, Pratik G, Shripal, Dinesh, Bibek, Anup Singh, Pratik J, Syed, Mrunmayee, Kaushik, Amrik, Lokesh, Aditi Shende, Pooja, Aditi Subhedar, Ankita, Akshay, Anand, Rahul, Saahil, Sowjanya, Arihant, Aniruddh, Girijesh, Sangram, Ishan and the Civil guys who helped to create the BAT-SUIT and GOTHAM and many others whose names I might have had missed - Guys you all rock. I know its way too late to say this, but better late than never. I never got a chance to thank you all properly earlier. So this is my small gift to you all.
Of practice session from morning 8 to night 3, from hunger pangs to hangovers, from flirts to fights, from planning to laughing hysterically and bonding with each-other, COMETS had given a new dimension to friendship and living life. Some people might make fun of me for being so sentimental but it is worth mentioning here -
MECHANICAL DOESN'T JUST ROCK...
IT LEAVES AN IMPACT......FOREVER...
CHEERS!
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