MoodI Perspectives

Mood Indigo, the cultural festival of IIT Bombay entered its 41st edition this year. Held from 18th to 21st December, MI ’11 suc- ceeded in creating a huge buzz among the colleges across the country. The official Facebook page, with about 34000 ‘likes’ stands a testimony to its intensive online publicity. In the days leading up to the fest, MI, themed on ‘The Wild West’, was publicized with big- gies like Karnivool, KK and Akcent. A user friendly website was set up based on the theme, providing all the necessary information about the festival. A new initiative, Worldfest, was conceptualized where colleges from Indonesia, Turkey, Spain and Poland participated, with a vision of cultural exchange. But did the actual event match up to the hype? An extensive survey conducted involving the general public of the fest and the contingent leaders of the participating colleges, answers the impending ques- tion. Please note that the ratings have been derived solely from the survey.

Horizons

Horizons 2011 will be remembered for pushing the envelope. It pulled of a winner with Night Arena, a post-Afternights event, which happened for the first time and was embraced by everyone alike for its ambiance and spirit. It was also for the first time that MI witnessed three Afternights and all of them were appreciated. While IMF and Vogue saw jam-packed venues, Workshops and Exhibitions had ambivalent responses. Worldfest, a new initative, lacked in execu- tion. Nevertheless, it was lauded for its sheer concept and ideology.

Competitions

Competitions this year received a mixed bag response. Where performing arts events saw good participation, literary arts competitions failed to make a mark. Expectations were running high for the gen- eral quiz after its success last year. However, it turned out to be a major disappointment even with the same quiz-master. High preparation events like footloose and MI Idol were well organized and saw high quality of participation but questions were raised over the lack of prizes that were allotted to these events. The ‘Choreo nite’ saw the finals of ‘X-tacy’ and ‘Save the Last dance’ being held inside a packed OAT.

Informals

Informals this year crossed boundaries by getting electronic music sensation Akcent, who for many was the highlight of this year’s MI. The location of the venue, the long queues and the duration of the performance, however, raised a few eyebrows. Other informal competitions such as corporate, MIMW, spy games and new events like live Angry Birds were creative and received a positive feedback from the participants. Hot Air Balloon, a fun event, received a fairly lukewarm response due to the odd timings of operation, owing to safety concerns. The ‘MI squad’ which went around the campus playing pranks on the crowd was another interesting introduction this year.

Pronites

The Pronites, albeit one less, succeeded in connecting with the audience and were ‘worth the two hour long wait’ in queues. After a rather feeble Katatonia last year, Karnivool proved to be worth every penny spent and were highly appreciated by progressive rock lovers. Agnee and Raghu Dixit took turns in enthrall- ing the swelling crowd of the fusion night and both took it to perfection. KK’s performance was by far the most anticipated among all age groups, with the number of people inside the OAT reaching figures that are projected by the MI team. KK lived up to its billing of a Popular Night with fireworks providing the per- fect finale. The Global Battle Of the Bands-Livewire was a milestone achievement for Pronites wherein the winners of the competition where given a prize money Rs.70,000 in cash and a chance to represent India at the GBOB world finals in Romania.

 OCs Speak

All in all, Mood Indigo this year quite successfully materialized the objectives of promoting culture, art forms and interaction amongst the youth. We put up an entertaining festival with lots of variety to look forward to and a lot of new things being tried which set it apart and quite importantly a very focused execution. Karnivool, Akcent, Worldfest, Choreonite were hugely lauded along with all the afternites and the festival atmosphere, ambiance and interaction which prevailed on the streets. Few problems regarding prize  distribution arose due to misinformation and certain anomalies with one or two sponsors (who sponsored kind prizes) with respect to the exact nature of the prizes. However, all of them have been resolved after the fest got over. The festival drew large participation from
North India this time. There were no major security concerns reported during the entire festival. In an overall picture, it seems the team effectively managed pulling off a balance of showcase of culture in its various forms (both national and International), interaction, and a fun filled experience in a well executed manner during all the four days that has left good memories with all of the participants and audiences.