GS Cultural Affairs Review: Arpit Agarwal

The Institute General Body Meets (GBMs) are conducted twice every year with the intent to provide all students a convenient mechanism to provide feedback and addressme.co.nz/ball-dresses.html”>dressme.co.nz/ball-dressme.co.nz/ball-dresses.html”>dresses.html”>dressme.co.nz/ball-dresses.html”>dress concern to the student representatives responsible for various amenities on campus.

The General Secretary Cultural Affairs GBM is scheduled from 9:45 PM on 30th March at the IRCC Auditorium (SOM).

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Manifesto Analysis

A point-by-point analysis of the manifesto can be found here.

General Policy

The tenure mainly saw the expansion of the cultural scene in the institute, expanding and establishing newer genres including the successful establishment of Design, Quiz and Fashion Clubs and Roots – The Classical Cultural Association of IIT Bombay. We also saw the introduction NSO Drama & NSO FA, paving the way for NSO Dance and Debate for next year. The tenure saw formal and informal events specifically targeted towards freshmen and PG’s to ensure a greater participation and continuous involvement of the student body.

The Highlights

Apart from the regular proceedings, manifesto points and initiatives, certain events have stood out from the rest. Prom Night was new for IIT Bombay, and was welcomed by the passing out students and appreciated for its excellent execution.[pullquote]Prom Night was new for IIT Bombay, and was welcomed by the passing out students and appreciated for its excellent execution.[/pullquote] The new clubs, especially Design Club, have seen good participation from the institute population. Kavi Sammelan – which was attended by Dr. Kumar Vishwas – saw a huge crowd. Indian Women’s Debate Championship (IWDC) was held this year at IIT Bombay, which also saw brilliant participation including from the institute. An all new Theatre and Sound Recording Room has been approved for, along with ACs in the Dance, Music and Film Rooms and Photo Studio. The newly established Roots, The Classical Cultural Association caters specifically to the traditional and folk art forms across various genres, and the upcoming convention speaks of international events on an epic scale and budget.

Muskaan, the social initiative in collaboration with NSS is a commendable effort and a great step forward. The initiative saw students teaching various cultural genres to underprivileged students from outside the institute and providing them a platform to perform.

The Lows

The tenure started with the controversial JAM GC proceedings, which sparked heated discussions on issues of obscenity in content, and thus had to be reconducted towards the end of the tenure. Manifesto points pertaining to online activities and portals, such as the DC++ Cult Hub, Buy and Sell portal and Online Payment remain incomplete. Swarsandhya saw a lower turnout than previous editions.

[pullquote]A large number of public holidays and extended weekends rendered the timeline crowded, causing clashes of many events and removal of many activities and GCs.[/pullquote]Also, a large number of public holidays and extended weekends rendered the timeline crowded, causing clashes of many events and removal of many activities and GCs from the calendar as compared to the previous years. These include the Speaking Arts Fest, Lit Fest, Ad Making GC, Photo GC II and Stand Up Comedy GC to name a few.

Here’s a summary of the GSCA’s performance: