Planning for that perfect college fest

Getting things ready: Ensuring that everything is in place, oIIering good programmes, Iixing
problems . the task is huge Ior organisers oI college Iests
PHOTOS

College annual Iest is the event that students eagerly wait Ior. Apart Irom the Iun, Irolic and
platIorm that it oIIers to students to exhibit their talents, the Iest is also an acid test oI some
students' managerial skills, as well as the Ilexibility in decision-making oI the teachers. So,
what goes into organising an inter-collegiate Iest that draws big sponsor money and even
bigger crowds?
It all begins with the Iorming oI a core committee that includes teaching staII as well as
student representatives. Students carry out the creative, administrative and logistical part oI
the Iestival, but all powers oI approval (and disapproval) lie with the teachers, who head the
committee. Students and teachers tell us about the goings-on behind closed organising
committee doors:
ayathri Iyer, third year BA (Communicative English), Mount Carmel College: The
teachers who are part oI the welIare committee that organises Cul-ah,' our annual cultural
Iest, have the Iinal say when it comes to Iunding, permission and other matters. They do
essentially draw the line Ior us, and are an approval body. Reaching a consensus is diIIicult
and the Iinal verdict is given by them, which we cannot question. Despite this, I Ieel they are
a requirement. Their expertise in matters such as administration is especially helpIul.
Divya R.C., Welfare Committee Officer, Mount Carmel College: When it comes to
organising Iestivals, most oI the job is done by students. Our job is just to monitor their plans
and give inIormation, as well as to provide them with rules and regulations to Iollow.
We make sure that execution oI all decisions is under the college Iramework. With regards to
participation in the organising process, teachers and students always work together. It is a
learning process Ior them, and I'm sure they Ieel they need us. As Ior reaching a consensus, in
committee meetings, we sit down and discuss all Iestival matters with students. Additionally,
there are senior and junior oIIicers within the committee, among whom consultation and
consensus is necessary.
Shariq Rafeek, Academic Coordinator, Student Union of St. 1oseph's College of
Commerce: I Ieel that at some level, teachers should be involved. When there are untoward
incidents, it is the institution's reputation that is tarnished. The teachers should know what we
are doing. Further, when we are organising our Iestivals Chanakya', 'Kalotsav' or 'Cipher',
teachers pitch in with appealing ideas. AIter all, the best ideas come out only when there are
more minds involved. There needs to be control over what we, as Iestival planners, are
allowed or not allowed to do. Since teachers are involved Irom the very start, we know what
to expect and give suggestions accordingly. They take our opinions and ideas into account as
well.
Sneha Rai, Student overnor, Student Council of St. 1oseph's College of Commerce:
The teachers' involvement in organising Iestivals is in drawing the Iinal guidelines. We
ensure that all ideas, activities and events are kept in check, and are in line with the
expectations and ethos oI the college. The way the council works is such that activities are
proposed by students, and then approved by teachers. I Ieel students need the practical touch
that teachers provide. They go with ideas that are based on hype and popularity. They may
not have the vision that teachers have in the organising process. But they do bring a lot oI
ideas to the table. We usually approve them based on whether they match our expectations.
Most oI the time, we adjust and give the students their space.
Fasila Hanis, third year B.A., St. Aloysius College: We Iaced several problems when it
came to organising our annual Iestival Artbeat.' The teachers who were part oI the
organising committee rejected many oI the themes we had suggested Ior our Iestival. They
wanted the theme to be socially relevant'.
With this example in mind, I think it's important that students should be heard out. As
organisers, we wanted to pick a theme that's Iun. Students should be granted a certain amount
oI Ireedom in such matters. I wish that teachers would learn to adjust. Everyone has his/her
own opinion, and when we have committee meetings, they should give our ideas equal
weight.
Aditi aitonde, M.Sc. Communication, Christ University: I think organising Iestivals
with teachers is quite diIIicult. As committee head Ior our media Iestival Media Meet,' I
realised it was a very dicey situation. The teachers give us Ireedom and at the same time, tell
us where we go wrong. We always keep them in the loop with regards to our activities.
When there are meetings, we put our ideas together, and we need them Ior their approval, to
keep us grounded. Being a post-graduate student, I think it gave us leeway since teachers
knew we were more mature with responsibility. I don't think we can do without teachers in
the organising committee, though. Students don't tend to handle responsibility well!