by Vidyottama Rawat
Utsav Day 2
Utsav day 2 ended with a majestic dance battle with all colleges sending out their best to conquer Indian Non-classical Group Dance. The event was judged by Mr Rajesh Kunoor, Dr Manjali Chandra and Miss Renu Jayaram. Only one team was allowed per college with a minimum of 5 contestants and a maximum of 10. Each team was allowed a duration of 5 minutes including setup. Classical steps and the usage of props was not allowed.
The atmosphere was charged with participants grooving to songs ranging from ‘Kahin aag lage’ to ‘Luka chuppi’ while a few others danced to regional tunes. A lot of performances were largely inspired by Indian mythology.
The KMC team consisted of 10 participants – Namritha N Nayak, Aparna Nair, Megha M Rao, Meera Gopal, Sweta Suria, Deasini Das, Nikita Sahay, Radhika Mundayur, Anagha Harikumar and Rishab Shah. The performance depicted the age old story of a saint who upon meditating under hardship for days was granted the boon of turning everything he touched to ashes by Lord Shiva. This wreaked havoc throughout the universe and Lord Vishnu himself had to reincarnate in the form of a beautiful temptress, Mohini who lured the powerful saint to touch himself and turn into ashes. The story was told beautifully by means of a power packed dance by the KMC team, which got them the second position.
First Place: MCODS, Mangalore
Second Place: KMC, Manipal
Third Place: MCODS, Manipal