“A Society without art and culture is more like a human body without heart and soul.”
Academics, a word well known to all of us, for some a mere way to compete with the world, for some a way to grasp new things, gain knowledge. But what it really tries to convey is the perfect harmony and balance of students with their very own being like the harmony of living creatures with nature. To think from this perspective, academics definitely don’t limit us to just being a bookworm, but rather marks the beginning of the new adventure to explore, try and learn about our culture and practice our art. To let our ideas grow, educational institutes have set different platforms and mediums to apply the thoughts in reality.
“Academics, Art and Culture; Pillars to a better Future!”
Art and Culture are like an ocean of knowledge on different fields, be it Dramatics, Cinematography, Choreography, Vocalists, Painting, Fashion Designing or Literature. It not only lets us grow but also connects us to our original existence and changes that came to it during past times, for instance, there was a time when the Art of Painting was limited to paper or canvas but now, it really doesn’t matter where you paint, what really matters is the idea and the essence of art. It’s just natural for any human to follow what he/she actually enjoys doing and finds pleasure in continuing it. There are students who are just average in studies academically but are far beyond the range in activities such as dancing or singing so why not support the budding artist within. Students, the future of our nations have the most fragile minds to carve on. Each motivation or demotivation tends to have a greater impact on them for the rest of their lives.
Hence, educational institutes have always supported the budding artists on different levels. Nowadays, schools and colleges are not only recognized by the status of their academic level but also the co-curricular activities they provide to the students. This helps in overall development of their own being. Apparently, Art and Cultural in Academic Zone not only shape minds of students but also help them to strive and survive in this socially oriented world. Studies have shown that students who are involved in some kind of art or cultural activities besides academic tend to survive the world more happily than those who just conserve themselves to academics. Schools on their part give the basic courage to do and stand out in activities students want or desire to do such as Dramatics or Dancing through small events be it Inter School or Intra School.
To some extent, it also provides exposure to the pressure of competition to be felt in future. Colleges, on the other hand, go a step ahead to give a proper platform and guidance in their respective fields. Many societies or group of students having a common interest are set to work on a bit professional level. Dance societies, Dramatics societies, Music and Singing Societies, Fashion Societies, Painting or Fine Arts Societies are among the most common societies set in every college. Apart from art and culture, Literacy Clubs are also set for students who want to become orators or are aspiring writers and poets. The Colleges under the Delhi University are among the most promising colleges to give upcoming artists. To let different artists meet and compete colleges organize to celebrate the art and culture of their college and students. This is the time for students to shine and stand out with their talent since these are sponsored by prestigious magazines and companies and are judged by great artists themselves. (What’s better than being acknowledged by the person who is pursuing the same art!) Main attractions of such events are:
Fashion shows, prop contests, sponsored by big Fashion hubs and magazines.
Street plays (Nukkad Natak) such as LALKAAR (Karavan, SRCASW, New Delhi), HALLA BOL! (Tempest, Miranda House, New Delhi) are held to bring out the drama freak inside us.
Solo, Group, Duet dancing is one of the major events that are governed by choreographers themselves, thus giving a lot of exposure to students.
Tattoo designing, mehndi designing, theme-based wall painting (graffiti) and band performances by students are among the attractions in any college fest.
Short film making competitions are also one of the major and overwhelmed events to give exposure in acting, cinematography and editing.
There are college teams which are acknowledged due to their overwhelmed performance in these activities. For instance, The Cultural team “SPARK CREATIONS” of KIET College, Ghaziabad created a short film based on lives of Transgenders titled “SHE” and bagged second prize for the same in IIT- Roorkee’s annual fest THOMSO’16 and were acknowledged by the Former Director of National School of Drama (NSD). Due to such appreciation and support from college professors and Dean, the idea of giving outstanding performances doesn’t limit to only college fests or minor events but spread their wings over social medias such as Facebook and YouTube. The latest example for this is the sizzling dance performance by IIT-Roorkee’s Cinematography Club on Ed-Shareen’s ‘Shape of You’. The boys thought of at most 10k likes and views of the video on YouTube but to their surprise, the video hit 3 million likes in just 100 hours. Well isn’t that just great to be acknowledged and appreciated by a crowd of over 3 million people!
“Academics, Art and Culture linger hand in hand.”
To say, the academics, art, and culture coexist in the perfect harmony for a human’s wellbeing and are a way to let us swim in the immense pool of opportunities just waiting for us to grab!
“Be the writer to your Dreams, be the artist to color your soul, and be the magician to experience the magic of magnificent culture!”