Spring Fest January 21, 2009

Led Zeppelin classics, a Kathak-tap dance routine featuring an Emmy award winner and a performance by KK will be the top draws at the golden jubilee edition of Spring Fest, starting on Thursday.

The annual social and cultural festival of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, is one of the most popular college events in east India. It started in 1959 as a 10-day event with 1,500-odd participants.

Spring Fest 2009, with The Telegraph as media partner, will see over 30,000 students from over 80 colleges from across the country vie for the crown in a range of events from music to art to creative writing, theatre and dance.

The four-day jamboree will start with an Odissi performance by students of Srijan School of Arts, Bhubaneswar. The rest of the evening will be dedicated to Led Zeppelin, with a performance by Led Zepplica, a Zeppelin cover band from California.

Lending star value to the 50th year celebrations will be singer KK, who will perform on Friday, and Indian Jazz Suites, a collaboration between Kathak performer Pandit Chitresh Das and Emmy award-winning tap dancer Jason Samuel Smith, who will take the stage on Saturday.

A number of events have been introduced this year, including Kharagshetra a personality contest modelled on MTV Roadies, and Fusion Fiesta, where western jazz will meet eastern ragas.

In keeping with the golden jubilee mood, the theme this year is Eldorado — the golden city. The main arena where the fest will be held is being decorated to resemble the golden city.

The second day will see the prelims of Wildfire, a rock competition, where amateur bands will try to liven up the open-air theatre.

The highlights of Saturday are a workshop on creative writing by the British Council for all those budding novelists looking for their break, the finale of Kharagshetra, Rangmanch, the theatre competition, and Hasya Kavi Sammelan (comic poet contest).

The last day of the fest will see loads of head banging at the finals of Wildfire, followed by Armageddon, a rock night with alternative rock band Cassini’s Division setting the stage on fire.

by The Telegraph staff reporter

Official Website: http://www.springfest.in