A Week at Ashoka

Edited by: Aditi Jain

I remember my first semester of college. The excitement which came with overflowing mailboxes and the vast array of events we could hop between, is still embedded in my memory. It’s a year later and nothing has changed, except for the course load. Even while knee-deep in academic stress, Ashoka’s bustling event schedule sees no end. Seeing so many exciting events take place everyday, is one of my favourite things about Ashoka. Since it is physically impossible for a person to attend every single event, talk, workshop and initiative being held in a week, here is a quick rundown of one of the busiest and most exciting post-midterm weeks!

The Diwali Haat

Organised by the Office of Student Life, the Diwali Haat took place on the afternoon of October 24th at the Atrium. The Haat was filled with stalls from students and vendors, alike. One could buy everything from fairy lights to handmade bracelets, postcards, and diaries. This time, Her Campus team took part in the Haat too, by putting up a stall with a Ring Toss Game! There were dreamcatchers, earrings, and even Tibetan flags for sale, while many keenly got mehndi applied. The Dorm Olympics team hosted a pen fight game, preceding their much awaited event, Dorm Olympics which is scheduled for February. The Haat surprisingly saw many first year students selling products and taking initiative, which was heartwarming for Ashoka welcomed it’s largest batch of undergraduate students this year. A stall called Nirvah run by first year students was selling homemade scented soaps along with menstrual cups, and attracted a lot of attention for its uniqueness. The other clubs on campus took part in the Haat, as well. Enactus Ashoka sold Handmade diaries under Project Lakeer, and Siyahi, the Art Society, made a giant rangoli in the middle of the atrium where the Haat was running full-fledged. The Diwali Haat is truly a celebration and serves as a perfect culmination of fun games, ideas, initiatives, and some good old ritualistic Diwali shopping.

Dissonance

Vistaar, the Music Society, finally held its much awaited open mic on Thursday night with no rain on the parade this time. With a Bob Marley tapestry hanging from a tree, and newspaper men and fairy lights decorating the entire mess lawns, mattresses were placed to brace a steady crowd for a night of soothing voices and acoustic guitars. Vistaar hosted Dissonance to celebrate the role music plays as a form of expression, passion and dissent. Most of the songs chosen by the performers were about freedom or resistance, celebrating the theme of protest in music. From start to finish, there was a dedicated audience moving along to the music, even as the night got colder and the need for applying odomos got stronger.

Diwali Celebrations

October 28th saw the onset of Diwali celebrations all over the campus with diya painting and rangoli by the Art Society, Siyahi. Deepavali, the festival of lights, is celebrated by Indians everywhere with no expense spared. At Ashoka, similar celebrations were arranged by dividing the event into different segments for those who could not travel back home. After the diya painting, everyone was welcomed to the atrium for the lighting of the diyas, as tradition is on the days of Diwali. Jazbaa, the Cultural Ministry, organised the festivities, followed by a night of singing and dancing with an in-house DJ. The night didn’t end there as it was followed by a movie screening of one of the most popular Bollywood movies, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.

Halloween – Nightmare in the Atrium

On October 31st, as yearly tradition goes, Ashoka prepared for the Halloween party by Jazbaa. The actual party was preceded by a pumpkin carving session by the Gardening Club, Ashoka Farm Fresh, while Siyahi held a mask painting session. ‘Nightmare in the Atrium’ was an apt title for the night, as Halloween make-up, face painting, and SFX wound painting were some of the services being offered by students. The Jack o’ Lanterns were spotted decorating the Atrium as the students showed up for the Halloween party with the best costumes they could scrape together with what they had (after all, how much can you fit in the 15kgs). The Halloween Costume Contest had many contenders, and the photobooth pictures from the night are sure proof. Ashoka celebrated Halloween in it’s full spooky spirit and as a cherry on top, Navrang, the Film Society, held a Brooklyn 99 marathon of all the Halloween Heist episodes.

Each one of these events took a lot of collaboration, coordination and hard work. From the dedicated meetings which take place beforehand to the final execution and pack-up. Going beyond this list, there were various movie screenings, Academic Expos and talks which took place throughout the week. Abhinaya, the Dance Society expanded its reach by having a Bhangra Workshop on friday night for those who truly love to learn. The Entrepreneurship Network of Ashoka held a Masterclass on ideation and problem-solving in collaboration with Ingenious Faces. Some students also came together to celebrate Kannada Rajyotsava, the Karnataka State Festival and served some delicious mysore pak along the way! This jam-packed week, however, is nothing out of the ordinary for someone living on campus. Only when we take a step back and revisit the week (or check the mails we missed) do we realise how much is constantly happening around us.

This event-filled week, during which most students were still finishing up their mid semester exams and assignments, only preceded Ashoka’s cultural festival, Banjaara, which finally took place over November 2nd and 3rd. Be sure to look out for an article from Her Campus covering the fest, soon!

Photo Credits: Bob Marley Tapestry and One of the performances at Dissonance (taken by me), the Her Campus stall at Diwali Haat (from the Her Campus Social Media accounts), The Decor at Halloween and the Winner of the Best Costume (courtesy Cultural Ministry).

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