A series of events happening over four years ought to tell
you everything you want to know about yourself, and should bring you closer to
what you really are. And the Cultural Activity Team did just that for me. It
showed what I was good at, and brought forward a part of me that I did not know
existed. So I believe re-accounting my journey chronologically would do it
justice.
When I joined the college in 2010, and stayed back only for an
hour after regular college time for Parichay (early curfew at home), the one
part I noticed was the dedication of the Cultural Activity Team, and in
particular the secretaries. And that stuck with me a long way.
I’ve seen it all here: tears of sorrow, tears of
disappointment, and tears of joy. Back in 2012, a few 2nd years (Myself, Balajee,
Harisha, Nirupama, Prerana, and a few others) were given the huge
responsibility of driving all the back-end work related to Pantheon 2012, a
fest which was till then known to be the best opportunity for students to take
a long weekend off, and run home. And in 2012, we changed that. We were a
brilliant team that year, led by ruthless and dedicated secretaries, and
newcomers like us, keen to leave a lasting impression.
Parichay 2013 was a different story entirely, with us
organising a fest while there were abuses being hurled at us from every
direction (the CAT trolls episode). People in the team were reduced to tears,
their self-confidence shattered because of the blatant disregard for the work
they were doing. And in spite of all that and more, we pulled off the classiest
Parichay ever conducted, and managed to shut everyone up.
And then came the mammoth task of rising above and beyond
the expectations of Pantheon 2012. Pantheon 2014 was an idea, a chance of
showing the city that ours’ was a fest worth reckoning. As secretary, I had the
added responsibility of answering to the management, faculty, sponsors, and
most importantly my team: 40 of the most talented, hard-working and passionate
people I have ever come across. We had our differences, our struggles, our share
of pain. The end result: We organised an event with arguably THE BEST publicity
campaign the city had ever seen. A campaign which made every single student
stay put and watch what we had to show. A campaign that caught the attention of
the people who had never heard of a fest called Pantheon. The fest was a
thumping success, and it was more than I could have asked for, in terms of a
fitting farewell from college.
In conclusion, there is one thing I want everyone to
understand about the Cultural Activity Team: It is not easy.
We face criticism from the teachers for being an obstacle in
the way of academics. We face criticism from the students for not helping them
bunk in the name of “CAT kelsa”. We face criticism from the management for
spending too much money. We are abused by some clueless and unfortunate people
for keeping all that money to ourselves.
In 2012, the CAT room had chairs, a table, and an air
conditioner. In 2013, it had chairs and a makeshift table tennis table, forget
the AC. In 2014, it had no chairs, just a table tennis table, and no
electricity at all.
During fest season, we have to forgo food, recreation,
academics, and social life: only to put up a good show. We have to take up
several roles: that of an entrepreneur, a manager, a designer, a creative head,
a peon, a janitor- it’s all here.
So why do we do this?
The answer to that lies in my title. When you’re on stage,
and you see a mob of almost a 1000 students, swaying to the music, making noise
at par with a fighter jet in flight, and dancing without a care in the world,
you realise that it was all worth it. When you scream in the microphone and
call out “WHAT’S UP RNSIT!’, and get back a roar of approval from a thousand-headed
beast in return, you know that you’ve done something right. It’s a heady mix of
ecstasy, joy, pain, relief, and exhaustion, and it is what the Cultural
Activity Team lives for.
For the CAT always,
Divas Mishra.
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