Alcheringa (festival)
Encyclopedia
Alcheringa, popularly known as Alcher, is the annual cultural festival
of the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
, India
. Alcheringa is generally held around the first weekend of February and lasts for three days and four nights. It consists of several competitions, informal events, workshops and showcases professional performances. It was started in 1996 and is now in its 16th incarnation.
The word 'Alcheringa
' comes from the Australian aboriginal language of the Aruntas
. It is roughly translated to mean: "the Eternal Dreamtime
".
, Strings
, KK, Euphoria
, Parikrama, The Raghu Dixit Project
, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Advaita, Motherjane
and RDB
. Alcheringa 2010 also played host to the Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie
, and Italian Embassy’s sponsored tour of Guiliano Modarelli.
The highlight of Alcheringa '10, also called Alcheringa Xtreme, was the performance from Swiss Pagan/Folk/Death metal band Eluveitie
in Juggernaut, and The Italian Embassy’s sponsored tour of Guiliano Modarelli, which were the first performances from overseas artists in Alcheringa.
Highlights:
Highlights:
and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
.
Highlights:
(sarod) and Aditya Kalyanpur
. Other performers included Advaita, Motherjane
, RDB
and KK
, Promoting North-East tourism, save the Rhinoceros, save Gangetic Dolphin, etc.
Culfest
A culfest or cultfest is an annual event organized by colleges in India.-General format:Most college culfests last from two to five days...
of the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati is an autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institute of higher education established by the Government of India, located in Guwahati, in the state of Assam in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Alcheringa is generally held around the first weekend of February and lasts for three days and four nights. It consists of several competitions, informal events, workshops and showcases professional performances. It was started in 1996 and is now in its 16th incarnation.
The word 'Alcheringa
Alcheringa
Alcheringa is the Dreamtime of Indigenous Australians, also known as Alchera.It can also mean:*Alcheringa , an Australian palaeontology journal*Alcheringa , a magazine of ethnopoetics published from 1970–1980...
' comes from the Australian aboriginal language of the Aruntas
Arrernte people
The Arrernte people , known in English as the Aranda or Arunta, are those Indigenous Australians who are the original custodians of Arrernte lands in the central area of Australia around Mparntwe or Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The Arrernte tribe has lived there for more than 20,000 years...
. It is roughly translated to mean: "the Eternal Dreamtime
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
".
History
The first edition of Alcheringa took place in 1996, when only a few events were organised and most of the participation was local. Today the festival receives participation from around 150 colleges and other art institutes from across the country, as well a footfall of more than 30,000 during the festival itself.In the past Alcheringa has featured performances from many artistes including Sonu Niigaam, ShaanShaan (singer)
Shaan , is an Indian playback singer, and television host. He hosted the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Star Voice of India and "Star Voice of India 2"...
, Strings
Strings (band)
Strings are an internationally acclaimed pop rock band comprising two members from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The band was initially formed by four college students, Bilal Maqsood , Faisal Kapadia , Rafiq Wazir Ali and Kareem Bashir Bhoy in 1988...
, KK, Euphoria
Euphoria (Indian band)
Euphoria , is an Indian rock band from the city of Delhi, India.-Films:The band has composed the soundtrack for a Malayalam film named Best of luck .-Albums:* 1998 - Dhoom* 2000 - Phir Dhoom* 2003 - Gully* 2006 - Mehfuz* 2008 - ReDhoom...
, Parikrama, The Raghu Dixit Project
The Raghu Dixit Project
The Raghu Dixit Project, founded by Raghu Dixit , is an open house for musicians and artistes from different genres to come together, collaborate and create a dynamic sound and expression...
, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Advaita, Motherjane
Motherjane
Motherjane is an Indian rock band from Kochi, India, formed in 1996. The band consists of Suraj Mani , John Thomas , Clyde Rozario , Deepu Sasidharan and Santosh Chandran . They have released a total of two studio albums, and three singles...
and RDB
RDB
Rdb and RDB can refer to:* Rang de Basanti, a 2006 Hindi-language film starring Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, R. Madhavan, Siddharth Narayan, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor and Alice Patten...
. Alcheringa 2010 also played host to the Swiss folk metal band Eluveitie
Eluveitie
Eluveitie is a folk metal band from Winterthur, Switzerland. The band formed in 2002 and their first EP, Vên came out in 2003. The band then released a full-length album, Spirit in June 2006. In November 2007, Eluveitie was signed by Nuclear Blast....
, and Italian Embassy’s sponsored tour of Guiliano Modarelli.
Event Structure
The event structure of Alcheringa is divided into a number of modules that envelope various aspects of cultural form of entertainment. These modules are namely:- Dance
- Music
- Theater
- Shades (Fine Arts module)
- AlfaazAlfaazAlfaaz is the annual literary festival of the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati , Guwahati, India. The word Alfaaz means words and accordingly consists of literary competitions,panel discussion, lectures, demonstrations, video conferences and workshops...
(Literary module) - Quizzes
- Fun N Masti (Informal events)
- Alcher Online
- Class Apart (The popular module)
- Renaissance (Talks and Workshops)
- Pronites
- Sports Module
Popular Contests
The most popular competitions of Alcheringa, called the Big 4, are Rock-o-Phonix (English band competition), Electric Heels (Freestyle dance competition), Mr. and Mrs. Alcheringa (Personality contest) and Haute Couture (Fashion show). Rock-o-Phonix has a prize money worth in the excess of INR 2 lakhs, making it the largest competition of its kind in the entire country.Pronites
The 4 nights of Alcheringa feature 4 Pronites where professionals from the entertainment industry perform in front of the crowds. These Pronites received a footfall of around 40,000 in Alcheringa 2011. The four nights are Saaz - The classical night, Blitzkrieg - Expect anything, Crescendo - The popular night and Juggernaut - The rock night.The highlight of Alcheringa '10, also called Alcheringa Xtreme, was the performance from Swiss Pagan/Folk/Death metal band Eluveitie
Eluveitie
Eluveitie is a folk metal band from Winterthur, Switzerland. The band formed in 2002 and their first EP, Vên came out in 2003. The band then released a full-length album, Spirit in June 2006. In November 2007, Eluveitie was signed by Nuclear Blast....
in Juggernaut, and The Italian Embassy’s sponsored tour of Guiliano Modarelli, which were the first performances from overseas artists in Alcheringa.
Alcheringa 2008 - Revel in Retro
In 2008, Alcheringa relived the 70's, the heady days of Rock n Roll. The festival's theme "Revel in Retro" introduced the youngsters to those good old days which we hear so much about.Highlights:
- Junkyard Groove the Alternative Rock band from Chennai
- The Raghu Dixit ProjectThe Raghu Dixit ProjectThe Raghu Dixit Project, founded by Raghu Dixit , is an open house for musicians and artistes from different genres to come together, collaborate and create a dynamic sound and expression...
- a Folk Fusion Band from Bangalore at Blitzkrieg. - ShaanShaan (singer)Shaan , is an Indian playback singer, and television host. He hosted the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Star Voice of India and "Star Voice of India 2"...
at Crescendo
Alcheringa 2009 - Around the world in 3 days
The 2009 edition of Alcheringa was presented with the theme Around the world in 3 daysHighlights:
- Classical dance by Tridhara and Fusion music by Yatra at the Inaugural Nite.
- Ganesh-KumareshGanesh and KumareshGanesh and Kumaresh are a well known duo of violin players who are a part of the South India music fraternity . They are best known as modern contemporary artists who have done lot of service to "Sastriya Sangitam"...
- The Violin Duo at Saaz. - Fashion show by Kallol Dutta of Lakme Fashion Week.
- SwarathmaSwarathmaSwarathma is a Bangalore based Indian Folk/fusion band. The current line up features Vasu Dixit , Pavan Kumar KJ , Montry Manuel , Varun , Sanjeev Nayak and Jishnu Dasgupta .They released their debut album on Virgin Records on 5 January 2009, supporting it with a...
the Folk Fusion Band from Bangalore at Blitzkrieg. - ScribeScribe (band)Scribe is a hardcore/experimental/post-Hardcore/metal band from Mumbai, India. Active since 2005, the band has built up a reputation for itself as one of the most technically proficient bands on the Indian underground metal scene.- History :...
- the hardcore metal band from Mumbai at Juggernaut. - Performance by Hasya Kavi Dr. Kumar VishwasKumar VishwasKumar Vishwas is a renowned Hindi Poet and a professor of Hindi Literature from Pilkhuwa, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.-Early life and education:...
. - Sonu NigamSonu NigamSonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...
- at Crescendo.
Alcheringa 2010 - Xtreme
In early February 2010, Alcheringa presented its “Xtreme edition” which featured Swiss metal band EluveitieEluveitie
Eluveitie is a folk metal band from Winterthur, Switzerland. The band formed in 2002 and their first EP, Vên came out in 2003. The band then released a full-length album, Spirit in June 2006. In November 2007, Eluveitie was signed by Nuclear Blast....
and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy are an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. Record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists, they have composed music for over fifty soundtrack across four languages...
.
Highlights:
- Performance by the Sitar Troupe Talim at the Inaugural Nite.
- The Guiliano Modarelli Trio at Saaz.
- Vir DasVir Das- Personal life :Vir Saran Das was born in Dehradun and has lived in Africa and studied in Indian Language School in Lagos, Nigeria, Shimla and Delhi. He obtained a Bachelor's degree from Knox College, Illinois in Economics & Theatre with a concentration in performance...
and his comic rock band Alien Chutney. - MTVMTV IndiaMTV India is the Indian version of MTV , a channel specialising in music and youth culture programming. It was launched in 1996 and is now part of the Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd based in Mumbai. . "MTV India" is one of the oldest Music Television Networks in Asia...
Stunt Mania demo by the stunt team Ghost Riders with VJ Bani on campus. - Shankar Ehsaan Loy at Crescendo.
- Swiss Folk Metal Band EluveitieEluveitieEluveitie is a folk metal band from Winterthur, Switzerland. The band formed in 2002 and their first EP, Vên came out in 2003. The band then released a full-length album, Spirit in June 2006. In November 2007, Eluveitie was signed by Nuclear Blast....
at Juggernaut.
Alcheringa 2011 - Lights Camera Action
Alcher, for the first time in its 15 editions, introduced a Sports Module, with 5-on-5 Football and Arm Wrestling competitions. The Lights Camera Action edition featured the virtuoso trio Vinayak Chittar (sitar), Arnab ChakrabartyArnab Chakrabarty
Arnab Chakrabarty is a Hindustani classical musician and sarod player.-Early life and education:Arnab Chakrabarty grew up in Mumbai, where his father was a professor of chemistry at the Indian Institute of Technology...
(sarod) and Aditya Kalyanpur
Aditya Kalyanpur
Aditya Kalyanpur is an Indian Tabla player. He belongs to the Punjab gharana.-Early life and background:Aditya Kalyanpur was born in Mumbai, India....
. Other performers included Advaita, Motherjane
Motherjane
Motherjane is an Indian rock band from Kochi, India, formed in 1996. The band consists of Suraj Mani , John Thomas , Clyde Rozario , Deepu Sasidharan and Santosh Chandran . They have released a total of two studio albums, and three singles...
, RDB
RDB
Rdb and RDB can refer to:* Rang de Basanti, a 2006 Hindi-language film starring Aamir Khan, Soha Ali Khan, R. Madhavan, Siddharth Narayan, Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor and Alice Patten...
and KK
KK
-People:* KK , an Icelandic musician* KK Null, a Japanese musician* Kenneth Kaunda, a Zambian politician* Krishnakumar Kunnath, an Indian playback singer* Kishore Kumar, an Indian playback singer* Kay Kay Menon , an Indian actor...
Social Initiatives
Some of the social initiatives taken up over the last few years are Fight against Aids, Bachpan - Setting Innocence Free, Drops of Hope - Blood donation camp, Promoting North-East tourism, save the Rhinoceros, save Gangetic Dolphin, etc.