Sanskriti (culfest)
Encyclopedia
Sanskriti is the annual socio-cultural college festival or culfest
of Jadavpur University
, Kolkata
. Sanskriti actually comprises three independent five-day culfests of the Faculties of Arts, Science and Engineering in Jadavpur University. The events occur in the period mid-February to mid-March, starting with the Faculty of Arts Sanskriti and ending with the Faculty of Engineering Sanskriti, the biggest of the three. Sanskriti is organized by the students, without involvement of the university authorities. Students wear a special T-shirt and take part competitive and cultural activities. A reunion night is also held.
Competitive events include western and eastern choreography, western and eastern solo and band music, and quiz (trivia
). Other notable events include debate
, antakshari
(a spoken
parlor game
) , medleys
and other off-stage events.
The Engineering Sanskriti finale usually coincides with the India
n festival of colours - Holi
or Doljatra. The final night at Sanskriti typically features a leading South Asian band, accompanied by the playing of water colours (Holi
) and a culminating midnight feast.
. The focal theme of all the culfests is usually Bengali culture, with a special "Bengali culture" day in the program. Emphasis is laid on ethnic Bengali art forms - some forms to have been featured recurrently have been the Baul
genre of singing, and the Chhou dance. Notable Bengali performers from previous culfests include Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay
, Manna Dey
, Bhupen Hazarika, Anup Ghosal, Suman Chattopadhyay and Anjan Dutta
. Leading Indian groups like Parikrama
, Krosswindz
, Euphoria
and Indian Ocean,Motherjane have played at Sanskriti.
Theatre is also a very intrinsic part of Sanskriti. Sanskriti usually features three full length plays (by the three faculties), as well as one or more guest plays by such noted theatre groups as Nandikar
.
Notable second generation Bengali folk rock musicians Anjan Dutta
and Suman Chattopadhyay have also been associated with Sanskriti.
Sanskriti also popularized Bangladeshi rock bands in Kolkata, flying in bands like Souls
and Miles from Bangladesh
for the open air concert. This, along with Western Group music competitions, and patronage of local Bengali rock bands slowly caused Bengali rock to gain acceptance in other Kolkata culfests, and then among the larger Bengali music community.
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 Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University
Jadavpur University , is a premier educational and research institution in India.It is located in Kolkata, West Bengal and comprises two campuses - the main campus at Jadavpur and the new campus at Salt Lake...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. Sanskriti actually comprises three independent five-day culfests of the Faculties of Arts, Science and Engineering in Jadavpur University. The events occur in the period mid-February to mid-March, starting with the Faculty of Arts Sanskriti and ending with the Faculty of Engineering Sanskriti, the biggest of the three. Sanskriti is organized by the students, without involvement of the university authorities. Students wear a special T-shirt and take part competitive and cultural activities. A reunion night is also held.
Events
Sanskriti is host to a number of inter-college competitive events. The Competitive events are held over three days for the Arts and Science faculties and five days for the Engineering faculty. Afternoons and evenings are usually devoted to the competitive events with the performances making their way to the stage in the late evenings. Events are held at the open air theatre.Competitive events include western and eastern choreography, western and eastern solo and band music, and quiz (trivia
Trivia
The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
). Other notable events include debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
, antakshari
Antakshari
Antakshri is a spoken parlor game played in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Each contestant sings the first verse of a movie song that begins with the Hindi or Urdu consonant on which the previous contestant's song selection ended.-Etymology:The word is derived from two Hindi words:#Ant meaning...
(a spoken
Spoken game
A spoken game is a game which uses words instead of cards, boards, game pieces, or other paraphernalia.Spoken games can often also be categorized as guessing games, word games, or because of their freedom from equipment or visual engagement, car games....
parlor game
Parlour game
A parlour game is a group game played indoors. During the Victorian era in Great Britain and in the United States, these games were extremely popular among the upper and middle classes. They were often played in a parlour, hence the name....
) , medleys
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
and other off-stage events.
The Engineering Sanskriti finale usually coincides with the 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...
n festival of colours - Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
or Doljatra. The final night at Sanskriti typically features a leading South Asian band, accompanied by the playing of water colours (Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
) and a culminating midnight feast.
Notable Mainstream Performers
Sanskriti means "culture" in BengaliBengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
. The focal theme of all the culfests is usually Bengali culture, with a special "Bengali culture" day in the program. Emphasis is laid on ethnic Bengali art forms - some forms to have been featured recurrently have been the Baul
Baul
Baul .Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.-Etymology:The origin of the word...
genre of singing, and the Chhou dance. Notable Bengali performers from previous culfests include Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay
Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay
Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay also known as Hemanta Mukherjee was an Bengali singer, composer and producer. He sang in Hindi films under the name Hemant Kumar.-Early life:...
, Manna Dey
Manna Dey
Prabodh Chandra Dey , better known by his nickname Manna Dey , is a playback singer in Bengali Assamese and Hindi films. Along with Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, he was a part of Indian film playback music from the 1950s to the 1970s. He has recorded more than 3500 songs over the course of...
, Bhupen Hazarika, Anup Ghosal, Suman Chattopadhyay and Anjan Dutta
Anjan Dutta
Anjan Dutta is a popular artist of the 1990s Bengali music scene defined by anyodharar gaan . Anjan Dutta's style of music is different from the others in the sense that it has simple tunes, one that is reminiscent of western folk music. His lyrics are simple and more natural...
. Leading Indian groups like Parikrama
Parikrama
For meaning of word see Parikrama .Parikrama is a Rock and Roll band from Delhi, India. They have several live performances and original numbers to their name. The band was officially formed on June 17, 1991 in Delhi...
, Krosswindz
Krosswindz
Krosswindz is a Classic Rock/folk-fusion band, based in Kolkata, India. They have played all over India and abroad, and have helped urbanize the folk music of Bengal and have tried to make it popular...
, 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...
and Indian Ocean,Motherjane have played at Sanskriti.
Theatre is also a very intrinsic part of Sanskriti. Sanskriti usually features three full length plays (by the three faculties), as well as one or more guest plays by such noted theatre groups as Nandikar
Nandikar
Nandikar is a theatre group in India. The group has its headquarters in Kolkata in the state of West Bengal, but works around the world.__FORCETOC__-History:...
.
Bengali Rock and Sanskriti
The catchphrase for Sanskriti is Redefining culture. Sanskriti has brought about a significant shift in Bengali mainstream culture, by its promotion of Bengali rock from an alternative music form to a widely-liked, and hugely popular medium. The initiators of Bengali rock - Mohiner Ghoraguli, performed at Sanskriti in the 1970s, even when they did not gain popular acceptance, as well as in the late 1990s and 2000s. 2002 even saw a memorial concert for the late founder of the band Gautam Chattopadhyay, with regrouped band members, and a live stage artist.Notable second generation Bengali folk rock musicians Anjan Dutta
Anjan Dutta
Anjan Dutta is a popular artist of the 1990s Bengali music scene defined by anyodharar gaan . Anjan Dutta's style of music is different from the others in the sense that it has simple tunes, one that is reminiscent of western folk music. His lyrics are simple and more natural...
and Suman Chattopadhyay have also been associated with Sanskriti.
Sanskriti also popularized Bangladeshi rock bands in Kolkata, flying in bands like Souls
Souls (band)
Souls is a pop-music band from Bangladesh. It was established in Chittagong, and later moved to Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka. Former members include Tapan Chowdhury, Ayub Bachchu, Nakib Khan, Naseem Ali, and Partha Barua...
and Miles from Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
for the open air concert. This, along with Western Group music competitions, and patronage of local Bengali rock bands slowly caused Bengali rock to gain acceptance in other Kolkata culfests, and then among the larger Bengali music community.