Umang 2022, held last month at The Bhawanipur Education Society College (BESC), in association with The Telegraph, was a much-awaited four-day fest. With more than 50 participating colleges from across the city, 3,500 participants and 80 events, it was a gala affair involving dance, music, fashion and much more. The theme of this year’s Umang was ‘75+25’—-celebrating 75 years of the Indian Independence and setting a goal to embrace the upcoming 25 years of ‘tech-age for humankind’. The fest, like every year, gave a platform to the students of the city colleges to showcase their talent. Over 270 student volunteers collectively worked hard to pull off the entire fest smoothly. The celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav through the fest, concluded on a spirited note with a bunch of happy memories for the students.
Snapshots
“Umang is happening since 1999 and it’s a grand celebration. We have different types of events including star events, performing arts, fine arts and many more. Students have worked hard to make this fest stand out and make it happen. More than 3,000 people have participated in this fest,” said Dilip Saha, dean of student affairs, BESC.
The Telegraph caught up with Armaan Malik for a quick chat.
It was a mesmerizing scene to see the audience grooving and singing the songs along with Armaan.
How does it feel to be back in Kolkata for a show?
I’ve come to Kolkata and West Bengal many times, but I’m very excited to perform here. It’s always lovely to be back to the City of Joy, performing all my songs for the amazing audience and Armaanians who have come to watch me today.
Does such college shows bring back memories of your college days?
I did one year of college and then my career took off. I still feel very sad about that because I wanted to enjoy college life. That’s a very different life.You don’t get to experience that again and again. I got busy with my musical career and I couldn’t complete my college education. But I get to experience a little bit of that energy, fun, and enthusiasm when I perform for college fests like these.
If you had to dedicate one song to your fans of Kolkata what would that be?
There’s a song of mine called Tu/You which got a lot of love. So I would like to dedicate that to all my fans and everyone out here. It’s like a warm hug from me to all the listeners in this winter time.
Is there any song that reminds you of your college days?
Yes, I would say Buddhu sa mann is a song of mine which I did for Kapoor & Sons. I think when we are in college, we don’t really think. We follow our heart and desires — whatever we want to do, we want to have fun, or we want to enjoy. That’s literally the meaning of the song, Buddhu sa mann — let’s go crazy, let’s go crazy together.
How did you prepare your playlist for Umang?
Well, today’s concert is very special for me because this is the last concert of 2022 for me. I just concluded my India tour, which was a four-city tour across India and this is my first India tour. I had done a show in Kolkata as well, but now doing a show here and this being the closing show of the year is very close to my heart. So today is going to be really special. I always prepare a very special set list for each show that I do in each different city. Also, I hope to sing a few Bengali songs because I sing in Bengali as well. So, I hope to do some of those tracks and my usual numbers that people love to listen to and a few surprises as well.
What are some of your favourite Bengali songs?
Well, there are many, but it has to be this one song that I sang for Jeet Ganngulida.There was a song called, Mahi re which I have sung. This is one of my personal favourites. There was another song called Ami je ke tomar, which was for Indraadip Dasgupta sir. That is one of my favourites as well.
Doctor Bakshi’s cast and crew dropped by on the third day of the fest at the campus. Lead actor Parambrata Chattopadhyay interacted with the students and shared his college memories.
Actress Maahi Kar and director Saptaswa Basu accompanied him.
Winner's corner
Bhawanipur Education Society College (left) stood out as the overall winner of Umang followed by St. Xavier’s University as the first runner-up. Following BESC’s tradition, however, the winner’s trophy was passed on to St. Xavier’s University. Heritage College emerged as the first runner-up and Seth Anandram Jaipuria College as second.
Highlights
Street Play witnessed performers express powerful emotions while portraying several social issues through their plays. BESC was the winner.
The second day of the fest ended on high energy and enthusiasm after a rocking live music performance by the band TRAP- The Radical Array Project.
Shayne Hyrapiet (centre), who judged the Western Band event, awarded the team from BESC as the winner for this event.
The western group dance was scheduled as the last event of Umang 2022 and performers from various colleges showed off impressive moves on the stage. Competitive spirit was high among all the participating colleges. Ultimately, BESC bagged the first prize with their energetic performance.
Umang 2022 also had several off-stage events like debate, stand-up comedy and gaming that took place inside the campus. The non-fire cooking event saw participants come up with yummy recipes and fine presentations. J.D. Birla Institute emerged as the winner in the non-fire cooking round.
Naman Chandak, a first-year BMS student at St. Xavier’s University, was awarded the ‘Star of Umang 2022 (male)’ award for bagging the first prize in the event Rajneeti, a management event. He also took home the third prize in both Stand- Up Comedy and Mock Parliament.
The fashion show team from BESC had everyone’s attention with their gorgeous outfits based on the various elements of the earth. They took home the first prize.
Twin brothers Ankush Bandhopadhyay and Ayush Bandhopadhyay, 19, from St. Xavier’s University, won hearts with their violin synchronisation. They sang Until I Found You in the Western Band event and bagged the second prize.
As students from different colleges performed on stage, their fellow batchmates encouraged them by cheering them on.
Style pick
Isica Gupta, a student of BESC decided to dress up traditional on the third day of the event in a white sharara, perfectly paired with a blazer.
Student Speak
“Apart from it being a fest, it was more like a get-together. I got to meet my old friends from school and made some new ones. It was a pretty good experience,” said Ayan Bhowmick, a fourth-year law student at Surendranath Law College.
“It has been really fun and amazing to see how they have organised the entire fest right after the pandemic. I am really looking forward to the next year,” said Annesha Dutta, a student from IHM.
Jury speak
Actor Neel Bhattacharya, who judged the fashion show, said: “It’s a lovely experience to see how people have thought about the theme. I appreciate their representation and the energy. They have put on a lot of hard work, and that’s the best part about Umang. It is such a great platform. Everyone tried to give their best.”
Dorothy and Amit Shaw were captivated as they judged all the wonderful dance performances put up by the students from different colleges for the western group dance event. “It is great to see these kids showcase their dance with so much style. It is delightful to see the kids performing. We have been to Umang since inception and it always feels good to be back here,” said Amit Shaw.