Antaragni 2019: Fashion contest Ritambhara, DJ War and a performance by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy among festival highlights

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur's annual festival, Antaragni, witnessed an entertaining and lively mix of students, artists and performers attending the 54th edition of the college's cultural extravaganza.

Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, Om Prakash Singh, was the chief guest for the opening ceremony of the festival that ran from 17 October to 20 October 2019. One of the highlights of the event included a performance by the popular music trio, Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy that took place on Bollywood night. The artists enthralled the jam-packed auditorium, keeping the audience's energy high with some of their earlier hits as well as their latest creations.

Noted musician Shankar Mahadevan took to the stage as part of the ensemble, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy on the Bollywood night of Antaragni 2019.

Also a part of the line-up on fusion night was the band, When Chai Met Toast, while Sitar Metal took to the stage on Classical night. In keeping with the festival's aim to bring talented artists to the home turf, the International Carnival of Antaragni hosted performers from  Portugal, Poland, France, Korea and Iran.

The annual festival also organised a plethora of competitions and events for the attendees including the personality pageant, Mr and Miss Antaragni, Kavi Sammelan, the fashion contest  Ritambhara, DJ War and Director's Cut. Participants found a stage for showcasing their talent in various fields including dance, drama, fine art, film-making and photography presenting their work in front of the talented jury comprising Padma Shri Giriraj Kishore, Rajesh Khattar and Aajjan Srivastava among others.

The group discussions and panels organised during the four-day festivities also brought to the table relevant social issues and hosted events and competitions to raise awareness among the students regarding concerns such as plastic waste and water conservation. Through its photography and creative writing contests, panel discussions such as Aamne Samne and case study competitions, Antaragni also aimed at creating a platform for students to shed light on such pertinent issues.

Antaragni 2019 also organised a host of other activities such as blind dates, ballroom dancing and fashion contests engaging those gathered in a fun-filled cultural experience.