Mood Indigo 2017: Highlights from the upcoming edition of IIT-Bombay's annual cultural fest

It may be Asia’s largest inter-collegiate cultural festival today, but when Mood Indigo began in 1971, it was the brainchild of four students who were working with a budget of just Rs 5,000. In the decades since, MoodI — IIT-Bombay’s annual festival — has become a landmark event on the college circuit in India. The 2017 edition of the festival takes place on the IIT-B campus over 22-25 December and has as its theme — La Fête Carnaval. Elements from carnivals all over the world have been brought on site to turn the campus into a festive space — think jester/masquerade masks, carousels, aerial dragons, fire performers, jugglers et al — as it gears up to greet an anticipated 1,39,000 students from across 1,700 colleges (based on the participation figures from 2016). A mix of old and new events have been planned for the festival this year. Here’s a look at the highlights from MoodI 2017: Giving Back In an attempt to give back to society, Mood Indigo takes up a social cause every year. This year, the fest is championing the expansion of the stem-cell donor registry through its initiative ‘Swab to Save’. Camps in various cities across India were organised, where swab samples from people were collected. In order to generate greater awareness about the drive, the IIT Bombay Half-Marathon is being held at the college campus. Support comes from noted personalities, such as Gary Kirsten. [caption id=“attachment_4269909” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Mood Indigo 2017 will be held on the IIT-Bombay campus over 22-25 December[/caption] Celebrities in Attendance Among the celebrities expected to make their way to the fest this year are Akshay Kumar (who will be promoting his film Padman) on 22 December, and for the panel discussions — Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram, author Ravinder Singh, actor Manoj Bajpayee, and filmmaker Neeraj Pandey. Of New Events — and Old 1. Illusion Fest: magicians and illusionists from all around the world will converge at the Powai campus to enthrall the audience. 2. International Music Festival: performances by exciting talents across various genres from countries like Israel and Denmark. 3. Humor Quotient: a comedy event which will see Mallika Dua and Sunil Paul as guests. 4. DanceFest: showcasing amazing dance forms from across the globe. 5. The Wall Project: artists from different countries will showcase their art on the walls in the Student Activity Centre. 6. Interactive workshops: with professionals like Rahul Kaushik (The Melting Words), designer Neeta Lulla etc. 7. Eloquence: Mood Indigo’s literary fest has undergone extensive re-branding and returned with a bang. 8. She’s Got The Look: Mood Indigo’s beauty pageant, which will provide its winner a direct entry to Miss India 2018 state audition. 9. Vogue: the flagship fashion competition. 10. ChoreoNite: India’s biggest college dance competition. Having proved their mettle at the regional level, the four days of Modd Indigo will see the best college teams from all over India vying it out for top honours and prizes worth Rs 8,50,000. Performances Haken — a progressive metal band touted as the Dream Theatre of the next generation — will be flying down from London to headline the Livewire Nite on 22 December. Up next in the lineup is the Clinton Cerejo band ft. Vijay Prakash and a host of amazing musicians. To celebrate Christmas Eve, Mood Indigo presents the EDM Nite with Dutch DJ duo Bassjackers on 24 December. The fest will draw to a close on Christmas, with Amit Trivedi taking the stage on Popular Nite. Mood Indigo 2017 promises to be a celebration of joy, art and culture. A carnival indeed! Click here for more information