The disco lights were on and the boom boxes amplified the voice modulations of two youngsters who explored every inch of their vocal cords in the “Beatboxing” competition held at Jain (Deemed-to-be University) ’s Jayanagar Campus. Organized as part of the Department of Animation’s “White Canvas – talent show”, the voice percussionists transfixed the audience with their rapid improvisations and acoustic range.
Of course, this was one of the events in the two-day fest that entertained the onlookers. Anargha Ajayan, a second-year student of the Department of Animation, Jain (Deemed-to-be University), one of the volunteers of the event was excited to share her view. “We are such a small team, yet we managed to bring out an event of this magnitude that is not run-of-the-mill. We have six categories and each competition has been carefully chosen to promote creativity and maintain the competitive edge. As students of Animation, we are expected to be creative and I am proud to say that ‘White Canvas’ has been different and original in many ways,” she said.
“Design an Indian Superhero” saw the participants sketching characters seeped in Indian tradition. Superheroes clad in dhotis and wielding sickles were a welcome sight to eyes used to the western canon of the saviors of the Earth. “CosPlay”, a theme-based fashion show ushered in Faeries, Captain America, the Addams Family, and other characters on to the stage and entertained the audience with their costumes and vitality.
“Trash Style” another event based on design saw the participants creating and wearing outfits made up of trash materials like strings, newspapers, and CDROMs. Pullovers, skirts, and tops were made out of almost nothing and evinced every drop of creative juice from the contestants. The first-person shootout game, Counter-Strike, exercised the brains of the competitors with its unlimited strategies and hard-core action.
Punith, a second-year student from Vijaya PUC is an aspiring gamer who participated in the competition. “Nowadays gaming is being seen as a professional pursuit. It is no more a leisure activity. The perception that continuous gaming is not good for health is also a myth; You have to select the right game like everything else in life. If you do that, gaming is actually beneficial to your hand-eye coordination, communication skills, and coordination,” he said.
Competitions were held in the categories of CosPlay, Trash Style, Design Your Indian Super Hero, Gaming, Movie Spoofs, and Beat Boxing. All the events elicited enthusiastic response from the numerous colleges which participated in the event.
