Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Making Of Montage

When you walk across campus on the 23rd and 24th of February what you see is highly in contrast to what we, the members of the Montage core team, are witness to. As the Montage we envisioned unfolds in front of us, we see 3 months of hard work, dedication and sleepless nights while you see a vibrant and energetic mob of students. These two days will be etched in your memories as the performances that mesmerized you and the DJ and band that empowered you to hysteria. The anxiety, fighting, the new relationships we forged and our Montage family is what will be etched in our memories for time immemorial.

Let's rewind. Let’s rewind to those days of anguish, those sleepless nights, those days when we all looked like train wrecks. No, that's no exaggeration, that was in fact our plight. Let me walk you through it because well, misery loves company.

Stage 1: The Interview

Every Saturday evening when you wonder what it would be like to be a contestant on Roadies, ask us. Our 3 interviewers would put Raghu, Rajeev and Rannvijay to shame. From the moment you step into that little interview room, to the moment your back is turned towards them to leave, all eyes bore into you as if piercing into your very soul. How we walked (read: sprinted) out of that room without a nervous breakdown still astonishes me.

Stage 2: Jab We Met

The moment, woh haseen pal, when we were introduced to our pati, patni and woh for the next 3 months. Ah! Hugging, shrieking, rolling of eyes, snide comments, we had it all. From that day, Montage was the single, most important thing running through all our minds. From the meetings, Montage conversations moved to the dinner tables. It was that day when the 30 of us made a pact that nothing, absolutely nothing can deter us from putting up a fabulous fest.

Stage 3: Apna Sapna Money Money

We loved the days we had a meeting with a sponsor. As much as we were exhilarated on getting money, we loved dressing up for these meetings just as much, if not more. We would beg and cry and plead with companies but to no avail. So wearing our crisp formals was what resuscitated us from the torture we bore every second of every day.

Step 4: Fest sirf teen cheezon se chalta hai ; entertainment, entertainment aur entertainment. Aur molntage entertainment hai !

The essence of any fest is its events. Whether it’s the competitions, the games, the stalls, the food all of it plays an equally important role. The gruelling and dreadful task of organizing and budgeting each of these events was just as painful as it sounds. But we have to live up to the unofficial motto of the fest: 'khao, peeyo, aish karo'. The intense discussions about the guest performer take place during this stage too. How excited we all are to live the dream to have a celebrity on speed dial.

Stage 5: Haseena Maan Jayegi

Signing up for the core team is a package deal: get selected and get a teacher in addition.There is no escaping the hawk-like vigilance from the teachers, every step we take is evaluated and questioned. One wrong move and you are doomed for the remainder of your days.

And finally...

Stage 6: Mauja Hi Mauja

D-Day. This is when we collapse due to sheer exhaustion, when we huddle up and shed tears of joy at a job well done and cry a river because it’s the end of a memorable journey. During those 48 hours, we reap the fruits of hard work and passion. We, the core team, create Montage out of our khoon and paseena. These two days mark the beginning of the end.








Tuesday, February 14, 2012

This Montage Fall In Love

'Duniya mei Kuch rishte aise hote hain joh hum samajhte nahin, Kuch rishte jo hum samajhna nahin chahte. Kuch rishte jin ka koi naam nahin hota, hota hai toh sirf ehsaas. Kuch rishte jin ki koi deewar nahin hoti, sarhad nahin hoti. Aese rishte jo dil ke rishte hote hain, pyar ke rishte hote hain, mohabbat ke rishte hote hain.'




As the mob of students pushed him through the JMC college gates, the disinterest in his eyes betrayed him. He mused to himself about the monotony of fests, same old song and dance. As he looked around something magnificent flashed before his eyes, her beauty, her grace was overpowering. As he followed that fleeting glimpse, for the first time he sensed the music rather than hearing it, he felt his heart beat in his chest and he felt as exquisite and graceful as the dancers he saw before his eyes. He felt larger than himself, an enlightenment of sorts he could not comprehend.

He was now one with the crowd. He wasn't being pushed anymore; he felt the rhythm in their movement. An intangible force moved him towards her. "I am in love" he exalted to himself and to the heavens. A love that was more beautiful and pure than he had ever experienced or could have imagined. He had fallen for her; he had fallen in love with Montage.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Guest Blogger : Soo Much Love

Thank you Saumya for your inspiring words. This post truly reflects what Montage signifies : college spirit and passion.Thank you once again.



A Montage Of Memories


What is the time of the year that as a college student you most look forward to? Definitely not the exams and assessments. It is, indubitably, the time your whole college is drowned under a spirit of celebration- your annual college festival which is not just a time to have fun, but also to work your asses off and proudly show off your college to the whole world out there.

I'll add one more thing to the above generalization. Not just for the incumbent college students, but also for the nascent alumni, the most looked forward to occasion is not the Convocation or the Reunions, but again, the college festival. I say this from personal experience. Reunions are good in their place, but they do not recreate the fervor and frolic associated with college life. Festivals certainly do. With a bunch of old friends, heading down to your own college with a cup full of memories in your hand and a sparkle of expectations in your eyes is an exercise many of us would like to undertake to revel once again in that relaxed, carefree air. My lips widen in a huge smile as I recall to mind that a similar trip I shall be undertaking towards to my college just about a fortnight hence. It is that time of the year again. It is MONTAGE time again!

Splashed all across my twitter timeline and facebook wall are updates and more updates about this year's edition of Jesus and Mary College's Annual Festival- Montage'12. It is heartwarming to see juniors take the oars in their hands and row towards the D-Day with such skill and innovation. With each successive edition, we at JMC have gone a notch higher in terms of the quality and enthusiasm with which we decorate the fest. More spunk has consistently been added. More shimmer sprinkled. More care observed in organization. More efficiency achieved. More events conducted. More participants attracted. More fame gained. And if I am to go by the words of the college president, Kanika Chaturvedi, this year, Montage promises to be nothing less than EPIC. Dear Kanika, make it an advanced version of epic. I know it lies in you and your team to do that!

The team. Aah. Now they are an enviable lot. A bunch of young, smart girls, who put the most passionate sections of their heart and the most creative sections of their brain into making certain that the fest is pulled off with uncomplicated meticulousness and stylish grace. One of the many new things they have tried this year is reaching out to people via an interesting blog. Oh, they have made some awesome teaser videos too, but since I am a blogging person, I am glad that my lonely, nightime occupation is being taken seriously by some cute damsels. They are churning out some cool posts with a candour and lightheartedness I wish God blessed all of us with. The feel you get while reading all those posts just makes the air around the road leading to the fest all the more energized. The countdown has begun.

Hit the fb page, or the Montage official website, but what I will strongly recommend is that stop by Montage's official blog by clicking here. Take a moment. We want you to laugh with us. We can be pompous about ourselves, because all the awesomeness JMC lends to us is prone to spilling out now and then. But with this blog, the creative scribes of JMC are out there to make you feel at home even before you step into our campus.


Its here. Montage '12. So, are you ready?


-SAUMYA KULSHRESHTHA

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Gossip Girl In Town

Hello there! People say nothing travels faster than light, I say to them challenge accepted. To you inquisitive souls and avid readers I present, your very own, omnipresent, all-knowing Gossip Girl. I believe there is nothing more scandalous than the truth and so I cross my heart and hope to die to reveal the truth and nothing but the truth. Be prepared, your blackberrys will be blazin' up soon enough. You have been warned. Get the news and gossip that surrounds the biggest event of twenty twelve first hand. So take out your notebooks and sharpen your pencils because Gossip Girl has a bomb of knowledge to drop.

You know you love me,

XOXO

Gossip Girl

PIN: 2753E6AD


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Oye Hoye Kudiyaan JMC Diyan

Jesus And Mary College. The college hundreds would kill to be a part of. But have you ever wondered what lies beyond that golden gate? What being a part of this prestigious student body truly feels like? As a part of the college, I guarantee nothing you have heard has done us justice. Step across those gates of hopes and dreams and lo and behold, what do you find? Ladkiyan, ladkiyan and wait for it, some more ladkiyan. JMC truly broadens your horizons...in your study of womanhood.

Classroom scene:

Everyone (in unison): Goodmorrrning ma'am

The teacher: Okay 'GIRLS' please take out your books

The 'GIRLS': Yeh kahaa agaye humm (8)

A year into college and it seems like you have progressed to the next echelon of femininity. This gyaan allows you to distinguish one female species from another in just a glance. So without further adieu, let me introduce you to the variety of kudiyan JMC has to offer:

1. The sports students

These are the girls everyone in college is envious of. They have the liberty to waltz into class a few minutes before the period ends and demand attendance. Meanwhile, the rest of us struggle to make it through those torturous 55 minute classes for our second of glory when we yell out 'present ma'am.'

2. Gucci di ainak lave, Prada di jeans pave

Being prim and proper and branded from head to toe is the forte of these JMC-ites. It could be snowing, there could be an avalanche or it could be 6.30 in the morning, no matter what, these girls never disappoint. You will always see them done up in their very best, anything less, then ring out the sirens, the fashion police has to be alerted.

3. The crackberrys

They come to college but aren't really there, they sit in class but haven't heard a word throughout, you see them amble down the corridor unaware of where they are heading and who they are bumping into on the way. They are lost in that 4X2 inch device which seems to be surgically attached to their arms. Intrigued as to what keeps them that engrossed? It's their freeway access to get minute by minute updates about their jaani’s whereabouts.

4. The shutterbugs/Facebook addicts

This group of girls can be easily spotted from a distance. How? Search for a group of yappy, high pitched girls and amongst them you shall unearth one armed with a camera taking either so called 'candid' photos of the group or a self portrait. 'Sirf like mat karna, comment bhi karna okay?'

5. The blasé lot

As the title suggests, this specimen's last priority is their appearance and they put our Gucci-Prada girls to shame. They roll out of bed and enter class precisely 15 minutes late everyday in the clothes they slept in. With unruly hair, the last row is their niche where they appear to be perpetually zoned out.

6. JMC's very own Gossip Girls

They wait around, alert as a hawk for someone's, anyone's life to take a dramatic turn. Masala- their daily dose of caffeine which keeps them going.

7. Chee! Look at her. Eww.

They could be anywhere, next to you in the canteen, secretly eyeing you in class or behind a tree with a pair of binoculars. Their job is to critically analyze every girl who walks by, her shoes, her accent, her hair, anything and everything!

8. The challengers

This group does not fail to challenge any point raised in class. Like the doomed spaceship, till the going is good, its smooth sailing, the minute something goes wrong they explode and transform into something unrecognizable.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Heading To Battle

300 gif

As I stand amidst the commotion that surrounds me I look back at the
past few months of college. The alarm goes off at 7. You hit the
snooze button with a vengeance, hoping, futilely at that, to make the
day stop. And it never does. You then drag yourself out of bed,
exchange grouchy hellos with your friends, and pause to look around.
Everyone in that classroom would rather be doing anything else than be
there. But who cares? The lecture begins, it’s time to go back to sleep.

The much awaited college festivals have begun! Today, amid the activity, I sense purpose,
determination and passion. College life certainly seems to have taken a 180
degree turn. While our beloved Western Dance Society performs their desi thumkas on
Oh La La, Dramsoc bellows naras with their dhols, I can hear the
debating society scream out against corruption while Echo serenades in
response. The practices are at their peak, the cold, the tiredness,
the workload, nothing can hold us back now. The college festivals are
the highlight of our year, yeh har DU student ke dil ki dhadkan hai,
chehre ki muskaan hain aur jeene ka sahara hai.

The enthusiasm is contagious and energy is bursting from every corner.
Either you participate or you cheer the performances on, there is no
escaping the madness. It seems like we are heading to battle - a battle
against us and the very best versions of us. Participants are armed
with purpose, armoured with determination and have their defenses up
against anything less than the very best.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

You Know It's Montage When....!


1. You spot a gang of girls doing a last minute touch-up, eager to introduce their ladkas to the campus they dream about getting into. After a gazillion peeks, from all sides and angles, into the mirror- “Main theek toh lag rahi hoon na!”

2. The boys are bamboozled, visibly. With a racing heart-a sneak, a peek, a stare and a sigh! “ Udhar dekh, teri hone wali bhabhi ja rahi hai” . *hands on heart* “Kya ladki hai yaar!”

3. Flashlights surround the naturally camera savvy kudis and mundas, flaunting themselves in most creative poses. “Main moti toh nahi lag rahi na.” “Ek aur kheecho” “Achchha ek aur” “Bas ek aur”

4. Lady gaga meets mohd rafis , Sheila ki jawaani got the moves like jagger and Tom cruise(s) get to ‘bond’ with the govinda(s) of Delhi university.

5. DJs and artists make the crowd go hysterical, dancing and head banging till the their last drop of energy permits. “Jab tak hai jaan, jaan-e-jahaan, main naachoongi!”




6. Guys skip the free stag entry at 'Hype' only to make it to the JMC fest after a year long wait.

7. Jhoolewala swings the giant wheel like the Boss, as the girls request for ‘thodi der aur bhaiya!’

8. The ladkas leave their ego at home, and oblige with a smile when a cute Montage core committee member tells them to wait awhile before they can enter.

9. Where you can binge on sugar and spice and everything nice under the same roof. Did we say roof? Under the open and inviting February Sun ϑ *Slurp*

10. You see shopaholic girls on prowl, easily spoilt for choice. They gaze, they crave, they lust after the junk jewellery, the ethnic kurtas, the hair braiding, the T Shirts, the long skirts- and scores of other items on display at sassy stalls across the campus. “
Oh my god! That HAS to be a part of my wardrobe.” * “oh wait! That too!”

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Montage is here














It’s that time of the year again when JMC will open its gates to another round of fun, competition and excitement. The much awaited two days when scores of students can be seen lining up in front of the JMC college gates, crowds pushing their way in and when the excitement is palpable. Yes, we're back. We're bigger, and better, and hotter- but we're not spilling the beans just yet. Hold on, the best takes time to display itself. And WE, are even better.


The kudiyaans are dolled up and the mundas have their game face on. However, Montage signifies more than just a congregation of people. It’s a reflection of college life, of passion and of team spirit. It provides a platform for the interaction of university students, a platform that transcends mere physical contact and academics. It IS a celebration of college life as we know it


The dates have been fixed, the stage has been set, we’re ready, ARE YOU READY?

*Drum roll please*

Are YOU ready for…

Two days of intense competition

Two days of unlimited entertainment

Two days of unforgettable memories and experiences



It’s that time of the year again, be a part of it.