Stand-up comedy to prom night: Bennett University kicks off Uphoria fest

Music, stand-up comedy, and contests galore - Uphoria, Bennett University's annual festival, was a mix of all this and more. The three-day festival kicked off with inter-collegiate contests, star performances and a prom night on Day 1.

A dose of laughter with stand-up
The star of the evening was comedian Gaurav Kapoor, who made funny observations about topics ranging from the rivalry between Delhiites and Mumbaikars to married life. "Dekho bhai, jabse meri shaadi hui hai na, chhoti chhoti baaton par ladayi ho jaati hai bahut zyada," began Kapoor, before urging the faculty members present there to relate their stories of marital fights. Pointing to Vinod Shastri, Dean of Student Welfare, Kapoor asked, "Chalo bhai, ab faculty se puchte hai. Sir, aap bataiye aapki kis baat par ladayi hoti hai," To which, Shastri responded, "Har baat pe". His reply left the audience in splits and set the tone for Kapoor's set.

Students enjoying Gaurav Kapoor's stand-up routine

A dash of romance with prom night
After the laughter session, students got ready for the much-awaited event of day - Prom Night. Couples performed to romantic tracks like Ishq Wala Love, Night Changes by One Direction, Dheere Dheere Se Meri Zindagi and more. Since it was a strict couples-only event, the single folks had to sit this one out. "As I really wanted to be at the Prom Night, I quickly found a partner to dance with and we have become really good friends ever since," said Isha Singh, BA (JMC) student.

After Prom Night, the gates were open to all for a performance by the band Antriksh. The band sang various AR Rehman songs, including Dil Se Re. They also shared that this was their 10th anniversary. "Today is a special day for us because today we completed 10 years of our band and celebrating here at Bennett University among such an audience is a huge pleasure," lead singer Varun Rajput, told the crowd.

Nukkad natak to Bollywood mimicry contests
Earlier in the day, students from different colleges competed in the ‘nukkad natak’ contest, Aakrosh. The teams were judged by Naseer Abdullah, a well-known Indian actor and theatre artiste. There were six teams from six different colleges in all, and “all the six teams were amazing and full of action," said Divya Jyoti, the head of Ansh, the theatre club of Bennett University, adding, "They all picked important causes for their plays, and performed extremely well.”

The day also saw the Spiral Dip event, which was organised in collaboration with the creative clubs of Bennett: Alexis and Silhouette. Student were seen trying their hand at making their own tie-n-dye tees. “I am not a very artistic person, but I did not face as many difficulties today as I thought I would because everyone here was so helpful,” one of the participants said. Other contents included a Bollywood mimicry competition, ramp walk, and a stand-up
contest.

- Surbhi Kaul and Surabhi Shahi, Sem 5 students of BA (JMC) course at Bennett University



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