The Dr. Jirgey auditorium of Basaveshwara Academy of Higher Education & Research was still buzzing long after the performances had ended. Students crowded near the stage barricades while volunteers struggled to clear cables and equipment. Somewhere in the back, the physiotherapy & ayurveda college students had already begun chanting their own  respective slogans despite not having won anything yet. “Bhai, if Medical doesn’t win this, judges are blind,” someone shouted confidently. “Obviously yaar! Scintillating Euphoria killed it.” Near the backstage corridor, one of the band members was replaying snippets from their performance on his phone while the others crowded around laughing. “Look at the crowd during the drop!” “Arrey… Pause kar! Pause kar! — look at Utsav’s hair flying!” “Total rockstar, bro!” Utsav sat sprawled lazily over a plastic chair, towel around his neck, still flushed from the stage lights. Niyati stood beside him sipping cold coffee. The rest of the band members were back by then after a couple of shots, from hidden liquor bottles in their car, parked outside the campus “You’re enjoying this too much,” Niyati smirked. “We deserve it!” winked Utsav. “Oh absolutely. Your ego especially,” her eyes lifted with sarcasm. Utsav grinned shamelessly, “Best performance […]

The plush Dr. C. S. Jirgey auditorium trembled with noise. A thousand college students packed into the seats, stairways, aisles, and even near the exits where cultural committee members and fest committee volunteers had long given up trying to control the crowd. It was the largest indoor auditorium in the cosy city of Belagavi, in North Karnataka, housed inside the premises of the Basaveshwara Academy of Higher Education & Research (BAHER). Flashlights flickered like restless fireflies in the dark. The air smelled of sweat, cheap perfume, stage smoke, and overheated amplifiers. “MEDICOOOOOOS….” a deafening roar erupted from the left wing of the auditorium. “UTSAV! UTSAV! UTSAV!” Kuldeep Mukherjee winced slightly backstage. “God,” muttered the guitarist beside him, peeking through the curtain. “Your competition has fan clubs.” Kuldeep adjusted the silver ring on his finger and exhaled slowly, “Sure… Looks more like a political rally than a music competition.” Aditya Vaid, his junior from final year BDS and the accompanying guitarist laughed nervously. “You’re not scared, right?” Kuldeep looked toward the stage lights spilling through the curtains — “Scared? No… Anxious? A little maybe… Regretful? possibly a lot!” The anchor’s voice boomed through the auditorium. “And nowwwww… the winners of last […]