Blaze of glory! Fests are an important milestone for every college. Continuing its legacy of interdisciplinary excellence and overall growth and development of its students, the annual fest Regatta happened on 11th July, 2021. The event was full of enthusiasm and filled with plethora of activities. Because of its bequest of the past 92 years, COEP has kept its place upright in the ranking list of fests organised across the country.
COEP has been celebrating the show every year in the presence of 2500 students and their parents with full enthusiasm. The magnificent outcome of rigorous practice, perceptive minds, devotion and intense determination has yielded to scale to new heights of innovation. This year, it was challenging to carry forward the 92-year-old Grand Legacy of Regatta. To keep this tradition alive and keep everyone as safe as possible, Regatta was conducted in an outlandish way.
The Covid-19 pandemic is a powerful border experience awakening everyone to their existential predicament. No wonder it has put forth many obstacles on our path, we have to stand together and fight it. With this crucial objective as a firm base, the theme of this year’s Regatta is ‘Resilient Together’. The theme connotes the true meaning of what it means to be resilient, to overcome adversity and help uplift others during a crisis. In the face of events that seem utterly unimaginable, resilience allows people to marshal the strength to not just survive but to prosper.
The inaugural ceremony was hosted on the 2nd of July with a limited number of guests and participants. For the first time in the history of Boat Club, Regatta was held online.
On talking to the organizing team, they expressed, “The unforeseen Covid 19 situation made it seem nearly impossible to host Regatta at first. While nothing replaces the feeling of practising together for the fest, social distancing measures sort of deprived the students of their beloved boat club. But it was indeed an acid test of the team’s managerial skills as well as the flexibility in decision-making. With the support of the people inside and outside Pune, we were able to pull-off Regatta with massive success amidst the crisis”.
The event saw the gracious presence of the CEO of Amphenol India and the Chief Guest of the fest, Mr. Robert John, President of Boat Club, Dr. B.B. Ahuja, the Vice President of Boat Club, Dr. N.A. Hedaoo, Regatta Incharge Dr. V.K. Haribhakta and the rest of the faculty.
The General Secretary of Boat Club, Hitesh Parihar, and Regatta Secretary, Siddhi Walunj, have shown well-planned leadership throughout.
Regatta’s title sponsor this year was ‘Amphenol Interconnect’ with the Associate Sponsor ‘Bhate & Raje Construction Co. Pvt. Ltd.’
Undoubtedly, Regatta is a visual treat for its audience, but there are some other perks to it too. Regatta is a wonderful opportunity for the students to get introduced to water sports like rowing, kayaking, and canoeing and pursue them at a professional level. Many participants continue these sports after the event and represent the college at State and National Level. So, all in all, Regatta is much more than an event. It is the existence of an age-old tradition, a legacy being carried forward every year, with its splendour higher in magnitude each time.
