Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi‘s annual cultural fest, Rendezvous’17

Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi‘s annual cultural fest, Rendezvous’17, is all set to take place from 13-16 October. The team consists of student volunteers who work to promote creativity and intellectualism, and it symbolizes a place to come together and celebrate, as its name suggests.

This year, more than 500 cultural events over the span of 4 days will be organized as part of RDV’17, both informal and competitive, spread across clubs and interests, including Music, Photography and Dance, Dramatics, Debating, Quizzing and more. With a record-breaking 30000 registrations across all events, and students from almost 600 colleges across India having registered for participation, the footfall expected to cross an unprecedented 100,000 over the course of four days.

A significant number of new elements have been added into this year’s edition, starting with the theme ‘A Bohemian Getaway’, celebrating the interesting Bohemian culture & lifestyle. The structure of the celebrity nights, more fondly known as ‘Pro-nites’ has also been shuffled with the introduction of Mélange, the opening night, featuring singer Harrdy Sandhu and showcasing a variation of the popular TV show, India’s Got Talent, to promote upcoming Indian artists and provide them with a platform to display their talent. Musical great Kailash Kher is on board with Spectrum, the second night, and is going to treat students to some of his timeless classics. Some gripping dance performances from the best college dance troupes across India are lined up next as part of Kaleidoscope, the third night, accompanied by the glamorous college fashion show, Lifestyle. As an epic conclusion to the fest, first in line is famous stand-up comedian Zakir Khan, with lots of laughs in store, followed by Bollywood favourites Salim-Sulaiman, to make Dhoom a night to remember.

Besides the celebrity nights, Rendezvous 2017’s food fest – Ambrosia, is being organized for the first time ever, with food trucks and stalls being set up by some of the most renowned cafes and restaurants from all across Delhi, and a multitude of cuisines to cater to all tastes. Groundwork has also been laid down for other fun activities for visiting college students, including dedicated Gaming Zones, Laser Tag, Silent DJ, Couples Party, EDM performances and lots more, to make it one exciting weekend.

Organizing such a massive event successfully year after year requires some careful planning and execution, and all of this is managed by the student organization committee. The Organization Committee of Rendezvous’17, headed by the General Secretary of BRCA, IIT Delhi, is solely responsible for handling all the aspects of the fest, including finance, sponsorships, publicity, and infrastructure and handling the events. It is one of the most diverse student bodies in the college, with both undergraduate and post-graduate students from different fields coming together to take responsibility and organize one of the biggest cultural fests of the country. Leading the charge this year is the enigmatic General Secretary of the Board for Recreational and Creative Activities, Rishabh Nagpal.

One of the major driving factors for the team is the idea of taking ownership of the fest, the idea that it is their fest and therefore their responsibility to do whatever it takes to make it a successful one. The team works together for almost half a year, with the students learning from their experiences by pulling together as a team and overcoming adversities along the way, allowing them to become not just the best engineers in the country but better leaders for a brighter future.