Rajasthani youth in Chennai show how to seize the day

CHENNAI: A boisterous crowd cheering uproariously welcomed us as we entered the Rani Seethai Hall lobby on Sunday evening. Red and white helium balloons fluttered above the crowd. Pacing our steps, we spotted a team huddled around a chart paper, hurriedly finishing a collage, the spectators jeered as the final bell sounded. ‘Kingslayers’, ‘Badmash Paltans’ and ‘Rising Rockstars’ — we caught the names of the three teams. What a way to begin the Rajasthan Youth Association Metro Star’s ‘Carpe Diem’! In its third season, the intra-club cultural competitions of the RYA was only louder, bigger and better. “Carpe Diem began two years ago, and we’ve upscaled it every year.

The idea is to bring the members closer and interact amidst each other,” says Nikunj Bhaiya, president, RYA., rushing off to attend to more details. The RYA’s 112 members, 200 with spouses included, were split into three teams through an auction a few weeks earlier. Through off-stage and on-stage competitions, the teams battled for the winning title and cash prize of `15,000. Off-stage events included Collago, collage making; domino effect, stacking dominoes to make art and a face painting competition. Before the on-stage events began, the three teams showcased their team spirit in making a grand entrance. “There are points for cheering too,” the emcee announced, as the Kingslayers entered in a blur of red, carrying swords and flags; the Badmash Paltans came in a yellow river of glittery gold pompoms to the tunes from Badmash Company and finally the Rising Rockstars entered, clad in black and red and sparkling star-shaped glasses.

The evening progressed with great entertainment value, beginning with a group singing competition that brought back favourites like Aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke and Tu jaane na. The second competition, Bollywood Spoof, had the audience in splits, as the teams performed fun-filled spoof acts of iconic scenes from Sholay, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Padmaavat. The DJ-ing competition that followed was a novel idea. The showstopper of the evening was the group dance competition, which saw hip-hop, dappan kuthu and Bollywood numbers in equal measure. The judges of each competition had a tough time in selecting the winner. The event culminated in a tie between the Kingslayers and the Rising Rockstars. But winning was just a small part of this event, said Nibha Nahar, interior designer who participated in the singing and dominoes event. “We always look forward to this every year because we have such a great time!” she said. A Shipra, a homemaker, who has participated in the last two editions too, concurred, “We make new friends, and get a platform to showcase our talents.”