A befitting finale at Rajdhani College, courtesy Benny Dayal

Neck-to-neck contests, scintillating performances and the OG campus vibe — Thunderstruck ’22, the annual cultural fest of Rajdhani College, had it all

Neck-to-neck contests, scintillating performances and the OG campus vibe — Thunderstruck ’22, the annual cultural fest of Rajdhani College, had it all. Taking the fun quotient a notch higher was singer Benny Dayal, who had the audience grooving to some of his chartbusters, including Badtameez Dil (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, 2013) and the title track of Bang Bang (2014).

Myriad themes and sartorial styles came alive on the ramp at La Haute Couture, the fashion event held on day two.. (Photo: Manish Rajput/HT)

Delhi’s sweltering heat also fetched a mid-concert comment from Dayal, who exuded spunk with not just his performance, but his uber cool attire, too. “Log kehte hai Delhi mein bahut garmi hai. Dilli, dikhao apni garmi!” he said, to a cheering crowd of more than 10,000 people.

Benny Dayal had the crowd enthralled with some hit Bollywood numbers. (Photo: Manish Rajput/HT)

The fun-filled two-day event saw a lineup of competitions in the fields of fashion, dance, etc. as students reminisced the good ol’ days of physical fests. Manvi Saraogi, a third-year student and member of Bellissimo, the fashion society of Motilal Nehru College, shares: “When you walk the ramp in front of an audience and judges, it’s a different feeling. You don’t think about winning or losing, but about showcasing your best.”

On day two, dramatics societies of various colleges highlighted social issues through their plays. Mehar Sachdev, a student of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, says, “We feel a responsibility of educating others about the existing condition of our democracy. There is a different mahaul that gets set during street plays, it’s amazing to look at.”

From elderly abuse to the dance of democracy, street plays were pegged on hard-hitting subjects. (Photo: Manish Rajput/HT)

“In the last two years, the situation has been very grim. Ever since we reopened, students have been asking for a big cultural fest. But, I was hesitant if students would attend... The crowd we saw at the fest was unprecedented,” says professor Rajesh Giri, principal, Rajdhani College.

It was also the dance talent of various colleges, in both classical and western formats, that made the aura festive and upbeat. A. Saumya, a BA Program student of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, had the audience spellbound with a Bharatanatyam recital of the mythological episode of Draupadi cheer-haran. Having bagged the trophy, the elated student, says, “What I performed is part of a larger 35-minute varnam on the entire Mahabharata. I perfected the parts of Shakuni, Duryodhana, Yudhishitra in the dice play and Draupadi and Krishna during the cheerharan.”

Author tweets @siddhijainn

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