A Cool Shirt on a hot summer day! Credits : Ankit Madaan

So, summers are here! It’s the time of the year when lemonade replaces most of the water bottles! Now, when the season changes, there’s one question that comes up in our mind, “What should I wear now?” Well, read on to find the answer!

On the turn of a new season, most of us don’t approve of what our wardrobe has. Everywhere you see filmstars and models, wearing beautiful things which are usually not worth the price tag they come with. You look into your closet and everything looks like you’ve worn it a dozen times. What do you do? Revamp! Summer means bright, sunny, tanning, and of course, being cool when it’s all hot around you. It’s that time of the year when you get out of your thick leather and fur jackets and get into those short, easy and cooler clothes. This summer has a lot to offer in terms of fashion, be it for men, women, or teenagers!

Get funky with flip-flops! Credits : Blending Words

Ladies, heading out to party on a summer night? Get your hands on a toga dress; long or short, the choice is yours. Pair it up with a pair of flats, stilettos or even wedges, and you be will a complete head turner without putting in much effort, the dress does all the talking. Going pink and cute is ‘in’ this season so don’t be afraid to get that pink frock with some bow or even hearts on it, flaunt a little love and go girly! Put away dark, depressing shades and bring in the bright in the fruity ones. Lemon, raspberry, papaya; all these soft shades are ‘in’ so make sure you get some of these! One of the trends that haven’t faded with the winters is animal prints. They’re still popular, so get bold, get those funky prints! Semi-formal is the way to go this party season.

If you’ve got it, flaunt it! Short skirts, shorts, capris, they’re all in! Prints are in, so don’t be afraid to combine and experiment with them, and create a new and confident look. When it comes to accessories, go bold! Every girl has an accessory in her wardrobe which has a bold, not-to-be-missed look to it. Don’t be afraid to wear it this season, whether it’s a chunky necklace, a bright bag, or funky heels. Another unavoidable accessory are sunglasses! One cannot do without them. They are available in different colours, styles, and shapes. With variety available, you can create different looks depending upon the occassion.

Ashruti Shah, a Fashion Designing student at NIFT, says, “Asymmetrical short haircuts, aviators, shorts in funky colours, loose and sheer shirts, flip flops, cotton frocks etc. are all the right choice this summer! These days even harems with short tops are new and popular.”

Crocs! Credits : Ankit Madaan

Zainab Malik, from St. Francis College says, “Well, the word ’summer’ sounds so cool and easy to pronounce, but its effects are not so cool and easy! While its summer, the most important thing is to keep the colours in mind. Bright, sober and light colours work well during the season. Go with green, yellow, orange, pink and white. I basically avoid dark colours.”

Afshan Ahmed, a student at Hamstech Institute of Fashion Designing, says, “More of the prints, floral skirts teamed up with tank tops will rock and then you have linen finely stitched pants. Jeans are a big no for me this summer.”
Deepika Phakke, Placement Ambassador at BMS III, St Francis College says, “White is THE colour of the season, for it brings not just mental peace in this scorching sun, but is also simple, comfortable and hip. Could be as simple as wearing white tee shirts or white cropped pants, accessorised appropriately so as to not miss out on the fashion factor. Summer collections at Splash, Wardrobe, Globus etc. have never disappointed me! So you don’t really have to watch out what you wear this summer because ‘keeping it simple’ is the mantra this season!”

Kurti and Jeans, one of the most comfortable and popular trends. Credits : Blending Words

Kainath Saima, a homemaker, says, “Simplicity is a sign of elegance, but by nature every woman wants to keep in step with fashion. Since summer is the season of flowers, floral prints will add some cheer to the wearer. One can wear bright colours in ganji and pair it with shorts and flip flops for casual wear and short skirts are best for parties. People who don’t wear western clothes should go with soft cotton or linen suits.”

Now, coming to guys, bright shades, checks, and the evergreen t-shirts are in. Different types of caps are available, so pick them depending upon what suits your style. Dull colours, millitary shades, browns are all out. Experiment with colours, but make sure you don’t overdo it and end up looking funny. For college students, shoes can take a backseat for a while and slippers can come in. Many brands have introduces new kind of footwear exclusively for men.

Ankit Madaan, a Journalism student from TIAS, Indraprastha University, New Delhi, says, “Well, I’m planning to wear some light shades of pink shirts or sky blue tees because pink is in, and blue makes me feel cool! As it is, the world cup fever is on as well, so ‘bleeding blue’ will be my mantra for kicking the starting stone for summers! It’s a good idea to equip your closet with a few casual t-shirts, as well as a few formal shirts. Ensure that the items are made out of light, breathable materials-such as cotton or linen. Also, wear shirts that flatter your skin tone. Crocs are my all time favourite summer slippers! Try clubbing your clothes with different colours of crocs! Team up suitably, and there you are, all set for a summer splash!”

Musharaf Hussain, graduating from St. Mary’s and Business Development Manager-e2labs, says, “When it comes to summer I only prefer light colours in clothing like white, cream, light blue, dusty brown in cotton or linen which also give you a elegant and royal look and shades are always on when I’m out. When it comes to a haircut, I would suggest it to be short and spikey rather than long hair. Footwear in leather would be irritating and uncomfortable, so it is better to go with converse, or anything which protects your feet from the heat and is comfortable at the same time.”

Go Casual. Credits : Akram Hussain

Many colleges have restrictions when it comes to clothing. So here are opinions of some college students as to what they plan to wear this summer.

Safa Faheem, a student of Shadan College, says, “Summer reminds me that I desperately need to shop! Come summers, white is the way to go! Layered stuff, colours, scarves, stoles, shoes, canvases, tight clothes and leather items, all need to be ditched this season! I’m going to go for colours that are soothing and cooling, like yellow and light blue. Flip flops are in and very comfortable. Accessories should be limited, but goggles are highly important, can’t do without them in summer! Metallic shades and smokey make up is a total no. Shorts, capris, sleeveless and even micro sleeved tops are good but make sure what you’re wearing is loose and airy. Button down shirts are my personal favourite.”

White is the way to go, soft and cool! Credits : Blending Words

Harsha Khandelwal, a student of St. Francis College for Women, says, “Personally I like the colours white and orange, and they’re in too. A plain tee or a light coloured one on jeans teamed up with a traditional dupatta is very casual, yet cool.”
Mehreen Saman, a student of Sultan Ul Uloom College of Pharmacy, says, “I’ll go for casuals, wearing cool soothing colours like white, blue, and other light colours. If something Indian, I’ll go for cotton or linen.”

Gyandeep Kaur, pursuing BBA from Avalon Aviation says, “According to me, fashion not only makes a woman look trendy, but also improves her self confidence. I check out almost everywhere to get for the kind of stuff. Places like malls, exhibitions and of course at markets like Charminar, Sultanbazaar and Sindhi colony too because I don’t want to miss all the funky things out there!”

Nasra Fatima, a student of Sultan Ul Uloom College of Pharmacy, says, “Well at least at the college I go to, most girls dress casual. I would just think simple and casual with a touch of classy, maybe a cute white flowy top and some sandals or maybe some cute flats.”

With so many new trends, and a little bit of creativity, one can make a style statement for sure this summer. So, open your wardrobe, or go shopping if you need to! Remember, some of the most stylish people around, are wearing some version of the same thing all the time. True style has nothing to do with clothes and everything to do with how you wear them.

MRCET  Canteen:  Can you imagine life at a college without the canteen? The answer is no. Who wouldn’t want to be making spicy conversations with friends while relishing hot and spicy manchuria parallely? The MRCET canteen is  top-notch  when it comes to hanging out with the lot. It offers everything expected in a canteen including fresh juices. Little surprise then, that this place  always has crowds thronging, be it the lunch break, or after-college hours. Compelling to the lecturers and students alike, this place is a sure-shot favorite  for MRCET and MRIPS students with whom it is in vicinity.

the CMEC canteen credits:phoenix tear

CMEC Canteen:  Another canteen!! The MRCET campus is a sprawling one, with 5 engineering and pharmacy colleges in it –MRCET,MRITC,CMEC,MRIPS and MRIM. More buildings spring up with each passing year. A single canteen would by no means be sufficient for such a huge campus. Hence, the second canteen. The CMEC canteen is very much like the MRCET one except that it looks and is old. It caters to the CMEC, MRITS and MRIM students mostly. The menu is the same as in the MRCET canteen. A major plus here  is the chaat, which is a smash hit with the student community. Students lining up for their share of pani puri is a common sight in this canteen. Ramya.G, a third year ECE student of MRITS and a regular visitor to the canteen says,” Most of our free hours are spent in this canteen. We often come here without knowing what to do and end up having great discussions. It has become an integral part of our college life.”

The canteens are the “addas”, the most common places where crowds gather for a drink or meal or snack. Apart from these, there are some places that provide good ground  to blabber away endlessly or to be more precise, kill time.

1. Nescafe: Mmmmm…a hub for the coffee freaks, Nescafe was opened in 2009 and is still going strong with a majority of the student community being caffeine-addicts. What can beat a cup of hot and steamy Cappuccino with friends? It is located beside the MRCET canteen and is crowded during lunch hours and after-college hours. “I love coffee and the fact that Nescafe has finally arrived at our campus  is amazing. I don’t have to go the MREC campus for coffee anymore”, avers Aakanksha.P,another third year ECE student of MRITS, a coffee-lover who swears by Nescafe and considers it a great hangout spot. In contrast, the juniors have little to say about Nescafe  as they are always in the fear of being caught by seniors.Sirisha.K , a first year MRITS student says,” We hardly go to Nescafe. Its too far away from our college and there are seniors hovering around at any time of the day. Why take the risk?” Nescafe , it seems, is purely for espresso fans!
2. The playground:  The playground is generally where the action is. Be it the last-minute good byes to friends while boarding buses or the famous inter-college sports competitions or for that matter, the infamous fights, the ground bears it all! Students can be seen playing even during class hours at the cricket ground or the basket ball court which the ground has  on one side. Bunking classes and playing games is hugely relevant in the campus. The ground is invariably adorned by students in some part or the other, thanks to some evergreen students – students who never end up inside the college. The ground and the path to the canteen always has guys having their chats or whiling away their time. Classes or no classes, this place is never out of reach or out of trend.
3. The fields: Oh yes! This is one place that might have been
   missed out on the list of escapades of most of the student gangs. But some have fruitfully utilized the fields to their advantage, escaping into them for hours of bliss, away from the drone of the lectures, even while the farmers are seen chasing them off. The green fields make for an enchanting backdrop for a bunk. Some students even carry their cameras and phones to record their “Kodak” moments. This place isn’t the usual place where a lot of students hang out. This is one place you can go for solitude and peace….an ideal place to spend quality time with loved ones! K.Mrudula and D.Savya , students of MRITS and CMEC respectively, agree that the fields is one place they would go again and again  with the gang, for a good time out!

These places are the top hangouts in and around the campus. Of course, apart from these the rocks around the Maisammaguda village make for an adventurous trip. And how can anybody forget CinePlanet or CP as it is called in the student circles ?It is one commercial centre that survives on the chunk of Malla Reddy and other near by college students, who loyally take to the multiplex every other Friday.

So, on-campus, when you are looking for a good place to talk and chat your day off with friends, these places are likely to be the ones you will find. If there is  an important one that was missed, be kind enough to inform so that the student community is benefitted by another addendum to the list of hangouts!!

inside CMEC canteen credits:phoenix tear

the playground credits :phoenix tear

the fields around the campus credits:phoenix tear

The institution has been approved by the All India Council for Technical Education, permitted by Govt. of Andhra Pradesh and affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and recognized by the Government of India. It’s also an ISO 9000 – 2001 certified organization accredited by NBA (National Board of Accreditation). With an objective of making the Institution a model by itself in all respects, Sree Dattha Insitutions has evolved a system of holistic education, based on the overall development of the students. The Institution treats each student as an individual who has latent potential, thus providing education to harness, channel and nurture talent.

The Green Side of the College Credit: Receptive Saturn

Sree Dattha Institutions is known for its commendable infrastructure. Spread over a sprawling 25 acres of land, with greenery all around, amid serene Hills and Valleys, Sree Dattha Institutions is a set of fully-furnished buildings with sophisticated equipment. It has a spacious and full-fledged Auditorium ideal for Presentations, Seminars and large meetings. “The greenery around the campus facilitates fresh air all through the day and during exams all of us love to study in this harmonious environment,” says K. Ramya of second year.

The college comprises of different branches in B.Tech which includes  CSE, IT, MECH, EEE, ECE, CIVIL; also B.Pharm, M.Pharm, MCA, MBA, M.Tech in VLSI Electronics, Computer Science and Engineering, Embedded systems.

As the most important aspect of any college is its Library, the Library of this college is comprised of 20,000 volumes, 5000 titles, 3000 reference books and 1,35,000 online journals and magazines of national and international standards, which can also be accessed through the digital library supported by a branded system and efficient broadband line. “Along with books, the library also provides us with an internet facility which enables us to surf required information,” says G. Sushmith, a third year student. The college canteen is another hotspot where most students like to hangout. The canteen lives up to the expectations of the students by providing hygienic food at affordable rates. “The Chinese food such as Manchuria, fried rice, noodles served in the canteen is a biggest asset and the food is deliciously yummy! Our day doesn’t end without having any of these here,” says R. Phani Kumar, a second year Civil student.

A View From the Parking Lot Credit: Receptive Saturn

College Canteen Credit: Receptive Saturn

Library Collection Credit: Receptive Saturn

For the sports enthusiasts, the college has a full-fledged Physical Training Department. Students are trained in various sports and games by well experienced and qualified instructors of the department, which develops in them the spirit of leadership, teamwork, comradeship, cooperation, coordination and competition. The institution has a Multi Activity Centre comprising colossal Sports Grounds, fit to provide all facilities for sports such as Cricket, Throw Ball, Badminton, Tennicoit and Volleyball. The Indoor Games Complex or Auditorium is housed for playing Table Tennis, Carroms and Chess. The institution makes special efforts to provide coaching to deserving players for the development of their talent and skills. It has full time consultant trainers working with us to help us in delivering & imparting quality need based training.
The college has academic tie-up with various CMM level five companies providing continuous training as per industry demands and standards. It has also encouraged Industries to collaborate with us in Industry Study Tour Programme with Corporates like Infosys.

Central Library of the College Credit: Receptive Saturn

What happens to a stone if it’s in the hands of bad sculptor? It loses its finesse and the same stone when in the hands of a good sculptor, gets transformed into a gem. In the same way Sree Dattha brings out the best in its students by every term and trace. And the best point to conclude can be no student regrets being a part of this stupendous college. With joint efforts and staff alike, Sree Dattha stands tall in its glory.

“Hmm… Kya pehnu? Do these shoes match with my trousers?? Do my earrings go with this kurti?” These are some of the early morning blues that most people, especially teenagers face. But for the students of Aurora’s Technological and Research Institute (ATRI), no such thoughts pop up in their ‘think tank’. They have a “cool” uniform which comprises of a pair of blue jeans with a white formal shirt (for both, boys and girls) to be worn with white sports shoes. The students of this institute found their uniform to be very trendy…some of them even call it very soothing to the human eye because of the combination of two splendid and all time favorite colors- ‘Blue’ and ‘White’. “I am very happy with our dress code, mainly because it gives us a sense of professionalism. While conveying from home and college, people recognize me by my college uniform and inquire about it which makes me feel really proud!” says a second year B.tech student, Yogita, who takes an immense pride in her uniform.

Professional Look Credit: Engel Tatiana

Most of the striplings approve the fact that implementation of the uniform encourages discipline and eventually diminishes economic and social barriers within the students. Wearing a uniform helps the students to instill a sense of belonging and pride in the institution and to focus more on their subject matter without getting deviated by staring at what his/her classmate is wearing. “Two months back, I met a lady, working in IBM, in an auto-rickshaw. She was very conscious about her clothing (a pair of trousers and a shirt). When I asked her the reason for the discomfort, she claimed that she was used to wearing salwar kameez from her childhood. That made me feel good that I joined an institution where jeans is included in the uniform which would prove to be beneficial when we get into jobs” says Supriya, a B.tech first year student, who aspires to be a part of IBM in future.

Maintaining Uniformity Credit : Engel Tatiana

If all students are required to wear a mandatory uniform or abide by a certain dress code, students will be mutually connected from within and be more focused on their work and not their appearance. To the highest degree of significance, it furnishes our maturity level which is extremely important while working with an organization. It helps students resist peer pressure to buy trendy clothes and reduce the risk of developing an inferiority complex by seeing other students in funky dresses. Certainly, a vibe of jealousy is developed. On the contrary, some students conceive that enforcing a uniform at this level would violate the fundamental right of a person-’Freedom of Expression’, hindering their creativity levels while some others feel that this very reason would help them push their frontiers of creativity in other aspects. Vaishak Nair, another first year B.tech student says, ”I like the uniform of the college, the reason being that it gives us a casual look though we are approaching it with a sense of education. Other college students are restricted to formals but given a chance to join an institution where freedom is given in choosing our dresses, I would definitely join the latter.”

Variety is the spice of life, but in today’s technological kingdom, variety is more important in your work rather than your apparel. This is disapproved by some students like Virajit who claims, “The country’s youth is matured enough as to what to wear and what not to wear in educational institutions. Wearing and seeing the same uniform for four years is a topic to be pondered upon.”

Girls Gossiping Around Credits: Engel Tatiana

A contradictory fact was given by Mrs.Poonam Minoocha, an English lecturer of ATRI, who comments, “Students wearing a college uniform look smart which boosts up their confidence level and groom them for the corporate world. At the same time it gives a mark of decency and dignity. Most importantly, there is no inhibition for wearing it.”

Like Yogita, many others take pride in their dress code, whereas some others like Supriya find a platform in it, a platform to prepare them for their future careers; and a few like Vaishak prefer to stay away from dress codes. Everyone has their own perspective of approaching things and thus, the necessity of having uniforms in colleges is still an unconcluded discussion.

The above incident, though fictitious, is based on true occurrences and many college students will be able to relate to it. Is the lecturer justified in doing so? Or is she being a little too strict? This brings us to the question, how strict is too strict for colleges?

After 14 years of wearing a uniform and following strict rules and regulations in order to be the disciplined and obedient student that all parents and teachers want a child to be, college offers youngsters a chance to heave a sigh of relief and be themselves. Every school student dreams about the perfect college life which is bindaas and carefree, and eagerly looks forward to the commencement of a life where there is no uniform to be worn everyday, instead one can wear an attire which reflects his or her personality, where lecturers are more approachable and not as strict as school teachers, where everyone treats students as young adults and trusts their decisions; a life which includes milestones like the 18th birthday, first bunk, first election where one gets to vote, and probably even the first date, first cell phone, first ATM card, first vehicle and first job! All these things are hallmarks of what is called ‘growing up’. Then why is it that sometimes, even in college, students are treated like kids and unnecessary rules are imposed on them?

Many of the colleges in the city manage to irk students with some weird rules which according to students are not required. One such rule is the dress code. Pradeepa Iyer, a student of Sri Indu College of Engineering and Technology said, “According to me my college has a whole set of stupid rules. Firstly, no mobiles allowed, but we still carry them. Secondly, the dress code for girls which I find really hard to digest. Girls should only wear salwar with dupatta. No jeans, t-shirts, shirts or even kurtis! All the girls are complaining but to no avail, the management doesn’t seem to be bothered. Even the boys are not spared and should come only in formals with shirts tucked in! Is it a professional college or a school?” Bindu Korla of DVRCET said, “My college is kinda strict. ID cards and formals are a must. I really don’t understand why a dress code is required!” She further added,  “We still have to do homework, not assignments, similar to a school student! We are still treated as immature beings. Innovative technical ideas are hardly considered. It is almost like the lecturers don’t believe that we are future engineers. The shoddy formalities make our task difficult!”

Another thing which angers students is when colleges try to restrict their

Tons of homework! Is it college or school? Credit:Mystical Vigilante

movement, whether it is going in and coming out of campus or on the campus itself. Smitha Vrath of Stanley college of Engineering and Technology said, ”My college is too strict. We can enter college at anytime but we can’t leave early. We have to take the Principal’s permission to do so. I feel it is ridiculous that at this age, we are not allowed to be ourselves. Even if the last hours are free, we are forced to stay back!”  Sirish Aditya of CVR college of Engineering said, ”My college is not a little strict, it is more of a primary school! I’m almost an engineer and I am not supposed to be seen in the corridors, grounds or the library during class hours, they treat us like little kids! My HoD threatens to call my mother if my attendance is not up to the required percentage. I would say 90% of all the rules in my college are unnecessary.”

Though Sri Charan Panchavaty Ganesh, another student of CVR, agrees his college is strict, he feels that most times, it is justified. “My college is strict sometimes, but most of the time it is called for. Colleges are under private ownership, protocols within premises need to be strict to keep everything in check. Taking into account the quality of the crowd and the atrocities against girls in some colleges, ‘grown up’ is not ‘grown up’ enough as yet,” he said. However, there are a few things that he would like to speak up against, “But, blackmailing students is utter treachery. Giving low scores just because the student wasn’t paying attention in class, despite doing well in the exam can’t be justified in any way. By doing this the teachers are just putting the future of the student at stake when they should do the exact opposite! What are they doing here, playing God?” he retorted. When asked if there are any rules in his college which according to him are not required he replied,  “Students are checked for their bus ID cards each and everyday. If someone forgets to bring it then he or she is fined even if the faculty knows that the student possesses the card and has paid the fee! Another outrageous rule is that a boy and a girl can’t sit together in the bus. Either they want us to grow up to be socially narrow minded or they just don’t trust us!”

Pin drop silence in class! Credit:Mystical Vigilante

However. there are a few colleges which treat the students like the young adults that they are. “I’ve never felt that my college is strict. We have an open gate system and our dress code is pretty flexible and comfortable.” said Rajitha Sanaka of St. Francis College. She further said, ”Well, one time I wasn’t allowed into the class for being 5 minutes late and another time I was made to stand at the back of the classroom just for talking to my friend in class for a minute! These incidents made me feel a little weird but apart from these, everything is fine.” Nidhi Inani of JNA & FAU said, ”Our college is not strict at all. Since we are an arts college we are not confined to classrooms for classes, our classes are usually outdoors. There are no rules that make us feel like we are in school. We have an open gate system. Everything is fine as long as we submit assignments on time and fulfill the required 65% of attendance.”

But the question of the hour is Why college Fest?  What does it take to make it possible?  Here is an attempt to clear the 5 Ws 1 H and give an idea about the fest. A survey among the students has been taken from colleges in and around Hyderabad.

The grounds for conducting a fest in a college have many motives but to emphasize the top few reasons for fest to be conducted are:

1. To bring out the hidden talent in the students.

2. Look into world outside the college gates.

3. To learn time and finance management.

4. To bring in coordination among the students of all years and branches.

0^th reason ‘Branding of the College’

Various Sponsors. Credits: Morle'La Wheermy

Functionality of Fests:

For an event to get noticed, their always should exist ‘Uniqueness’ or ‘Difference’ in comparison to the other fests. A college fest also requires umpteen hours of prior toil. To carry out an event certain rubrics and statute titles are to be maintained and followed.

Initially the skeletal structure of the event, the Budget is decided and interested students are requested to register for the coordinators’ team. For a fest to function there are various committees that are formed like: Core, Committees like Sponsors, Organizing, Event Heads, Publicity and Communication, Letter Work, External and Internal affairs and Volunteers.

The prominence is given to students who can work in parallel on more than two events at a time as the events should take shape from the outline. Various departments share few students. At this phase the entire process of functionality is divided into three heads. They are:

* Event Management: – Development of the events to presentation on the day of the fest. From paper to the end user application; perfect work which attracts people to the fest and which shows the events are better than the rest.

* Publicity: – Decisions on events to be publicized more, media partners to tie up, maximum strategies to get attention, how to get extra attention.

* Sponsors: – The critical zone of elimination. Uncanny Sense and Communication skills prioritized.  Every student faces in prioritizing who sponsors and who doesn’t.

Prakriti: Agricultural Fest. Credits: Morle'La Wheermy

The important zone of the complete fest is to zero in on who supports and who sponsors the fest. To approach the exact company/person which is directly related to the theme of the fest is very significant. Maintaining documentation of the sponsors approached is a good tactic. “Some politely reject our request and some make us talk for hours together or snub. The best way to start with sponsors is to do a lot of home work on who sponsors, where, how much and how does he/she get convinced, then pick up students who are good with the analyzed work and send them for sponsorship,” says Gaurav Kaushal, Student- Aviation, CMEC.

“To find sponsors for the fest is a mental work. It needs a lot of logic. We have to be very careful while speaking, one word in a wrong context drowns the complete idea of sponsoring,” says Akshay Neelakantam, Student- ECE, SVIT. One important aspect is, to find whether the sponsor we are approaching has sponsored any other event or not. In case of a positive response try to “Maskafy“.  “My college is not a renowned or deemed university; it’s not very popular, so initially it was scary to start off. Now after working on it, I feel it was a really excellent experience,” said Rohit Mishra, Student- ECE, SVIT.

With recession still affecting the economy, many companies point a direct “NO”. The businessmen and company sponsors have their own reason. “We always try to analyze the type of fest students organize and to get the best advantage and benefit for our company,” said Mr. Laxman Rao, Managing Director, S One Technology Private Limited. When asked about recession and its effect on the fests he says, “Basically before recession, all the decisions were taken by the local marketing dept but now everywhere the market is down, so even we have to try cost-cutting measures. We choose only such fests where we can get 99% benefit for sponsoring. We don’t sponsor just because we have money, right?”

“We mostly prefer fests where there is lot of female crowd who intend to look gorgeous. So in most cases we prefer such colleges where we apply our constraints,” said Shine Mathew, Marketing, Anoos Beauty Parlour. “The first thing we look into when we tie up with the college is the “BRAND” value. Most students tune into Radio channels at random. But in cases, where we are sponsoring them, they listen to our channel even during the advertisements. That way we gain more listeners,” said Sidharth, Ex-Marketing Incharge, Red FM (93.5).

Parakram: Sports Night or Sports Fest. Credits: Morle'La Wheermy

“Stalls are the best way to indulge students to stay on the campus. Games stalls and Food stalls get a lot of profits. Our college has a lot of these every year. We even get celebrities for college fests which results in more crowd inflow. Stalls are also best parts of economy for fests. Arranging stalls is extremely tiresome though,” said Dinesh Rayala, Student- EEE, CBIT.

Publicity, in the present day, is mainly done by enrolling with media and radio partners, online social communities, by sending texts to friends, by putting on posters and banners in college and on college buses, sending students to put on posters in other colleges and thereby publicizing the event. Few with a mega budget put on hoardings too. Grabbing attention towards a fest is difficult. It requires a lot of talent and new ways to design the poster. It should be impressive.

The posters and banners are to be catchy. One has to create easy and simple ways to convey the content. “To make posters, we usually ask for ideas and draft themes from all the students and once we get them, we sit down and select the best. If nothing is good then we design a new one altogether. In most cases, these things come to the forefront at the 11^th hour. I have been making the website for my college fest for the past three years. In case of website, the template design takes 15 days, and coding at max an hour or two, if the content is ready. Event heads have to give the description of their respective events, and then the description is given to those students who can make it more effective,” says Karthik Navuluri, Student, CVRCE.

The arguments on a small decision, the rebellion ideas against college for taking selected people, the open protest from specific crowd for not asking them individually to take part in the fests are some of the serious issues. Suharsh Raj from MVSR says “Passionate and interested students are always welcome. It’s not a one man show. One cannot expect such individual requests.”

Event management is a huge responsibility. Everything needs a clear outline and work in all the directions. “We design an event and we have to test it in all the possible cases. Many colleges come up with new events every year. So in order to keep students stuck to our events, we need to be more creative and appealing. The outlook is to be made very glossy. All the events are to be well taken care of,” says Aditya Venkat, Student – ECE, Aurora Engineering College.

Sahaya 2010 : A fund raising event and college fest. Credits:Morle'La Wheermy

View Point:

Most college managements do the fests for Branding of the college. Few follow it just because it’s in vogue. When questioned “How Branding happens?” most students answered, “It’s a simple logic, when our college gives us permission for fests, then we show our college in the best possible way. All those who attend the event look at the best ends of the college. All the students praise the management. The college can get students with better ranks in the college which increases the popularity.”

“We encourage students to have a fest because they will get to learn more things; which is the prime motto and they enjoy it too,” said Mr. Narasinmha Rao, Ex- Principal, SVIT. “We take the initiative of bringing out the potential and hidden talent of the students by making them organize the fests,” says Mrs. Meenakshi Dhondi, faculty in-charge, Gaia 09, SVIT.

Few students feel, “we get to showcase our talent, skill and working spirit when the fests are conducted.” Whereas a few others feel that, “Working for a fest we will learn new things like how to manage the finance and time, according to the situation.”

The co-ordination among the students is the key aspect to success. There also exist reasons for students to work for the fest like attendance shortage (as attendance is given to students who work for the fest), popularity (name in the poster, pamphlet), self-satisfaction, compelled by college, and Coordinator certificates which adds to the résumé. Scathing comments do prevail as critics always like to see things only from their perspective.

Preparing a model. Credits: Suharsh Raj

Mrs. Subha Sharma, a parent comments, “No festival is as big as a college fest for students. They sort of do everything for the fest. At the beginning it looks like a tough job which is hard to make real, but these students make it a perfect presentation by the decided date. My daughter started working on her college fest from 2^nd year. Initially I objected to it, but then after viewing the work that they put into to make their fest, I am now proud.”

“When we started working, everything was confusing and vague. We had to design, code, test and make it work within a short span of two months. It was fun working with other students from the college. Most of the decisions are taken in the regular meets. We usually consider students who are regular to meets as “IN”, and exclude those who don’t and start working. It’s tough but fun,” says Shahbaj Sheikh, Student- IT, BVRIT.

Hopefully, this article would interest all those students, who want to be part of the fest but question themselves, “Why should I work for the fest and what will I gain?” And for those, who are already working, a few more ways of making college fests a sure-fire.

The food at the canteen seemed to get mixed responses from students.

While some students loved the food, others thought it was oily and unhygienic. Haritha Singh, a student of B.Com 2nd year said,  “I really like the canteen, especially because everything is so reasonably priced. I love the muffin, sujon sticks and dosa. The music that is played there is amazing!”. Apoorva Maramraju, a student of B.Sc 1st year said,  “The food in the canteen is awesome! Especially the chole bhature, aloo tikki and the ice creams. Even the prices are reasonable. The only problem is that the food is too oily.” She further added,  “There are some rocks in front of the canteen. We climb on them and eat our food on the rocks! It is a different high!”

The fresh fruit juice stall. Credit:Mystical Vigilante

Frooti "on the rocks"! Credit:Mystical Vigilante

Inside the St. Francis Canteen. Credit:Mystical Vigilante

The food being too oily emerged as the common complaint regarding canteen food among students. However, many of hem thought the food was tasty inspite of this flaw. Aditi Rao, another student of B.Sc said,  “Yes, I agree that the food is very oily, but it is very delicious. My favourite is sujon sticks, which is like a desi version of french fries. It is yummy!” Another common complaint was that the food was not very hygienic.  “The food is too oily and is unhygienic.”, said Hansika Sawhney, a student of B.Com 3rd year. She further said,  “The food is just not that good and I wouldn’t prefer eating there. One can’t expect too much from the ambience too.”

But, for Afshan Musani, a final year B.A student, the canteen is much more than just a place to get good food as she said she has many memories attached with it.  “I will miss the canteen a lot. Especially the dosa and the Chinese bhel. Even the people who manage the canteen are really friendly and the atmosphere is very welcoming.” she said. The people who manage the canteen at St. Francis are almost like stars in the college as most of the students can’t stop singing praises for them. Deepika Phakke, a 2nd year student of B.M.S. said,  “The people in the canteen are very cooperative.I am a representative of the

Placement cell of the college and they helped us many times in arranging for refreshments for our guests during various activities. Sometimes they even kept the canteen open till 5 pm.” She also said,  “I really like our canteen. When we are low on money, it is our last resort. Even though the food is oily and not very hygienic, when we are really hungry all that doesn’t matter!”

Garama-Garam Dosa! Credit:Mystical Vigilante

The menu of the canteen. Credit:Mystical Vigilante

Students enjoying a plate of Sujon sticks. Credit:Mystical Vigilante

However, there are a few students, who do not hold a very high opinion of the canteen. Samantha Moss, a student of B.A. 2nd year said,  “I don’t like the food served in the canteen. I think it is very unhygienic and it does not even look appealing.”  It is evident from students’ comments that inspite of having some strong positive points, the St. Francis college canteen leaves much to be desired. Perhaps this is why the students are overflowing with suggestions to make the canteen better. Monisha Dorothae Pinto, a student of B.M.S. said,  “The menu should be revamped as it is very monotonous. Apart from that, I think it is pretty good. It is the perfect place to sit while bunking classes.”  Snigdha Agarwal, another student of B.M.S said,  “The canteen is crowded and stuffy all the time. Something should be done to tackle this problem. There should be more variety in the menu and recharge cards for all leading mobile phone networks should be made available.”

Though the canteen at St. Francis is not perfect and has a wide scope for improvement, it manages to carve a niche for itself in the hearts of all francisians. It is a place where friends unwind while listening to foot-tapping music infused with sounds of hearty laughter and munching on tasty food. No wonder it lingers on in the hearts and minds of all students in the form of cherished memories for a very long time.

college campus, credits-sunshine recruiter

It is a huge college which has over 260 students from B. pharm. level, over 60 students from pharm.D. , which is booming greatly and over 70 students from M. Pharmacy. M. Pharmacy at Malla Reddy was introduced a year back. Malla reddy college of Pharmacy(MRCP) has been recognized as one of the top colleges in Hyderabad. However, not many people know this fact.

The faculty here, at MRCP,  is highly qualified. They encourage each and every student and bring out their talent. “Learn for knowledge , not for marks!” said Mr. Rajkumar shetty, a senior lecturer from MRCP.

“I was very bored in the beginning of the  college, I was wondering why I joined this college! however, after a month or so, I eventually realized how big a platform this college is for me to know what pharmacy is all about and I started enjoying this stream. It gave me a great feeling as we went on to prepare new drugs.”  K.Mounika reddy, a 2nd year student from MRCP said. Pharmacy, according to  most of the non-science students, pharmacy is just a course which teaches everything pertaining to opening  a drug store .But, that is a misconception because there is a lot of scope for pharmacy students. There are various opportunities in the industrial field. Students should think with a broad mind to inculcate more knowledge about this field before they enter into it.

“I had absolutely no interest in this field when I was at my B. Pharm level, but my lecturers and my principal helped me to change my approach towards pharmacy. My lecturers helped me to carry out a project in the final year, which, I must say was a great boost for my career and now I’m doing my Masters in Pharmacology at Boston university in the US. All credit goes to my lecturers who helped me become what I am today.” said  Shravan kumar an ex student from MRCP.

college library, a sea of books, credits-sunshine recruiter

There are about 2000 books in the library . These books include not only those which are related to the subject, but also journals which are put up monthly for students to know the upcoming trends in pharmacy. The college even provides books for students preparing for competitive exams like GRE and TOEFL.” Our library is very spacious and has a very friendly atmosphere and we have various PhD level books for reference so that we can have better knowledge.The library also provides students  books  who cannot afford to buy books for various entrance exams like GRE and IELTS” S.Sumalini janice a 3rd year student from Malla Reddy college of pharmacy(MRCP).

The labs at MRCP are well equipped and there is  a lab technician for every lab. The highly efficient, costly and complicated equipment are those which are mostly used at industrial level. These equipments help  students to know how to handle the apparatus and make the most of it.M.Ashok a lab technician says “MRCP  is recognized mostly because of its labs, the equipments provided in  this college for practical purpose are all well sophisticated and helps students to have more knowledge once they enter industries”.

laboratory facilities, credits sunshine recruiter

There is a huge seminar hall where there is a guest lecture every month and events like traditional day, freshers and farewell parties take place. It is not only about academics at MRCP, but annual day celebrations and also refreshing events like ethnic day are also held.
Malla Reddy College of Pharmacy is located at Maisammaguda,dhullapally,secundrabad.and the college was established in 2004.The contact numbers are 040-23792154, 9348161224 and the courses offered are B pharmacy, M pharmacy(pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical chemistry), pharm D(6 years course), pharm D post baccalaureate( 3 years course).

College life is something which everybody should experience. Apart from the academics one should enjoy every bit of college, let it be bunking or extra curricular activities. It should not be an overdose of academics or fun but should consist of both equally. So, college life rocks! Make the most of it.

When asked  Shruti from PRIT says, “Here the air is vocal with youthful laughter. That’s the thing I like the most about this place.” You may ask her what she is doing here at such an odd hour but, she curtly cuts you saying, “There is no such thing as an odd hour where canteen is concerned. You don’t need to wait for the time and day to have fun. Right…“

Tired of listening to your lecturer? Had enough of transformer and DC coupling? Then the time is perfect to head to the canteen.  This clearly explains the reason why students walk towards canteen as if suffering from insomnia.

One For the Album.. Credits : Zing Girl

“Got a good attendance? Your friend is a class topper? The lecturer’s absent? Be it any reason, there’s always a celebration and for every celebration there’s canteen,” quips Anirudh.

What’s so special about the canteen that attracts many out of their class-rooms?  “Well, we are tired of the sincere face we carry all through the college but, here there are no restrictions.  You can shed your ‘Obedient Student’ mask and be yourself ” whispers Meghana, now with a cautious look wary of the presence of HOD. ” Also, canteen serves as a safe haven to the greedy-eyed seniors while it is a nightmare to the shaky-legged juniors” adds Amulya with a cunning smile.

This canteen also houses serious discussions. The gizmo freak guys highlighting the exciting features of some newly arrived gadget is a regular feature here. One can always see another group animatedly talking about the special effects of  a newly released sci-fi movie. Turn around and one will find a group of girls confessing their crushes with the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ serving as the background score while another group gossips about celebrity break-ups and patch-ups. You are sure to hear lots of exciting chatter here. “All in all, canteen is our student’s paradise.” says Sahas. Any doubts??

This is not just a place for gossiping and killing one’s time, the food here is simply to be loved. ”The best part about being here is that I can always pamper myself with a yummy cappuccino “quips the food-loving Shweta at the corner table, greedily taking a sip.  Be it Chinese noodles, all fruit salad, Chocolate milk shake, fresh baked cake – the ‘Food Court’ has the best to offer. “Noodles and fried rice are the top most sold dishes” remarks Ramalinga Reddy, the canteen owner. Manisha points out “The food is available at a very reaonable rate. One can get their money’s worth here.” Zing tries to find out the other aspects of the canteen. “It is very sultry in the summer here. Also, though the canteen is big in area, not many can be accomodated. This is something that is not to like” rues Sumiran. Though the canteen has its own limitations, it still remains the favourite spot of the students.

Munch Time. Credits : Zing Girl

Students come here for food. But, some others have a different reason. “I can wile away my time with out having to worry about being caught” chips in  Rohit.  Probe him a little and he says, “That’s because you will find me more in the canteen than in the class ” True, folks may bunk classes, but they make it a point not to miss the fun of food-court.

It’s so true that students wage canteen for every moment’s joy and for the joy of every moment. The canteen not only serves as a hideout from the torture of the faculty’s lectures but also makes sure that the students taking pains to bunk their classes have the time of their life while bunking the classes.

Having understood the importance of magazines, a crazy idea took its structure in the minds of two students named Medapati Naga Bhupal Reddy and Pheelukhana Venkata Pavan Kumar, who actually initiated the concept. In the early stages, when the concept was put up in the form of an official document in front of the officials, it drew many critics. The team had come up with an unofficial e-magazine in the form of a BlogSpot.

Most of the students showed their lack of interest in this procedure. This made them feel regret of the step they took and after a great suffering, Bhupal got an idea. ‘If there is no one coming and referring the blog, then why don’t we make it interesting allowing the public access?’ This procedure drew huge crowds. Most of the students got attracted to the web version. After the promotion of the blog in the department, faculty was highly inspired and started supporting it. Maintaining a blog was indeed a difficult task. The blog covered all the areas of an individual.

In its later stages, the team had planned to expand the version. The question was how to go about the expansion. They started with a survey, which had really made them to know in which areas they were lagging behind. Ultimately, according to their survey, they found that people from villages do not know the importance of magazines or literature. The second accounting reason was, the blog was viewed only by people, who had internet at their residence. After they had got the survey done, they went with an official college magazine holding thirteen representatives, named Trend@Zine. The magazine was a department enterprise, which covered global updates. “I feel very good that I’ve worked for the magazine. It is tough job though, but I really loved working for this. I am updated with global information. For this I and my team requested our college to procure more magazines”, said Paku Venkata Soumya, a student at MRIET.

The monthly edition was a huge flop in the college. All the team members felt very bad and inferred that finance was their primary concern. They had finally decided to increase number of subscriptions of various magazines in library. An official note was sent to principal’s desk. Looking at the interest of students, principal approved their request and now, the libraries are stocked with latest versions of magazines. A syndicate of students, formed like an alliance, promoted the importance of magazine for a social prosperity.

Department of ECE. Credit: Frank Einstein

Their logic was  supported by their HOD Prof. Krishna Reddy. He says, ”I never knew that students of my department are the cream. It’s my mistake that I had underestimated the talent and now I support them in any good cause that would be beneficial for the society.” After the recognition, it has become even more challenging for students of ECE. Considering fact that few people cannot buy the magazine, few cannot go to internet cafes, the electronics students had come up with another idea which stood as a revolution in the history of MRIET.

The idea was to use college notice boards for information display. This not only brought change in students of ECE, but also made other departments to start with their own organizations. “Hey, did you go through the notice board today? It was really thought provoking!” was the exclamation of many students around the department.

“Success takes its way when properly channelized”, said Hari Babu, Assistant Professor, Department of ECE. All the faculty members of the department had promised to extend their support for the development of students. MRIET, being a new college has come up with various innovative ideas.