MOOD INDIGO ‘08

Whoever thought that the name of a jazz song would actually grow to connote a whole crazy sub-culture of the cultural -festival circuit in the world’s largest continent?!?!!!

Well, MOOD INDIGO is the Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay’s very own ‘CULT-FEST’ [pun unintended], organized and managed entirely by the students of that institute, who are very neatly arranged in hierarchy with areas of authority clearly demarcated. They may go out of their way to help another fellow department in need, but each has an array of jobs which is to be taken care of by themselves, and NO ONE else!

It’s a hotbed of frenzied creativity, maddening marketing, crazy schedules, monstrous magnitude, reunions and cupid play[including this writer’s own], heartbreaks… the perfect potboiler!

This blogger has been a regular on the Bombay cult-fest circuit for 5 [long but extremely enjoyable] years being a viewer, participant, winner, organizer, volunteer, et al! and MOOD-I is my favourite event amongst all!

It’s nearly impossible to get over the MI Mania and believe that I’m finally out of this groove. But the happenings at this MOOD-I helped tremendously in closure with respect to the inseparability of student life and college festivals!

IIT-B is home turf, though I YET haven’t gotten over my tendency to get lost in this relatively small world! This was TRULY the most different MOOD-I in a lot of senses. For once, I stayed there for the entire duration of the fest. and especially the last night. That was one time-slot I never ended up being on campus, due to a different [legitimate] reason EVERY year! Except this one, of course!

Participating in any event in this fest is quite time-consuming and one invariably ends up missing out on other things they’d planned to do. I, for one, lost out of all the workshops this and last year due to accidental participation in their REALITY TV event. Though, I must admit, the chaos of ideas, meetings at odd timings, performing even odder tasks, working at close quarters with people you have no clue about…it goes down the memory lane as a beautiful video!
What played a major role in ‘closure’ was my WINNING AND EVENT!!! I had never in my wildest dreams imagined that I’d ACTUALLY be seriously participating in something at MOOD-I, leave alone winning it!!! But then... Dreams are meant to come true, aren’t they?!! Another adage that’s go with this win is, one is rarely satisfied with what one gets. NEITHER AM I!!! I so wanted to come second in that event…we were on the verge on getting that slot…until in the last minute one team member did an absolutely fab job on the stage and that made the judge give us the top rank!!!!! That’s ‘coz I wanted the i-pod which was there in 2nd prize and not the slick NOKIA 5310 which I got as 1st!!!!!!!!!!

I also participated in the RADIO PLAY after enough deliberation and as a conspiracy of half the world!!! Though we didn’t win that event, the process of participation itself was an entertaining and frustrating one!!! Yours truly rejected 8 themes for the script, 5 of which were my own!!! People from nariman point, to ahmedabad to new delhi were troubled at odd hours for contribution of ideas! I took a walk in the leafy campus of IIT-B from 5:30 to 6:30, hoping for inspiration to strike!!! ALL THIS…just so other people wanted to desperately do the event!!!
An otherwise chilled out time, spent varyingly with self, friends, acquaintances and the likes all added up to the pleasure that was [and always has been] MOOD-I! it comfortably sunk in that there’s always a right time and right place for everything. And it’s cool to move on and not be stuck in a warp longing for replication of experiences of the yore.

What follows next is a blotch in the extremely pleasurable experience described above. I’m glad it happened in the end. Even though it left a bad taste in the mouth, at least, THANK GOD, it’s over!

Leniency sucks
This blogger is certainly not a frequent user or promoter of usage of any kind of slang in common parlance. But the incident let the realisation dawn that being nice and sweet is not always the best approach, especially when the buck is supposed to stop at you! There were a few [ex] friends who gate crashed at my pad. In India, we tend to not be harsh on uninvited guests [especially if you know them] and take it as a matter of pride to be hosting a more than expected number. But, it’s extremely inconsiderate of the guests to take advantage of the host’s silence, throw co-habitation etiquettes to the winds and bite into the same arm whose hand of hospitality was wringed by them in first place.
This unfortunate happening marred what was a lovely joyride and ended it close to a big manhole staring right into your face. I’m glad nothing untoward happened, but the lessons have been learnt, and learnt well at that! Guys just keep proving how far down the evolution ladder are they STILL stuck and no matter how hard they try to climb up, it’s like the proverbial snail who slips down twice the distance he climbs up.

CLOSURE was quickened by the incidents of the last night of my stay. Though, as time passes, scars will also fade and beautiful memories are always there to perk one up and bring a mischievous smile that sends the face value to dizzying heights!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like I have always said…

MOOD I ROCKS!!!!!!!!!