The inaugural night of the 9th edition of the annual socio-cultural fest of IIT Bhubaneswar, Alma Fiesta 2018, was presided by Prof. R. V. Rajakumar, Honourable Director, IIT Bhubaneswar. Dr. Sangita Gosain, noted vocalist and chief executive of Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra Odissi Research Centre was the chief guest in this inaugural event.

 

 

The evening began on a bright note with the welcoming of the guests and lighting of the lamp. The gathering for the event was addressed by the Honourable Director, who highlighted the importance of Indian classical music and dance in today’s times, and urged the students to use the fine arts as a medium to enhance their technical creativity. The Honourable chief guest for the evening, Dr. Sangita Gosain appreciated the Honourable Director’s words, and reinforced the importance of classical music. This was followed by a talk by the Prof. V.R. Pedireddi, Dean of Student Affairs, by Mr. Shivam Shukla, chief-coordinator, by Dr. Kaushik Das, chairman ending with an illuminating talk by Ms. Lipsa Bharti, an alumni of the institute. The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Ankur Gupta, vice-chairman of Alma Fiesta.

 

 

The inaugural session also involved the children’s fest “Bachpan Ka Rangmanch”. The event was held in association with Swabhiman Foundation and Akshara Foundation in which students from Arugul School, Podapada School and Khudupur School participated with enthusiasm

 

 

The cultural performances of the inaugural session was an utter treat, as the specially-abled children and performers from the Swabhiman foundation mesmerised everyone with their brilliant performances. The performances earnt praise from the Director, the chief guest and the Deans. This wrapped up what had been a fantastic opening day for the mega fest.