Day 2 Antaragni’21

The second day of Antaragni soar to new heights of excellence and euphoria with some dynamic back to back competitions and jaw-dropping performances that went on till the wee hours.

The day began with the Pair on Stage, the duo singing competition, adjudged by Atul Bara, Alvin Rozario, Lopita Mishra and Sanchari Bose. Further, in our series of line-ups, we had “International Carnival” wherein the celebrated Himbaza Club from Rwanda, vocalists Harrah Kay and Hannah Korin Dimaano Castillo from the Philippines and the Argentinean musician Maxi Pachecoy made the crowd go crazy with their stellar performances

Next up, it was time for the Wanderlust in which we were joined by two travel enthusiasts and professionals Brinda Sharma and Nivedith who shared their experiences from their life of vlogging and touring the world. The Nukkad Natak and Radio Play finals also lived up to the hype with a plethora of stirring performances.

It was followed by the culmination of the eight-month-long competition to celebrate the beauty of rock music - Synchronicity - in a grand finale that was held in fully offline mode in IIT Kanpur and was headlined and judged by the proficient rock band Banned Frequency from Kolkata.

As a part of the Alum Inspired, we were graced with the presence of Dr Mahesh Gupta the managing director of Kent RO systems, a graduate of the 1975 batch in Mechanical Engineering. He instilled in the audience the learnings from his experiences that have completely revolutionized the purified drinking water system and contributed immensely to the provision of safe drinking water in Rural and Urban areas. His inspiring words made a lasting impression on the youngsters.

At the Outreach Auditorium, for the event IITK for Kanpur 4.0 - industry revolution through automation, we were joined by Ms Neha Jain ACEO, UPSIDA, who elaborated on her visionary motives and how IITK and its students stand a chance to contribute to a better tomorrow. She stated that to reach one's goals one should pursue excellence.

Celebrating the delicacy of literature, we also had a short filmmaking competition wherein the participants got to put their creative cinematographic skills to the test.

Dance is one of the most beautiful, graceful and expressive art forms known to the human race. It helps you reflect your emotions through fluid moves. Estampie - a solo dance competition, saw huge engagement from across India. The extremely reputed Anil Gupta, Shivam Sharma, and Sumit were on the judging panel.

Further in our series of line-ups we had-Monologue,in which the audience got a chance to ablaze the stage with their heart-warming acting. Ritambhara, the biggest inter-college fashion competition, got to witness some innovative and supremely chic designs by the enthusiastic competitors. It was adjudicated by a set of evergreen fashion maestros- Sanya Chugh, Nishant Jadhwani, Radhika Mundhra, and Sukhneet Wadhwa Gujral.

The evening turned magical with some harmonious ragas during the Classical Eve. The captivating melody of electrifying Sarod player Debasmita Bhattacharya and Tabla virtuoso Surojato Roy left the audience in awe.

EDM night infused our bodies with feelings of elation as Ritviz played his hits like "Liggi", "Udd gaye" and "Jeet" after another. The atmosphere, the smell of thrill and exhilaration coupled with the fantabulous music made every second feel like an hour and the entire show, gone in a minute.

Karaoke night saw many students leave behind their reservations and come forward to have a good time with friends.

Anime quiz saw fierce competition simply to put one to the test - who knew the most? Encyclopedic amounts of knowledge was shown by the competitors and it was all in all, a spirited and extremely enjoyable event.

We also had DJ wars where the sickest of beats were dropped and the hottest of shots were fired.

Antaragni’21 Inauguration Ceremony

After two long years of passiveness and distress, the much-anticipated cultural festival of IIT Kanpur, Antaragni began in the offline mode with utmost zeal and enthusiasm.

The inauguration ceremony was presided over by none other than a man of phenomenal excellence- Mr. Awanish Awasthi, the Additional Chief Secretary under the Government of Uttar Pradesh. The ceremony began at 11:00 am in the Outreach Auditorium with the lighting of the lamp to symbolically mark the beginning of Antaragni. Several memorable speeches were made by the extremely putative panel. The audience was enthralled to hear the words of our director, Mr. Abhay Karandikar. He hoped that this festival would give people an opportunity to exhibit their talents in fields other than academics and thanked Mr. Awasthi for inaugurating the festival as nobody could’ve been a better fit than this supremely ingenious alumnus of ours.

The esteemed chief guest of the event, Mr. Awanish Awasthi concentrated on how the sky's the only limit, sharing memorable stories from his life at IIT Kanpur and how that has shaped him into the person he is now.

Further, in our series of line-ups we had “International Carnival” wherein the celebrated illusionist, Brendon Peel charmed us with his unique wit and magic tricks, he was followed by the exceptional artist Ekaterina Ermilkina, who welcomed us into the realm of colours and created a piece of beauty in just 15 minutes.

The fest stage was then taken over by India's largest Fusion and Eastern Rock Competition- Junoon. The audience was awestruck by the combination of rhythm, dynamics, melody, harmony, timbre, texture, and form displayed by the prelims qualifiers in their final set of performances. These fusion rocks swayed the viewers into a land of music less explored and left them tapping their feet in sync.

As a part of India Inspired, we were graced with the presence of Dr. V. Anantha Nageswaran - the Chief Economic Advisor to the Government of India. He instilled in the audience learnings from his experiences having taught at several business schools across India and Singapore and a corporate career spanning over seventeen years. His expertise in the economic sector definitely made a lasting impression on young minds.

The stage also got to witness a fierce battle of music with Sangam, where varied groups from across different states of the country came together to commemorate the beauty of our rich traditional tunes.

Kick-starting the dance competitions under Antaragni’s umbrella was “Dance Battle”- a solo dance tussle that saw overwhelming participation with each one putting their best foot forward, literally. Some of the smoothest dancers of the nation were seen vying for the winning title, mesmerising the judges with their balletic moves.

In Nrityangana, the classical solo competition, the judges Bijal Haria and D. Padmakumar claimed to have been blown away by the high standard of the performances and found it very difficult to choose a winner. In the evening, the performances of Sonroopa Vishal, Azhar Iqbal, Sudeep Bhola, and Ekagra Sharma at the Kavi Sammelan became an unexpected success as it was assumed that there won’t be many takers for Poetry and Ghazals in a youth festival. A classic story of negligence turning into a star attraction.

The highlight of the day was the first celebrity performance of the fest by India’s leading experimental indie rock band, Delhi Indie Project. The enthralling concert swept the crowd off its feet. The band gave a power-packed performance with the crowd's favourite songs like Rehnuma, Guzaarish, and Yeh Dilli Hai Meri.

The first day came to a close with a live poetry slam- a spoken word poetry competition that witnessed several alums pouring their hearts out through literature as they reminisced about their college days. It was indeed heart-warming to see our forebearers of the identity of our college experiencing the jolts of longing, nostalgia, and comradeship.

Antaragni, the cultural festival of IIT Kanpur

Antaragni, the cultural festival of IIT Kanpur, is an embodiment of the cultural flair and creative exuberance to celebrate the artistic spirit within each one of us. It is a fiesta of love, light and life imbued with the cacophonies of ethereal joy and ecstasy, embracing myriad of emotions. Over the years, Antaragni has expanded and evolved into the biggest cultural extravaganza organized by students of an institute. The fest has experienced a breath-taking 130,000-strong footfall with more than 25,000,000 eyeballs It has time and again bedazzled the audience and left them in awe. More than anything else, Antaragni is a legacy promoting excellence and prowess in talent and culture that has been continuing for over 55 years, and we are proud to conduct the 56th edition of Antaragni with the ingenious theme 'A Nouvelle Rhapsody,' keeping the spark alive and the fire inside each one of us, raging.

Antaragni is being conducted partly offline after two long tiresome years of lockdown and restrictions, during which it was held online with perpetual ardor. The enthusiasm for the offline fest this year is touching the skies, and the team strives to carry forward the golden legacy of Antaragni, and rejuvenate the zest of our glorious cultural festival.

The second phase of Antaragni is scheduled from April 8 to April 10, 2022, with a myriad of cultural artists, influential visionaries, and soulful personalities gracing our ebullient cultural festival. As part of the opening ceremony at 11 AM on 8th April, Mr. Awanish Kumar Awasthi (Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Uttar Pradesh, Home Department) will partake in kicking off the event as chief guest.

Antaragni presents a plethora of star attractions to look forward to with zeal and passion. To start with, we present the India Inspired event featuring Nat Radhakrishna and Shri V Anantha Nageswaran, with the motivation to inspire the audience through the perspective of illustrious personalities cutting across a multitude of fields. The Alum Inspired event includes a talk with Neelkanth Mishra, Dr. Mahesh Gupta, Hemant Jalan, and Pushkar Mishra. The Talent Fiesta event introduces talents across a wide cultural setting as the name suggests and as a part of the event, we introduce Sandeep Singh, Ajay Rawat and Jayant Joshi with their immense and unique talents.

As part of the Wanderlust series, we present enchanting stories of people traveling across the globe along with tricks of the trade with Brinda Sharma and Nivedith Gajapathy. Abhi and Niyu, Abhishek Kapoor, and Puneet Sira also join the lineup of high-spirited cultural artists, the former being part of the Ignite event, and the latter two being a part of the Director’s Cut respectively. We also have the Classical Night with Debasmita Bhattacharya to keep you mesmerized. Expanding the creative spectrum of Antaragni, we also present artists from around the world with their idiosyncratic talents and cultural motivations, with a mission to tell their story. This monumental lineup features Brendon Peel, Chango Spasiuk, Ekaterina Ermilkina, Himbaza Club, Hannah Korin and Harrah Kay, Lavinia Meijer, Maxi Pachecoy, and Yui Yui.

Adding to the series of such star studded artists, we are enthralled to host the musical prodigy Ritviz for the EDM night. To accentuate the enthusiasm, the Bollywood night will witness frolicking performances from the all-time great Sunidhi Chauhan. This will be a colossal carnival of unparalleled artistry, delivering experiences as exceptional as ever and giving you memories of a lifetime.