’Coz the show must go on

KK���s rendition of Yaaron sends hearts aflutter, Shaan���s Koi kahe gets even those with two left feet grooving, while Euphoria���s Dhoom pichak dhoom is enough to send the crowd into a frenzy.
Make no mistake, this is no list of concerts around town. It���s something that���s been giving campuses across the city good reason to cheer for years now.Yes, we mean college fests ��� those five days of unlimited music, masti and magic, which have only been growing grander with performances by Bollywood stars.
With the fest season just around the corner, the madness and brainstorming sessions on campus are visible once again, but this time, with a difference. Unlike in other years, student organisers are not working up a sweat thinking about which performer to zero in on.
They have more important things to worry about ��� like how to raise funds and organise a gala event in these times of economic crisis. With budgets varying between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 8 lakh for most top college fests and sponsorships having dried up, organisers this year, are having a harrowing time collecting funds to keep the show going.
Milieu, the annual fest of Presidency College, is one of the most high-profile fests of the city, what with performances by bands like Parikrama, Euphoria and Indian Ocean being a regular affair. And in all these years, funds have never been difficult to raise. But the scene this year, is far from rosy, with
sponsorships yet to come calling. ���It���s proving to be very difficult to get people to sponsor fests and we are thinking of ways and means of scaling down. Because of paucity of funds, getting national bands or Bollywood stars this year could be difficult. In that case, we have to make do with the local talents,��� says Avijeet Sarkar, general secretary, Presidency College. As of now, the college is looking at a special performance by Pritam on one of the nights. A member of the student body tells us, on condition of anonymity, ���He���s an alumnus of this college and hence, maybe he will charge less than the others.���
St Xavier���s College, which is gearing up for Xavotsav and Beyond Barriers, is also busy with its maze of
calculations. And even as the college is hopeful of putting up a grand show, sponsorships aren���t coming easy. As a result, the usual budget of Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh has been cut down. Although not keen on divulging figures, the fest committee is being forced to bank on ���well-wishers��� and alumni of the
college for funds to flow in. ���This is a big year for us. But with the market in shambles, the going is proving to be quite tough. We have already booked Bickram Ghosh for one of the days, but as far as Bollywood celebs are concerned, we are keeping our fingers crossed,��� says Firdausul Hasan,
secretary of the St Xavier���s College Alumni Association.
Sanskriti, the Jadavpur University fest that has in the past, seen performances by singers of Rabbi���s stature, is feeling the heat this year with the regular corporate sponsors backing out. Sourish Ghosh, ex-general secretary of the student���s union, points out, ���We are being forced to keep this year���s fest pretty low-key. Star performers will be difficult to rope in, as we don���t really have the means. Talks are on with a few sponsors, but nothing has materialised yet. There will be a final night for sure, but we can, at the most, afford a Kolkata band this year from whatever little we have in the students��� fund. But this shouldn���t prove to be a dampener. We are thinking of other ways and means to liven up things, by introducing more student activities.��� As they say, no matter what, the show must go on!