At IIT Kanpur, the Media and Cultural(MnC) Council nurtures cultural activities through activities like competitions, workshops, Freshers’ Night and others. These activities help better shape our personalities and proficiency in these domains. However, with the intense competitive environment and team events, national competitions like Inter-IIT Meets become an altogether different learning experience along with a matter of prestige.
The Inter-IIT Cultural(Cult) Meet is relatively new with IIT Bombay hosting the first event in 2016. Among participating teams from all IITs, IITK has had a strong track record in various competitions at the Cult meet. However, in the last edition of the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet 5.0, our performance was far from the mark with a 9th overall ranking.
To identify reasons behind this declined performance and know further steps of the Council, Vox talked to ex-Contingent Leader, ex-Deputy Contingent Leaders(DCLs) along with coordinators and leaders of different clubs and societies. Read on to know more.
Inter-IIT Cult Meet 5.0 :
From preparation to Performance
When Vox interviewed several contingent members, one of the concerns that emerged was the absence of scheduled contingent meetings within the MnC council during the last Inter-IIT Cult meet. These meetings are crucial for discussing the event comprehensively, encompassing various aspects such as team bonding and strategic planning.
Contingent meets ideally bring a sense of cohesion and unity among the participants, reminding the participants about the event’s magnitude. The absence of this unity was visible in the participants during their stay in Madras as some contingent members complained about the lack of support and pro-IIT Kanpur cheering by participants from other MnC clubs. Meanwhile, a few members left the premises of IIT Madras to visit the city after the completion of their events instead of cheering for other participating clubs. Even amongst the participants staying in the IIT Madras campus, many were unaware of the schedule of the various events IITK was participating in.
Additionally, some members highlighted the problem of delayed preparations within the clubs. Sarath Kamal,Fine Arts Club(FAC) Coordinator 22-23 said that the fine arts club, in particular, suffered from insufficient practice time, starting only in late December for the January 10 Cult Meet. Kedar D, from the Music Club, mentioned that they began their preparations in mid-December but started properly in earnest during the first week of January due to other commitments of many people in mid-December. This resulted from the fact that many contingent members chose to go home during the winter break. Online communication hinders practice as it doesn’t allow the members to feel a sense of alignment and cohesion with their teams. Further, it keeps them sheltered from the competitive environment as competitions of various art forms like Music, Dramatics, and Fine Arts demand an offline presence.
Another major issue pointed out was regarding leave approval. As the event coincided with the add-drop period, participants requested a 6-day leave, facing reluctance from the Student Undergraduate Committee (SUGC). The existing 5-day leave policy caused students confusion, tension, and uncertainty. Many people chose not to go at the last minute as no leave approval meant an impact on their classes and lab commitments, which in turn impacted our performance.
Due to a smaller budget, the contingent travelled via train (sleeper compartment). Further, many people got sick due to the severe weather change from Kanpur to Madras, affecting their performances.
Some clubs encountered language challenges during their time at IIT Madras. For instance, in the street photography competition, participants found communicating with the local residents challenging due to language barriers. Humour House prepared some scripts in Hindi. However, it posed a new challenge when the judges, who were not fluent in Hindi, had to evaluate the performances.
Everyone we spoke to agreed that IIT Madras had a few organisational concerns, like minor accommodation issues. The organisers’ messages and directions were conveyed successfully. However, scheduling complications emerged, such as rescheduling 9 AM events to 3 PM. These changes caused event clashes for several people, causing inconvenience and interrupting their participation.
Preparing for Inter IIT Cult Meet 6.0:
What’s Ahead?
The MnC Council’s primary goal is to promote cultural activities within the campus community through various events, workshops, and competitions. Nowhere in the MnC’s mandate does it specify a focus on winning competitions like Inter-IIT. This may not be the situation in some IITs, where they also have team systems with the primary mandate of winning events like Inter-IIT. This structural distinction in MnC Council among various IITs could be one of the factors contributing to our performance setbacks. Since these organisations possess a certain amount of bandwidth, it’s extremely difficult to focus on external competitions while fulfilling the primary motivations.
Ghanshyam Waindeshkar, the ex-General Secretary of MnC for 2022-2023, and Bidhan Arya, Associate Head, MnC for the same term, have both brought attention to this varied MnC Council structures across IITs . They mentioned that MnC is actively considering structural changes within the council in an attempt to win such competitions. Current council members also seemed to be addressing this matter.However a major problem that prevents particularly the MnC council from changing, is that the current system doesn’t allow clubs and councils to use its financial and human resources for training for Inter-IIT since it doesn’t encompass “general student interest”. This is not the case with the SnT and GnS councils.
IIT Kanpur maintains a favourable undergraduate (UG) to postgraduate (PG) student ratio, with a diverse postgraduate population from various educational backgrounds and institutions across India. However, it was observed that our Inter-IIT contingent, consisting of 233 members, had only 9 PG participants. Delving into the reasons behind this low PG participation, we discovered a few key factors. PG students do express interest in participating in cultural activities, but their academic schedules, which often involve classes and laboratory work throughout the day, make it challenging for them to dedicate extensive hours to practice. This issue is particularly pronounced in performing arts, which often hold practice sessions at night.
Additionally, PGs have expressed concerns about the short notice they receive regarding events and activities, which hinders their participation. They have pointed out that UGs approach them only when they require assistance, such as in sports events. In contrast, PGs initiated contact with their pool leaders in Galaxy, illustrating their enthusiasm to participate. A suggestion put forth by a PG student is for the Core Council Team to proactively engage with the cultural secretaries of PG halls. These individuals can play a crucial role in identifying and nurturing the talent of PG students in their respective halls.
Ex Contingent Leader Bidhan Arya highlighted a crucial improvement for the Inter-IIT cult meet performance. He stressed the significance of active club participation in various competitions to gain experience and temperance.
Granth Choudhary, ex-Photography Club Coordinator, emphasized a dual focus. While sharing skills with the campus was vital, he also stressed expanding the club’s knowledge and expertise. This continuous growth would enhance the club’s performance and overall contribution significantly.
Sarath Kamal, ex-Fine Arts Club(FAC) Coordinator, strongly emphasized the importance of forming teams well in advance of the vacation period. This early formation and communication will allow them to allocate the necessary time and effort towards the preparation process.
Some council members raised the issue of overconfidence within our team. Kedar highlighted, “while competing locally, we might develop a sense of superiority, but high-level events like Inter-IIT humbly remind us of the greater challenges. Let’s move beyond these misconceptions and embrace growth to perform better.”
Now that we have critically assessed the past, we must shift our focus to the upcoming Inter-IIT 6.0. Addressing the challenges we faced in the last event can significantly enhance our performance. This time around, the outlook appears more promising with Freshers’ Night and various club events successfully completed and some structural reforms in process.
We eagerly anticipate an impressive showcase of talent from our team and a remarkable performance that truly demonstrates our potential at the upcoming Inter-IIT Cult Meet to be held at IIT Kharagpur.
Best of Luck, Team!
Edited by: Kunaal Gautam, Vrinda Sharma, Bhavya Sikarwar
Written by: Kaushal Jain, Mayank Agrawal, Mayur Agrawal, Mrunmay Suryawanshi, Naman Sethi, Vedanshi Aggarwal
Design Credits: Sanyam Shivhare
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