After undergoing the rigorous preparation of a 2-year long journey, we are sure you must be tired. But fear not, cause there is more to look forward to.
IIT Kanpur’s Media and Cultural Council (MnC) has a basket full of new activities to offer! Amidst the student junta, MnC plays one of the most exciting and involving roles. Offering a wide spectrum of clubs and societies, MnC brings you a myriad of opportunities so that you can explore your long lost talents, or maybe even pick up a new one. Under the hoods of these clubs and societies, you’ll get the chance to interact with talented and passion-driven people who will guide you and help you excel in whichever field you choose to; all you do need is a pinch of ‘enthu’! ; )
Furthermore, amid a hectic semester, you’ll always find yourself stumbling across a new activity or an event organized by the clubs of MnC! Whether it be music, dance, or poetry, you could choose to be an integral part of a club and live through the exciting times with peers as excited and prepared for an event as you will be, or you could always grab a hot chocolate from mama-mio, and enjoy the show! Either way, it’ll be a stress-reliever, and perhaps, will help make your night a tad bit better.
The Media and Cultural Council comprises several clubs and societies, offering you a plethora of opportunities to exhibit your interests. So here we are with an enumerated list of all the cultural verticals you can explore:
Book Club:
Books, beanbags, recommendations, reviews, takeaways, and a plethora of other fun stuff: reading and discovering magic in books is what we’re all about. Need to find a buddy to listen to your late-night rant about the book you just finished? Or want a community to actually “get” your obsession over the smell of new books (and puppies and 18th-century Japanese kettles and Greek Gods)? We are here because we like to think you can find a book about literally anything! Tune into Book Club to lose yourself in a labyrinth of exciting adventures for your imagination!
Music Club:
Music Club is your central repertoire of all genres of music ranging from Indian and Carnatic Classical to Metal to Funk to Jazz to Fusion! We are here to hone your musical skills and give wings to your interest by handpicking diverse sets of music from albums and compositions by great bands and artists from all around! We devote great efforts to learning through jammin’ and work on composing songwriting, and production skills. We also organize biannual Flagship Events – ‘Musical Extravaganza’ with a diverse setlist of great songs and also ‘Acoustic Night’ on a January winter evening by the bonfire, where the campus community gathers to see us perform some of the best chilled and melodic acoustic covers and some of our own Original Compositions. We assure you that your association with the club will surely mould your musical aspirations and turn them into a successful reality!
Fine Arts Club:
The Fine arts club is the ultimate destination to all your imagination and fantasies and a place to nourish and nurture the budding artists in our campus. The doors are open for anyone, anytime & club filled with everything you need! Just come, sit, and draw your heart out. Starting from Freshers’ Speed Art, (yes you read it right ! Freshers do put up a speed art performance every year) and Wall Painting, to Antaragni Exhibition and Cult Meet, from the ultimate Competitive vibes we have during Galaxy to the most prestigious event of our club – ArtFest, from drawing in groups with paint all over the room & music all over your ears, to the friends that become your family and the club that becomes your HOME. With several workshops and competitions spread throughout the year, to our latest Art Appreciation Series and Online Tutorial Playlists, the club is the perfect harbor for anyone interested in fine arts.
Hindi Sahitya Sabha:
The Hindi Sahitya Sabha is a body primarily dedicated to foster Hindi literature on the campus. Apart from working in the field of oration and literature, at the Hindi Sahitya Sabha we also work on ‘Nirvaak’- the campus viewspaper, voicing the unspoken critical issues of the campus junta. We conduct several events and workshops on literary writing coupled with literary discussions on contemporary issues and fun activities like mayajaal and several others! We take part in the Inter-IIT Cultural Meet and other cultural fests. We also try to initiate new literary activities through proper workshops on campus, one of them being the standardized Hindi Parliamentary Debating. Presently, the club is working on projects of Podcast, Puran Manthan, letter translation, and many more. There exists no prerequisite for joining the Hindi Sahitya Sabha apart from love and appreciation for Hindi language and literature! Your enthusiasm and passion are all we stand in need of.
Dramatics Club(Fursat Mandli):
खोज बीन कर लाते हम सब, गलियो से चौबारों से। हँसा रुला के याद दिलाते, मुद्दे हर इक गलियारों के।।
थोड़ी उछल कूद, थोड़ी कूद फांद, शब्दो के शस्त्र, अभिनय के बाण। हर पन्ने पर हम अलग रंग, फुर्सत में मौज मनाते हैं। मस्ती और संजीदा पसंद, फुर्सत में जीत भी जाते हैं।
फुर्सत में लिखते गाते हैं, हम फुर्सतिये कहलाते हैं। हम फुर्सतिये कहलाते हैं।।
Photography Club:
It’s not just about flaunting around DSLRs and unrestricted access to festival events, wink wink! We conduct some of the coolest workshops and exhibitions in the campus. Seniors would tell you that we’re best known for our photo walks in and out of Kanpur, like the one in summer to locations like Nainital and Banaras. We love organising interesting competitions for the campus junta and participating in the Inter IIT events every year. The club also has an awesome studio in the FMC room, can’t wait for you all to take a look once you’re back!
English Literary Society:
The English Literary Society is a group of people who are bonded mainly but not exclusively, by their love for the English language and literature. The club’s environment comprises discussions set in the world of literature and pop-culture. It provides a space where one is free to talk about the most bizarre ideas and curiosities, and a platform to explore and improve writing, and performance skills needed for open mics. ELS IIT Kanpur stood 1st overall at the Inter IIT Cultural Meet 2019 in relevant events. This reflects their strength in exhilarating events like Word Games and Just-A-Minute.
Students’ opinion society:
Students’ opinion society is a club that tries to create a valuable perspective about different events occurring around the globe via discussion sessions, seminars with policymakers and other relevant people, events for Campus Junta and many more. We explore current stories in international news, economic, finance, and geopolitics. In this time of lockdown too, we had organized a series of sessions called “UPSC Talks” which turned out to be very motivating for aspirants among Campus Junta. Our most recent events were, ‘Indian Governance Summit’, Public Policy webinars, and a National-level policy making competition.
Student Film Society:
Student Film Society holds several screenings of movies and sports events around the year. It is about appreciating the intricacies of cinematography and collectively analyzing masterpieces of cinema. Not only this, we discuss movies extensively and are anytime up with a bunch of movie recommendations! We also organize film galas, where highly acclaimed films from around the globe are screened and talked through.
Design and Animation club:
Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not. ~ Pablo Picasso We here at the Design and Animation club harbor the thriving spirit of making our imagination come true. Will-o’-the wisps racing across the Ganges? The starry sky adorning the IITK backdrop? A psychedelic outer space? Or your crush morphing into your MTH101 exam? Well, we are here to bring these to life(digitally)! Animations, ui/ux design, designing anything and everything from posters, portraits, landscapes, or even 3D modeling? You are at the right place. And the best part? We start from scratch (do not forget to bring your as weird as possible aesthetic sense along). Welcome Y20!
Debate and Discussion Society:
What started a few years ago as some people just getting together and doing what they love, has been rapidly growing and continues to do so as the Debate and Discussion Society of IIT Kanpur. Currently, we organize events on campus such as Novice Debating League (the latest edition of which was held online amidst the lockdown), discussion sessions. We also represented the college in various debating tournaments across the country such as SRCC Delhi, NUJS Kolkata, IIT Bombay, and internationally like Australs, Up Over, DSDC among others. Being an excellent or experienced debater is not a prerequisite, all we’re looking for is interest and commitment on your part, and in time you’ll find yourself on the podium, competing against the best speakers in the country from Law, Engineering, and all backgrounds in between.
Dance Club:
With the philosophy ‘Love the art in yourself and not yourself in the art’, the art form of dance is a synonym of expression of life and after coming here to IITK, the expression is pure fun and learning. KOS, the dance club of IIT Kanpur provides you ample opportunity to explore your interest in dancing. Right from the very first event, we help you out in nurturing your interests in this genre of the cult. With ranges of dance from Bollywood, Kathak, Bhangra to Hip-Hop, Krump, KOS tries to convey each emotion with dancing. One of our biggest achievements was to become the Dance Champions of Cult Meet 4.0 after a cut-throat competition. It was only possible through all the efforts the team put in and the love the supporters gave. KOS participates in many such competitions, conducts various workshops and entertains you with a wide range of events. So, Welcome aboard!
Anime Society:
In a nutshell, Anime Society(AniSoc in short) is a group of anime and manga enthusiasts. If you think chilling out with friends at the OAT while watching some show on the big screen, discussing your favorite shows with your peers, quizzing to showcase your anime/manga knowledge sound fun, then you’re in luck, as this is exactly what AniSoc is for! The members love to talk and hear about characters and plots enjoyed(or sometimes, hated) by each other, enjoy sharing amazing artwork, or even jamming to anime music. In short, if you enjoy anime and/or manga, or are interested in trying them out, you’re welcome to join the family!
Film Club:
“Filmmaking is a chance to live many lifetimes.”
The subtle science of filmmaking is not achievable without prolific imagination and a zeal of passion. We at Film Club, IIT Kanpur provide a boat to the islands of this art. We tunnel the club’s functioning and activities through various events. Cinematography, Screenwriting, Casting, Shooting, Sound recording, Production, and Editing are the aspects that are thoroughly studied during the club’s overall walkthrough. Film Club takes interest in a variety of work ranging from short films, skits, sketches to documentaries, including the making of the Orientation video, the Freshers’ Introduction video, the Freshers’ Attempt videos in filmmaking as well as the Batch video of the graduating batch. We also take part in competitions all over India through various Fests and Events and try to learn from the attributes lying within the tasks. Keeping the hotshot works apart, the primary aim for us as a club is to penetrate into the hearts of ingenious minds that can carry on the torch of glory riding upon the path laid by the Film Club over the years!
Humour House:
Humour House stands as the official hobby group under the MnC council. With several events like Pun battles, Roasts, Improv battles and Stand-up in place, the club aims to provide a platform to the people aspiring to showcase their skills or involve in funny, entertaining and witty discussions on several engaging topics.
So far, we gave you a clear overview of the structure of the council. But there remains more to know. The council also curates multiple engaging events all around the year, entailing significant participation from the campus junta! This includes Extravaganzas, competitions, and other club-specific events.
It primarily starts with Freshers’ Night, which stands out as one of the most anticipated events in the first year. And after strenuous years of the JEE turmoil, the excitement is apparent. The eve is full of events of Dance, Drama, Music, Arts, Literature, Fashion, Film and many more! This allows you to explore their interests, revive some long lost hobbies and showcase your talents. Besides the events’ galore, the eve is an opportune time to acquaint with other batchmates. Given the hard times this year, even the virtual freshers’ is all set to enthrall you with various interactive events and activities!
Freshers’ Treasure Hunt is a team event wherein, as the name suggests, you hunt for treasures! The game begins with Scavenger hunt where you and your teammates rummage to find the listed things all through the campus. The qualifying teams then proceed to brainstorm over some bizarre riddles and brain teasers to divulge to a location, anywhere on campus. If you decipher and make through all the cues to plunge into the final place at the earliest, your team wins!
The treasure hunt is collectively organized by the English Literary Society, Hindi Sahitya Sabha, and Quiz Club. The event is one thrill ride and an unforgettable night of solving perplexing problems, misleading other teams to make way for your own, cycling from one place to another and possibly end up at wrong locations to finally finishing up early morning after a relentless tussle.
The Inter IIT Cult Meet holds several competitions on cultural fronts and stands out as a platform to present your artistic skills in fun-laden events laced with competitive interplay! Conducted around December every year, it witnesses participation from students all across IITs.
One of the IITs thus clinches the overall championship, followed by the runner-up contingents. IIT Kanpur hosted the Meet in December 2017 and has, till date secured leading positions in several events every year.
Montage is the annual Film, photography, literary, and Arts Festival of IITK celebrated to appreciate the diverse aspects of art–be it our cinematic heritage or literary portfolios. The fest covers the screening of multiple movies from regional to international classics. There are dialogues with some esteemed personalities to give better perspectives and insights into the cinematic aspect of media. Montage is all about celebrating art and introducing you to a whole new diverse world of cinema, art, and literature!
Impressions is the cultural festival of the Post Graduate students on campus. Marked by an exclusive series of events on all fronts, the fest is an exciting experience to count for. The events covered range from dance and drama performances, art display, musical nights to interesting photography contests. The Prom Night is also a major captivation of the festival and witnessed a huge turnout from the campus community! The entire event is a revitalizing time of the year for the postgraduates.
The council organizes workshops during the summer break or in or after the semester to facilitate learning under the clubs. These are open to all the ones excited to learn and require no prior experience or knowledge. These can also be leveraged by the staff members of the off-campus community. A special batch for kids or the non-student community is also set up but requires a minor workshop fee. The conduction schedule and division keep in mind participants’ convenience and preferences. It is hence an excellent opportunity to learn and explore one’s interests in specific cultural fields.
So, if you find yourself cocooned at your homeplace, fretting with utterly no college ambiance around, the council is here to make that monotonous life a little exciting. If not, it can at least try to give you a kaleidoscopic view of what seems to be absolute monochromic and dull? After all, these years are all about exploring, learning, and living!
Writing Credits: Aaryan Mehar, Namgyal Lhamo Dolma, Astha Pant
Editor: Milind Nigam
