"Spandan" was the name of our university fest that generally used to take place around January-February.
It was 2009 and I was in second year of college. Not caring about the exams which was in March, we were in full swing rehearsing for our University fest since October.
Participating in Spandan was not easy, since BHU (BanarasHinduUniversity) consists of several thousands of students, and not all can participate in it; from each college or faculty students were chosen by an intra-college competition at first, and winners are sent to represent their college in the inter-faculty university festival or SPANDAN.
It was 2009 and I was in second year of college. Not caring about the exams which was in March, we were in full swing rehearsing for our University fest since October.
Participating in Spandan was not easy, since BHU (BanarasHinduUniversity) consists of several thousands of students, and not all can participate in it; from each college or faculty students were chosen by an intra-college competition at first, and winners are sent to represent their college in the inter-faculty university festival or SPANDAN.
Second year of college life is like that "Goldilock's not too hard and not too soft bed" kind of time; it was neither the first year when you are new and junior most, nor the third year when the final year's pressure starts to mound. Therefore, like everyone, we thought to do it all and go all out that year in terms of participation.
There was group song competition where a group of maximum of 6 people would sing one patriotic followed by a regional song; then there was duet song competition, a group dance and the most intense of all was the solo song competition.
There was group song competition where a group of maximum of 6 people would sing one patriotic followed by a regional song; then there was duet song competition, a group dance and the most intense of all was the solo song competition.
....and we participated in all of them. My girl gang and I had the best "Manthan" (name of my intra-college competition) and "Spandan" experience of all time.
In the singing segment, we bagged all the prizes and represented our college on the Spandan stage. We danced like there was no tomorrow and made everyone dance, but we were not dancers technically so our seniors won but we did not worry as we cheered them in the big league.
We won all the rest of the three, the group song and the duet were a hilarious combination of nervousness and "throwing crazy stares at each other" moments when someone was going off track, but nonetheless we won!!
The fainting moment came when I had to perform alone in the solo song segment.
When you are on top of that huge stage, looking down and the crowd is at top of their voice, giving all sorts of opinions, it feels both exhilarating and freaking scary. All the lights would be pointed toward you, which means everyone can see you but you can not see anyone, yet deep down you know your friends are there cheering your name and now it is up to you to make them proud.
The first note had to touch where it suppose to and then everyone calms down, well that happened at least with me. I am grateful that everyone listened and applauded and gave me a new meaning of confidence.
Suddenly, yesterday I came across the song which I sang in my solo competition. After ages I remembered all the madness and sleepless nights of rehearsals and that time of my life when I learnt that ' a girl's hostel is not a place for faint heart-ed'.
Life went away in a wink and with it, gone are those days, how apt the song sounded when I listened to it the other day!
This is just in remembrance of that time, I could not stop myself from singing it one other time!
#StayBlessed!
