Carnival 2019

February 22nd and 23rd, 2019. The Turf. In ancient Greece, where the carnival is widely believed to have originated, Winter was thought of as the reign of the winter spirits; which needed to be driven out in order for the summer to return. Carnival was thus be celebrated as a rite of passage from darkness to light, from winter to summer: a fertility celebration, the first spring festival of the new year. Some also point out to the ritual of seeking the blessings of Isis to mark the beginning of the shipping season.

Whatever the reasons of its origin, a Carnival has come to represent a celebration of joy when the guards are dropped, and people partake in the festivities. And it is in this spirit the Bhawanipur Education Society College (BESC) organises its annual Carnival.

The event is also one that the college utilises to expose students to the world of trade, industry and commerce as the students themselves set up their chosen ware, bear all the expenses and hope to make a killing in profits – an ever-indulgent faculty and members of the management proudly looking at their first faltering steps towards entrepreneurship.

This year was no exception with as many as thirty stalls being put up around the Turf. Over the two days, the Carnival witnessed a footfall of more than a thousand and the fact the stall “Isse Sasta Kahin Nahin” declared a profit of Rupees forty thousand goes to underscore the point. “What had begun in 2016 as Al Souk (Flea Market in Arabian) has, over the years transformed into the Carnival, growing in numbers and stature with every passing year” said an appreciative Dr Divyesh Shah the co-ordinator of the Morning Commerce Section of the College, pointing out the fact that last year, in the first Carnival the number of participating stalls was only twenty-four.

The event was marked by a number of attractions that included a Dog Show where the canine buddies of the students were paraded and shown off apart. The pets were also asked to perform a number of tasks which they did with barks and licks and much wagging of tails. A live performance by the BESC’s music collective the Crescendo, Fire juggling were the other highlights, not to mention huge draws. A dance, where all swayed to the traditional beats was another high point of the event.

Food competitions where one ate the way to victory over the other was another popular event. Phuchkas, Momos and Gulabjamuns were the common items that were gobbled up, with some spilling on to ten rounds of mouthfuls! The stall “Sharing the Spoon” was the undisputed winner in the class having thought out some innovative and outrageously exciting ways of attracting the crowd to partake of its offerings!

A fashion Show and a live session with a DJ were the closing attractions as all those who assembled – the organisers, the participants and the visitors moved to the beats to bid adieu to the Carnival – at least, till the onset of the next spring, though like all agreed, the spirit will linger on.