ILMAISU 2025

“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.”
— Oscar Wilde

The Bhawanipur Education Society College hosted its third edition of the inter-college fest, Ilmaisu, on June 10, 2025, with the theme “Very Bohemian.” This event was a collaborative initiative of the three collectives of BESC – Fashionista, Celluloid, and Art N Me. The fest successfully conducted eight dynamic events at different venues across the college.

As the clock struck 10:00 A.M., Ilmaisu began with the opening ceremony in the Jubilee Hall of the college campus with the welcome speech by the Rector and Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Dilip Shah, where he introduced the guests present in the room, followed by the digital lamp lighting ceremony. He then went on to explain the significance of the lamp lighting ceremony, where the light of the lamp goes up, denoting that we, as humans, from darkness are trying to reach the light, which is God — “Tamso Ma Jyotirgamaya,” meaning “Lead me from darkness to light.” With that, Prof. Dilip Shah declared Ilmaisu 2025 open.

As a special appearance, Madhuram Daga, a B.Com student, was welcomed on stage and felicitated by Prof. Dilip Shah for being crowned the 21st Mr. India, all set to represent India internationally. Prof. Minakshi Chaturvedi, Vice-Principal, B.Com (Morning), felicitated the judges for the day: Apratim Chatterjee, Debanjan Majhi, Suprovo Tagore, and Suparna Banerjee.

MR. AND MISS ILMAISU: The very first event of the day, Mr. and Miss Ilmaisu, began at 10:30 A.M. in the Jubilee Hall of the college campus, judged by Aaindrila Dutta and Mr. Sk Tanveer Hussain. Aaindrila Dutta has been recognised as the youngest winner of major Eastern India pageants like Sananda Tilottoma, PC Chandra Goldlites Diva, and Miss Deepti. Her face has been widely featured across billboards, newspapers, and television, making her one of the most familiar names in the modelling world today. Mr. Sk Tanveer Hussain was named a Mr. India 2017 finalist and is known as the only model from Kolkata to have walked for fashion giants like Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahiliani and at platforms like Lakme Fashion Week and India Couture Week.

The event had three participants competing for Miss Ilmaisu and three participants for Mr. Ilmaisu. It was conducted in three rounds, with the first round being the Fashion Walk, where the fashionistas lit the stage with their catwalks, followed by the Talent Showcase Round, where participants presented their best talents — including flute performances, dance, and guitar — and the final round, the Question and Answer Round. Here, the participants were instructed to introduce themselves to the judges and then were questioned on various aspects of life. Some of the questions included describing their greatest strength and weakness, one mindset of the youth that should be changed today, and how language barriers play a role in this generation. Dr. Vasundhara Mishra felicitated the judges, and the event came to an end at noon, with the judges sharing a few words. In their words, “iLMAISU is already a hit because it’s a BESC event.”

SHORT FILM MAKING: The event started in the Concept Hall of the college campus around 10:30 A.M. and ended by noon. The time allotted for the short film was 8+2 minutes. The judges, Debanjan Majhi and Suprovo Tagore, gave a short speech to the participants, highlighting the theme of the event. All the short films screened were based on the theme of women’s empowerment. The students of Ashutosh College made a short film named Pachali, which beautifully depicted the exploitative life of a female househelp. Jaipuria College captured the essence of the theme using a chessboard to portray the misery of a chess connoisseur who was both victim and criminal. The Bhawanipur Education Society College showcased a short film inspired by the Robinhood films. The protagonist, a victim of exploitation, becomes the exploiter. His act of murdering his beloved is self-justified. This film made a major impact and blurred the lines between justice, crime, and love. After all screenings, the judges gave their feedback and were felicitated by Prof. Vasundhara Mishra.

DOODLING: The event took place in Valia Hall from 10:30 A.M., where Mili Mandal was the judge. She is a Textile Art Practitioner who believes in natural dyes, natural fibres, and other sustainable art practices. She is the 18th edition Indian Book of Record Holder, 2023. In this event, thirteen participants competed to bring out their best creativity on paper. Each participant was provided with an A4-size chart paper on which they had to doodle within 1 hour and 30 minutes on the theme “Very Bohemian.” Artworks included unconventional portrayals of lifestyle and artistic expression. The art pieces from students of Shri Shikshayatan College and Scottish Church College represented Bohemian life using the symbol of wildflowers. Other symbols like the Sun, human figures wearing Bohemian-patterned clothes, and Boho dolls were also prominent.

CREATIVE MAKEOVER: This event started at 11:30 A.M. in the Placement Hall and was a makeup competition where participants were allotted one hour to create the best makeup and hairstyle on models based on the “Very Bohemian” theme. Suparna Banerjee was the judge, felicitated by Dr. Vasundhara Mishra. Five colleges participated. After the time ended, each team presented their models and explained the meaning behind their looks.

CALLIGRAPHY: Held in Valia Hall from noon, this event was also judged by Mili Mandal. Nine participants competed, writing “Very Bohemian” in their creative fonts on an A1-size mount board within an hour. They used brushes, pens, and colours to craft boho-styled calligraphy.

REEL MAKING: This event began at 1 P.M. in the Placement Hall. Participants were given one hour to shoot and upload a reel based on the theme of hope. Screening started at 2 P.M., with each reel shown twice. Eight colleges participated. Techno India University showed the struggle of a budding content creator and student. Loreto College presented a reel capturing the essence of college friendship. OTSE from Bhawanipur showed a reel of three friends bonded by hope and campus life. Another team from Bhawanipur showed the story of a quiet loner with unshaken hope that her story will be remembered. Each reel reminded viewers of the various forms of hope we carry. The judges were felicitated and results announced at the closing ceremony.

FACE PAINTING: This event took place in Valia Hall from 1:00 P.M. and was judged by Mili Mandal, who was felicitated by Dr. Vasundhara Mishra. Eight teams participated. Within 1 hour and 30 minutes, artists painted the faces of their models with boho-themed looks. Each team then explained their artwork.

FASHION SHOW: Starting at 3 P.M., this was the most anticipated event. Loreto College opened the show with colourful Bohemian fashion but lacked structured choreography. Sister Nivedita University followed with visually compelling costumes and innovative choreography, including hand gestures, duo poses, and formations like the ‘S’ walk. However, it was the Bhawanipur team that captured the audience with bold styling — a fusion of western wear and Indian sarees — and confident choreography using props like fans, mirrors, and baskets. Their circular poses, vertical peel-outs, and smooth lifts made a lasting impression, even though they did not win first place.

CLOSING CEREMONY: Starting at 4:00 P.M., Prof. Dilip Shah and Prof. Minakshi Chaturvedi handed out trophies, medals, and certificates. Krish Gupta (BESC) and Julia Emanuel (BESC OTSE) were crowned Mr. and Miss Ilmaisu respectively. Jaipuria College won first place in Short Film Making, followed by Asutosh College. THK Jain College won Best Director, while Rupantar Majumder (Heritage College) and Mayurakhi Basak (Asutosh College) won Best Actor and Actress respectively. Sister Nivedita University won Doodling, with Techno India University second. In Creative Makeover, Techno India University won first, and THK Jain College was second. Loreto College and Banaras Hindu University took first and second in Calligraphy. BESC OTSE won the Reel Making event, followed by Jaipuria College. Techno India University won Face Painting, followed by Sister Nivedita University. In Fashion Show, Sister Nivedita University won, with BESC second. Krish Gupta and Jaishika Kaur (both BESC) were awarded Best Male and Best Female respectively. Techno India University won Overall Champions, and Sister Nivedita University were Runners-Up. The ceremony ended at 5:00 P.M.

THE SUFI NIGHT: Ilmaisu 2025 concluded with a mystical Sufi Night by the band Rooh E Manzil in the Concept Hall at 5:00 P.M. Songs like Saiyyan, Lag Ja Gale, and Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai filled the air. The audience swayed to soulful melodies, and the evening ended magically at 6:00 P.M.

REPORTER: Moubani Maity and Kasis Shaw
PHOTOGRAPHER: Agrag Ghosh, Sanika Shaw, Aman Pal, Parthaa Bihani, Spandan Samanta