Media Reporter, Eyes and Ears

October 19 2011: “Ethnic Costume Show” – Sounds like somebody just draped a saree around the words ‘Fashion Show’. Or perhaps ‘ethnic’ was introduced upfront in the title, just to get the green signal from the head of the institution – in either case, can our Eyes and Ears be far behind?

The annual intra-college culturals of CEG, “Agni 2011” hosted its very first ‘Ethnic Costume Show’ under the banner of Aakriti (a newly formed forum exclusively for the girls of CEG) on the 19^th of October 2011 at 2 pm, in the main Vivekananda Auditorium (or Vivek Audi, as CEGians fondly call it).

What we knew: Those waiting in line to witness washboard abs, the likes of John Abraham, please go home – It’s an all-girls event. Also, ‘ethnic’ suggests adornment of only traditional Indian wear. The rules stated that “spaghettis, tubes, halters would lead to disqualification” – for the uninformed, they are types of blouses; not the Italian food or plumbing equipment analogues.

What we expected: A huge albeit manageable turn-out for participation as well as audience-support. Ideas and their execution, of both participants and organisers, mimicking Lakme Fashion Week.  A bright dash of colours on ladies who prove that engineers can be fashionable too. Creative themes that go beyond the realms of clichés like ‘festivals’. Well-equipped lighting technicians to set a disco mood especially for the guest performances, but maybe we’re expecting too much too soon.

Did they meet our expectations? For the most part, they did. The guest band Paadhai (luke) warmed up the audience at the beginning of the event. The roar of the audience rose from them on. All the men in the house cheered for their classmates, micro-mini Manimegalai’s and tank top Thangabagyam’s, who donned attires that their grandparents have been begging them to wear for eternity. Most participants exuded excitement and were very camera-friendly. 

The desi girls

Vital points met; maybe even exceeded, but the organisers lacked clarity in a lot of places.  Rearrangement of order of teams caused a lot of confusion back stage, much to the trouble of the participants. Confusion persisted throughout, with the audio department which triggered a lot of temper rising.

Shame Shame, Shy is came

The judges, Christelda Philip and Rashmi Menon, failed to make an impression. And the comperes for the evening failed to engage the audience. Past the fourth team’s performance, monotony filled the air. Quite a dip in the array of events – considering the fact that 6 more teams were yet to perform. Many left the auditorium even before the hip-hop team ‘Limited Edition’ could take centre-stage.

Judges didn't get a memo about donning Ethnic Costumes

All in all, the Ethnic Costume Show was quite an Eye (and Ear) Opener, which garnered great response from students of all years. The women in the audience learnt different styles of draping their usual (boring) sarees. Some also learnt about the evolution of sarees in different cultures. The men in the house … well, they learnt a lot too. But where they had their Eyes and Ears tuned to, is something we’ll leave to your perception!

Soup boys