The two-day fest Kritva is an annual feature at International Management Institute. Replete with many events, both formal & informal, the fun and frolic of the extravaganza draws large crowds and participation from colleges all across the nation. Following a tradition, KRITVA 2006 commenced with much aplomb and fanfare on a bright and cheerful morning. This year, the theme for the event was Fear of the Unknown; more specifically, conquering this selfsame fear. The names of various events scheduled for the fest very effectively echoed the theme – Alchemy, Demons and Angels, Riddle of the Sphinx, and so on. The very feel of the event mirrored the theme – ethereal, surreal, mystical.

The campus played host to teams from colleges across the nation, some of which include XLRI, NITIE, the IITs, NMIMS, KJSOM, DSE, FMS, MDI, IMT, IIFT etc. The enthusiasm and exuberance of the participants was at its peak, and the campus turned into a melting pot of myriad personalities, each unique in his/her own way. The true spirit of the fest came alive each time the participants interacted with each other and the hosts.

Day 1 of Kritva commenced with the inauguration, presided over by our guest of honour – none other than the inimitable pagalguy, Allwin Agnel. With him were the Editor-in-Chief Apurv Pandit and the Head of Marketing Rohit Awasthi representing the very successful MBA forum PaGaLGuY.com on our campus. Also in attendance were the visiting Mongolian delegation and the Director of IMI Dr. C. S. Venkatratnam. Once the guests had lighted the proverbial ‘lamp of knowledge’, Allwin enlightened the audience with a hard-hitting and stimulating speech about his personal experiences as an entrepreneur. To say that the listeners were inspired and invigorated would be an arrant understatement.

The first event for the day was the final round of the much-awaited Marketing case study, Riddle of the Sphinx. The team from MICA bagged the first prize followed by the teams from IMI and MDI in second and third positions respectively. A rather interesting informal event called Google-philes followed. The event called upon the participants to display and leverage their skills in Google searching. The winners for this event were NIILM, with both the second and third prizes won by teams from IMI. The Systems case study, Clash of the Titans, saw the team from NITIE bagging the first position, closely followed by KJSOM. The Stock game, aptly called Bulls and Bears, was won by IMI. An interesting informal event called Meet the Press required participants to defend what they had to say in a simulated press conference. The event was won by IMI.

The much-awaited Business Quiz, hosted by renowned quizmaster Parnab Mukherji was slated for later in the evening, and IMI emerged winners with the second prize going to MHROD-DSE. The day came to a close with an electrifying jam session by budding college rock bands from colleges across Delhi. Bands from IIFT, FORE, IMI and many more came together to pay tribute to several rock-and-roll legends of yesterday and today. With a fervour befitting of the frenzy Kritva brings, the bands expertly serenaded the audience into the night with retro classics of the styles of Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam, and contemporary classics like Coldplay. And as if that was not all, there was a late-night screening of the classic movie Dracula, based on Bram Stoker’s story about the legendary vampire Count Dracula who had a fetish for young women’s blood. The movie brought the theme of the fest alive, and together with the décor of the amphitheatre and the growing night, chilled and thrilled the audience.

Day 2 of Kritva 2006 began with the finals of the Strategy case study, David versus Goliath. The team from IIT Kharagpur bagged the first prize here. The informal event Ad’apt’ was next in line, where several advertisement enthusiasts stretched their imaginations as far and wide as they could. The team from IMI had their creative juices flowing in the right direction, which was evident in their winning the game. This was followed by a fun-filled informal game called Just a Minute, which tested participants for symptoms of verbal diarrhoea. This was also won by IMI. Alchemy, the Finance case study finals were up next, and ended with MDI and FORE bagging the first and second places respectively. The last contest for the day was the HR paper presentations Demons and Angels. This was won by NMIMS, and MDI came a close second.

The euphoria instituted by Kritva 2006 was taken to another level as the very celebrated DJ Suketu set the amphitheatre ablaze with his best dance numbers. As the crowd grooved to the beats of “Kya Khoob Lagti Ho” and “Bin Tere Sanam”, ecstasy and exhilaration were redefined at IMI. A mix of hosts and guests jived and boogied into the wee hours of the morning. And when it all ended, another successful episode of Kritva was etched on to the minds of all who experienced it. Needless to say, the memories shall be cherished by one and all for years to come.

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