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The Indian Institute of Planning and Management’s (IIPM) annual Amaze is called the liveliest B School fest but IIPM Bangalore's Amaze 2011 was beyond liveliest as the grand finale drew to a close with 10000 screaming fans thoroughly electrified by an outstanding performance from Strings, to mention nothing of the dazzling choreography competition and the classy fashion show that preceded it.
Over three days, close to a 1000 students from almost 100 colleges and institutions (which included all the leading city colleges including the likes of IIM Bangalore, Christ University, Jain University among others) across the country participated in Amaze 2011 in the management and cultural events from Thursday, Dec 15 to Saturday, Dec 17. The events included contests like a sports quiz which was won by Kristu Jayanti College and an innovation quiz which the team from IIM Bangalore won. There were also competitions on Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Finance and HR apart from the showcase event, the Best Manager. For the photo enthusiasts there was ‘Click’ the photography contest as well as ‘Lights Camera Amaze’, a documentary making event.
‘Our focus at Amaze is on student development. It is not just a fest of fun and frolic but also of learning that the students get by being part of the events and interacting with judges drawn from our best faculty and the industry’ said Ashwin Suresh, the Head of Events and Corporate Relations at IIPM Bangalore explaining the philosophy behind the fest. He also mentioned how students almost exclusively organized the event and how that exposure and confidence helped them even land internships and jobs.
The students who participated were also thrilled to have been a part of the experience and the exposure. Sanket, a student of Jain University, who won the Global Youth Debate Conclave best Debater title, said “The good thing about Amaze was that they did not restrict registrations and participation which allowed a lot of people to gain experience and valuable exposure”.
After the 3 days of excitement at the management events, it was grand finale time at Palace Grounds on Sunday evening as Bangaloreans waited with bated breath for the return of Strings, the band from across the border that has mesmerized everyone with their brand of rock. The evening began with Haute Couture, the fashion show contest with judges like designer Sadia Sayed and RJ Anjaan in attendance. Baldwin Boys' superb concept of ancient and futuristic tribes, complete with some dazzling lights and avant garde costumes took the top honors. Then came Rythms of the Soul, the choreography contest which saw Baldwins win again with an energetic performance that even included a remix of the hottest item on the block - Why this Kolaveri Di?.
With the culturals closing DJ Swing overtook proceedings to set the mood for welcoming Strings and finally when they hit the stage, the crowd went berserk. Lead Singer Faisal Kapadia was profuse in his praise for Bangalore as a city and deeply appreciates and understands music and all of those qualities were on display as the fans sang along to every song, even completing lines for the band when Faisal asked them to. There was a poignant moment when Faisal asked all lights to be switched off and the audience took out and lit up their cellphones.
The band belted out all their famous number 'Najane Kyun' from the Spider Man 2 OST, 'Duur', 'Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar' and the superb 'Titliyan' - their tributes to musical legends from India and Pakistan. For 'Anjaane', they improvised to work in strains of GnR's 'Sweet Child Of Mine' and during 'Dhaani', arguably their biggest hit, the band introduced themselves with every musician getting a chance to showcase a solo. The lead guitarist Adeel stole all hearts as he strummed 'Saare Jahan Se Accha' when it was his turn. ‘Strings is a terrific band because they performing for the love of performing. Their ability to connect to the audience is amazing”, said Vikash Gupta, the CEO of an event management company and an alumnus of IIPM who attended the concert.
Finally, after a pulsating 90 minutes, the concert attended by fans aged from 7-70 closed though everyone, including the band, wished they could have gone longer. The concert was called 'No Strings Attached', and it was truly so. It was just the music, the band and their most amazing fans...footloose, carefree and enjoying the magical power of music with no strings attached!
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