Love Life. Live a Saarang

The work for me started 4 months ago. From preparing a brochure to setting targets and arriving at decent estimates. I was the Sponsorship Coordinator for what has become in the last two years, the mother of all college cultural festivals. The biggest and the best.

Most people would hold back before saying that. There are always two opinions when this issue crops up. Mood Indigo, IITB’s culturals is another contender for the “biggest and the best” title.

Speaking honestly and objectively as a third party not biased towards any of these cultural extravaganzas and as a person who has seen them both, I have to say that it is a close call. Saarang’s literary events are the best in India, while the same can be said about Mood I’s cultural events like fine arts. Saarang is the clear favorite in terms of number of participants and I can also say quality of participants. Mood Indigo scores in terms of crowd attitude. They have a more responsive audience which makes some events click.

But the single most important factor where Saarang scores and heavily at that is that it is completely student organized. From electing and choosing our Cultural representatives to planning the festival in its entirety, it is all done by US. We the students. The pleasure we get in organizing and conducting this cultural milestone year after year is immeasurable.

Take my case. Unlike most other coordinators my work started very early. Almost 4 to 5 months before the actual beginning of the festival. Initially it comprised a lot of bull work. Collecting contacts and going over them. The real work began some 3 months before Saarang. The process of contacting companies, making out a tailor made proposal for them. Something that attracts them. Something that shows that Saarang has a lot to offer.

Fixing up a meeting with prospective sponsors. The thrill of negotiating. Imagine 20 year olds talking in Lakhs of rupees. Man I really felt like some big shot industrialist when I was negotiating. The adrenaline surge as u take decisions on your own. Decisions involving lakhs of rupees. And finally the kick and pleasure in closing a deal. Signing on the dotted line on a stamped paper. *Phew*. It was one orgasmic journey.

There are a million other things. Friends who till then chided you for bunking classes come up to you buy you a cigarette and ask" How much is Nokia giving for Main spons da?" and you reply " dude the figures cant be revealed" like some legal hotshot. hehehe. Juniors coming up to you and asking for volships. Bossing over them. Wearing your badge proudly. Infinitesimal things which make u infinetely happy.

And during Saarang. The satisfaction of seeing your work bear fruit. When the big cheques come rolling in. When everything goes almost well. (whats life without a few hiccups). The sponsors crib and u negotiate again to satisfy them. Finally the ultimate moment. When they call u at the end of it all say that they are pleased with what has happened and would like to come I as a sponsor again next year. Ah that is the moment of glory.

I must honestly agree that I don’t know how Mood Indigo is organized. I don’t know if IITB students also go through this exciting journey. If they experience the same ups and downs. If they do then well and good. If they don’t them I hope they realize what they are missing.