Valhalla 2014

Starting the 3 day Journey

There are various activities and events that take the centre stage of life at XIMB. One such event is Valhalla- Sports and cultural fest hosted every year by XLRI. This year 8 prestigious B schools from all over India got together in this three day event and competed with each other with an unmatched spirit and zeal. The event started on the 25^th of July, 2014.  XIMB had the largest contingent with 104 students, all full of energy, passion and a mission to bring back laurels to their institute. Enthusiastic XIMBians reached on the Friday morning and were welcomed by an amazing weather and friendly faces all around. The massive campus of XLRI was awe inspiring, there was festivity in the air and the preparations for the event were on full swing. Right at the entrance of the campus was the administration desk that took care of almost everything right from the food for the guests to managing and scheduling the events. On the first day all the participants were settling down and warming up for their respective sports events that were to start the next day. The day was concluded by ‘Ability unlimited’- a grand and mesmerising show put up by differently abled people.

Rock band of XIMB

Day 2 was the day when the months of practice and effort was to be put to test. The campus was full of life and activity. Wherever one stepped there was a sports competition going on- students shouting at top of their voices cheering their teams up. The happy voices that will resound at the very thought of Valhalla. On one side of the campus there were football, volleyball, throw ball and basketball arenas and on the other side were the indoor sports such as Table Tennis, badminton and chess. The day kicked off with football match between boys from XIMB and IIM C. XIMB was leading 1-0 till IIMC scored in the last second leading the match to the extra time and penalties and making it all the more exciting. However hard luck for XIMB that despite the exceptionally good game played by them they lost in the shootouts. Simultaneously the women of XIMB were giving a tough competition to XLRI in volleyball but couldn’t make it to the next round. The men’s volleyball team and the men’s table tennis team had a similar story as they lost to their opponents. The same day XIMB’s women’s Table Tennis team, the men’s badminton team and the men’s basketball team sailed through into the semi finals with an easy victory over their opponents. In the evening all the participants from XIMB were invited for a high-tea with the faculty and administration of XLRI.Although the dusk was setting in, a lot of exciting events were eagerly awaited. The solo singing and the rock band competitions in the night revived the energy. Vandana Hebbar left the audience awestruck with her exceptional performance. She won the solo singing competition for XIMB. It was a long and exciting day but only to be followed by yet another day full of all the more excitement.

The basketball team of XIMB

Day 3 started off with women’s table tennis semi finals in which XIMB had a smooth victory over NMIMS. Immediately after the table tennis match, was the men’s basketball semi finals and men’s badminton semi finals. In both the matches XIMB made itself proud by reaching the finals and raising the hopes and spirits of their fellow participants. XIMB also gave a superb performance in women’s throw ball and women's basketball winning the finals and getting yet more trophies back home. But the third day was not just about sports. A lot of cultural events such as fashion show, street play, drama and dance added to the exuberance of the day. XIMB bagged the first position in street play and group dance and runners up in kala samrat( classical eastern solo). Yamini, a first year student of XIMB also won the marathon .. Finally towards the end of the day, men from XIMB gave a very tough competition to XLRI in badminton and ended up in second position. The day concluded with a prize distribution ceremony and overall XIMB held 2^nd position among the 8 colleges.

That was how the three day Valhalla came to an end with all the participants proud , happy and tired at the same time. It indeed is a one of a kind experience and has geared up the students for the next big sports and cultural event- Athlos to be hosted by XIMB.

Proud XIMBians returning home

Parichay 2014
July 21 , 2014 | Yash Singh Chauhan and Kasturi Nayak , XUB

Parichay 2014 - Classical Dances- Courtesy : Naved Alam

Parichay is one of the many events that form an integral part of the glorious tradition that Xavier University takes pride in. As the name suggests, the event is designed to break the ice between the existing batch and the new batch of Xavier University. In this event, the seniors take the onus of welcoming the juniors to the campus  by exposing them to the XU culture-full right up to the brim with unparalleled fun and entertainment. But it is not just another fresher party. Parichay acts as a window for the new batch to get a feel of the vibrancy and fun that awaits them in the coming two years.

Neerav Saluja and Paarkhi Mehrotra - Courtesy:Naved Alam

This year’s Parichay was held at Xavier University’s iconic old campus. It is the first year of the institution as a university, with two campuses to boot, so the event was bigger and better than it ever was. Roughly 600 students of the new batch from all the streams – Business Management, Human Resource Management and Rural Management, along with the seniors attended the event with great enthusiasm.

The event was also graced by two of the eminent faculty members of XU- Bani Kant Mishra and Anshuman Tripathy.

The event kicked off with a solo song by Mayank Srivastava who showcased his singing ability as well as  an unequalled  ease at playing a guitar. The performance set the mood for the night. It was followed by a group song by Varchasva– the homegrown band of XIMB. The band with its excellent guitar and tabla performance and the soulful voice of Shubhra Acharya added to the charm of the act. The highlight of the performance was the stupendous tabla act by Xavier’s very own Zakir  Hussain ,Anurag  Satpathy. The new batch was enthralled with these performances and was eagerly looking forward to the night, and all the performances it had to offer.

Vandana Hebbar on stage - Courtesy :Naved Alam

The seniors took the best leaf out of last year’s Xpressions with the heart touching, finely choreographed dance performance by Neerav Saluja and Paarkhi Mehrotra. On popular demand, Paarkhi  also showcased her skills as a belly dancer was awarded with a fair share of applause.

Amit Mishra’s solo singing of “Papa kehte hain” struck a chord and the spectators  roared with great joy and amusement. Following it was a very special performance by the most hardworking people of Xavier, the mess Bhainas.The audience clapped and hooted at every beat. Their performance gave a whole new meaning to the phrase - work hard, party harder.

Mess Bhainas showing  their moves - Courtesy :Naved Alam

The night continued with the many performances that were lined up.The girls mesmerized the audience with their classical and western dance moves and another dance group lifted the audiences’ spirit with their Bollywood act which was all the more special as the General Secretary AbhinabMitra and the Cultural Secretary Satyashiva Das were a part of it. However the best kept secret of the show was yet to come.

Vandana Hebbar – one of the finest voices on campus – did more than justice to the ‘Rolling in the deep’ by Adele. She roared like a lioness and her bold voice captured one and all. Not surprisingly, she earned a standing ovation at end of her magical performance and the crowd asked for an encore.

Varun Pandey entertaining everyone-Courtesy :Naved Alam

In the follow up was a group dance by Rural Management and Human Resource Management seniors which was equally enjoyed by the crowd. The latter was made special by a very energetic performance by the HRM Secretary Shilpa Saxena. Between these two was a mimicry stand up by Varun Pandey  that added an element of humor to the evening and left everyone in a laughing fit.

The surprises didn’t just end there. The juniors got the chance to witness a live performance by Digant& Co.  that had Vandana and Anurag in the vocals and Digant playing the guitar. It was certainly the most enthralling performance of the evening as everyone was breathing to the tunes of Digant and his associates.

Digant & Co. - Courtesy :Naved Alam

Then, the time for certain energetic performances had arrived. The dances, back to back , by Section A – Bhangra team and the grand finale by the very talented Vishwanath Jha made the audience rise up and show some moves of their own. The event ended with a big roar as everyone was high with joy and thrill.

The event ended aptly with a dinner thrown by the seniors where the students from both the campuses got the chance to interact with each other. Laughs, crazy group pics, selfies were in the frame of the dining hall. The food prepared by the mess bhainas left everyone licking their fingers.

Soon enough it was hugs and byes that marked the end of a memorable night, which would generate nostalgia for years to come. The spirit of XIMB connected the students and it was more visible than ever on this occasion.

As the tradition goes, Parichay would be followed by Sambandh , an event where juniors throw a similar event for seniors reciprocating the love received. Everyone is counting on it given the huge success of this year’s Parichay.