Vistas 2021 is approaching at the speed of light, getting most of us jittery and nervous about what a Christ Fest holds in store. To cool our nerves and get a clearer perspective about the fest, we got into a very riveting dialogue with two of our department’s very own ace festers - Shrishankari Bhavani and Harish S Kumar.
Srishankari, along with holding the onus of the Student Representative of CUSBMA, is a singer at Rang, a former E-Cell OC member and an active part of various other clubs in Christ. She loves to step out of her comfort zone and always strives for consistent progress rather than momentary success.
Harish is an E-Cell OC Member, the event head of Corporate Strategy, an avid MUNner and a man who absolutely adores taking up new challenges. He’s the go-to person when it comes to experimenting with risky ideas and getting into deep intellectual conversations; diplomatic and curious are the perfect words to describe him.
Their avid interests, experiences and tips on festing will definitely help anyone looking for a catalyst to get through this thrilling week.
In this edition of the how-to series, we aim to answer all the questions that Christites might ponder upon about the upcoming fests.
1. Festing is without a doubt, a gruelling process. What motivated you through the 10 days of nonstop festing? Why must one push themselves to fest and hustle?
A fest typically runs for 8-14 days. Even though festing is a draining process, it is extremely rewarding. New challenges are offered everyday giving you the opportunity to learn, explore and most importantly to grow. One must remember that fests are a stepping stone into the corporate atmosphere, giving you an insight into the managerial world, allowing you to benefit both personally and professionally.
The entire aura of competition itself helps one survive through the long hours of the fest. When another team does better, you strive to be better and work harder, which goes on to become an endless cycle of encouragement. Another way to keep yourself motivated is to focus on the long term benefits post festing rather than the 10 days of hard work.
2. How well-read and informed do you need to be ace fests?
This can be divided according to the tasks. Some tasks are creative while some are research-oriented, technical tasks. The creative tasks require you to be spontaneous, or more precisely have ‘logical spontaneity’. Improvement in such tasks takes place as the fest progresses with all the constructive feedback given by the judges.
However, some tasks are a lot more research centric. No amount of prior research or brainstorming would help you here. One must try and read the deliverables and understand the case as and when it’s given out, rather than focusing only on browsing reports.
Tasks are usually open-ended, one just needs to be able to connect the blocks and be confident in their work.
3.How does one balance between college work, overnight tasks and personal life?
Managing time with so much going on is not easy, especially during CIA week. However one must learn to prioritize. Some people are academically inclined, while others believe in the importance of extracurricular activities, specifically festing. Try to divide a day’s activities into urgent and important. Finish the urgent ones as soon as you can and then focus all your time on what’s important. Try and look into the course plan and prepare some CIA drafts, days before the deadline.
Lastly, students must always try to approach the teachers and the seniors with their concerns and ask for extensions of the deadlines or any kind of help. Negotiation is key. Remember to give yourself well-spaced breaks which are inclusive of time to rejuvenate physically and mentally.
4. Research is an integral part of festing. What kind of research methods or techniques must one use while festing?
The first thing people think of when they hear research is Google reports. One could instead, focus on the case at hand and read the deliverables carefully first. It is always better to understand what the case requires and solve it manually with your existing knowledge and sort of give it a direction. Following which, they can research and build on the report or presentation. A personal tip by Harish was to watch YouTube videos instead of reading tons of articles, as videos explain things in a simple yet precise manner.
Another vital tip - a point or two under every deliverable should be more than enough and being unconventional while presenting is vital. Instead of basic PPT presentations, students can also try role-plays and product demonstrations depending on what the tasks call for.
5. How to tackle inner conflicts and dismissive thoughts such as “Why should I even bother, it’s not like I’ll win?”
We all face inadequacies everyday and as humans, we do tend to question our abilities often. Overcoming these challenges really depends on one’s personal willingness to stay rooted and face whatever comes your way. One can choose to either face the challenge boldly or avoid it.
Additionally, if you ever feel demotivated and feel like giving up on it you should definitely approach your seniors and your respective event heads, as they’ve all been through these emotions and would definitely guide you and get you back on track.
Competition will continue to exist in any situation, but anyone who is ready to hustle and push through can make it. It's almost like a boat race, where everyone has different sized boats but the destination is the same. Some people will reach early and some will be late. Sometimes, the big scary boats might get stuck and the timid ones will pave their way to the top, there will be various obstacles and each person will have a different way to overcome them but in the end, you just have to have faith in yourself and trust the process.
6. What kind of exposure/skills will the students get throughout their journey as festers? How are these skills relevant in terms of one's career?
Every round in festing is diverse. As a result, there’s always something new to learn and it enables one to think out of the box and gain a macro perspective. But let’s pinpoint a few skills and how they are relevant-
Festing will help you become confident while presenting in front of an audience and help you get rid of stage fright, all while improving your communication, negotiation and networking skills.
It makes you spontaneous and enables you to think on your feet. The ability to think, act and talk are of utmost importance not only for your future career but even during interviews and internships.
The whole process trains you to bring clarity in your thoughts and speech.
These fests give you a glimpse into the tasks that are dealt with at executive positions thus giving you insights and preparing for your career.
7. Is there any life-saving mantra to take hold of your nerves during on-spotters?
Taking a look at the deliverables and a quick glance through the last paragraph is the way to go if you’re in a time crunch and your nerves are kicking in. Finding out relevant information and then proceeding with your presentation is a smart move. But while doing so, make sure that your presentations don’t act as a slumber inducer so try quirking things up a bit and bring out your creative side.
Go with a “What’s the worst that could happen?” attitude, because, in the end, it is not a life or death situation so the worst that could happen is that you would get eliminated but even then, you would’ve gained a ginormous amount of experience and knowledge.
8. What are your personal favourite tips that you swear by to perform ‘bang on’ in the fest?
A personal rule to live by is that- “Don’t Quit!” because the moment you do so, you’re helping someone else to go up the ladder.
Don’t treat the fest as your whole life, treat it just as a part of your life for those 8 days. As soon as you make it the centre of your life, you are bound to go bonkers.
9. What do you think gave you an edge over other festers and helped you make your way to the top?
Firstly, consider it to be just a fun event and not a competition. The competition during these fests is quite high, hence one can never pick out a single ace fester. The point is not to try and be the best, the aim is to give it your all and the rest will fall in place.
What is important is to be different and unconventional. One needs to bring something refreshing to the table to stir some interest in the judges.
In the end, Srishankari gave us a quote to live by, not only for the fest but even for our future endeavours, “Working to gain satisfaction is way more superior than working for the results as it may not always help you achieve your goals.”
Edited by
Tanvi Bhole (1 BBA DS)
Nethra Menon (3 BBA A)
Ananyaa Maheshwari (3 BBA F)
Designed by
Sharanya BG (3 BBA A)
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