BANNERGHATTA ROAD: The annual cultural festival of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) has a reputation for being slightly off the wall.
And this year is no different, with a comic relief theme bringing together events as diverse as group dance shows, a national level quiz, a ramp walk, and performances from national and international acts.
Called Unmaad, the tree-day fest has entry open not just to students, but also corporates.
"We have come a long way. Around 30,000 people are expected to show up for the festival," says organiser Amit Rao, part of the student-run committee behind Unmaad.
"The first cultural festival of IIM-B was in 1996, but the name Unmaad was coined only in 2004. Back then the college used to fund it, but over the years, it has become big enough to get its own sponsorship. Now Unmaad is the largest B-school cultural festival of the country," he shares.
Performance spotlight B-School of Rock, the festival's pro and semi pro rock competition gets bigger every year, and for this edition, Australian progressive metal Ne Obliviscaris will be headlining the show, as well as judging the competition.
Giving an insight into what they will be looking for, as well as offering some advice for bands looking to stand out in the competition, Ne Obliviscaris shares, "We think the most important thing is to find what is unique about you as a person and bring that out in your music individually and as a band overall," going on to say that they are performing in India for the first time, and, "Can't wait to put on some great shows and meet lots of new people."
Apart from rock and metal, Vishal and Shekhar, the Bollywood music director duo known for work on films including Chennai Express, Bang Bang! and Happy New Year will also take part in the event.
In keeping with this year's theme, the festival will close with a dose of comedy. "TVF with their amazing YouTube acts such as Barely Speaking with Arnub, Permanent Room mates and Qtyipa is the perfect way to end the show," says Rao.
Into the ring If finding a platform for your talent appeals more than watching others perform, then look no further. There are numerous competitions across music, dance, theatre and even general knowledge, and a total of `10 lakh in prizes will be distributed by the time the festival closes on February 1. This year, Unmaad also plays host to Nihilanth, the annual IIT-IIM quiz.
Around 150 contestants will travel from all over the country to take part in the competition, in categories which include 'Lone Wolf', 'Science and Technology', 'India' and 'Sports'.
Apart from that, you can register yourself for the group dance show Footloose, compete in the Haute Couture fashion show, or make yourself heard in the Pitch Perfect western solo music competition.
Unmaad will be held at IIM-B from Friday to Monday. For details visit:www.unmaad.com