Nexus 2019

August 29th 2019. Jubilee Hall. Nexus literally is a form of connection, the centre of something. In management parlance, it is often used to mean a connected group. Little wonder than that The Bhawanipur Education Society College (BESC) would christen its management fest the Nexus. As a matter of fact, so hugely successful has the naming been that in the few years that Nexus has been in being, the name of the fest has become near generic, with the term Nexus now being used by the campus crowd to denote a fest, especially one where matters of management take precedence.

 

 

A total of twelve college teams – St Xavier’s College Calcutta, JDBI (Main and BBA), St Xavier’s University, BESC (Team A), Maulana Azad College, Salesian College (Siliguri), Amity University, I-Lead college, Heritage College, Asutosh College and BESC (Team B) participated and fought pitched battles for the top slots in the events spread over two days. The size and depth of the event can be gauged from the simple fact that the college witnessed the footfall of more than three hundred students during the event.

Prof Dilip Shah, the Dean of student affairs of the BESC welcomed the participants to the college and spelt out his unique vision which is being given shape in the BESC – of empowering the students so that they may rise above the restriction of the curriculum and prepare for life that awaits them on the other side of college education. He highlighted how such fests are organised, from scratch, by the students of the college and how, in the process they learn the nitty-gritties of management hands on, without having to open any text book. Knowledge that they can use not only to crack their examinations but going ahead use in their professional lives.

Wishing all participants Godspeed, Prof Shah wished that the competition be fierce to such an extent that the friendships that are forged in fire may last lifetimes and that the victor and the vanquished may together move ahead in life.

The First event of Nexus, Be the Spotlight, was about presenting a viable business idea within a stipulated time period.

The event was judged by Nemai Ghosh, the head of start-ups portfolio of IIM (Calcutta) Incubation park. He manages the incubation and other student activities. A seasoned academician who is equally at ease in the corporate world, Nemai Ghosh has close to two decades of experience in the IT and ITES sector.

Be the Spotlight winner’s title was clinched by the BESC (Team B) followed by iLead and St Xavier’s University.

The winner’s trophies were given away by Dr. Divyesh Shah, the head of the Morning Commerce Section of the BESC.

 

Unconventional Marketing is exactly what the name suggests where participating students are given a random product which they are expected to sell without taking resort to the time tested and cliched methods. Those with the most innovative way of explaining the USP of the product as well as the way they go about the sales pitch are judged the winners.

Gaurav Bajoria  owner of the Black Tiger Events  judged the event which was witnessed by a crowd of fifty students whose excitement and the level of participation had to be seen to be believed.

The winner’s slot was clinched by: ILEAD COLLEGE

Followed by: THE BHWANIPUR EDUCATION SOCIETY COLLEGE

Business Quiz is one of the most watched events in any campus business fest and the Nexus was no different. The event witnessed record participation with all the colleges participating in Nexus fielding teams. The crowd participation too was phenomenal with about a hundred students thronging in the crowd and cheering their respective college teams.

The event, judged by CS Aerica Sardar was a lively one and was spread over multiple rounds that included straight questions, buzzer rounds, rounds with visual and auditory clues apart from one that was exclusively dedicated to taglines. While the level of competition was extreme with the crowd often going belligerent, all credit should be given to the quiz master who kept the proceedings firmly in control yet managing to take it to a nail-biting finale.

JDBI triumphed over the others while the Salesian College team, which had come all the way from Siliguri to participate in the fest came a close second – a wild card entry that missed toppling the applecart by just a whisker.

A Turn Coat is one who switches sides when political expediency so commands, the term is used mostly in the pejorative sense, paints a turncoat as a derided, even despicable character, one whose loyalties can be purchased for a “few dollars more”. However, it is also pointed out that history is replete with examples of turncoats who have shown exemplary valour on face of odds that were often deemed insurmountable. What is even more remarkable the sheer bluster that turncoats have been known to pepper their speeches with, even as they traversed from one end of the political spectrum to the other in search of favour, fervour or filthy lucre.

As a matter of fact, such has been the legendary ability of the turncoats to switch invectives at the drop of a hat that it has given rise to a popular elocution game – one where, on the press of a buzzer, the speaker is expected to switch from one end of the argument to the other, having to speak both for and against the motion, often in the same breath.

Naturally, it is a feast for the spectators with some participants having mustered the skill to such an extent that they would easily put professional politicians to shame. The Nexus Turncoat event was one such feast, which was savoured to the last dregs by the hundred odd students who had filled in the spectator seats, not to mention the twelve participants representing different colleges, who themselves who had a whale of a time.

The event was judged by Devanshi Dabriwal a successful woman entrepreneur, who was, till the other year a sought-after speaker in the college fests circuit.

Xaviers University adjudged the Turncoat of the Parliament of the Republic of Nexus while The Bhawanipur Education Society College came a close second.

The Final Hurdle is a stress interview in which the participants are exposed to the very worst – in terms of the questions asked and the people asking them –with those that are able to maintain their calm and exhibit a presence of mind, not to mention a personality that is pleasing to boot, emerge victorious. The basic idea is to prepare students to face an interview board as their first step towards an entry into the hallowed portals of the corporate world.

The game, if one is permitted to term it such, is extremely enjoyable as most participants break before interviewers who use a variety of techniques proven to catch the interviewee off guard, while some triumph by the dint of their sheer will power and the ability to bounce back, even when they are forced down. The fact that the entire rigmarole is conducted in front of an audience makes the test even more stressful, as the participants in the Final Hurdle vouched, who had to put on their bravest faces even as a hundred odd students both friends and foes cheered and booed them simultaneously.

The event was judged by Gaurav Bajoria .

The winner’s slot was clinched by: MAULANA AZAD COLLEGE

Followed by: SALESIAN COLLEGE

Corporate Chanakya is another popular game that is aimed at bringing out the creativity that is backed by solid knowledge of the fundamentals in the participating students. The rules are simple enough on the face of it, what is unbearably difficult however, is to crack the jinx and court success. Participating students are provided with a product for which they have to prepare a promotional advertisement / poster with a view towards effectively selling the product to the world at large. Marketing, Advertising, Branding … it straddles multiple disciplines and is aimed at bringing out the best, for it is not always as easy to sell an unknown product to a sceptical public (read even more sceptical judge).

As many as seven college teams participated in the event which was judged by Ritu Bajaj & CS Aerica Sardar.

After an intense round of presentations in which some totally out of the box and innovative ideas were presented, the Team Be of BESC emerged victorious followed closely by the Team A from BESC.

The winners were handed over their respective trophies by Dr.  Divyesh Shah, the Head of the Morning Commerce Section of the College.

Personality Enhancer is another interesting staple at the College Fests circuit and the event in Nexus was no different with around a hundred and fifty students filling up the spaces reserved for spectators even as participants from six different colleges fought it out for the honours. The event was judged by Md Nakib, who is a director of Silver Moon Entertainment.

Depending on the wish of the judge, participants are given characters who have to be portrayed on stage, which is the easy part. What is more difficult is the make the switch to the other extreme – doing a Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde – the moment the Judge so desires. What has to be admired, and the judge made it a point to put it on record, is the heights attained by the participating students in not only their portrayal, but also of the seamless switches. Naturally, the spectators had the time of their lives as some of the participants struggled, while the others sailed through, winning the much-deserved applause that was spontaneous.

XAVIERS UNIVERSITY & J.D. BIRLA INSTITUTE ( MAIN CAMPUS) emerged victorious.

Followed by: THE BHAWANIPUR EDUCATION SOCIETY COLLEGE

 

Suit Squad was a fashion show with a difference. In keeping with the corporate orientation of Nexus, each participating college team was asked to walk the ramp in a team of ten members in a six plus two minute format. The attire was to be strictly formal and the idea was to adjudge the team that is best dressed to occupy the corner room apart from having the chutzpah to set the ramp of the corporate world on fire.

The event was judged by fashion blogger and stylist ShristhiNadhani who has done her fashion studies in London and has worked with a style label before striking out on her own as a stylist.

Amity University walked their way to victory while BESC and JDBI were adjudged the joint runners up.

(Nexus Reports have been filed by Preeti Jain, Reetik Jain, Md Tauqueer, Nikita Mittal along with Camera persons: Harsh Agarwal, Snehal Mullick, Kanishk Sharma, Ratul Debnath Of the Expressions collective of the BESC)