Orientation 2015

Kaleidoscope orientation

noun

a public spectacle that occurs annually at Sophia College for Women, Mumbai, where each team of the workforce tries to coax/ bribe/ attract/ threaten/ charm/ yell at the general masses to try for its respective interviews.

The sun rose that day, a little brighter than usual, as the workforce got into their coordinator t-shirts once again. Due to unavoidable circumstances, the orientation this year was shifted to the area outside the Sophia Anderson Annexe (the BMM building, yaar). Armed with publicity techniques that would bring the creator of Abki Baar Modi Sarkar campaign to shame, the ladies of Kaleidoscope were set to strategically direct the abundance of fresh talent towards their desk and their desk ONLY.

Jokes apart, the orientation this year saw promising new faces aplenty, who took interview details from each desk and daydreamed about being a coordinator and chanting <insert team name here> in a loud, feverish frenzy.

Okay, put the ‘jokes apart’ on hold for now.

There are two types of people in this world, the ones who like balloons and those who don’t. The second kind doesn’t exist. And nobody knows this better than team marketing. Move over post-it notes and colourful little chits. The team remained true to its name and aggressively marketed itself. Two words: free chocolates.

A marketing coord is seen calling out to the ladkis, whilst enticingly yet subtly holding on to two chocolates. Tr00 dedication.

A PR coord, a perfect embodiment of her team’s role in Kaleidoscope, walked about with numerous post-it notes with interview dates stuck to her face. The God of public relations is proud of you, beta. Jeete raho. Informals, with their ridiculously cool moustache and hat logo, had it painted on a giant red flag this time.

You know who’s cooler than you? Informals.

Team fundamentals reinforced the fact that nicknames stick, and coined the best tagline of all time: Become A Fundoo.

They put the fun in fundamentals.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no new team called PROMNAT, it’s just our good old PA being dramatic (pun intended).

You got us there, PA.

 

The most asked question at the orientation, undoubtedly, was regarding expansion. Let me tell you, it has got nothing to do with bodily expansions or mind-expanding substances, but is a new team, which will be in charge of organising non-competitive events. The workforce collectively pats the EC on the back for taking this initiative, and hopes to see this new addition to the fest in action soon.

The creative team, which is incidentally also responsible for writing this blog, continued being fabulous and was seen recycling the poster it used for last year’s orientation.

 

"I hope nobody notices the creases." - The creative team.

Happy Kscope-ing!

10 MYTHS about Girls during Kscope

The fact that Kaleidoscope is a festival organized completely by girls (Sophia College for Women) has always been overly glorified. Well, we’re here to tell you that it is no big deal that girls can pull off everything that anyone else can. So, here are a few myths about girls debunked for you.

1.  Girls can’t lift heavy weights. Excuse me while I carry two metal chairs up a flight of stairs alone.

2. Girls are always involved in “cat fights” and can’t work together. Maybe you should come back 

to the real world of maturity and responsibility.

3. The security can’t handle rough crowds or situations. Have you ever seen a fight break out any 

event?

4. It is easy to sweet-talk any girl into doing you a favor, be it getting most-coveted time slots or 

last-minute prop requirements.

5. Girls are not good at handling technical requirements. I’m sorry, what did you say? I can’t hear you over the sound of Team Technicals, making sure your performance happens without a 

glitch.

6. Girls faint at the sight of blood/ injury. So, who’s doing the first-aid on the Informals Court 

again?

7. Girls gossip about each other (and other random people) all the time. If by gossip you mean 

coordinating between Workforce teams, sponsors and participants, then yes.

8. Girls take selfies all the time. Yeah we do. While we sign deals with our sponsors.

9. All girls care about is losing and maintaining weight. Not that anything’s wrong with that, but did 

you see those cheesy Mexican fries?

10. Girls will take the guys’ side in any argument. Uh, even heard of ovaries over brovaries?

Ten New Year Resolutions all Kaleidoscope Coordinators have

Ten New Year Resolutions all Kaleidoscope Coordinators have

As 2015 has rolled in, bringing along renewed hopes of exercising more frequently, spending more time with the fam, not being forever sleep deprived and such, here are ten resolutions exclusive to the womanpower of Kaleidoscope.

      1.    I will not forget to eat during the fest and then binge eat later until I puke.

      2.    Boom Snap Clap is not an appropriate answer for every question. Just the ones you don’t want to answer.

      3.    I will not go out of my way and/or spend obscene amounts of money just to vasool all the food coupons.

     4.    I will not judge every company based on their status as sponsors for Kaleidoscope.

     5.    I will not use the Den as a semi-permanent residence because of the free WiFi.

      6.    I will not let my reserved seats in the Bhabha hall ruin my friendship with my

non-coordinator friends.

      7.    I will be patient with each whim and fancy of my sponsor.

      8.    I will not get into fights when people say that a fest other than Kaleidoscope is the best in the city. Or maybe I will.

      9.    I will not terrorize FYs in the interviews.

     10.  I will make a lot of new friends, bond with seniors and juniors alike, and take back a ton of memories.

But you don’t really need to make a resolution for that, do you?

                                                     Here's to more

Kaleidoscope 2014 may officially be over, but with the year too coming to an end, one of the largest inter-collegiate festivals in Mumbai deserves a special mention in the list of things that made this year so memorable. This year’s theme, Be Iconic- evident right from the life-sized Tardis to the tribute to some of the greatest authors on the Spiral Staircase (iconic in itself)- left us with only one thing to hate about the week-long fest; that you can never hate it. Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all. And as majestic as it was, all good things have to come to an end.

But enough about 2014. We have something even better and promising to look forward to in 2015. That’s right, next year marks the 30^th year of Kaleidoscope; 30 years of sheer energy, effort and will that have given voice and stage to incredible talent, right on the campus of Sophia College for Women. So as we mark the end of another 365 days of our lives, the Workforce, excited as ever, is once again ready to Boom-Snap-Clap their way through a whirlwind of challenges to make Kaleidoscope 2015 grander than ever.

Make sure you don’t miss it; in the words of Albus Dumbledore (and this is 100% true), “don’t pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who could not attend K’scope.” Because even though you may think that the fest is a strict progression of cause and effect, from a non-linear non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff, which will leave you breathless.

EC Rap

The EC Rap.

With Kaleidoscope less than two days away,

(September 9th to 14th, don’t forget, okay?)

There’s one set of girls I must talk about,

Whom the fest would be incomplete without.

They’re the Executive Committee, the Khal-EC,

The bosses of the workforce, you see.

They’re found in their natural habitat, the Den,

Organising, supervising, strategizing, time and again.

Say hello to Jemimah and she might just say hello,

Initially, she may appear to be silent and mellow,

But pause and think before giving her a hug,

Because she’ll just dismiss you with a shrug.

She has guts of steel- nothing gives her a scare,

Except for crows...“It’s a phobia, I SWEAR.”

Her MacBook, with Mehr’s, has a strange telepathy thing going on,

Did you know that she once sat working alone in the Den till dawn?

Moving on to Disha, now we’re talking about fabuloustresses,

She’s the lady with whom nobody messes.

She’ll make lists in your book when you’re not lookin’

As she eats chicken schezwan rice minus the chicken.

Ms. Chembur of Secrets, she’s from Gryffindor,

You could ask her for directions and she’ll show you the door.

There’s Zara, of course I’m not talking about the brand,

She’s the Student Body President, with a lot of work in her hand.

She’s a pro cricketer, and absolutely loves to eat,

Separating her from Avani (the other half) is no easyfeat.

Now let’s talk about the two SYs, the little ones,

Hanging out with them is a ton of fun.

Hafsa, our crazy cat lady, she’s all about girl power,

Don’t be fooled by the pretty earrings, she’s no dainty flower.

She’ll call you brother, irrespective of your gender,

And can talk for hours on films and politics, in all her splendour.

She’s a self-confessed control freak, pretty headstrong,

(Somebody told me she can “never be wrong”)

Mehr, in her “jhalla” clothes, is not your average Delhi girl,

She’s super cheesy, but you’ll get caught up in her enthuwhirl.

With her mad hand movements, she’s a total hoot,

(She was in PA last year; you can check her photo shoot)

One thing she’ll never ever do is turn down food,

She drops her iPhone all the time, and her jokes aren’t very good. (hahahaha LOL)

Now you know our EC, the leading ladies of K’scope,

They make sure everybody works, and that the fest is legit dope.

Armed with wit and ideas, to every problem they have a tonic,

To make sure this Kaleidoscope is truly iconic.

10 SIGNS YOU’RE A PART OF THE KALEIDOSCOPE CONTINGENT

10 SIGNS YOU’RE A PART OF THE KALEIDOSCOPE CONTINGENT

Now that you’re sufficiently educated about the ways of the workforce, it’s time to introduce you to the contingent. They’re the group of uber talented folk who participate in Kaleidoscope, and make the naam of their college very roshan. Here are 10 ways that make you a pakka K'scope participant.

1. You could sell your soul to the devil for points. If you haven’t already.

2. You have a sparkling personality. Literally.

Do you know what’s common between tons of art competitions, props and stage performances? GLITTER.

3. You are forever on the hunt for choreographers.

Do you think these dances are going to choreograph themselves?

4. You are used to filling in roles outside of your area of expertise because sometimes people back out.

Of course, I can dance and act and sing and write and paint and play Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with my eyes closed. You can’t?

5. You always have some meeting or practice or recital to go to.

Are you done talking? Can I go for dance practice now?

6. You are used to writing extremely long and detailed props lists.

Chart paper: check. Body paint: check. Safety pins: check. Hair spray: check. Pickled bat wings: check. Toenail of a hobbit: check. Blood of a virgin: check.

Wait, what?

7. You ask Numerix to check and recheck your score 73490812 times.

You should probably just chill but WHAT IF THERE’S AN ERROR IN CALCULATION?

8. Let’s face it. Inter-college rivalry is for real.

-Hey. Cool DKT performance. Which college?

-College number 17. You?

-Er, did you hear that? My CL just called me. Gotta go.

*crickets chirping*

9. You fight with people at the registration desks. And the people backstage. And with your CL. And with other participants.

BUT I CAME HERE ONE MINUTE THIRTY SEVEN SECONDS BEFORE THAT OTHER COLLEGE! HOW CAN THEY REGISTER BEFORE US?

Yaar, anger management anyone?

10. You get, well, pretty famous.

Stages. Spotlights. Cheering. Applause. You do the math.

There are people who still call you only by the name of the character you played last year, don’t even try to deny it.

11 THINGS YOU DO IF YOU’RE A KALEIDOSCOPE COORDINATOR

Coordinators. They’re the wizards who breathe life into Kaleidoscope. From setting the theme for the fest, to signing deals with sponsors, to getting permissions, these superwomen manage it all. And before I get accused of patronization, let me tell you, our co-ords, as we call them, are a bunch of crazy workaholic women.

If you become a coordinator, and don’t find yourself invariably doing all of this, you’re lying.

1.Your Spidey sense tingles when you hear ‘ladies, hey!’ no matter where you are, or what you’re doing, and you automatically start boom-snap-clapping away to glory.

So excite!

2. Two words: walkie talkies.

And you can’t help but feel incredibly cool once you get your hands on one. Don’t even try to deny it. Over and Out.

3. Marble stairs mean one thing: EC – Co-ord.

Every Friday, and later, everyday, you find yourself walking towards the Marble Stairs to get updated by the chicas of the Workforce.

4. You’ve set up temporary residence in the Den.

Do you have a friend who is a co-ord? Don’t even ask her what her plans are after lectures. She is going to be working in the Den. Or attending a meeting in the Den. Or chilling in the den.. because she loves it too much. Oh, and the free wifi.

You go, girl. No questions asked.

5. Front seats during the festival make you feel like a celebrity. Don’t even get me started about the food coupons.

You know that feeling of walking past a ginormous queue into the section reserved for coordinators? We’ve earned it.

6. You’re used to having people tell you that you’ve lost weight post-Kaleidoscope.

From the Den to Bhabha Hall to the Marble Stairs to the AV Hall and Back to the Lodge. Who needs a gym when you have K’scope?

7. You are extremely attached to your Coordinator shirts.

First you wear it during Kaleidoscope. Then for college. Finally as pajamas. Maybe you’ll snip out the neckline or sleeves. But throw it away? Never.

8. You cry during the closing ceremony. TYs, I’m looking at you.

The closing ceremony is a mass assembly of onion-cutting ninjas. You’re relieved everything went on smoothly, happy to have been a part of the fest, and sad that it’s the last time.

9. You feel like a proud mom looking at your hard work pay off during Kaleidoscope.

Look, we designed that poster. And look, we got us a deal with that sponsor. Oh, and you see all of these performances? We organized them. Too many feels.

10. You make great friends pan-stream.

Everybody knows that there’s no bonding like K’scope bonding, right?

11. You make amazing memories that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

Even when you would have turned into a senile old woman, come September and you will find yourself fondly reminiscing your good ol’ Kaleidoscope days.