If academic and professional endeavors are held in the highest regard in an individual’s life, their cultural and art endeavors must be considered equally important too.
I have always been a performer. The stage has always held a strange allure for me. Be it the drama of theatre, the dynamism of a dance routine or the spellbinding charm of a musical performance. The stage and its arts have always held a special fascination. Hence, when I was appointed as a Cultural Coordinator in my second semester of college, I was thrilled.
While my delight mainly stemmed from the fact that I would get to constantly interact with the stage and observe the performers up close, I soon came to realize, that in this role I would learn to go beyond being just a lover and practitioner of the performing arts and become an enabler of the same. As Cultural Coordinator, my main responsibilities included planning, organizing and executing all cultural activities in the college, including Lecture Demonstrations, college events, festivals and performances.
I learnt managerial skills, interpersonal skills and resourcefulness. Working for events, interacting with several parties and making logistical arrangements taught me crisis management and virtues like patience and dedication. I learnt how to create a balance between students, faculty and the management, and often the guest artists, to ensure that any event was optimally enjoyable and beneficial to everyone. I learnt to be observant, alert and meticulous in pre-planning, and over time to assess all details to prevent but be prepared for any possible glitches. This experience contributed to my event and people management skills which I hope will come in handy in my possible filmmaking career.
More than anything, this role helped me boost my self-confidence and leadership abilities, while constantly reaffirming my passion to contribute to the cultural growth of any place. Being an artist and a performer myself, I could be empathetic as well as realistic about all the aspects of the event planning which enabled me to strike the right balance.
If academic and professional endeavors are held in the highest regard in an individual’s life, their cultural and art endeavors must be considered equally important too. I truly believe that a life without cultural and artistic expression and experience would be dull and devoid of life itself. The privilege of putting together a cultural marvel, and watching from the wings as magic unfolded on stage, will always remain one of the most special parts of my college life.
Article by: Pankhuri Ranjan (Batch of 2018)
Photograph by: Swaraj Sriwastav (Batch of 2018)
