Written by Laavanyaa Joshi
Edited by Shreya Srinivasan
‘Navarasa’ 2023 was the third edition of a wildly successful franchise that all existing batches of liberal arts had pulled off with utmost zeal and dedication year after year. On the evening of 27th April 2023, the students of the Liberal Arts Department successfully executed yet another event, proving once more the plethora of talent that each of the students possesses. An amalgamation of performances by the students of theatre, music and dance, Navarasa created a bold and innovative storyline under the banner of the 9 ‘Rasas’ or as referred to in the discipline of performative arts, the Navarasas.
However, the road leading up to this event was neither a short nor an easy one. The preparations for the event began months in advance. From early morning rehearsals to late evenings spent in the basements working on art and decor, the students spent hours upon hours working hard to make this event the success that it was. An immense amount of work was required not only for the actual performances but also for the event logistics and promotions. The students undertook a number of responsibilities to promote the event. A small event in the quadrangle was held a couple days before the main production, and included an exciting flashmob and enchanting music performances by the first years. Another element of the promotional efforts for the production was the bake sale, and the students sold scrumptious baked goods such as brownies and cupcakes to their fellow christites to collect funds for the event. Apart from this, the networking teams of both ECHO and Liberatti, the Association of the Liberal Arts Department were constantly at work crafting colourful and creative posts and reels to be circulated on social media in order to catch the eyes of other students. Stories and countdowns were shared everyday to increase the excitement for the event. Digital posters were made and put up rather than printed ones in order to uphold the department's principles of sustainability.
Although Navarasa was an event for and by the first year students, the event could not have been pulled off without a group effort from the entire team of Liberal Arts. The first years received priceless help from their seniors who were there to guide them every step of the way, from promotions, to rehearsals, to even the rough, laborious aspects of art and decor. The students worked in tandem everyday, and despite turbulent times, despite all of the tension and momentary spats, they all came together and pulled off an event that many would have deemed impossible.
Even on the day of the event, the students did not have even a moment to breathe. The work started early in the morning, and the students prepared themselves for one final push that was required to make the event everything that they had dreamed for it to be. Following a quick round of rehearsals in the Main Auditorium, the students ran to dress themselves up for the main stage. After elaborate hours of makeup and setting up the stage, the moment everyone had been waiting for finally arrived.
The production was inaugurated by the students of the music discipline, with a performance of ‘The Greatest Showman’. Beginning on a powerful note, the show thus carried on to represent all 9 Navarasas through song, dance, and acting. All three disciplines took up three of the nine rasas, and put in their heart and soul into depicting it on the stage. The audience went through a roller coaster of emotions, as they experienced love (shringaara), laughter (haasya), kind-heartedness or compassion (karuna), anger (roudra), courage (veera), fear (bhayaanaka), disgust (bheebhatsya), wonder or surprise (adbhutha) and peace or tranquility (shaantha). And with that, the production came to a roaring conclusion as Liberal Arts students of all three years came together in a performance of the song ‘Waving Flag’, sharing a deeply meaningful and powerful moment as all three years shared a stage for the first time. This was followed by a string of very moving and emotional speeches by the Liberal Arts faculty, including the three Performative Arts professors as they shared their stories of the turbulent and yet an incredible journey that was Navarasa.
All in all, the production was a roaring success. Although an event by the first years, this was no less a contribution by the entire family of Liberal Arts. Navarasa was a depiction of every element that made Liberal Arts so unique, its innovation, its multidisciplinarity, its commitment to sustainability, and most importantly, the sense of community shared by its students. The production represented each and every one of it’s students to their full capacity, firing up their potential, and bringing their talent to the spotlight, and it was this very thing that made the event the massive success that it was.
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