SAMBANDH: The Festival of the Department of Sociology

‘Sambandh’ is the annual festival organized by the Department of Sociology, Christ

University for its students. It is one of the most colourful events on campus and is something

that the students wait for eagerly. The word ‘Sambandh’ literally translates into relationships

and this festival is a celebration of just that. It explores human relationships in a dynamic

changing environment.

The theme for the year 2012 was ‘Our Changing World’ and this year the festival was

celebrated on November 21. The real spirit of the event was in participation and cooperation

rather than merely emphasising competition. The festival was vibrant with dances, music,

ethnic displays, debates, quizzes, posters, and with students full of energy.

This festival celebrates the multicultural essence of Christ University which has students

from numerous countries and regions across India. It provides a platform to capture the

creativity and the diversity of the student community through all the events organized. These

events test the intellectual and creative talents and capabilities of the students of Sociology.

Participation in various events portrayed the energy and interest of the students to come

forward as individuals and contribute.

The festival commenced with the graceful invocation dance by the students that denoted the

entrenched roots of Indian culture and tradition. The events that followed did not just

emphasize creativity but also the knowledge of Sociology and the society we live in. Events

such as the quiz, debate, photo essay, documentary, photography and poster making were

sociological in nature. The questions, debate topics, and photographs were based on

sociological themes. This gave an academic flavour to the colourful festival.

The colourful costumes glistened in the midst of the vibrant rays of the spotlight. The theme

for the dance competition was Our Changing World. One of the themes for the dance

depicted the wastage of water. The ebb and flow of the water was depicted with the smooth

flow of the blue scarves which sparkled due to the bedazzling on them. The traditional and

the contemporary forms of dance had been merged into one creating a diffusion of tradition

and modernity. The dance depicted the culminating changes that our world has undergone.

Thus in the words of the speaker who introduced the theme of the dance, relationships do not

end but it is their nature which changes.

The display of ethnic attires was the heart of the festival that exhibited Christ University as a

melting pot with students from across the world. Students representing the Democratic

Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Japan, Nepal, Afghanistan, and the different states of India

participated, each attire having a unique meaning of its own. Apart from the vibrant and

colourful visual appeal, the ethnic display had a latent significance that inculcated in the

minds of the audience, the message that each attire portrays the rich culture that influences

the way of life.

In celebration of this diversity, the students had also organized a food carnival where they

displayed and sold food items from different parts of the world. This carnival was an

initiative of the students undertaken under the Forum for Social Entrepreneurship.

The winners list is given below:

Events I Prize II PrizePhotography I EPS Iffat I PSEng Bishal Diganta

Posters III EPS Mythri II EPS Sourav MukherjeeI EPS Jacqueline

Photo Essay II PSEng Vismitha S and I EPSShreya Murali

II EPS Rajvir Singh and II EPS ShaliniNagarajan

Air Crash I PSEng Mridula I EPS SethuramonDocumentary III PSEng Mathew Issac, Jemerson

George, Amy Rose, Merin Mathew,Jinto Joseph, Saneesh Lukose

III PSEco Jilson Varghese, Jinu Kurian,Meethu Joseph, Ann Mary John, DallyJose, Alphin, Rona Koran

Comic Strip I PSEng Pritarm II PSEng TenzinDebate II PSEco Radhika Mitra, Jesal D

Sheth, Brinda SI EPS Shreya Murali, KasturiChatterjee, Anusha Peri

Quiz II PSEco Suraj B A and Prajwal N II PSEco Keshav S and Shriya MathurGroup Dance I PSEng Akanksha, Bhavana,

Tanisha, Siddhika,Smitha, PoojaDakshmi

I EPS, Prithika, Kinjal, Nikitha, Nicky,Dorothy, Tanya, Sailaja

Group Song II PSEco, Glory Mathew, TrishnaChettri, Trishala Ballal, SteveJensen, Hanhee Lee, AmalaRamesh, Prarthana Sen, YudhvirSaund

I PSEng Michael, Varun, Mayukh,Nitika, Debanjali, Feba, Amala,Caroline

The prizes will be given out during the Young Sociologist Competition. The class trophy will

also be handed out during that ceremony. The decision was arrived at by factoring in

participation and the awards won.

Thus, the long awaited festival concluded with the note that “Sambandh” or the celebration of

togetherness of relations, indeed brought together students from different cultures and

different backgrounds as one.

Sonam Youtol

Sneha Maiti

Maya M

Suparna Kar (Event Coordinator)

Sudhanshubala Sahu (Event Coordinator)

Photos Curtsey: Jemerson

Quiz, MC Floyd, I EPS

Food Carnival

Food Carnival

Group Song

Ethnic Display