Roz-Roz 4.0, The Annual Cultural Magazine of IIT G 2024

“trulY nothing short of
an exquisite dream
come true moment”
In the mythology of some Australian
Aboriginals, Alcheringa
translates to Dreamtime.
However, for those who have
experienced IIT Guwahati’s annual
cultural festival Alcheringa—the
grandest in North-east
India—those three spirited days
and four sublime nights are what
dreams and hopes are made of.
At least that’s what the lore suggests,
but the campus had yet to
experience a full-fledged fest after
the lockdown ended. Most of
us were equal parts skeptical and
hopeful, but Alcheringa’23 made
us believers.
If we were to choose one unforgettable
moment, it would
probably be one of the pro-nites.
Watching big-timers like
The Yellow Diary filled us with
an indie rush just as electrifying
as those EDM beats by DJ and
producer Aerreo. Then there was
Vishal-Shekhar live in front of our
eyes, keeping the Alcheringa legacy
alive. An event this big has everything,
everywhere, all at once.
Perhaps that’s where the beauty
of Alcheringa truly lies; we could
live the fest in our unique ways
and, at the end of the day, share
those beautiful moments with our
friends. Everyone can paint Alcheringa
in their hues of memories.
The 2023 edition was themed
‘Pledge to Persist,’ a worthy caption
for what went on behind the
scenes. Most of the Alcheringa
core team had been a part of the
fest since their first year, yet the
best they had seen was a hybrid
mix of some online competitions
and in-campus pro-nites. The
COVID halt added extra layers of
challenges; the team had to work
from scratch on multiple areas.
Understanding market trends,
sponsorship terms, all while
maintaining relations created
pre and post-COVID, was a big
hurdle. They had ample help from
seniors and alumni, but there are
some things that you only learn
when you make your mistakes.
Organizing different competitions,
coordinating events like the
stunt show and bike display, and
ensuring security despite such a
huge footfall and traffic was an
intricate pirouette of challenges.
Shashwat Methi, the Finance
& Accounts Head, claims, “One
of the biggest issues every year is
the budget. This year, we started
the paid pass system which was a
significant boost to the funding.”
According to the web operations,
the tech landscape of 2019 was
completely unrecognizable for
2023’s needs. Multiple portals
were rebuilt, bugs had to be fixed,
etc. Varun Bharadwaj says, “Being
a Convener requires a bigger drive
than what I was used to in my previous
years. I didn’t have anyone
to report to; I had to be the one to
take initiative and keep up with all
the different teams. There were
clashes often, and we would try
to coordinate and find an alternative.
Mostly, we persisted through
everything, together.”
When a team of students
through their continued efforts
pulls off something as incredible
as Alcheringa, it is truly nothing
short of an exquisite dream-cometrue
moment.
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