Mumbai: Malhar, the popular St Xavier's College festival, began on Sunday with 1,500 students from over 20 contingents or colleges and individual participants.
This year, Malhar is back in physical form after a two-year Covid hiatus. The legacy of the 43-year-old annual intercollegiate festival is cherished by Xavierites.
Fewer students were expected on the opening day as it was a Sunday. But, the organising team was pleasantly surprised to see students showing up in large numbers.
The Free Press Journal had previously reported how students had started preparing for Malhar in early June. Students and the Malhar Staff Committee made several departments within three major domains—events, management, networking—and later recruited students after interviews.
The theme for this year is ‘Aurora: Transcending Horizons’ – inspired by Aurora, the Greek goddess of dawn.
“Malhar 2022 aims to open new avenues for students and help them reach beyond their potential,” read a publicity note crafted for the festival.
“Whoever said the sky’s the limit was definitely wrong. At Malhar 2022, we break the barriers, we rise beyond what limits us, we transcend horizons,” it added.
Day 1 saw several events like photography, painting, jamming, creative writing and quizzes for students. Art lounges were organised by the literary arts and fine arts departments. Students were seen across the campus and classes, participating in the events while making the most of their college-life experience.
From face paintings to book sales, students were flocking from one spot to another in every possible event. As per the fest organizers, this year saw several pre-registered non-contingents also known as individual participation from students.
In this, these students didn’t represent a college but themselves, all alone, in order to exhibit their talents or interests.
