Talent on Point: Students unleash their innate skills 

Competitions are organised to unlock innate qualities of students while eliminating the fear of stage. This helps in their personality development. Talent Hunt is one such event that provides students a platform to represent their talents in any field. It helps students display their abilities and motivates them to come upfront and show their hidden potential. 

Recently, Apeejay Stya University in Gurugram hosted a Talent Hunt competition for all the students. Young learners participated enthusiastically and displayed their abilities magnificently. They showcased their skills and displayed their talent in a line of competitions including rangoli, mehendi, clay modeling, sketching, singing, dancing, elocution and so on. Apeejay students from all the departments, with their creative minds and innate caliber, were at their best.

Welcoming everyone with great spirit, the event commenced with the lighting of the lamp ceremony conducted in the presence of esteemed guests from Apeejay Stya University and Apeejay College of Fine Arts (ACFA), Jalandhar.  The Vice-Chancellor, Prof.(Dr) Raj Shankar Dhankar extended a heartfelt admiration to the guests – Dr. Amita Mishra (Prof. Emeritus), Department of Music Vocal, ACFA and Dr. Micky Verma, Department of Dance, ACFA. 

Following which, Prof. Dhankar gave an inspiring speech as he talked about how a university is a melting pot of diversity, where students from various backgrounds come together to pursue their dreams and passions.  He emphasised that Talent Hunt at ASU is a platform to celebrate this diversity and showcase the multitude of talents that make an institution so unique. “Every talent that is showcased are the guiding stars that will light an individual’s way to a future filled with possibilities.”

On the spot competitions

The eventful day began with “On the Spot’ competitions like Mehandi, Rangoli, Clay Modeling, Sketching and Poster Making that showcased artistic skills of students.  Nearly 65 students participated in these competitions. 

For the Rangoli competitions, the area around the art gallery came alive with the myriad of colours of rangoli. The theme given to students was ‘Protect Nature and Preserve Future’. The participants demonstrated various methods for conservation of nature from industrial pollution and other harmful human activities. In one creation, sustainable development, biofuels and recycling were the main focus while in the other design, more importance was given to the protection of nature. In the end, the first prize was bagged by Diya Sharma from School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (SPS), second prize was won by Prerna of School of Design & Visual Arts(SDVA) and third prize went to Sumit from SPS. 

The theme for the Mehendi competition was ‘Indian traditional designs’ and the participants  represented diverse cultures in their art such as traditional Rajasthani designs, leaf motifs and floral patterns.  The competition winners were Prachi Sharma and Jyoti from SPS, who won the first and second prize respectively and Kajal Shukla of School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), who won the third prize.

In the Clay Modelling competition, Urvashi and Anjali Dagar from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences were the competitors. Both participants played around with the texture and form of the clay using a range of instruments, including clay modelling tools, wooden sticks, brushes, and even their hands. Finally, the beauty of both clay models originates from the combination of creative skill, the tactile properties of clay, and the rich cultural and historical context linked with their medium. Urvashi bagged the first prize. 

Similarly, the topic for the Sketching competition was ‘Portraits of Resilience’, which meant they had to create portraits of individuals who have overcome adversity. First prize was given to Albert C.J. (SDVA), second prize was won by Arunabh Mathur from School of Biosciences (SBS), and third prize was a tie between Abinash Patra (SDVA) and Hritika Sharma (SBS).

Skip a beat

The event rolled further with dance and music setting the tone for the day.  In the Solo SInging category,  the first  prize was won by Hiya Bhattacharya (SBS), second by Sneha Jajoo (SBS) and Aryan Sharma (School of Management Sciences (SoMS)), and third by Farhad Shah (SPS). The winner of group singing was Hiya & Group.

In the Solo Dance, Rasmita Nayak (SPS) and Aryan Sharma (SoMS) won the first prize.The second prize went to Nikita (SPS) and Anubhuti (SDVA) and the third prize was given to Kanchan (SBS) and Laxmi (School of Engineering Technology (SOET)). At the same time, Diya Sharma and the group were the winners of group dance. 

The students further demonstrated their potential and talent as impersonators with precision and humour in the mimicry competition. The first prize went to Anushka Saxena of B.Pharmacy.

Further, the winner of the Elocution competition was Aryan Sharma. The participants who were in second and third place were Komal Kasana and Moksh Khatri. The debate competition brought to light the significance of debating as a platform for understanding two perspectives on a single topic. The central topic of this debate was ‘The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by students enhances/ lowers their creative abilities. The winning team that fulfilled all the criteria including argument, language, fluency and presentation was that of Harsh Sah (SBS) and Archita Ranjan (SoLS). The Skit competition was organised by Thespian Club of Apeejay Stya University.  Students also participated in One Act Play in which Arjun Singh from School of Legal Studies became the winner.

Sharing his view, Kalash Dang of 1st semester from SOET said,  “In Talent Hunt 2023, we discovered incredibly talented dancers and musicians, and watching their performances was an absolute blast!”

Similarly, another SOET student Liannaka Dadi said, “This show was a resounding success, showcasing the incredible talent and creativity within our institute achieving its objectives of promoting talent, fostering community engagement, and encouraging emerging talent. It brought together people of diverse backgrounds and interests, creating a memorable experience for all involved.”