Over 80 colleges from across the country are participating in the 23rd edition of Utsav, the annual techno-cultural fest of the BMS College of Engineering (BMSCE), which, many consider, is the pioneer of college festivals in Karnataka. The three-day fest, which kickstarted on April 1, showcases the different interests Gen Y.

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“The fest offers a mix of technical and cultural events,” K Guruprasad, chairman of the organising committee, said.

“Each year, the college tries to bring in events that are more interesting than the previous year,” Vidya V Thayoor, student co-ordinator of the fest, said. “From gaming events to robotics contests, there is an interesting line-up this year,” she said. “Our mountaineering club organised a ‘task race’, a unique event. The participants went through a series of activities, including rock-climbing and river-crossing. The event was held at Maribetta, 60 km from Bangalore,” Vidya said.Students from across the city and state attended the event on Friday. “There are participants from institutes in other states also, like IIT Madras and IIT Bombay,” Vidya said.

According to the organisers, the footfalls have increased this year. “We did not have to promote the event. More than 80 colleges are participating,” Vidya said. The glam quotient to the event was provided by Kannada film actor Ramya, who inaugurated the fest.

Some of the events that pulled the crowds on day two were the rock concert and gaming competitions. Bands like Parousia, Escher’s Knot, The Bicycle Days, All the Fat Children, Requiem and Solder were among those that entertained the city’s rock music fans.

The fest also features events like western and Indian dances, quizzes, technical events, theatre, Mad Ads, face painting, debate, dumb charades and rangoli.For Kannada language lovers, there were competitions like dumb charades organised by the Kannada Sangha of the college. “Chiranthana, our Kannada language group, conducted events like padabanda (word puzzle),” Vikram N, a student co-ordinator, said.

There was also a stall selling products made by BMSCE students. “The money obtained by selling the products will be donated to Navachetana Trust, an NGO,”Vidya said.

The organisers said they had taken all necessary precautions for the safety of the participants and spectators. “Volunteers are using metal detectors and even frisking students. We have also requested support from the police to avoid any kind of security problems,” Vikram said.

The fest will conclude on April 3 with an inter-collegiate fashion show.