Antaragni Explained

Antaragni
Status:	Active
Genre:	Cultural festival
Frequency:	Annual
Venue:	Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
Location:	Kanpur
Country:	India
Years Active:	1965–present
Last:	8 April 2022 – 10 April 2022
Attendance:	130,000+ (2019)
Patron:	Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
Organised:	Student body, IIT Kanpur

Antaragni (English: "The Fire Within") is the annual cultural festival of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, usually held in October.^[1] Established in 1965, the four-day-long festival attracts participants from over 350 colleges in India and has garnered substantial media attention over the years.^[2] It features professional shows, competitions, musical performances, DJs, fashion shows, Indian folk dances, and more.

History

Antaragni began as an inter-collegiate cultural event in 1965. The name of the festival was changed from Culfest to Antaragni in 1993, 27 years after its inception. The festival is entirely organised by students of IIT Kanpur,^[3] with the Antaragni chairperson being the only faculty member on the team. Over 350 Indian colleges have participated in the event.

Performances

• 2006 – Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Astad Deboo.^[4]
• 2016 – Mike Candys, Sartek, Demonic Resurrection, Madboy Mink, Adnan Sami.^[5]
• 2017 – DJ KSHMR, Vishal–Shekhar, Euphoria, Skyharbor.
• 2018 – Amit Trivedi, DJ Quintino, The Local Train, Guthrie Govan.
• 2019 – Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa.
• 2020 – comedians Abhishek Upmanyu, Aakash Gupta, and Harsh Gujral; musicians The Yellow Diary and Sonu Nigam.
• 2021 – Ritviz, Sunidhi Chauhan.

Notable events

• India Inspired – political forum that involves politicians, leaders, and media personalities^[6] and where socially relevant issues are discussed, with an emphasis on youth culture. In past years, it has witnessed participation from the student community. Speakers at this event have included Telugu film director Sekhar Kammula, CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi, and actress, singer, and social activist Vasundhara Das.
• Kavi Sammelan – poetry competition. It has included appearances by painter, professor, poet, and film lyricist Rahat Indori and poet Kirti Kale.^[7]
• Filmmaking contests – judges have included Abbas Tyrewala and Luv Ranjan.^[8]
• Hindi literary events – judges have included Hindi authors Nasira Sharma, Leeladhar Jagudi, and Ravindra Prabhat.^[9]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Big FM ties up with IIT Kanpur's annual festival- Antaragni 07 . RnM Team . 23 October 2007 . Radioandmusic.com . 14 September 2010.
2. Web site: Antaragni spreads at IIT, Kanpur . Rao Jaswant Singh . 27 October 2007 . Expressindia.com . 14 September 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081025164601/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Antaragni-spreads-at-IIT-Kanpur/232742/ . 25 October 2008 .
3. Web site: Nominations: Core Team, Antaragni'14 Students' Senate, IIT Kanpur. students.iitk.ac.in. en-US. 10 October 2018.
4. Web site: Antaragni-06 from Nov 2 . https://archive.today/20130125053851/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Antaragni-06-from-Nov-2/Article1-165983.aspx . dead . 25 January 2013 . HT Correspondent . 27 October 2006 . Hindustantimes.com . 14 September 2010 .
5. News: Antaragni to begin at IIT-K from October 20 - Times of India. The Times of India. 7 February 2017.
6. "Vote Politics hitting Democracy", Hindustan Times (2008.10.26, Kanpur, pg 5)
7. News: Antaragni-06 from Nov 2 . 15 March 2012 . . 27 October 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121018160019/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/NM18/Antaragni-06-from-Nov-2/Article1-165983.aspx . 18 October 2012 .
8. News: Antaragni-'12 at IIT-Kanpur from Oct 11 to 14 - Times of India. The Times of India. 7 February 2017.
9. News: IIT Kanpur's Cultural Festival Antaragni '18 National Prelims at Delhi on 30th September. Trend Today. 29 October 2018.