Aikyam 2024 - An event for the ages

 This Saturday was a blast. Our school, Utpal Sanghvi Global School, had an interschool event that its attendants will remember for years. The name was Aikyam '24. Here, talent, strength, wit, and the feeling of endeavour from students and teachers alike were combined to form a near-flawless extravaganza.

My event was a get-set quiz, a quiz with sports-related questions. I was paired with a kid named Agastya. After we entered the school, we went to our contingent rooms (Rooms where the participants relax and strategize, just like locker rooms), where we collected registration tickets. We took those tickets to the registering area, registered, and went back to our contingent rooms for a last-minute revision.

At 1PM IST, we reached the room where the quiz would take place. The quiz consisted of two rounds, and each team had 10 questions. The 2 teams that answered the most questions would move on to the next round. In the last round, 4 teams would have 10 questions each. The team that had the most points from both rounds would win. The first round was intense. We ended up getting baffling questions and could only answer a few. In the end, we had to go through a nail-biting tie-break to pass to go to round 2. We ended up winning the tiebreaker on the barest of margins. We scored the most points in the second round but still came 2nd place because of our poor first round.

After the quiz, we returned to the contingent rooms to celebrate our victory. The room was filled with congratulatory messages, and I felt an overwhelming sense of pride. I decided to treat myself to a meal in the canteen, indulging in the iconic Peri-Peri fries™, a perfect way to end the day. 

Then came the big event—a street-style dance. Remo D'Souza, a renowned actor and choreographer who has appeared in many Bollywood classics, was one of the judges for the dance. The whole fest was elated to have this guest. The 1st round was fun, seeing many well-orchestrated dances. In the end, the best 6 teams qualified. Then we had the dance battle round, where teams would get random songs and had to dance battle. The first battle made a bold statement, the battle would be intense. We then had a special cameo from the Remo D'Souza, who performed a standard Bollywood dance. Then we had battle no-2. That battle was no different from the first- fierce and competitive. Battle no-2 was followed by a special volunteer dance, which was no less elegant than the others. Then came the final battle, and it was electrifying. In the end, 3 teams, AM16, AM11A and AM11B qualified for round 3.

The third round involved each team sending 5 dancers, each doing a 30-second solo dance. After each dance, the team members had to switch. Each one of them gave it their all and gave a 30-second spectacle. In the end, AM11B placed third, AM11 A placed second, and AM16 placed first.

Finally, we had the awards ceremony. I was beyond happy to go on stage and collect my prize. Every prize was met with a glorious round of applause. Our school's talented alumni had won numerous awards. After everything, our school came tied for 2nd place overall in the best school category for offline events.

To conclude, Aikyam 24' was a magnificent event that gave life lasting memories. Not one inch of me regrets going here, and I recommend you to sign up if you have the opportunity.