Freshers come to the fore at Ranchi colleges

The initial days of college are always eventful and memorable, as youngsters become a part of a new institution for acquiring higher education. Settling down into a routine in college, finding new friends and connecting with the seniors happen gradually and before you know it, it’s time to welcome a new batch of fresh, starry-eyed faces.
And every higher education institution — be it a college, a management institute or a university, has its own tradition of ushering in the new batch, welcoming them to the beginning of their college life.In Ranchi, Fresher’s Day events are held in almost every such institution, albeit in different forms. While it is a day-long formal orientation in many places, freshers in other colleges take part in many fun and interactive sessions as a part of the induction process. Even themed parties are a huge hit in some colleges. RT provides an insight into the various events and activities that colleges organise to welcome the new batch of students to the institutions — and the stories behind the same.
Department-wise functions
Traditionally, every department hosts its own fresher’s party or welcome party for the newcomers at colleges like Ranchi Women’s College, Marwari College and St Xavier’s College, Ranchi. At Xavier Institute of Social Services, each department hosts a separate formal event, complete with performances by teachers and seniors to make the freshers feel welcome.
“Each department has their own fresher’s day event at XISS with a separate name for each event. These are hosted in the main hall within the premises and the senior batches spend weeks in preparation for the event. All the faculty members are in attendance too. After a formal welcome, we have many fun-filled events lined up,” said Ridhhima Arora, a member of Team Obscura, the media club of XISS Ranchi.
Orientation for all students
The tradition in one of the oldest colleges of the city — St Xavier’s College, Ranchi, is a little bit different. Although each department hosts their own events after the classes begin, a separate formal orientation, with all senior faculty members and college administration, is a tradition that Xavierians swear by. Dr Kamal Kumar Bose, HOD Hindi, said, “The orientation is held a day before the classes start. It’s our tradition where the students are introduced to the life at St Xavier’s and hear all prominent faculty members speak. Since the number of students is very large, we divide the orientation into segments for arts, commerce and science students — which are hosted at the historic Father De Brower Hall of the college.”
Themes are a rage
Fresher’s day for students of Birla Institute of Technology, Lalpur extension, are a lot of fun. This year, the theme for the welcome party of the DebSoc (Debate Society) was monochrome and students, both old and new, had a gala time at the event. Imran Ashraf, a first-year student of BCA, who was ushered in to the club by his seniors on the occasion, said, “I could only dream of such a welcome and it was a great experience. We not only had a unique theme for the party, but also plenty of fun activities to enjoy.”
Crowning of freshers
One of the most common functions at fresher’s day events happen to be the crowning of the Mr and Miss Fresher and the friendly ice-breakers that build up to the finale. While ramp walks and talent shows are the most common activities, fun games of tact and strategy are also perfect to get the conversation started at these events. “We put a lot of thought into the activities we plan for the juniors. The main goal is to help them overcome their inhibitions and settle down into their college life with ease. Crowning of the Mr and Miss Fresher is more of a friendly event and is not very competitive,” said Diksha Chawla, a final-year student of BIT Lalpur extension.
Feeling footloose
No party is complete without a crazy session of dancing and every fresher’s event in city colleges seem to swear by it. From playing local santhali Nagpuri numbers to going all out on EDM numbers, dancing sessions bring these parties to a perfect end every time. “In all the fresher’s parties I have attended as a new student and as a senior, dancing is an integral part of the celebrations. Depending on the budget that year, it could be anything from a simple curated playlist to a proper DJ, or even a college rock band for that matter,” said Bharat Bhusan, a post-graduate student of St Xavier’s College.