The 12th PGDM batch of IFMR enjoyed a very warm official welcome to the IFMR family on 5th
Aug ’11 at Dee Cee Manor, T-Nagar. The Freshers’ Party was organized by the 11th batch to bridge the
junior-senior divide, and to kick-start an eventful and enjoyable journey called “MBA” that we would
remember all our lives. The theme of the party was “Bollywood”, and all of us freshers were expected to
put on our coolest threads to impersonate our favorite actor or actress.
We all assembled at the venue by about 7 p.m and the seniors kept pouring in till much later. We
were so enthralled by the ambience and the decor of the banquet hall, that the initial time was spent
in endless photo sessions with friends, batch mates and seniors. Once most people had arrived, the
program started with a few song dedications from freshers to: the first friend we made, to the person
we admire, to the “hot chick”, to the “handsome dude” and so on…. Most of these came as a surprise,
and all of us enjoyed a good laugh watching the most unexpected people grooving to the music.
These song dedications were actually interspersed throughout the program which we- as freshers had
practiced and prepared. The first performance was that of the skit which had only male actors. It was
a hilarious act- thoroughly enjoyed by the audience who were hooting and cheering till the curtain
came down! This was followed by entertaining dance performances by couples as well as groups,
spanning various genres such as freestyle, hip-hop, contemporary, salsa and Bollywood. A small group
of trained vocalists from the new batch performed a melodious mix of Hindi and Tamil songs, to which
we all tapped our feet. The seniors had organized some fun games like a rapid-fire session about life
and people at IFMR. Some freshers were rapidly called upon to participate, and this event was widely
enjoyed because funny secrets were revealed, and surprising truths discovered about life at campus and
the students.
What followed was an elaborate spread of Mughlai and Chinese cuisine for dinner, which we all relished
immensely. More popular than the food turned out to be the delicious dessert- gulab jamun coupled
with scoops of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. One of the last events before the dance party
was the distribution of prizes such as- “The Best Dressed Fresher”, “The Best Dancer”, “The Winner of
the Rapid Fire”, “The Best Ice-breaker Introduction Mail”, and of course- the most prestigious awards
of”Mr Fresher” and “Ms Fresher”. Mr. Fresher and Ms Fresher then walked the ramp, encouraged by
our cheering and loud applause.
The dance floor was then declared free, which most of us were dying to burn down with our dance
moves to popular tracks and the lively, upbeat music. Everyone enjoyed the dancing and head banging
to the fullest. As all good things come to an end, our show ended with the cake-cutting ceremony which
marked our official welcome to the IFMR family. A slice each of the chocolate truffle cake was greatly
savored after sweating it out on the dance floor. We all came back to college- elated at having put up a
great show, excited to have shown our talent to everyone, happy at having made a new friend or two,
and pleased to have gotten a chance to know the seniors better than we did before the party.
Apparently, that was not the end! On returning back to the hostel, we had been invited to another in-
house dance party in the college premises. The DJs from both the batches made us all sway to the music
played by them. It was about 3 in the morning, when we were all finally made to return to the hostel
and call it a night!
