Xamboree’18, the annual cultural and management fest of XUB is now over, leaving us with a happiness hangover. There is relief at how successfully our fest was conducted, pride at the effort and vigour that all of us put in, but also a longing for the camaraderie and absorbing purposefulness that had consumed the entire university in the weeks leading up to Xamboree.
We called this the ‘Xamboree Fever’, and it only got more and more fervent over the 3 days of the fest. From scholarly events like Ascend, Qureka, Case-In-Point, Spardha and ProAct, to cultural events, like Dhwani, Foot Loose, Viraasat, Anukriti and Tamasha, Xamboree had something for everybody.
But, the best had been saved for the end. The Xamboree fever reached its climax in the fest’s final hours as the nation’s rapping sensation, Badshah and singer Aastha Gill took the stage on the Star Night. The entire city joined the students and visiting participants to catch Badshah and Aastha Gill’s first ever live performance in Bhubaneswar.
Badshah’s connect with XUB was near instantaneous as he declared his love for student-driven fests, having been a part of them as a student himself. But, Badshah hadn’t come to perform for us; in his own words, he had come down to party as one of us, and with all of us. He transformed from the guest to the host, as he roused the audience to shed their inhibitions to sing and dance the evening away.
Watching the musical duo up close and personal, felt nothing short of a dream. Having watched and listened to all their songs on our television sets, on laptop screens and in nightclubs, the actual experience was surreal. They were right there, in front of our eyes belting out one chartbuster after another. They made the audience groove to evergreen hits like Kala Chashma, Kar Gayi Chull, DJ Waley Babu, Mercy and Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai; and to the latest earworms like Akh Lad Jaave, Tareefan, Buzz, Heartless and Tere Naal Nachna.
Not just Badshah, but Aastha Gill, who has now become a big name in the industry with multiple hits to her credit, was a massive crowd-puller. She danced with the audience to every beat, and kept the party going by joining all of us in the madness. Her expressions and her moves kept the crowd engaged and wanting more.
Despite the non-stop dancing and singing that went on for hours, we weren’t ready to part ways with the party animals when it was time to say goodnight. Thankfully, neither was Badshah, as he responded to calls for an encore with a medley of his biggest hits. The stars shared how performing here at XUB, which was a full house with over 5000 people in attendance, was an overwhelming experience for them. They said they echoed the energy and the vibe that they received from the audience. We say, the feeling is mutual!
It’s unfair to say that the euphoria ended there. The Badshah, and the queen of our hearts, left us notes describing their experience at XUB. While Badshah put it as “one of the best shows of my entire life” and declared that “everyone is a Badshah at XUB”, Aastha Gill thanked everyone for the love, and shared that this is “one show I’ll never forget in my entire life!”.
We resonate what they said and more. It has been one hell of an experience, the 3 days of Xamboree in general, and the star night in particular. It has given all of us memories that we will surely cherish for a lifetime.