India and Pakistan duked it out in a Bollywood musical battle in the Student Centre the week before last.
Salam-e-Antakshari, jointly organized on March 20 by the Hindu Student Council and the Pakistani Students Association, was the stress-buster it was promised to be. “Antakshari”, loosely defined, is a musical contest in which the teams have to sing particular songs according to a set of requirements in a series of rounds.
Just as in last month’s match between India and Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup, the room was divided into two parts for the two countries, who competed in four rounds of singing and trivia.
The teams were required to show off their Bollywood knowledge, each question worth 60 points and requiring the teams to sing a related song. The team with the most points would win, and there was a prize called the “Indo-Pak Idol” for the person who answered and sang for the most questions.
Shreya Narang of the Indian team bagged the award, answering the most questions and singing popular Bollywood songs. Despite this, though, the PSA team won by a significant margin.
After the competition there was a three-course Indian meal and an open dance floor. Desi Beatz made the dance floor lively by playing well-known Bollywood songs. The dinner and open dance floor were perhaps the more exciting part for most attendees. Despite a few minor setbacks due to lack of organization, the event was enjoyable, and a welcome relief during the strike that had students on edge about their courses and finals.
