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Performing Arts Festival

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

H3-H6 PAF Dastak, introducing street play as a sub-drama in the PAF

The Performing Arts Festival, abbreviated as PAF, is the biggest inter-hostel cultural competition in the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay located at Powai in Mumbai (India). The term PAF is used to refer not only to the festival itself, but also to the individual cultural performances that constitute the festival.

Both undergraduate and graduate students at IIT Bombay participate in the preparation and organization of the festival. Typically six hostels (out of eighteen) are grouped together by random draw for each PAF. Though technically a drama, each PAF comprises contributions from several of the cultural arts including dramatics, literature, music, fine arts, debating and dance. Since 1999, the PAF has been held at the Open Air Theater (OAT) inside the Students' Activity Center (SAC), within the main campus of IIT Bombay.[1] Typically, all dialogues at PAF are delivered using voice overs and not by the actors themselves, mainly owing to the large size and structure of the OAT. This requires co-ordination between the actors and the voice actors.

Production (Prod)

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A scene from Déja Vu by Hostels 1, 4, 9 and 11 on 28 March 2006

One of the major tasks of a PAF, and the most unique one, is the preparation of the sets by fellow students. It is commonly called prod or prodwork, abbreviations for productions. Prod consists of making sets using bamboo, jute rope and screens made with layers of newspaper glued together by freshmen and seniors in co-operation. Structures strong enough to hold the weight of several people are prepared. In the PAF of 2007, for instance, a two-storeyed set was made in order to give the dramatists a chance to perform at an elevated level.

Production sets require the maximum amount of man hours to put them in place. Building of production sets (usually from bamboo) starts about a month before the PAF. The teams are allowed 3 days to install the sets and perform the finishing touches in the Open Air Theater.

Theme and language

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PAFs can be made in Hindi or English. Themes chosen are usually serious and have been drawn from history, science fiction, social injustice, biographies etc. The only caveat is that the scripts are expected to be original.

Grouping

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Though seemingly random, the teams are formed in a way that ensures fair chance for each. The pool of hostels is split into tiers based on their overall standings in the inter hostel cultural general championships (GCs) held throughout the year. The tiers then get split and mixed with other tiers either through a draw or mutual consensus.

Major changes

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  • 2004 - Hostel 1 becomes a regular participant, having appeared only thrice in the past eleven years.
  • 2006 - Number of PAFs brought down from five to four. The maximum team size increases to four.
  • 2014-15 - New hostels 15 and 16 get added to the hostel pool.
  • 2016 - The number of PAFs was brought down by one, to three in total, owing to the burden on resources and budget constraints. The teams now consist of six hostels each, the largest till date.
  • 2020-21 - No PAFs were held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 2022 - Due to a gap of 3 years, it was difficult to put up PAF as only few students in the institute had seen and experienced PAF. Hence, only one PAF was held, performed jointly by all the hostels.
  • 2023 - Two PAFs were performed, in an attempt to slowly increase the number.

Recent PAFs

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The PAF season is at IIT Bombay during the last fortnight of March and the first week of April each year, officially culminating all the extracurricular activities of IIT Bombay for that academic year. Some recent PAFs include:

T = Tie
Main language used is Hindi unless stated otherwise

Year PAF Name Hostels Date Overall position Individual awards Description Ref.
2023 Punaravrati 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 13, 14, 16C, 17 Apr 2 Runner-Up
Sindhu Afsaana 2, 4, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16AB, 17, 18, Tansa Apr 7 Winner Script, Acting, Voice Over, Production, Music, Direction, Fine Arts, Lights, Costumes, Dance, Video, Gem of PAF
2022 Adwaita 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, Tansa Apr 10
2019 Tabeer Shanakht and have you heard the tale of a butterfly? 4, 6, 8, 13, 15C, Tansa Mar 29 Runner-Up
Kuttay 1, 2, 5, 10, 14, 15B Apr 3 Winner Script, Acting, Voice Over, Production, Music, Direction, Lights, Costumes, Dance, Video
Dopamine 3,7,9,11,12, 16C Apr 8 2nd Runner-up Fine Arts
2018 Sandarsh 1, 3, 8, 10, 12, 16B Mar 28 Costumes, Dance
Khaled 2, 7, 9, 14, 15B, 15C Apr 2 Script
Aseer-e-Hayat 4, 5, 6, 11, 13, Tansa Apr 7 Production, Acting, Voice-overs, Lights, Video, Fine Arts, Music, Direction
2017 A Silent Song 1, 3, 4, 10, 13, 15B Mar 21 2nd Runner-Up Voice-overs, DanceT Based on the hardships of the relation between a father and a daughter. Elements in the dances were highly appreciated. Fusion of four different dance forms in one was the main attraction.

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Nazariya 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, Tansa Mar 26 Runner-Up Depicted the dilemmas one faces and how our opinions are essentially biased based on our perspectives. It stressed on not following the herd mentality and not having blind faith.
Rannbhoomi 2, 5, 9, 14, 15C, 16B Mar 31 Winner Script, Acting, Lights, Costumes, Music, Direction, DanceT, Video, Prod, Fine Arts Won 10 out of 11 trophies; was a poignant depiction of the intertwined and vicious political scenario and the effect it has on university students. It showed the struggle for freedom of expression, religious turmoil and how far some people go to get political benefits.
2016 Daira 2, 5, 7, 13, 15C, Tansa Mar 22 Runner-Up Acting, Music, Direction, Dance Specially applauded for dance and music; Depicted a girl’s dilemma over her sexuality while being pushed into a marriage; Portrayed the taboo of same sex marriage in Indian society

[3]

Apratyaksh 1, 4, 9, 10, 14, 16B Mar 27 Winner Lights, Costumes, Video Revolved about the theme as how deception could be used for power. It narrated the story of a "Behroopiya" who lures an entire kingdom into believing his immaculate acting and his "Swaangs" and overthrows the king to ascend the throne.
Muntazir 3, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15B Apr 01 2nd Runner-Up Script, Voice-over, Prod, Fine Arts Production included a mini-bus sized movable ship
2015 Keta (English) 2, 3, 11, 14, 15A Mar 22 Runner-Up Dance, Lights, Prod, Video Won Gem of the PAF for Underwater Dance Element

[4]

Pahal 7, 9, 10A, 12, 16C Mar 25 2nd Runner-Up Acting, Music
Discovery of Indya 1, 5, 8, 10 Mar 28 Winner Script, Direction, Voice-over, Acting, Video Revolves around a court case where a writer is indicted for writing a controversial book on the political leaders of India around the independence era
Aahuti 4, 6, 13, 15C, Tansa Mar 31 3rd Runner-Up Prod, Costumes, Fine Arts Portrayed the character of Chanakya, the Indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor and his role in shaping the establishment of the Maurya Empire under the reign of Chandragupta Maurya
2014 Lohar 4, 5, 11, 13, Tansa Mar 23 3rd Runner-Up Script

[5] [6]

Pehchaan 1, 6, 9, 10 Mar 26 Joint Winner Acting, Voice-over, Music, Direction, Video (Trailer)
Kolahal 7, 8, 14, 10A, TypeC quarters Mar 29 2nd Runner-Up Prod
Ekla Cholo Re 2, 3, 12, 15 Apr 01 Joint Winner Dance, Costumes, Lights, Fine Arts (Aesthetics) Based on the life of Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose
2013 Satrangi 3, 7, 13, 14 Mar 15 3rd Runner-Up

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Mandali 5, 9, 12 Mar 18 Winner MusicT, Fine Arts (Aesthetics), ProdT, Script, Voice-over, Costumes, LightsT Greatly applauded for its stage setup, aesthetics and music
Delhi Beats 2, 8, 11, Tansa Mar 21 Runner-Up Acting, Dance, Direction (Staging), Video (Film) Set against the sensitive backdrop of rape, molestation and eve-teasing in Delhi
Bisaat 1, 4, 6, 10 Mar 25 2nd Runner-Up MusicT, ProdT, LightsT
2012 Maun 2, 9, 10 Mar 21 Runner-Up (Hindi: मौन, lit., Silence)

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Aawhan 4, 6, 12, 14 Mar 25
Antbahaar 1, 3, 11, 13 Mar 29 Winner Music, Prod, Costumes, Voice-over, Dance (Choreography), Direction, Lights, Script, Fine Arts (Hindi: अंत बहार, lit., Last Drop Of Spring); Winning 9 out of 9 different aspects of PAF
Prime Minister (English) 5, 7, 8, Tansa Apr 02 2nd Runner-Up Strongly based on the life of Rajiv Gandhi, the prime minister of India who was assassinated by the LTTE
2011 Zoon 3, 5, 10 Mar 25 Runner-Up Music, Prod, Costumes Urdu: rich Hindi

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Golden Quadrilateral 2, 8, 12, 13 Mar 29 Winner Voice-over, Dance (Choreography), Screenplay, Lights
Walong 4, 9, 14 Apr 03 2nd Runner-UpT
Chashm-E-Nam 1, 6, 7, 11 Apr 07 2nd Runner-UpT Script
2010 Ramleela 4, 10, 13 Mar 18 3rd Runner-Up (Hindi: रामलीला, lit., Ram's play)

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Panchhi re 1, 3, 9, 12 Mar 22 Winner Script, Dance, Screenplay, Acting, Voice-over (Hindi: पंछी रे, lit., O' Bird);
Mai Mati 5, 6, 11 Mar 26 Runner-Up Music, Costumes (lit., My soil)
Antaragni 2, 7, 8, Tansa Mar 30 2nd Runner-Up Prod, Lights (Hindi: अंतराग्नि, lit., The Fire Within)
2009 Karvat 5, 9, 12, Tansa Mar 20 2nd Runner-Up (Hindi: करवट, lit., Turn aside)
If Tomorrow Comes 3, 8, 11 Mar 23 Runner-Up
Najafgarh Express 6, 7, 10 Mar 26
Arthur Road 1, 2, 4, 13 Mar 30 Winner All except Music and Costumes
2008 Arsh 1, 7, 8, 13 Mar 18 2nd Runner-Up (Urdu: عرش, lit., Throne)

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U-Turn 4, 9, 10 Mar 21 Runner-Up
1984 5, 6, 12, Tansa Mar 25
The Show Goes On... 2, 3, 11 Mar 28 Winner
2007 Aashayein 3, 8, 10 Mar 18 (Hindi: आशाएँ, lit., Hopes)

[5]

Saare Jahaan Se Achha[12][13] 1, 5, 11, 13 Mar 21 Winner Dance (Choreography) (lit., The Best in the World); Won Gem of PAF for the final choreography sequence
Numb-D 2, 6, 9 Mar 24
Good Morning 4, 7, 12 Mar 27
2006 Asrār 2, 8, 7 Mar 19 2nd Runner-Up Costumes (Hindi: असरार, lit., the secret)

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Kharāshen 13, 6, 10, Tansa Mar 22 Runner-Up Voice-over (Hindi: ख़राशें, lit, the scratches)
Camouflages 3, 5, 12 Mar 25 3rd Runner-Up The first PAF ever to use the F-word and orgasm.
Déjà Vu 1, 4, 9, 11 Mar 28 Winner 7 out of 9 (French, lit., already seen); based on the life of an IITian
2005 Lāl Rekhā-Ek Marīchikā 2, 7, 11 Mar 20 Script (Hindi: लाल रेखा-एक मरीचिका, lit., the red line-an illusion)

[1]

Satyoaham 9, 13, Tansa Mar 23 2nd Runner-Up (Hindi: सत्योऽहम, lit., I am the truth); Portrayed the conflict between the truth and self-ego.
Bombay 1, 5, 10 Mar 27 Runner-Up ActingT, Costume, Prod, Publicity (Hindi: बॉम्बे); About 3 characters - an actor, a journalist and a local goon - who want to make it big in their respective fields and the way they achieve their goals in the great city of Bombay
Kastūrī 4, 8, 12 Mar 30 (Hindi: कस्तूरी, lit., musk)
Dastak 3, 6 Apr 02 Winner Music, Lights, Direction, Screenplay, Voice-Over, ActingT, Dance (Choreography) (Hindi: दस्तक, lit., knocking); Based on the life of Safdar Hashmi, great writer, actor and activist
2004 Āhvān 2, 5 Mar 22 2nd Runner-Up Acting, Voice-over, Costumes, Dance (Choreography) (Hindi: आह्वान, lit., invoking)
Agnihotra 7, 10, Tansa Mar 26 Publicity (Hindi: अग्निहोत्र, lit., the fire-sacrifice)
Far from Vietnam (English) 3, 9, 12 Mar 29
Asāfeer 6, 8, 11 Apr 01 Runner-Up Script, Prod, Lights (Hindi: असाफ़ीर, lit., sparrow); in Urdu-rich Hindi
Lākshāgrih 1, 4, 13 Apr 04 Winner Music, Direction (Hindi: लाक्षागृह, lit., the house made up of shellac)
2003 Le Peintre de Mort (English) 2, 6 Mar 22 (French, lit., the painter of death)
Child's Play (English) 4, 11 Mar 25
Omicidio (English) 9, 10, Tansa Mar 28 (Italian, lit., the homicide)
Shānte Mrigayam 3, 5 Apr 07 Winner All except Dance and Costumes (Hindi: शान्ते मृगयम्, lit., the peaceful deer)
Anth 7, 8 Apr 10 (Hindi: अन्त, lit., the end)
2002 Avshesh 8, 9 Winner ActingT, Prod, Fine-Arts, Costumes (Hindi: अवशेष, lit., Residue)
La Isla dela Musica, La Isla del Amor (English) 2, 10, Tansa Apr 04 Runner-Up ActingT, Voice-over, Music, Dance (Choreography) (Spanish, lit., the island of music, the island of love)
Aham Brahmasmi 4, 5 (Hindi: अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि, lit., I am Brahman)
Aahuti 1, 3, 11 Mar 21 2nd Runner-Up (Hindi: आहुति, lit. the sacrifice)
14:12 (English) 6, 7 (a Biblical reference)
2001 Thespian (English) 2, 7 Winner
Dansh 4, 9 (Hindi: दंश, lit., the snake-bite)
Asakth 8, 10 (Hindi: आसक्त, lit., the addiction)
Nimaad 3 (Hindi: निमाड, popular for maa reva, the river Narmada)
Pratyancha 5, 11 Runner-Up (Hindi: प्रत्यंचा, lit., the Bowstring)
2000 Rashtroday 2, 9 Costumes (Hindi: राष्ट्रोदय, lit., the rise of the nation)
Al-Qasas 5, 8 Winner Lights, Prod, Direction, Dance (Choreography), ScreenplayT, MusicT, ActingT (Hindi: अल-क़सस, Urdu / Arabic: lit., The Story); Best Actor: Vaibhav GuptaT
Sarhad 3, 4 Runner-Up ScreenplayT, MusicT, ActingT (Hindi: सरहद, lit., border)
Asambhav 1, 7, 11 2nd Runner-Up Best Actor: Bharat GargT
1999 Abhimanyu 3, 7 Winner (Hindi: अभिमन्यु, see Abhimanyu of the Hindu mythology)
Where There is a Will (English) 4, 10, Tansa
All for Love (English) 5, 6
1998 The Dream Theater (English) 2, 3 Winner
OR (English) 4, 5
The Artist (English) 6, 7
Ek Adhura Kalpavriksha 9, 10
1997 ...In Love and War (English) 2, 5
Nightfall (English) 6, 8 Runner-Up based on the Isaac Asimov story
Mrigtrishna (English) 7, 3, Tansa Winner
1995 The End 4, 8 Joint Winner
Harlequin Chevalerie 3, 7 Joint Winner
The Twilight Zone 1, 9, 11
1994 Raga Saaga 7, 8
"Any Dream Will Do" 3, 10 Winner
The Unforgiven 4, 9
1993 Locomotivation 3, 9 Winner
1991 Moonstone[15] 6, 9
Songs of Distant Earth 2, 7 Winner
1990 Phantasmagoria 5, 6 Winner

It has been observed that 2002 was the last time when the team performing first won the PAF.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Trivia".
  2. ^ "Alumni and Corporate Relations | Alumni and Corporate Relations".
  3. ^ http://www.iitmumbai.org/iitb_dean_acr/may-2016-newsletter[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ a b "The God is back! What to expect in PAF '14 : InsIghT, IIT Bombay". Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  6. ^ "PAF Results '2014 : InsIghT, IIT Bombay". Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  7. ^ "PAF 2013 Results".
  8. ^ "PAF 2012 Dates : InsIghT, IIT Bombay". Archived from the original on 27 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  9. ^ "PAF 2011 Results + Rulebook + Judging Criteria : InsIghT, IIT Bombay". Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Insight, IIT Bombay on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022.[user-generated source]
  11. ^ http://www.insightiitb.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/10.6.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  12. ^ "Dacoit duel". YouTube.
  13. ^ "Masoom, PAF, IIT Bombay". YouTube.
  14. ^ http://asaxena.net/insight_old2/old_Volumes_pdfs/8.4.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  15. ^ "MoonStone by Atul Gupta". 23 December 2013.
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