The Guindy Times interviews the 'Xceed and K!arnival' team of CTF, as the Kurukshetra kickstarted effectively.
Q. Tell us about your team and your work strategies.
A: Our team is very perseverant and hardworking. Fortunately every junior was technically strong to aid us in organizing an event of our own. We have been working since September for Kurukshetra. This way, we have had plenty of time to efficiently plan and organize 8 'Xceed' events successfully.
Q. Tell us about your marketing techniques.
A: The marketing team of 'Xceed' was thoughtful and worked very hard this year. Usually colleges other than the top most colleges don’t willingly participate in 'Xceed' events. To overcome this, we directly contacted students from every college through phone calls and social media. It helped us getting a large turnout this year .
Q. How is 'Xceed' different from the marketing team?
A: 'Xceed' is completely different from the Marketing team, which aims at spreading the word about Kurukshetra. 'Xceed' strives to encourage people from other colleges experience Kurukshetra through its workshops and events. I would say 'Xceed' is a miniature version of Kurukshetra, with a greater reach.
Q.Approximately how many people do you think 'Xceed' has reached this year through its events and workshop?
A: This year we conducted workshops and events at Salem, Suratkal, Trichy, Pilani, Chennai and more. Overall I believe we would have reached around 1500 college students.
Q.How do you think 'Xceed' has improved this year?
A: The fact that 'Xceed' is being in 8 different places is a very big leap this year. Moreover we have our own flagship event "The Battle of Bots" with a prize worth 1 lakh.
Q.Have you faced any unexpected scenarios during your journey with 'Xceed'?
A: The sudden demise of our former CM and the protests for Jallikattu affected us in a lot of ways. During both times, Tamilnadu was in a riot of millions of emotions. So we weren’t able to conduct the 'Xceed' events planned during those weeks.
Q. How have you managed the crowd during 'Xceed' and how have you planned to execute it during K!arnival?
A: This year's 'Xceed' team comprises of 33 juniors. They accompanied us in all the 'Xceed' events and helped us with managing the crowd. The host colleges too supported us tremendously with student co-ordinators and organizers from their college. For K!arnival we have planned to recruit many first years for assisting us in the K!arnival arena.
Q. Were all your 'Xceed' events sponsored by CTF? Tell us a few words about the sponsorship.
A: This time 'Xceed' actually exceeded its own limits. Every year its budget is very minimal but this time we have planned a mega event with a cash prize of 1 lakh. Our juniors worked tirelessly to bring in lots of inflow for 'Xceed' and K!arnival in addition to CTF sponsorship. Our main sponsor for Battle of Bots event is SP Robotics along with 6-7 more sponsors.
Q. K!arnival is something that comes along with Kurukshetra every year. How do you expect to see it this year?
A: I am confident that it is going to be exemplary this year with magnificent events like RC Car Racing, Cycle stunt show, AR-VR Roller Coaster arena, PS gaming arena and lots more. We are going to set a huge benchmark for years to come!
Q. What inspired you to conduct K!arnival awards?
A: Lots of awards that recognized social workers, primarily. We decided to award successful achievers from poor financial backgrounds and those who had to overcome many challenges to walk the path of success. Their achievements will definitely inspire millions of students like us to surpass our limitations and conquer our dreams.
Q. You are the team that has been conducting Kurukshetra since the very beginning. What gives you this enthusiasm and drive to keep up with the amazing work?
A: We as Kores from the final year are the ones who lead our juniors, the second and the third years. We make sure to keep them excited throughout the course of 'Xceed'. We do this by allocating 'Xceed' events to people who are natives of those cities. They tend to work for the entire event cheerfully like it’s their own family function. Also along with the work we share, we also share our happy moments together during our meets.
Q. Has being part of the 'Xceed' and K!arnival team, changed you as a person?
A:
Rajasree :
I remember being a first year student inspired by the leadership skills of the Kurukshetra Kores. I always aspired to be one among them, but was doubtful of my capabilities. Now I am clear that my seniors were right in selecting me as a Kore. I am no longer the naive, shy girl I was when I initially joined CTF. Today I stand as a confident multitasker who knows how to efficiently manage her time and get work done. The many things I have learnt a lot from my seniors, my work partner Jaffar, and my juniors will definitely be lessons to carry for life.
Jaffar :
For the first three years of college, I was like just any other teenager, playing football and spending plenty of time meeting my friends. I had no plans of joining any clubs or activities. Incidentally, I was encouraged to join CTF by my friend and that has been one of the best things that happened to me! When Rajasree and I came together for ‘'Xceed'’, we knew we had a lot of work to do. There have even been times when we have had to stay back in college till 10pm or 11pm. Six months back, I wouldn’t have imagined doing such things! Today, I feel that the experience has instilled a great sense of responsibility and confidence in me.
