Anatomy of a fest

This post hopes to be a reasonable argument discerning between the various aspects of a cultural fest. If you are a fanatic that pledges undying loyalty to the likes of Saarang/MI/Any fest with crores pumped into it. you should really stop reading now. Or now. You could also go on a fast as a means of protest. That certainly works better and has far less in the form of consequences than the option of blocking me. I may not have written 4 miserable books but I do know how to use hashtags. #chetanblocks

Getting back to the topic - The reason for this post lies in a conversation-debate-argument I had yesterday that involved the analysis of the aspects of a cultural fest. Although the chat didn't lead anywhere, it gave me a lot to think about. Given the hundreds of fests out there, the possibility of a fest standing out depends on very few factors. Mentioned here are what I feel are the biggest contributors to the status of being "big". For the fanatics: Before you begin, do keep your mind open, and for blood's sake, use your brain. If there are points of contention, I hope to god they do not revolve around grammar or the incorrect assignment of *random* numbers.

Factor M aka Teh Moola: There isn't much to say here. The culturals with the biggest bank to dig from ends up on top. This can also be the sole deciding factor in many cases - from cash prizes that want you to return the subsequent year for another sweep to half page event coverage in newspapers (Yes, we all know who the Arindam chowdhury of cultural fests is), the reasons for prominence rising from monetary advantages are many. This factor also accounts for the failure of many fests.

Factor F aka Teh Fun!: This is what sustains the interest of regular participants - the people that are a part of dance/theatre/lits groups. Even if the money on offer is low, and the advertising is limited, the simple word-of-mouth spread of information drags people in. This could range from a well conducted, fair event to the presence of elements on campus that add to the charm (Yes, I mean NLS). This factor often overpowers the negatives of the monetary aspect but will not be enough to bring in participation from non-regular members.

Advertising aka Teh Face: What colleges see first when they hear of a fest is very important. The publicity video that goes out and the posters that are put up in other colleges could very well decide the fate of a fest, especially if they are lacking. The closest example I can give would be that of Festember itself - the video, on top of being found lacking, was mocked at some of the colleges that were visited. The abuse of the "headphones" pretty much killed it. Preventing a Facepalm is as simple as making the publicity material good.

Location aka Teh WhereTF: Let's face it. No matter how good a fest is, if it is at a college that is hundreds of miles from civilization, nobody is going to want to go there. Nobody, here, includes participants as well as sponsors. And without this financial backing, we are back at the dead end of Factor M.

The Analysis:
The combination of all these points at one fact - However interesting or fun a fest is, the chances of it being recognized depend heavily on the student community that supports it. If a fest banked on its fun factor, chances are, it would crash. Without good organization, it falls on its face. Without participation, there are no numbers to show to future sponsors. And without these sponsors, there is practically no hope of getting more participants the next year. Now, I'm not saying this evil circle gripped Fember. There was enough mediocrity in the organization to kill it without the other factors even playing a role. Marred by a disastrous publicity vid right at the beginning and having numerous problems during the execution (Acco, for eg.), I could even go as far as saying the entourage brought by the regulars was its saving grace.
The main point posed as argument to my statement (which is more or less what I've written here) was that a cultural fest that is good cannot be obscure. I agree to this to an extent. Any fest that people like will have its set of dedicated regulars to keep it alive but it ends there. There is no reason for the crowd coming in to exceed this basic participatory amount. There is no way that word of mouth can make up for all the other factors shadowing its popularity. You like the fest, you tell your friend. He might tell his friends about it, who, in turn, might tell theirs. Going by plain probability, the odds are not for it. It is possible, although the mathematical improbability is stacked against it.

There is a lot more to add to this that simply cannot be done by presenting to the reader my views. If I feel there is adequate information to add to this, I shall in the future. If you are a staunch supporter of some really big fest (say, Saarang), analyze exactly what makes your fest good. I have no intention of beginning a silly debate here. However, if you choose to break down the facts and look at them objectively, I would love to start our discussion there. My summary is that many fests suffer due to one or many of the reasons listed above. It would be a harsh (and somewhat stupid) move to condemn it as a failure simply because you haven't heard of it. Saarang is not the best. Festember is not the worst. And there are facets of one that better the other. Look at your own fest critically. Think.

Leave your views, replies, rants and phone numbers in the comments section.