AIT Cultural Show 2011 attracted a full house of over 500 who witnessed
a wide variety of acts and nationalities compete in singing, drama,
talent show, and dance competitions.
Organized on 1 April 2011 under the theme “We Unite in Solidarity” the
evening brought out the very best of what the AIT Community represents.
As teams and individuals vied for the judges’ approval, organizers said
the competition took a back-seat to the spirit of international
togetherness on display. The Gender and Culture Committee of the AIT
Student Union spearheaded a donation box forJapan at the auditorium’s
entrance, and the capacity crowd observed one minute of silence for
Japan prior to the show’s opening curtain. A number of groups included
messages of support to Japan in their presentations.
Special guest speaker Dr. Masahiko Nagai, a visiting faculty of the
Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems field of study,
presented a detailed overview of the devastating impact of the
earthquake and tsunami of 11 March 2011. Describing the central role
played by AIT’s Geoinformatics Center in coordinating the flow of data
and satellite imagery of the inundated area to the government of Japan
and international audiences, Dr. Nagai thanked the AIT Community for
its tremendous show of support to his afflicted country.
Prof. Joydeep Dutta, Vice President for Academic Affairs, congratulated
the Student Union for organizing the special event and stressed
the importance of AIT coming together to show support for Japan, the
earthquake impacted areas of Myanmar, and the ongoing flood impacted
regions in southern Thailand. The evening was also graced by Prof. Dr.
Ir. Didik Sulistyanto, Attaché of Education, Indonesian Embassy in
Bangkok, Thailand.
On this night, youth was definitely served.
Young songstress Ms. Ha Thu, a fourth grader at the AIT International
School, set the mood with a delightful solo performance. Next up was
classmate Mr. Aquilla A. Jundiy, who opened the official Talent
Show competition with a solid vocals performance. Later, tiny
kindergartener Ms. Akhsya Asyfa Azieda, who came second, nearly brought
the house down with her powerful rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”
Delighting on the Myanmar classical harp Saung, Ms. Kine Yu Yu Win of
Myanmar won the Talent Show, while Ms. Angel of China earned
third-place honours.
Throughout the six-hour pageant, teams of students representing
Vietnam, Nepal, Myanmar, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand,
and one “International” team of mixed nationalities, entertained with
their combination of creativity, choreography and raw talent. Doctoral
candidate Ms. Nita Kuswardhani of Indonesia earned top marks for her
professional rendition of the ballad “The Power of Love” in the Singing
Competition. A pair from Nepal signing John Lennon’s timeless classic
“Imagine” came second while Indian student Mr. Ajay Kumar Gupta took
home third.
Three countries competed in the Drama Competition, with Nepal’s
satirical comedy gaining the judges’ favour over performances from
Indonesia and Vietnam. For the evening’s finale, in the highly
charged Dance Competition which saw six national team entries and one
international team, Indonesia’s colorful crew prevailed in a tightly
contested win over troupes representing India, Vietnam, Myanmar, Nepal,
Bangladesh, and International.
Included also was an award ceremony for winners of the group sports
competitions of the Mini Olympics in football, basketball, volleyball,
cricket, and tug of war. Former AIT Student Union President, Mr.
Worawej Onnom bagged the special prize as AIT’s overall “Best
Footballer”.
Culture Show 2011 owed its success to the many students who showcased
their talents, the entertaining student MCs who navigated the program,
and to the various participating student associations. Student Union
President Mr. Lawal U. Kankia concluded the night by extending his
utmost thanks to the members of the Student Union organizing team, to
the volunteer judges, and to the AIT community for turning up in
such huge numbers on a memorable night.
Packed hall at the AIT Conference Center
during Cultural Show held on 1 April 2011.