Students will perform at the VIT cultural festival on Saturday. | Photo credit: VENKATACHALAPATHY C
VIT’s Riviera’ 2026 saw a cultural confluence on the third day as students showcased their native culture through dress, dance and stunts at the Vellore campus on Saturday.
Titled Akiya, which means togetherness, the event was aimed at giving students an opportunity to develop their native culture. It was a dazzling array of exotic clothing, accessories and cultural lore. Students from the Northeast to the West and down to the South and even those from countries like Japan and Romania performed their traditional art and dance forms in alphabetical order.
Students from Maharashtra performed their traditional dance forms like Lavani, Gondhal and Powada. Teams from Andhra Pradesh performed various dance forms like Kuchipudi and Kolattam. Assamese students performed their traditional Bihu dance. Students from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand performed kulu wedding ceremonies accompanied by Nati dance.
The Kerala team also enthralled the audience with various dance forms and theatrical exhibitions. Students from Rajasthan performed their traditional dance form, the Ghoomar dance. Students from Tamil Nadu performed several traditional folk arts including Mayilattam, Oyilattam, Thappattam and Silambam.
Akiya, which started in 2015, showcased the arts and culture of 24 states with more than 800 students participating. Various art forms like Chholiya (Uttarakhand), Chhau and Dhunuchi (West Bengal), Nati (Himachal Pradesh) and Ghoomar (Gujarat) were performed.
Another event that attracted the attention of the audience was Thalia and Melpomene, which was named after the Greek muses of comedy and tragedy. It was a full-length theater competition organized by the VIT Dramatic Club as part of the Riviera. The event invites teams to bring to life complete theatrical stories with an emphasis on acting, directing, script strength and effective stagecraft. Each team was given an hour to present their play.
The day of events was concluded with cultural rhythms where renowned artistes performed music, dance and comedy in the premises.
On Sunday, the final day of the festival, the audience will be mesmerized by performances by indie-electronic artist Ritviz and DJ Shaan. Actress Genelia Deshmukh will grace the occasion. The Hindu is the print media partner of the festival.
Published – 01 March 2026 05:30 IST
