Hyderabad: College fest goes on despite virus scare

HYDERABAD: Barely a few hundred metres away from the house, where one of the family members tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, a few thousand students from 100 colleges of the city assembled at the Kasturba Gandhi Degree and PG College for Women in Maredpally area of Secunderabad for the concluding ceremony of the two-day inter-collegiate festival on Tuesday.

The festival organisers turned the event into a unique workshop for sensitising the large crowd of college students about the precautionary measures that can be taken to check the spread of coronavirus.

Though the news of the first positive coronavirus case emanating in Maredpally area caused ripples in the city when the news was announced by the state government, about five to six thousand students still gathered in large numbers for “Navarang 2020” festival in the nearby Kasturba College.

“There was no fear. It’s the college fest and coronavirus cannot dampen the spirit of students. We plan to make today’s event a success and our whole gang is here,” pointed out Roshini Himtani, an MBA student from Osmania University. “My parents kept telling me to take precautions, cover my face, keep washing hands, maintain distance from others, and not to eat non-vegetarian dishes or snacks,” said S. Komal, a student of St. Pious Degree and PG College in Nacharam, who was intent on attending the fest.

Dr R. Rajshree, vice-principal of Kasturba College, conceded that they were skeptical over footfalls on day two of the festival.

“But despite fears of coronavirus, we had between 5,000 and 6,000 students from about a 100 colleges taking part,” she remarked, sounding happy about the success of the event.

Organisers of the event, led by Dr R.K. Devi, took advantage of the large gathering in the college to hold an impromptu workshop that educated and sensitised students about COVID-19 and how to keep the disease at bay.