SpringSpree

SpringSpree, sometimes written as Spring Spree and popularly known as Spree, is the annual cultural festival of the National Institute of Technology, Warangal. Soon to be in its 29th edition this cultural fest has the distinction of being one among the largest cultural fests of South India. With a footfall of around 10,000 and participation of around 600 colleges and increasing this fest has come a long way from its humble inception in 1978. Spring Spree today has an impressive array of events to cater to every possible personality. It covers every possible genre in music, dance, literature, art and gaming. Also an important part of this fest today are the workshops on subjects ranging from ethical hacking to the basics of a guitar. Also this fest has stepped up with time to include the celebs of the day. Some of the prominent personalities who have visited the campus during this very fest are Suraj Jagan, Suchitra, Sobhita Dhulipala, KK, Shobha Naidu, Baiju Dharmajan, Naresh Iyer and Stephen Devassy. The themes of Spring Spree have ranged from Renaissance, Rubaroo India, Carnival, Fantasia and World Fest for the year 2015.

Conception
It started as an intercollegiate annual sports and cultural event held between January and March. The idea was that they should have an annual gathering to showcase their skills in the non-technical aspects. The students in the college came from different regions of the country, the fest would also be instrumental in binding them together as diverse citizens of a united country. It would also serve as a platform for people to recognize and respect the diverse regions of the country for what they are. This idea gained huge prominence and it was conducted annually till the early 2000s. This was the first ever cultural fest in the whole of South India and has maintained ranks among its best few. After early 2000s in 2006 the clubs and committees of the college conducted a small level fest called Elysium. The revival was complete when, in 2007, Spring Spree was brought back and has since been an annual event. Spree took a huge jump where, one of the India's best playback singer KK and one of the top 10 finalists of Indian Idol performed live for Spring Spree 2013. 2014 saw the likes of Suraj Jagan and Suchitra perform. The first pronite was a Sunburn Campus nite and bands like Baiju Dharmajan Syndicate and Gino Banks performed. Spring Spree is now one of the largest cultural festivals of India.

Competitions
Spring Spree conducts over 75 events in the span of 3 days, with various events in the fields of art, literature, drama, dance, music, photography and painting which include 7 Spotlights Allure - Fashion Show, IRA - Rock band Competition, Idol - Singing Competition, Tear it Up - BBoying Competition, GameDome - Video Gaming, NITMUN - NIT Model United Nations, War of DJs - DJ Competition. Other popular events include Chitr- Painting Competition, StreetX - Street Football and Gully Cricket, Dance Events - Group, Solo and Pair Dance, Director's Cut - Short Film Contest, Skit, Sand Arts, T-shirt Designing, Tattoo making and many more. In 2013 it had an ethical hacking workshop conducted by. Spring Spree boasts of a national video gaming competition among its spotlights known as Gamedome featuring the most popular games like Age of Empires, DotA, Counter-Strike, FIFA and Need for Speed. To cater to the young entrepreneurs there sessions involving business planning and stock marketing are a part and parcel of Spring Spree. Spring Spree not only serves as a platform for art buffs and dance enthusiasts but it also serves as a great platform for analysts and hackers also.

Spotlights
Spotlights are mainstream events in SpringSpree. These events are a part and parcel of Spree. the spotlights are Open Air by Music Club NIT Warangal, one of the biggest clubs on campus, Allure - Fashion Show, IRA - Rock band Competition, Idol - Singing Competition, Tear it Up - BBoying Competition, GameDome - Video Gaming, NITMUN - NIT Model United Nations, War of DJs - DJ Competition. The spotlights receive a lot of attention for their adrenaline and the cash prizes. They are well attended in terms of participation and audience.

Open Air
Open Air is the flagship event of Music Club NIT Warangal, which usually marks the inaugural of Spring Spree every year. Typically a concert of about three hours, this event boasts a huge turnout of at least 1500 people every year, making it one of the biggest events of Spring Spree every year.

Idol
Idol is the mainstream competition for singers, wherein well-known singers judge their competence. This spotlight was judged by TIA KAR in 2013.

GameDome
GameDome is one of the largest student-organised gaming event in South-India. It hosts competitive games such as Counter-Strike, FIFA, Need for Speed, DOTA, League of Legends, Age of Empires along with Overwatch, Fortnite, World of Warcraft, Doodle Army 2: Mini Militia, Clash of Clans etc. The event sees hundreds of selected players from all over the country.

iRA
iRA is a competition held between homegrown college rock bands. The contestant bands perform their own rock music compositions and the winner is decided by the crowd. This Spotlight has become synonymous with the final day celebrations of Spring Spree. The iRA competition is an effort to nurture the growing taste in rock music among Indian students today and provides a platform for the upcoming bands all over the country.

Allure
Spring spree boasts of Allure a competition for the fashionista of India. 2011 saw a faceoff between the host and SRM, Chennai. The competition is judged by people matching up to the level of glamour that it provides. Usually the judges are models, actresses or others related to the fashion world. Spring Spree 2010 and 2011 saw judges like Rakhi Sharma and Mahima Sandoval (Miss Spain 2009 contestant) as judges. In 2013 it was judged by TIA KAR and in 2014 by Sobhita Dhulipala. Eyetex Dazzler will be sponsoring Allure for 2015.

Tear It Up
B’boying crews across India are invited to compete with each other in this Spotlight event. Popular crews like Freak N’ Style have graced the occasion. Tear it Up generally sees participation from five to six colleges every year and has been part of Spring Spree for more than five years. In 2014 the winner of the world B'boying championship judged the competition.

Dancing crews are asked to pick a song of their choice to which they must do their routine. They must prove and showcase their creativity, synchronization, uniqueness, song choice, attitude, overall ability to dance etc. Participants must advance through a various number of rounds to reach the finals. Spring Spree 2011 saw German B’Boying legend Zeb.roc.ski do some of his famous moves, as well as head the judging panel.

NITMUN (National Institute of Technology Model United Nations)
Students from participating colleges are assigned their countries prior to the start of the Model United Nations event. They are required to do previous research on their respective countries, the issues their countries face, and possible the possible outcomes of the policies they are to follow. In the NITW simulation of the United Nations, the delegates from various colleges will engage in discussions to converge on resolutions and policies about current, pressing issues. Delegates are encouraged to present solutions to the problems presented in each discussion.

Pronites
Pronites are what Spring Spree calls the concerts conducted during the three days of Spree. Famous musicians are invited to close each day of the fest with a bang. In the years prior, NITW has seen the likes of Naresh Iyer and Stephen Devassy. Indian rock bands like Parikrama and others also performed.

Bollywood Playback singer, KK performed live on 23 February at Spring Spree. Spree 2013 saw performances by Suraj Jagan, Suchitra, Gino Banks, Baiju Dharmajan and also saw the presence of Sobhita Dhulipala who judged Allure. Spring Spree has also had the British band Xerath perform in 2012 along with Vijay Prakash.

Workshops
Workshops are conducted in every possible field related to culture. The workshops range from acting, graffiti, painting, sketching, movie making, creative writing etc. Each workshop has a fee and is taught by a recognized professional in the field. In the 2011 edition the Graffiti workshop was taught by the famous German graffiti artist Loomit. In 2014 the workshops conducted were Guitar Workshop by Baiju Dharmajan (popularly known as the God of Small Strings), Animagic Workshop- 3D Animation Workshop, Cyber Forensics and Ethical Hacking Workshop, DSLR Workshop by Nikon, Rubik's Cube Workshop and Cartooning Workshop.

Sponsors and past associates
Various corporations have sponsored Spring Spree including Murugappa Group. Airtel, Nestlé (in 2010), Nokia, Pepsi, Polo Ralph Lauren (in 2010), The Raymond Shop, State Bank of Hyderabad, TVS Motor (in 2009), Virgin Mobile (in 2009), Vodafone (in 2010) and Wipro (in 2010) to name a few. Sponsors from the media sector include several brands such as The Hindu, TV9, Red FM, and Maa Music.. The sponsors for Spree 2015 are Coke Studio, Eyetex Dazzler, Orient Cement, Campus France, Princeton Review, Amity Business School, British Council, ITM, Panache, Inspire, Tech Bharat, Ferris Wheel, Shankar Mahadevan Academy, Swarnabhoomi, Saavn, Faadoo Engineers, FestSamachar, knowafest, Campus Diaries, Free Charge, Electronics For You, Glow Job TV, UGCC, LIC, NITWAA, TTL, Kaps and Gift Xoxo.

Working committee
The Spring Spree is a fest conducted by the students of NIT Warangal. Every year a core committee of students is chosen by the student council of the college to oversee the smooth running of the fest. They are aided by a faculty adviser chosen by the administration to assist them in their tasks.

The core committee looks after the all important aspects of the fest like Event Conduction, Sponsorship, Publicity, Logistics, Hospitality, Design, Decoration, Accounting and Prizes. Every member of the committee is dedicated to either of these departments. The synchronization between all the working committees is taken care by the student coordinator of the fest.

To assist the core committee, a sub-core committee and a work force body is chosen forming an apex structure contributing to a students working team. The success of the fest heavily depends on the efforts and idea of the entire students working team.

Records, Artists and Celebrities
Spring Spree 2010 saw a performance by prominent Kuchipudi dancer Shobha Naidu. In the 25th edition film director Sekhar kammula graced the occasion exhorting the students to dream and work to realize them. Concerts of Naresh Iyer, Stephen Devassy and Pakistani sensational band Noori made each day of 25th edition of Spring Spree end with a bang Spring Spree 2011 saw the setting of a world record for the largest footprint painting. Spring Spree 2012 was graced by Xerath, Paradigm shift, Vijay Prakash, Ali (actor) and Siva Reddy and Mahima Sandoval. Spring Spree 2013 was dazzled by the performance of one of the India'S greatest playback singer krishnakumar kunath or KK.TIA KAR one of the Top10 Indian idol finalists also graced the occasion. Spree 2013 was inaugurated by R. P. Patnaik. 2014 saw the performances of Suchitra and Suraj Jagan taking Spree to new heights. Sobhita Dhulipala presided over the inaugural with Anoop Rubens and also judged Allure. Tarun Raj evaluated the director's cut event. iRA saw Gino Banks performing. Also performing were Baiju Dharmajan and Sunburn Campus.

Social activities
Spring Spree 2011 saw the setting of a world record for the largest footprint painting. Aashayam a social initiative with a motto of eradicating child labour from INDIA and educating each and every child of INDIA is a brainchild of few students of NIT Warangal. For the Spring Spree 2013 these were some records and tasks that it attempted: SAVE GIRL CHILD-ICE CREAM Stick mosaic, STOP CHILD LABOUR-SALT mosaic, WALK FOR A CAUSE-a candle march on the closing of spree in the campus made the spree more dazzling with shining lights of candle all over the campus for a while. In association with MARD a rally against discrimination against women was organised in 2014. Aashayam organised an initiative called "PRAYAS" in 2014 which will be in its second edition in 2015. The initiatives for 2015 are Ek Jodi Ka Kapda, One Stage and Eradicate, which have a profound social implication and touch the soul of the observers.