APIIT Students Present “Tantalize – The Unequivocal Reminiscences” |
It’s a universally accepted truth that music has been instrumental in bringing cultures, peoples and religions together – and this was in evidence when the first year business students of APIIT (DF0711BA) in collaboration with the APIIT Students’ Activity Club organized a musical extravaganza with a difference. “Tantalize” - a platform to showcase and unleash the hidden talents of the youth - was staged on the 4th of April 2008. An ensemble of budding artists, guitars, drums and saxophones– you name it – from across Colombo was on stage, serenading both the adults and the youth.
This production was a landmark in itself as it was the first of its kind where bands and artists blended harmoniously to perform music from all eras of the century. The brainchild of Naseeha Amirdeen, Project Chairperson of Tantalize, the tributes of the concert were planned to be donated to the Thalassemia Ward at the Kurunegala Hospital.
There were over 50 applications for this talent contest, which totalled up to over a 100 participants who were auditioned on the 15th of March at the Russian Cultural Centre. This was our first hand glimpse of a fusion of new and up coming musical talent in the country. The participants competed under the categories of Singing – Solo, Dancing – Solo and Group, Bands - Oriental and Western, and Instrumental – Acoustic and Non Acoustic. The Band Category was opened for competition to 5 premier tertiary education institutes, with APIIT and SLIIT entering the finals. The finest of the 100 participants were selected for the finals held on the 4th of April at the Bishops College Auditorium.
The two and a half week break before the finals saw the participants putting in hours and hours of practice in corridors, classrooms and leisure rooms amidst lectures and project submissions. Their dedication and striving for perfection was clearly noticeable at the finals where the audience were given an evening to remember!
Dilesh Wellington mesmerized the audience with a brilliant performance on the saxophone which earned him 1st Place in the Instrumental category with Ronali Perera and Hansa Lokuwaduge coming in 2nd.
With her rather extraordinary dance moves, and certainly the crowds favourite, Sharani Amanda Bopitiya took away the 1st place in the Solo Dancing category with Yuwanthi Erandika Costa and Mohana Sundaram Vikram coming in 2nd and 3rd respectively.
The Solo Singing category was keenly contested with a large number of participants. Music Mega Star Finalist, Deasy Agusta walked away with an iPod as she took 1st place. We also had noteworthy performances from Rizwan Rasheed and President of the Student Activity Club – Jehan Adahan who were placed 2nd and 3rd in the category.
The Band Category set the auditorium alight. The pulsating beats and impressive vocals got the audience on their feet chanting and clapping. Special mention must be made of the band from SLIIT – ‘Mesmerize’ - that truly lived up to their name and thrilled the audience with a remarkable performance.
They deservingly earned the 1st Place in the category. Niroshan Buddhika’s band – ‘Hanger 18’ and ‘Fusion’ Hasitha Perera’s band came in second and third with notable performances.
Guest performances were provided by Randir who rocked the audience with his eloquent style of rapping. Native – yet another group of young artists entertained the audience with their own style of music. Prihan and Azlan, who are not new to the young music lovers and are also incidentally students of APIIT, were the other performers.
In keeping with its motto of providing “Quality in Higher Education”, APIIT provides an atmosphere for a dynamic and colourful student life. Recognizing the brilliance of the idea and nature of this project, APIIT generously came forward as the Main Sponsor of this event.
The unleashing of talent for a worthy cause had many organizations joining hands with the project team to make ‘Tantalize’ a resounding success. Electronic Media Sponsorship was provided by Channel One and YES FM with Wijaya Newspapers coming in as Print Media Sponsors. ElaKiri.com, Sri Lanka’s largest online forum was the official online sponsor.
On a key note, it must be mentioned, the sleepless nights, arguments and disappointments that Naseeha and her team encountered along the way did in no way hinder the success of the event. Instead they put together a memorable evening of music, dance and entertainment to a full house that turned up despite the unpredictable weather and situation in the country.
Tantalize left the audience clapping their hands….stamping their feet…. shouting out ‘Encore’! The 4th of April 2008 was a day that left audience with the unequivocal reminiscences of young talent at its best! |
Staffordshire Sri Lanka Office Opening |
| Marking yet another landmark in increasing internationalisation of higher education in Sri Lanka, Staffordshire University, a leading university in the United Kingdom, opened a permanent office in Colombo to promote its academic programmes and enroll students for study at its campuses in the UK. The ‘Staffordshire University Sri Lanka Office’ has been established at the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT) City Campus premises at 388, Union Place Colombo. The opening ceremony was held on Friday, 11th April 2008 at 6.30pm amongst a cross section of invitees from the education and corporate sectors. Staffordshire University was represented by Professor Peter Reynolds, Director of the International Office and Dr. Hamish Main, Director of South Asian Partnerships. |
| APIIT Merit Scholarship Award 2008 |
| APIIT-Sri Lanka successfully awarded 10 Merit Scholarships, each to a value of Rs.1, 000,000. The objective of this scholarship scheme is to assist academically deserving students in financial need to pursue higher studies at the APIIT City Campus leading to a degree awarded by Staffordshire University in the U.K. commencing February 2008. Six (06) scholarships were awarded for studies in Computing leading to the B.Sc. (Hons) in Computing Degree. Four (04) scholarships were awarded for studies in Business Management leading to the B.A. (Hons) in Business Administration Degree. The scholarships cover all fees related to the study programmes payable directly to APIIT. |
