Navrang, an exclusive pre-Navratri event that my teammates and I organized, was truly an unforgettable experience. What began as a simple idea gradually evolved into months of dedicated planning and collaboration. We poured our hearts into this passion project, driven by our love for Garba and the vibrant spirit of Navratri. Inspired by this shared enthusiasm, we decided to host a celebration that would allow people to enjoy Garba with their friends even before the festival officially began. From brainstorming to execution, we took charge of every detail. And on October 28, 2024, our efforts came to life — with over 250 people joining us to celebrate, it was a proud and rewarding moment for all of us.
Learning Outcome 1: Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.
I identified my strengths of communication skills. At the beginning, while looking for sponsorships, I was able to convey our idea very well to people, making me realize that communication is a strength for me, which I shall use further in life. Moreover, I was able to connect and communicate with a decoration group and coordinate with them for the decoration of the event hall for us. Our team also needed walkie talkie’s to use during the event since the event hall was huge, we knew there is going to be a lot of crowd and noise, hence, for easier communication we chose to get walkie talkie. I personally communicated with the walkie talkie seller and was able to rent 10 of them for us at the cheapest price possible. I didn’t just identify my strengths but also developed areas for personal growth. Managing time was very difficult, I needed to extend my time management skills to be able to give time to both academics work and Navrang event which I was able to successfully do. Also the communication, for the hall was done be me from step to step and getting a huge discount for us showed my communication skills.
Learning Outcome 2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.
While planning for Navrang, I had a packed schedule. Despite the pressure, I was determined not to compromise on my academics and still be actively involved in the event. This pushed me to enhance my time-management skills. I began staying up a bit later to complete my academic tasks, while my evenings were dedicated to team meetings for the event. To promote Navrang, we decided to create an Instagram page and post reels. Four of us, including myself, volunteered to shoot the reels. We went to our chosen location and began filming. However, acting for the camera was a completely new experience for me, and I found it challenging. The concepts weren’t very professional, yet I struggled to perform my part. I often had to reshoot because I didn’t get it right the first time. Thankfully, my teammates were incredibly supportive—they guided me, explained what needed to be done, and helped me feel more confident. With their help, I gradually improved and ended up performing much better than I had initially expected.
Learning Outcome 3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience.
For this CAS project, I initiated and planned a lot. Not only me, but we all initiated and planned a lot. We had to plan what we are going to do, how we are going to do it, how much would be the expected cost, how will we get the money, around which date should we should keep the event and more just before we could start execution. This took a lot of time and after it was finalized we went ahead to create posters which just had information about the event, not the date since it was not finalized yet. We used this to show stores and shops for sponsorship. Deciding on which stores to reach out to was also part of our planning. The idea of Navrang first started on the 1st of July 2024, which is when we had our first meeting. For 3 days we worked hard on planning everything and just on the 4th of July, we were out for sponsorships. Our team went and cold approached shops and stores that we thought would be interested in giving sponsorships for a Navratri event. We went looking for sponsorships for three days straight. 2 months we spent on planning and execution. In these 2 months we decided on everything like the venue, theme of the event, clothes, DJ and more. Next on 8th of September we shooted reels for our instagram page for promotion of the event, we started to take money and give tickets for the event. Our venue was finalized, DJ was finalized, decoration was finalized and most of the important things were done. We then focused on other things like food, bouncers, walkie-talkie, and ID card for hosts. Till the event was over, I was not free. At the day of the event, we all came early for decorations and for setting up everything, making sure that everything is well set. During the event, we had to make sure that the decorum is maintained, we had to make sure that there were enough chairs for people who want to sit, we had to make sure that everyone is enjoying the event. One important thing in initiation and planning of the event was the factor of money, we needed to plan our budget, how much sponsorship money we have and how much should we pay in costs of the event for us to have a good profit
Learning Outcome 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.
When we started to ask for sponsorships from shops, all we got was rejections and no money. This was upsetting, it made us realize how hard this event planning and execution is really going to be. We went up to 50 stores walking and were rejected by all of it. However, we didn’t let this make us quit. We all shows commitment and perseverance to continue working harder on our presentation and idea and just as we added more details in our presentation, just as we knew more about what we will do in the event, we got enough sponsorship for the event.
Learning Outcome 5: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.
An event of this scale could only be successful with strong teamwork. We divided responsibilities among ourselves, which allowed everything to run more smoothly and efficiently. Each person focused on tasks that aligned with their strengths, which helped maximize productivity. Whenever someone faced challenges, others stepped in to support and motivate them, fostering a truly collaborative environment. My responsibilities included renting walkie-talkies, venue, decoration, promotion, arranging security by finalizing bouncers, and organizing a banner holder for the day of the event. Other team members took charge of venue booking, DJ arrangements, designing and selling entry tickets, and managing our event’s Instagram page. Working alongside my team made me appreciate the true power of collaboration and how much can be achieved when everyone contributes their best. This experience not only highlighted the importance of teamwork but also helped me strengthen and demonstrate my own collaboration skills.
Learning Outcome 6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.
One global issue is quality education. We engaged to this issue of global significance indirectly by donating our profits to a charity called ‘Enrichment’ which provides quality education to the underprivileged. We generated a total profit of around Rs 80,000. We all together decided to donate this money to Enrichment so that we could contribute for the quality education of underprivileged children.
Learning Outcome 7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.
While promoting the event, we made sure to embrace inclusivity and never restricted participation based on religion. Although Navratri has its roots in Hinduism, we viewed it as a cultural celebration that anyone could enjoy, regardless of their background. I strongly believe that culture and festivals are universal — they’re meant to bring people together, not divide them. That’s why, during our promotional efforts, we intentionally avoided mentioning any specific religion. Instead, we used terms like “Garba” and “Pre-Navratri” to emphasize the cultural aspect and ensure that everyone felt welcome to be part of the event.
In conclusion, organizing this event was definitely a demanding task — it required significant time and effort, but it was absolutely worth it. With more than 250 attendees and a profit of ?80,000, the event exceeded all expectations and was a clear success. This experience contributed immensely to my personal growth. I developed stronger time-management and teamwork skills, and I also discovered one of my key strengths: effective communication. The journey was filled with excitement, nervousness, and joy, both for me and my teammates. It was a truly enriching experience that taught me valuable lessons and gave me the confidence to take on similar projects in the future.
