by Fr Mario Vaz for BISMumbai

It’s that time of the year when there is an adrenaline rush because its Hysteria time at Don Bosco Centre for Learning, Kurla. This event which has made history is laced with ecstasy and agony for all its participating students. It’s an unforgettable experience etched in the memory of every Boscoite of Kurla.

Hysteria is an annual youth event masterminded by Fr Joe Braganza. It provides a platform for every student studying in the Don Bosco Centre for Learning campus of Kurla to compete, showcase skills, talents and match wits in a variety of events. On display was the creativity, strategic thinking and versatility of the participants which provided some exciting entertainment for the spectators.

Hysteria ’22 took off on February 9 with an inaugural field football match with a huge crowd of students, staff and Salesians cheering. There were sixty five events with two thousand and seventy participating students, of which one thousand three hundred and forty one were boys and seven hundred and twenty nine were girls. Helmed together by eight coordinators under the leadership of the chief coordinator Ms. Rachel Noronha, who guided fifty Event Heads to ensure every one of the sixty five Hysteria events took place as scheduled and was conducted smoothly. Of course there were eight department captains and two hundred student volunteers who worked assiduously to make Hysteria ’22 the success that it was. The sheer sense of responsibility displayed by all of them from 6:30 am till 7:30 pm on a daily basis was truly admirable.

The main arena that had everyone’s attention was the inter department sport competitions of field football, basketball, rink football, volley ball, throw ball, kick football, box cricket with the maximum crowd pullers being the marathon race, kabbadi, and tug-o-war. The atmosphere was charged as the players battled it out with their supporters rooting raucously for their teams. The track and field events too had their champions with nail biting finishes. Off the field, there was chess, carom and TT. Music, singing, fashion, dance and speech as well as art display showcased a significantly refined level of talent.

Hysteria is a personal transforming experience that leaves one with that feeling of “Yes I Can” and for some, a moment of serendipity. Every single student who is part of Hysteria undergoes a change for the better. The opportunity to compete, to ideate, to organise, sort out problems, meet challenges, procure resources, build relationships and bonding only happens at Hysteria.

The meticulous planning, the attention to detail, the allocation of responsibilities and the careful monitoring, reporting and documenting, all carried out very proficiently by the students, was not only a great achievement but a wonderful practical experience of event management. As in every major event there are differences in decision making, unexpected flare ups due to the pressure of the game or human error. The maturity and good sense in resolving all these issues to every one’s satisfaction by the student organizers themselves was indeed wonderful to witness.

What makes hysteria extraordinary is that it is a celebration of effort, creativity and talent of the students from all institutions of the Don Bosco Centre for Learning campus assisted by the management and staff at Kurla. It’s an experience that every young person studying on this campus wants to be part of.

When the curtain came down on Hysteria 2022 at 7:30 PM on March 4 with the awards ceremony, there were joyful smiles, teary eyes, loud cheers, hugs and celebratory slogans. Shining cups and medals were triumphantly displayed. Indeed Hysteria 2022 was over but the memory will never fade. Truly Hysteria was a twenty four day Fiesta. Yes, not everyone walked away with a medal but for years to come many will say with a lump in their throat I was there at Hysteria 2022.. Cheers.!!!