Humour. Sentimentality. Drama. Al Pacino. Pygmalion. Were what the LitSoc elocution was filled with. On Friday evening at CLT, one brilliant performer after another either had the audience laughing their heads off, or held them riveted with punching monologues.
There was a fair amount of originality in the pieces performed, and this was rewarded by the judges. Pojo, who unsurprisingly won first place, transformed three famous monologues (from Pygmalion, Scent of a Woman and Ingluorious Basterds) into a play on the rule of eighty five percent attendance. It was an
excellent recast into a hilarious piece, delivered with perfect clarity and punch.
Lollipop’s power-packed delivery of Al Pacino’s monologue from Scent of a Woman came a very close second. Third went to Sharanya, who recited from The Vagina Monologues.
Three speakers parodied Italian accents, and one recited, in a heavy Tamilian accent, a mail that went out on smail recently, appealing for the return of a stolen laptop. Insti jokes, especially one-liners about the attendance requirement, flowed freely all through the event.
The unfortunate lack of a packed audience belied the quality of the speakers.
One of the judges, at the end, talked about the four levels of humour; placing takes on people’s accents – Mallu, Tam, Chinese, and so on – at the lowest level, and so-called self-deprecatory humour at the highest. Giving the example of jokes about George Bush’s lack of wisdom, he classified Intellectual
Snobbery at the second level.
Saras and Sharav dominated the show, with all six participants winning places, and the show ended in shouts of “Go Sharas!”
Results
1. Pojo, Saras
2. Lollipop, Saras
3. Sharanya, Sharav
4. Abacus, Jamuna
5. Jojo, Jamuna
6. Vaaruni, Sharav
7. Kavitha, Sharav
8. SOS, Saras
Special Mention: Bharath (Tapti)
