It isn’t often that you can be part of an art exhibition, a debate, a rock band competition and a street dance all at once, while munching away on global cuisine, sipping free iced coffee and appreciating Shiney Ahuja’s biceps, or Tara Sharma’s sense of humour. This whirlwind experience is a reality for anyone who takes a walk through Malhar, the annual festival of Mumbai’s legendary St Xavier’s College. Verve was one of the carnival’s sponsors this year, and came away infected with the unique sense of joie de vivre and creativity that have always been Malhar’s hallmarks. Now in its 30th year, Malhar was the brainchild of three St Xavier’s students who wanted a platform to bring together the best of student talent in the literary, visual and performing arts from across the city, and give college-goers opportunities to interact and learn from each other outside acadaemia. With activities ranging from tai chi workshops to?street cleanliness drives, the scope of the festival has expanded way beyond its early designs. This year the festival played host to its first ever contingent from across the border, with Lahore University students participating in a cultural exchange with their Indian counterparts from all over the country. It happened to be a great time for Verve to be present and contribute to the festive mood. The Verve photo booth, set in the verdant?college ‘woods’, gave?participating guests the opportunity to get their picture taken in a special Malhar edition Verve cover, which they then received as a framed keepsake, along with a copy of Verve. The booth was powered by Zoomin.com, India’s leading online photo printing service, and the Zoomin team also helped to take the experience online and email free digital copies of the individual photographs to the participants. The booth drew milling crowds of young women, as well as a large number of young men who posed glamourously, in the spirit of the affair.