More than 200 members of the IIT family—including students, alumni, staff and administrators came together on Saturday, November 5th, 2011 for the annual IIT Graduation Ball themed ‘The Masquerade’.
The event at Cinnamon Lakeside - Colombo, saw guests don festive masquerade masks, ranging from the simple to the dazzling. Attendees wined and dined in style as they danced into the night, stopping only for a bevy of prizes and surprises given to various guests, which included awards for the best dancer –male and female, best dancing couple, Bombshell of the eve, Grad-King and Grad-Queen as well as best ‘drunken master’ style dancer.
 The sold-out event—spearheaded by the Student Union 2010/2011 with support by the Management of Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT)—received support from student representatives of all batches. Tickets were in high demand, selling out in a mere two weeks, leaving more than 100 hopefuls on the official waiting list for a coveted spot.
The IIT Masquerade Ball was produced in line with the vision of student union President Amal for a more unified student community at the university.
During his inaugural dialogue with union members in November 2010, Amal mentioned students “chuckle” when they are questioned regarding breaking barriers that have existed across all batches.
Inspired by his President’s ‘one IIT’ vision, Tharaka De Alwis, Entertainment director of the Student union 2010/2011, took on the ambitious task of organizing a masquerade ball in the 2011 fall semester. “The IIT Masquerade Ball saw the amalgamation of a spectacular venue with fantastic entertainment, as well as an incredible response from the IIT community,” said De Alwis.
“However, the most exciting aspect was the intention behind the event, to unite IIT for one night.”Tharaka’s intention was to provide an opportunity for both students and alumni to connect, to create friendship and dialogue. “If students and alumni of the institute are given the opportunity to overcome differences and connect on a social level, amazing things can happen.
We wanted to create an atmosphere in which the entire IIT community could come together in one room. We wanted to not only celebrate the diversity in our amazing community, but also build relationships, creating a university that is stronger and more unified,” he said.
De Alwis hopes the newly appointed student union 2011/2012 will replicate the GradBall’s success in 2012.
“Based on the success of the event, we’re already looking to make it even more spectacular next year,” he noted.
“It was an honor to bring our university together for one night. I believe the Masquerade Ball was a step in the right direction towards a more unified IIT community.” |
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