Nagpur: The excitement gained momentum on the third day of 'Athena Fest', a cultural and literary extravaganza organized by Hislop College in association with The Times Of India at their campus on Friday.'LitMasters' a patent competition of the college, 'Quizzistan' conducted by an excellent orator Supantha Bhattacharyya and 'Solo Singing Finals' were the highlights of the day. With vibrant posters and props around the campus, the arena was charged up with young energy.Celebrating the beauty of literature, LitMasters is a unique event where contestants bring their favourite literary characters to life or walk in the shoes of their favourite authors. Their acting skill, confidence, resemblance and knowledge about the subject is tested.Juliet from Shakespeare's romantic tragedy, Hinu Monk Swami Vivekananda, flight purser Neerja Bhanot, Bellatrix Lestrange, a dark witch from the famous Harry Potter series by JK Rowling and Dr Hannibal Lecter, forensic psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer in a suspense novel by Thomas Harris were among the characters played by literature enthusiasts this year.It was a thrilling experience for the attendees as they could see the imaginary characters in flesh and blood. "LitMasters is the most happening competition and an amazing way to make someone fall in love with books," said last year's winner Shweta Umre, who played Bellatrix this time. She stole the show and gave chills with her phenomenal performance depicting the Lord Voldemort's disciple."It requires extensive research on the body language and mannerism of the character to justify it. Being exposed to the intellectual audience and presenting your act in front of expert panel of judges, helps you grow by leaps and bounds", said theatre actor and arts student Harsh Mahatme on playing Lecter.'Quizzistan' was a big hit among student too as the contestants and audience showed equal enthusiasm. Bhattacharyya's excellent control over the crowd through his engaging tactics and language command raised the bars of the show.While speaking to TOI, he said, "Most questions were based on trivia today and to crack them one must be a keen observer and regular reader. With every passing year, the quizzing culture is becoming very popular in the city."Describing the prosperity which follows Athena, faculty member Shirin Badar said, "Every year people from different walks of life come under an umbrella and meet people of similar interest. They socialize and form their own groups and work collaboratively to represent Nagpur on a national scale."(With inputs from Monika Pande)

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