Quilluminati

Penorama 2025

Penorama ’25 took place this year in collaboration with National Book Trust India, under the theme “Growing Pains,” celebrating the bittersweet journey of growing up and self-discovery. The first day of the event opened with the inauguration of the Book Readers’ Club and its first ever literary discussion on the novella Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag. Competitive events included “Metamorphosis,” a slam poetry competition inspired by Billy Joel’s Vienna, and a creative writing competition, “Rite of Passage.” Day 2 featured author discussions with Arunima Tenzin Tara and Alina Gufran, exploring writing journeys and deeper literary themes. Following that, a lively moderated discussion was held on publishing with Shreya Punj, providing attendees insights into the book publishing industry’s inner workings. Penorama ended on a good note with an in-house workshop with Paridhi Badgotri on the makings of a literary magazine. Informal stations invited visitors to write unsent letters and share advice to their younger selves, deepening the reflective spirit of the fest.

Where I Belong: Reverie’25

On 19 February 2025, Quilluminati hosted “Where I Belong,” a slam poetry competition celebrating identity and belonging. Participants from multiple colleges performed powerful spoken word pieces on heritage, alienation, and home. Judges of the event included notable poets and esteemed college faculty, assessing performances based on originality and emotional resonance. As part of informal events, an interactive visual station displayed personal photos of places and moments of belonging. Another informal activity invited visitors to complete the phrase “Home is where the __ is,” capturing heartfelt memories. All in all, “Where I Belong” created a profound space for vulnerability, storytelling, and connection beyond the stage.

Mukhtalif 2024

In the session of 2024-25, Quilluminati organized Mukhtalif 24-25 on 15 October 2024 on the theme “Of Mothers & Daughters,” exploring daughterhood, motherhood, and generational trauma in Indian society. The event featured a slam poetry competition, “Not a Footnote,” where participants performed pieces based on video prompts, which were clips from famous films. The esteemed panel of judges of ethe aforementioned competition included Jyni Verma, a sociology graduate and spoken word artist, and Molina Singh, founder of Delhi Reads. Following that, an enriching in-house poetry writing workshop was conducted by Ms. Payal Nagpal, a professor specializing in drama studies and literary theory. Last but certainly not least, the interactive informal activities included the signature Wall of Free Speech and Chit Roulette, encouraging visitors to share heartfelt words.

Penorama 2024

Penorama, the annual flagship fest of Quilluminati, the English Creative Writing Society of Gargi College, unveiled its 2024 installment featuring a kaleidoscope of events, from “What’s Past Is Prologue” a creative writing competition traversing eras and perspectives, a slam poetry contest themed “History Repeats” to finally an enlightening panel called “Stories Inherited”  moderated by the Quill student union with the renowned oral historian, Aanchal Malhotra, that shed light on the literary footprints of the Partition of India.

Mukhtalif 2023

Gargi College’s Quilluminati held Mukhtalif 2023 on Nov 1, focusing on “Linguistic Diversity.” It featured a panel discussion “unkahi ya unsuni” with esteemed professors. An on-the-spot writing competition “Lost in Translation” used prompts from various languages. Informal activities comprised the signature Wall of Free Speech and a literary board, “Mirror Mirror on the Wall.” The event concluded with “Upon My Word,” a slam poetry competition centered on language. It featured exceptional performances and was wrapped up beautifully.

Penorama 2023

Quill hosted its flagship event Penorama on March 27 during which it had the honour of inviting the renowned author Dr. Nivedita Menon to talk about Constitutional Morality and the Classroom. Under the aegis of this event, the members organized a slam poetry competition, a creative writing relay, a comic dialogue writing competition and an alternate mythology competition to suggest alternate plots to established mythological tales.