St Aloysius Pre-University College hosted its annual inter-school and inter-collegiate cultural fest, Pre-unique 2026, themed Lumiora: A guiding light, on 6 and 7 November.

Nearly 1,450 students from over 43 schools and PU colleges took part in the two-day fest.

The inaugural ceremony commenced with an invocation, the ceremonial lighting of the lamp, a welcome dance and the unveiling of the fest logo.

Principal Fr Clifford Sequeira SJ welcomed the gathering, encouraged students to discover their potential, explore their talents and strive towards becoming well-rounded individuals, and said education extends beyond academic achievements.

Guests urge students to follow their passions

Chief guest Manikanth Kadri, film score composer and singer and an alumnus who was a member of the School Brass Band, urged students to pursue their passions with determination, discipline and perseverance.

He said struggles and failures are integral to success and that one's background does not determine one's future.

Guest of honour Namratha Mohan, social media influencer and alumna, encouraged students to make the most of their time at the institution.

A special moment was the felicitation of Athish S Shetty, a student of I PU, who received the best child artist award at the 72nd National Film Awards for his performance in the Kannada feature film Mithya.

Competitions across art, culture and ideas

The fest featured competitions including Mr and Ms Pre-unique, Bharathanatyam, folk dance, fashion show, debate, JAM, mock press, poetry writing, photography, science still model, quiz, yakshagana, Sanskrit recitation, stock market, ai build-off, reel making, news bulletin, build a nation and treasure hunt.

Students took part across a wide range of events over the two days.

The competitions gave students a platform to show their talent and creativity.

The occasion was graced by Fr Anthony Derrick SJ, campus minister; Muralikrishna G M and Vilma Fernandes, vice principals; Inas Dias and Kiran Shetty, deans; Sumaiyya, PTA secretary; Ashit Sudesh, student president; and student co-convenors Rayan Pinto, Avina D'Souza, Ashwathy S and Divin K K.

Valedictory and results

The valedictory chief guest was Shubham Ramesh Vernekar, founder of Flo and Swasth, designer, innovator and AI product owner, who spoke on the thought that change is the only constant and closed with the message: "Keep learning, keep growing and keep flowing."

In the High School category, St Agnes CBSE School emerged overall champion, St Aloysius Gonzaga School and Cambridge High School jointly secured the first runner-up position, and St Teresa High School bagged the second runner-up position.

In the Pre-university category, St Agnes PU College clinched the overall championship, followed by Canara PU College as first runner-up and Sharada PU College as second runner-up.

Staff convenors Diana Joseph, Aneesh SR, Joseph George, Preethal Kumari, Jayalakshmi, Loy Meldon, Himanshu and Navyashree contributed to the conduct of the fest.

The fest was reported on 8 November 2026 at 1.12 pm.