Lucknow, Feb. 7 -- The first day of Manfest-Varchasva 2026, the popular B-school fest, at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIML) opened its gates for students and colleges across India, marking an electrifying start to three days of ideas, culture, and celebration. Day 1 was anchored by a powerful lineup of Leaders' Express sessions, where eminent leaders -Sunil Mehta, chairman of IndusInd Bank, Rajeshwar Singh, MLA from Sarojini Nagar, Asmita Satyarthi, CEO of the Satyarthi Movement, and Nishant Kumar Sinha, founder of Roastery Coffee House, shared real-world insights drawn from governance, finance, entrepreneurship, and social impact. Addressing the audience, Dr Rajeshwar Singh highlighted his own life journey noting that life does not follow fixed plans, but rewards adaptability, integrity, and continuous learning. He described politics as the most challenging form of management, explaining that an MLA simultaneously performs multiple roles-visionary leadership, execution oversight, crisis management, stakeholder engagement, and grievance redressal-often on a 24x7 basis. The cultural arena came alive with a rich blend of expression and competition. Events such as Vibes (freestyle solo dance competition), Taal (classical dance competition), Halla Bol (street play competition), and Sur (solo-singing competition) showcased exceptional talent from across campuses. Adding to the excitement, the arena brought together teams from IIM Lucknow, IIM Indore, XLRI, and FMS head-to-head across a range of sporting events such as badminton, basketball, football, cricket, etc. On the management front, Season 4 of Vridhi, the social impact case competition, blended strategy with purpose. Alongside it, Qrioso, the quiz competition, drew enthusiastic participation and engagement. As the sun set on an action-packed day, anticipation built for the evening's techno-sufi night headlined by Bismil-ki-Mehfil. htc...