Verba Maximus

BITS Hyderabad

On 25th and 26th of January 2025, the vibrant and colossal campus of BITS Hyderabad provided a platform for hundreds of students from various campuses to showcase their literary prowess as well as their finesse at their annual literary event - Verba Maximus.

Verba Maximus encompasses a series of literary events conducted during a span of 2 days every year - ranging from testing people’s public speaking, creativity and critical thinking skills to emphasizing the importance of team work. The theme for this year was ‘The Echoes of Eden,’ which followed the mythical tale of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden with a few surprising twists and turns at times.

Twenty-six students from SCMS Hyderabad, including first, second, and third-year students, participated in Verba Maximus. The students departed for BITS Hyderabad on the evening of January 24th at 6:20 PM and returned to campus on January 26th at 10:00 PM.

The event provided a multitude and multifarious platform to the students by presenting a grand total of 19 activities for the students to choose from and participate in. Contests such as ‘Sherlocked’, ‘Decipher The Script’, ‘Shipwrecked’, ‘Bollywood Antakshari’, ‘The Escape Room’ and ‘Bamboozled’ tested the critical thinking skills of the contestants and their ability to be an effective team player.

Events such as ‘The Devil’s Advocate,’ ‘Debate Casino,’ and ‘JAM’ tested participants' verbal abilities and how effectively they could overcome stage fright by engaging in mentally stimulating debates, often under time constraints that they had to adhere to. The ‘Geetha Spardha’ event aimed to assess participants’ rote memorization of Bhagavad Geetashlokas and their pronunciation. Other events, such as ‘Alternate Reality Gaming’ and ‘Lexicon League,’ provided platforms for participants to showcase their competency and skill in applying analytical abilities to solve puzzles, crosswords, Wordle, and hidden mysteries in order to unlock answers and find solutions.

Activities such as ‘Yin Yang,’ ‘Rhyme Rodeo,’ ‘HELM,’ and ‘Bullseye’ tested participants' literary finesse and prowess, as well as their ability to spontaneously create poems and stories based on given topics. Meanwhile, the quizzes aimed to challenge participants' knowledge of etymology, history, media, art, and literature, covering both ancient and contemporary works.

It was a proud moment for the students of SCMS-H when they were declared runners-up in the activities that were held. Our beloved third-year team (Shreya, Shailja, Shikhar and Dhruv) – were the runners-up in ‘Bollywood Anktakshari’ and ‘Decipher the Script’, while Varshith secured the second runner-up position in the ‘Shipwrecked’.

Students had the opportunity to experience various perspectives from their peers, challenging their way of thinking and speaking in a unique and unconventional manner. Activities such as ‘Sherlocked’ proved to be both challenging and enriching, as it introduced a new type of activity where students took on the challenge of solving a case by matching clues, interrogating suspects, and forming conclusions and theories, thereby tapping into their memory and analytical skills.

‘The Lexicon League’ allowed participants to engage with the famous game Wordle, while ‘Debate Casino’ provided a unique twist by enabling participants to present their arguments while others placed virtual bets on the contestants' speaking skills. The winners were determined based on the virtual money accumulated by each player, offering a distinctive experience of a casino in the form of a debate.

The other events also proved to be enriching, encouraging students to break free from conventional thinking, embrace creativity, and remain open-minded to new ideas, all while fostering a determination to improve in future competitions. Students are eagerly looking forward to participating in more events like this and exploring new possibilities.