Riviera 2026 at VIT concludes

As the sun began to fade, the spacious Silver Jubilee Tower’s playground at VIT’s Vellore campus was lit up by actor Genelia Deshmukh on the fourth and concluding day of Riviera 2026 on Sunday.

The playground was fully occupied by students as the actor stepped onto the stage with other dignitaries for the day – G. Viswanathan, founder-chancellor (VIT), Sankar Viswanathan and Sekar Viswanathan, vice-presidents, VIT.

Ms. Genelia wished the energetic audience and advised them to work hard in their respective career to make the country proud. “Students should chase their dreams and achieve them. It will not only make them proud but also the country as well,” she said.  

In her interaction with students, she was asked about her career as an actress, her mentor, about relieving stress, and the most challenging role ever she did. “Ritesh Deshmukh and my children are my stress relief. Belief in yourself has always motivated me during challenging times,” she said.

In his presidential address, Mr. Vishwanathan thanked everyone, including the organisers, for doing a commendable job in organising such a mega event in a short time. The four-day event had over 18,000 participants, including from 30 countries.

At Riviera 2026, a new tiered Proshow Pass system was also introduced, offering diamond, gold, and silver categories. The festival witnessed a wide variety of events, including music and dance competitions in solo, group, and battle formats; literary and debate tournaments across associations; esports, and gaming tournaments.

The total prize money for Riviera 2026 will exceed ₹25 lakhs. The overall championship for the cultural event was won by VIT Chennai while VIT Vellore bagged the championship for sports. The Hindu is the print media partner of the event.