LEVERAGE 2025

“Anyone who is not investing now is missing a tremendous opportunity.”

— Carlos Slim.

The Bhawanipur Education Society College hosted its first-ever edition of the inter-college annual stock market fest, Leverage, on 12th and 13th June 2025, delivering two thrilling days of strategy, simulation, and investment battles—celebrating intellect, risk-taking, and financial acumen. It was an initiative of the Stock Market Collective of BESC – Bull’s Eye. The festival was successfully conducted through eight dynamic events across various college venues over two consecutive days. This two-day inter-college fest was themed around “The Thrills of the Stock Market” and involved world strategies, sharp decision-making, and relentless energies where challenges met stock markets every minute.

OPENING CEREMONY:
Leverage 2025 began with the Opening Ceremony in the Jubilee Hall of the college campus at 10:30 A.M. The Rector and Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Dilip Shah, proceeded onto the stage and welcomed the audience. In his words, “Leverage is an event like no other, and such inter-college events are hardly witnessed in the city of Kolkata.” He also shared that throughout the day, some would make profits and some would incur losses. The winners would go home with a trophy, but everyone would return with valuable experiences—and that is the purpose of Leverage 2025.
In India, only five per cent of the population is involved in the financial market, whereas in the United States, fifteen per cent of the population is associated with it. Hence, India too needs to see growth in this regard, and events like Leverage encourage youth to actively participate in financial markets. Soon, it was time for the investiture ceremony, where the various department heads of the managing committee were felicitated and appreciated for the work they did behind the scenes.
BESC College Representative of Leverage 2025 and the Representative of Bull’s Eye Collective, Rishi Agarwal, went up on stage to share a few words with the spectators. In his words, “We as traders wake up every morning at 9:00 A.M., and exactly at 9:15 A.M., we sit back at our computer screens. When the world craves those extra minutes of rest, we crave those extra pennies of wealth in our pockets.” With that, Leverage 2025 was officially declared open.

COMMODITY CRUSH:
This was a two-day event held on both 12th and 13th June 2025 in Room No. 545 of the college campus. It revolved around the dynamic world of commodity trading, exploring the latest trends, trading techniques, and risk management practices crucial for success in commodities. The event followed real stock market timings, starting at 9:00 A.M. and ending at 3:30 P.M. There were three participating teams, each with two members. The team with the highest profits at the end was declared the winner. Each team had to execute at least five trades per day and recorded their trades on A4 sheets, noting buying price, selling price, and quantity.

TRADE AND THRIVE:
This event took place on 12th June 2025 in the Concept Hall from 11:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Each team had a minimum of two and a maximum of three participants. The event was conducted in four rounds. The first round tested participants’ general knowledge of the commodity market. Based on performance, a corpus fund was allotted for the next three rounds, allowing teams to purchase commodities from BESC’s virtual exchange. Trades were recorded with a facilitator. The last round involved a Barter Market. Final portfolios were assessed based on diversity, value, and strategic use of resources. Winners were declared based on portfolio value and performance.

BESC BROKERS BATTLE:
Held on 12th June 2025 in Jubilee Hall from 11:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., this was a stock prediction challenge testing instincts and decision-making. Nine teams participated, each with one investor and one expert. The judge was Shivam Jain, Business Developer and Manager at Ashika. The event had five core rounds and an additional bonus round. Teams predicted stock movement based on news, information, and data, and later pitched to the judge. Top teams made it to a final round where they assessed company fundamentals and pitched buy/hold/sell strategies.

CANDLE CRUSH:
A two-day event on 12th and 13th June 2025, held in the Career Connect Room beside 4A Hall. It focused on derivative trading, especially Futures and Options. Five teams, each with two or three members, participated. The event ran from 9:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M., following real-time market hours. The team with the highest profit won.

CAPITAL QUEST:
This venture pitch event was held on 12th June 2025 in Society Hall from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. It mirrored the format of Shark Tank, offering a platform for startups to secure funding. Each team had 2–4 participants and 8 minutes to pitch. The judge, Shivam Saha, a Chartered Accountant with experience in firms like Emraan Hashmi Films Pvt Ltd and ED-A-Mamma, provided insights and feedback.

STALK-A-STOCK:
This two-day event, held on 12th and 13th June 2025 in the Career Connect Room, focused on cash and equity trading. Three teams participated. Trading ran from 9:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M., and profits determined the winners.

STOCK WARS:
Held on 13th June 2025 in Jubilee Hall from 10:30 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., this auction-based event saw 15 teams build portfolios using virtual funds through live bidding. Unsold stocks were re-auctioned. Judge Shreyansh Rastogi presided.

INDICATOR INSIGHT:
Held on 13th June 2025 in the Concept Hall from 11:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M., this quiz event had teams of two identify indicators and describe them. Five teams participated, and the one with the most correct answers won.

CLOSING CEREMONY:
The ceremony featured guest speakers Mr. Vivek Jaiswal of TrendBull Academy, who emphasized the importance of market research, and Mr. Vineet Patwari, co-founder of StockEdge and Elearnmarkets, who inspired students to seek high-return opportunities. Both were felicitated by Prof. Dilip Shah.

The Prize Distribution Ceremony followed. Key winners included:

• Commodity Crush: The Bhawanipur Education Society College
• Trade and Thrive: 1st – Calcutta University, 2nd – St. Xavier’s College, 3rd – BESC
• BESC Brokers Battle: 1st – BESC, 2nd – Heramba Chandra College, 3rd – JD Birla
• Candle Crush: 1st – St. Xavier’s, 2nd – BESC OTSE
• Capital Quest: 1st – St. Xavier’s, 2nd – BESC OTSE, 3rd – JD Birla
• Stalk-A-Stock: 1st – BESC, 2nd – St. Xavier’s
• Stock Wars: 1st – St. Xavier’s, 2nd – Subhash Institute of Technology, 3rd – Ashutosh College
• Indicator Insight: 1st – BESC Main, 2nd – BESC OTSE

Overall Champions: 1st – St. Xavier’s College
Runners-Up: The Bhawanipur Education Society College

Rishi Agarwal, College Representative and head of Bull’s Eye, expressed gratitude to the faculty and volunteers, thanking them for bringing his brainchild “Leverage” to life. The ceremony concluded at 6:00 P.M.

Reporter — Moubani Maity,

Photographer — Agrag Ghosh, Gourav Choudhury, Aman Pal, Parthaa Bihani, Spandan Samanta