Psenti Article

This was the last article that I wrote for the "Fine Print" as a member of the English Press Club.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." This quote truly sums up my state of mind these days. It's quite difficult to believe that it is already time to bid adieu to the place that I called home for the last three and a half years. Though it's hard to digest, the sooner we come into terms with the fact that change is the only thing that is permanent in life, the better it is for us. These years spent at Pilani have immensely contributed in shaping who I am and have helped me understand what I stand for. College days truly stand out from the rest of our years as it is here where we are high on adrenalin as well as idealism, a combination which can work wonders if honed properly. It's in college where you identify your call and start working in that direction. I am happy to have made full use of most of the opportunities that came my way in college. One thing that truly makes BITS stand out is the kind of exposure we get not just from our very well structured pedagogy but also from the gamut of extra curricular activities that go on side by side where we get to explore our creative sides. It goes without saying that I'll miss this campus a lot and leaving Pilani would create a void, quite difficult to fill. What I would certainly miss the most would be my friends, people who have truly made every moment of my stay at college memorable. Not being able to see a lot of them for a long time to come is something that makes me feel sad. Clinging on these wonderful memories, I look forward to making use of all this wonderful place has endowed me with, to live up to the name of this esteemed institution

APOGEE 2k8

The Department of Sponsorship at BITS-Pilani is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that APOGEE 2k8 doesn’t fade into oblivion for a very long time. The techfest is poised to break all previous records in terms of the amount of sponsorship received. The budget allocation is about eighteen lakhs which includes more than ten lakhs of sponsorship money. The corresponding figure for last year, about seven lakhs, turns pale in comparison to the amount this year. The phenomenal rise was the result of the untiring efforts put in by the entire department. The publicity brochure that came out this year not just marketed events but also laid special emphasis on the design and project competitions and the categorization of projects. The quantum leap in the amount of sponsorship will translate into even more attractive prize money for the various events.

APOGEE 2k8 also marks the entrance of hordes of new sponsors besides the regular ones. For the first time we will be having an official travel partner, merchandise partner as well as a fashion partner. A substantial amount of money is being pumped in by Gold and Silver sponsors such as SAIL, Netapp, Infosys, Google and Wipro. Texas Instruments is chipping in by donating kits for Digital Signal Processing. The media coverage that APOGEE is and will be getting is also unprecedented. Chip Magazine and PC Quest, the print media partners are coming out with a full page advertisement on APOGEE in their respective magazines. Leading dailies such as Hindustan Times and The Times of India and media channels such as India TV and ETV have agreed to give extensive coverage to the techfest. Online forum Pagalguy.com is helping by putting up an APOGEE advertisement banner on its website. Though we still have a long way to go in attracting more participants, the results this year are quite encouraging. If we continue to put in such efforts, the day is not far when APOGEE will truly become a quality pan-India technical festival.

Psychedelia 2k7

As promised, Oasis 2k7 was truly a psychedelic experience. It kicked off to a spectacular inaug with dazzling fireworks and was able to keep adrenaline levels high throughout the 96 hours. The fest was packed with brilliant events that never failed to enthrall the participants and keep their enthusiasm high. Most people would agree that this Oasis outdid Oasis 2k6, with the increase in sponsorship money being the main factor behind this. Most of it was, as always, was spent on arranging the Prof Shows. Prize money for most of the events saw an upward trend as compared to the last year. Meticulous planning ensured that the prize money was distributed as planned without any major alterations.

Scheduling of events, on the whole, was done quite well by Controlz. There was almost no clash between major events although quite a lot of people were surprised that Axetacy and Oasis Quiz (OQ) were held around the same time. Scheduling of the prof. shows should have been done more efficiently. Set-up and dismantling ate away precious Audi slots. Better co-ordination between departments and clubs would help in making the schedule smoother.

If there is one thing that should be done to make Oasis bigger and better, it would be providing better and increasing the accommodation. A lot of outstation participants were ruing their lot because of the type of accommodation they were provided. Many of those who were putting up at the staff quarters complained of lack of basic amenities. Security was another concern among the outstation participants, especially the girls. Because of limited accommodation available here, PCR had to put a cap on the maximum number of participants from many of the colleges. This led to a lot of disenchantment among the outstis, as at the last moment they had to cut down on the students that were participating in the various events. Despite these constraints, Rec n Acc put up a brave front and ran their show smoothly.

This year also saw the first yearites giving complete thumbs down to their cultural fest. This happens almost every year but the scale on which it happened this year around was quite intriguing. Leading the pack, the otherwise vibrant Ashok Bhawan wore a completely deserted look with most of wings reduced to a series of locked doors. More than 100 of the 146 first yearites that Ashok Bhawan houses had left Pilani during Oasis. Quite a few second and third yearites also headed home during the same time. These are the people who’ll be in charge of the fest in times to come.

The sponsorship reached an all-time high this year. The title sponsors, State Bank of India (SBI) and Vodafone pumped in more than nine lakh rupees (more than 3/4th of the entire sponz money). Other sponsors such as Gazelle, JAM also helped financially. Posters publicizing Oasis 2k7 were put up at all the Café Coffee Day outlets in Delhi and Jaipur. The official website for Oasis 2k7, whose aim was to spread awareness about the fest, was put up quite late this time around and also left out some essential details. Uploading the site a few months before the event kicks off would ensure more publicity and sponsors. Drawing more people to fest would definitely help in fetching more money from sponsors as they are assured of more publicity.

Oasis this time around came of age in terms of getting big names on campus. Brands such as Domino’s and Café Coffee Day set up their stalls here and did brisk business. BITSians, who generally don’t have access such eateries in town, made the most of it. Channel [V] interactive session hosted by VJs Neil and Juhi in Audi saw a huge turnout. VJ Luke Kenny was the judge for Rocktaves. The Paintball Wars, which was sponsored by Mountain Dew, was also a new event, but failed to attract a huge turnout. Big brands making their presence felt during Oasis point to the fact that our cult fest is only going to bigger and better in the years to come.