Amidst the preparations for Oasis ‘25, Ayushmaan Kumar, the StuCCAn of the Department of Controls, spared some time from his busy schedule to discuss the role they play during the fest.

Ayushmaan said that his department worked primarily on requisitions; other facets of its work included getting permissions for using any institute property, such as classrooms and equipment, through around 800 permission forms.

Ayushmaan then enumerated the department’s various verticals, such as Travel, which was allocated Rs. 16-17 lakhs every year for the booking of cabs and flights for all sponsors, media partners, and all the professional show artists. He continued that his department also prepared judge sheets, wherein a rulebook was maintained for each event. Judges were vetted based on certain criteria. Ayushmaan added that the Department issued certificates and allocated prize money to all the events. He revealed that the total prize pool allocated for this year’s Oasis was Rs. 11 lakh. 

Ayushmaan next stated that Controls handled the scheduling of the entire fest, which was a ‘very dynamic task.’ He said that it prepared the ‘Audi Schedules’ for various campus locations such as the Main Audi, VK Lawns, South Park, NAB Audi, and the Rotunda. Another work-heavy vertical was ‘Audi Controls’, which, Ayushmaan said, consisted of four people and the StuCCAn, and it allocated production at various venues.

Ayushmaan remarked that the Department of Controls was the ‘apex authority’ as far as the logistics of the fest are concerned. He explained that the entire Inauguration—including mess coupons, registrations, backstage lights, and scripting—was organised by his department.

Speaking about his newest recruits, Ayushmaan said that the first year students were recruited on a volunteering basis, and they helped out in registrations and distribution of mess coupons, etc. Work-intensive verticals were handled by students from the second and third years. The StuCCAn said that his department started its planning two months before the fest. It released various forms that were filled out by other StuCCAns and Coordinators, and this served as a reference point to plan the fest.

Ayushmaan then described the occasional setbacks the department faced, saying they were mostly financial concerns over travel bookings. He added that he ‘appreciated’ the StuCCAn, Finance and CRC in their decision to give the travel advances in time. Another problem faced by the Department was the distribution of AV Lab equipment among the various clubs and departments. To tackle this, Ayushmaan said that Controls organised control meetings and Event Pitching Meets (EPMs). He named missing equipment at various venues to be another possible issue, but was confident in his department’s planning for Oasis ‘25.

As the StuCCAn, Ayushmaan said that it was pivotal for him to maintain ‘high morale’ amongst the workforce. He added that he was using his experience of the last eight fests, alongside guidance from his seniors, to plan the fest effectively. He urged BITSians to have an ‘appreciative attitude’ towards the fest departments. He ended with a declaration that his department had tried to include many highlight events—such as four SAC parties, a rave, two Red Bull events, and two headliners for Rocktaves—which had ‘not happened in many years.’