With Oasis right around the corner, Sarthak Sahu of ARBITS was a difficult man to find. Despite his hectic schedule, the co-ordinator agreed to sit down for a short interview.

The members of the club share a love for rock music, and organise several events during Oasis. Namely, Rocktaves, Axetacy and Drums Duel (in collaboration with Gurukul), Music Quiz (in collaboration with ELAS), and a couple of Professional shows.

Rocktaves is one of the most popular rock competitions in India and sees several bands playing a variety of genres, ranging from soft blues-rock, to heavy metal. The event has catapulted plenty of new talent into the spotlight, a few among which are bands such as Parikrama, Euphoria and Indian Ocean. This year, eliminations were held across seven different cities, with almost a hundred teams fighting for a spot in the final. Rocktaves will be held at midnight on the second day, with an opening act preceding the main event.

The traditional all-English Prof show has taken a deviation from the norm, with the addition of a Hindi band to the set. The show will include bands such as Parvaaz, Ganesh Talkies and Submarine in Space.

When asked about his experience as co-ordinator, Sarthak spoke about how the experience has helped broaden his musical horizons.

While a countrywide rock competition may sound exciting, the logistics and organisation are a nightmare, with problems cropping up at a startling frequency. Finding suitable venues and time slots, while balancing travel budgets and prize money for the bands is no mean feat. Obtaining travel grants are also troublesome, and the club’s shoestring budget did them no favours.

Despite all the difficulties, Sarthak remarked that this is to be the best Oasis yet. With a lot of big names on board and a skilled co-ordinator to boot, one expects his predictions to come true.