The NSS coordinator, Shubham Ostwal, is a busy person. After numerous fruitless attempts, the Oasis English Press was able to interview him, albeit over the phone. The telephonic conversation revealed a sense of utmost dedication and involvement – exactly what NSS is known for.

Since its establishment, NSS has grown leaps and bounds, and now has seven departments in total – NSS school, Computer Literature Program (CLP), Health and Public Awareness (HPA), Project Umang, English and Personality Development (EPD), Parishodh, and Events and Publicity. Their work includes schooling local kids, organising health and awareness camps, providing scholarships to deserving and needy students, teaching basics of computer science and English amongst other things. Parishodh in particular, comes up with technical solutions for problems concerning nearby villages. Presently, Rainwater Harvesting is a project being implemented by them with assistance and inputs from a few professors.

Like last year, NSS will be setting up stalls for Oasis. The venture, which saw participation from seventeen NGOs last year is returning and hopes to continue its successful run. Handmade products physically sourced from these NGOs will be sold at the stalls. Different people from NSS will be managing the stalls at different points of time. Organising an event of such scale requires considerable effort and planning. ‘Necessary preparations began from August. NGOs were contacted, and brought on board. Post fest, the unsold goods and revenues will be returned to the NGOs’, remarks Shubham.

When questioned about the challenges and difficulties they face, Shubham, in a measured tone, listed them out, only to quickly dismiss them as something enjoyable. ‘Contacting new NGOs and persuading them to trust this platform is the difficult part’, he said. Work is equally distributed among the volunteers over the four days of the fest.

With over a hundred people working tirelessly for a cause close to their hearts, Shubham would like the BITSian community to encourage these NGOs by visiting these stalls; if not to make a purchase, at the very least to know the aim they are working towards. ‘The end goal is to promote their work. If that is achieved, then the event can be regarded a success’, he said, in conclusion.