Sashank Sai, the coordinator of the Poetry Club, took time out of his busy schedule to talk to the Oasis English Press about the club’s work during the fest.

The biggest event organized by the Poetry club during Oasis is “Rap Wars”, in which aspiring rappers from various colleges across India participate to showcase their skill. This is the seventh edition of “Rap Wars”, and the club is organizing it in collaboration with Resonance Studios, Bangalore. The preliminary rounds were held in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, and the winners of those rounds will battle it out during the finals to claim the top spot.

The club is also working on a new event, “Galleria”, which is an exhibition of poems, stories, and quotes. Since everything had to be written by hand, preparations for Galleria started right after the mid-semester exams. “Tambola Tales” is another new event organized by the Poetry club. It is essentially the game Tambola with a poetic twist.

Sashank said that his journey as the club coordinator helped him grow. Each and every one of his responsibilities, from dealing with budget constraints to collaborating with external partners, taught him something new. Rap Wars, in particular, demanded a lot of work, as it is an outreach event held at a large scale. Getting equipment ready on time and bringing in sponsors and partners required a great deal of effort. Sashank praised the club’s proactive members and said that even though their work was hectic, everything ran fairly smoothly.

Sashank advised second years to keenly observe how things are done during the fest, as they would be managing everything next year. He asked the first-year students to sit back and enjoy their first Oasis as much as they can. ‘Stay awake. Get those shots of coffee ready. It’ll be fun,’ he said, before signing off.