With events on each day of the fest, HAS is one of the busiest clubs during Oasis. Amidst all the preparation, Atharva Patil, coordinator of the Hindi Activities Society, managed to take some time out to talk to the Oasis English Press.

HAS begins with Antakshari on Day 0, followed by Mock Parliament on Day 1, a debate competition. One of their longest-running events, Filmy Muqabla—a Bollywood based quiz—takes place the next day.  Another event is Purple Prose, an outreach event for upcoming slam poets. It has ten finalists from six cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Jaipur, Indore, and Hyderabad, as well as one from an online contest.

HAS also organises N2O – the closing show for Oasis, featuring Biswa Kalyan Rath, who is expected to be a major centre of attraction for outstation participants as well as BITSians. Standup Soapbox, another stand-up event with four contestants shall precede N2O. All the events are the same as last year, with the posters and decorations pertaining to Neon-Noir, the theme for this year’s Oasis.

Preparations for the fest started before BOSM, and after stopping for BOSM and mid-semester examinations, they are in full swing again. Atharva stated that the questions for the quiz and debate are being decided upon in a way that will make things interesting for the participants. With many students leaving campus after the mid-semester examinations, Atharva admitted that the workload has increased significantly. He applauded the joint coordinators for segregating the workforce accordingly and the members for taking responsibility to ensure the proper functioning of all the events.

Atharva also mentioned that HAS has grown in size over time, recruiting more juniors, and the number of events has increased with the inclusion of several outreach events and N2O.

Speaking about his experience as the coordinator, he mentioned that it has been fantastic and challenging simultaneously, especially managing the outreach events in multiple cities across India from the campus. The peers and juniors have been helpful and have minimized his stress. All this has helped him evolve as a person.

To the first years who’ll be witnessing their first Oasis, he advised them not to waste their time sleeping and attend as many events as they can.