Noir is a genre of entertainment that is characterized by cynicism, moral ambiguity, and overall bleakness. Neon, on the other hand, is associated with bright fluorescent colours.

For the average BITSian, Pilani is shrouded in mystery. We generally don’t know what terrors lurk in its darkest corners, and we rarely attempt to venture into them. The campus, on the other hand, we know like the backs of our hands. We’ve explored every inch of it, and so come to associate it with the feeling of comfort and security. 

To us, this campus is an island. Pilani, on the other hand, is a town in the middle of nowhere. And in that vein, us BITSians are all people who have been dragged from their homes from across the country to this random village — a veil of sorts being drawn between us and the outside world. Inside this space of ours, we create our own culture, words, and mannerisms. As a result, we often feel separated from Pilani and its quaint residents, looking at them as outsiders. 

Oasis itself happens to be that time of the year when the difference between the town and the campus is at its most apparent. We suddenly notice with even more clarity how isolated this place actually is. In how strongly used we are to the hermitage of Pilani and its quiet life, we see even more starkly the difference between this place and the outside world. Because during Oasis, for once, the campus actually brims with life. In the events and the food and the free time, we realize that the world we used to occupy is pretty much as mundane as college life could get. And this contrast stands quite sharply against the backdrop of Pilani, which seems to still be its inactive, dark self.

In addition, we also tend to take seriously only the happenings within the institute. We become so strongly involved in the local politics and in our careers that we tend to ignore largely the happenings of the town this institute happens to occupy. And given that we already know little about the town to begin with, this approach of not caring about it further makes us even more distanced from the town. This leads to us thinking that everything that is of importance happens only within this institute, with everything else seeming either unimportant or hard to understand. The campus is also becoming more self-sufficient as time passes. 

Earlier, without Looters and ANC and the like, it made sense to venture out to Pizzeria to find good food. Without Amazon, it made sense to go out and buy our functional needs. Now, we just have everything right here with us. In that sense, we at this year of the institute have such few reasons to actually go out and explore Pilani, it makes sense that most of us end up not doing it altogether.

But then again, all that does is add to the effect of BITS being our safe, hallowed ground. And (as you may or may not have guessed based on the title of this article) it is also what leads us to think of the college as the true neon to the noir that is Pilani. Because just like the idea of neon representing searing fluorescence, the university shines like a beacon, holding back the mist that envelopes the town. Holding back the noir that exists outside. The noir that we, honestly, couldn’t care less about.