Every year, NSS BITS Pilani organises Junoon, a pre-BOSM event for specially-abled children from across the country. The BOSM English Press spoke to Hemant Kumar, the NSS Junoon Coordinator, to know more about the event.

On October 8 and 9, 2022, 140 participants will arrive from seven different NGOs. Hemant emphasised on the fact that they had started the preparation for Junoon three months prior to the event in order to ensure smooth and successful conduction. Since special care and attention is required for all the participants, NSS has ensured that each child has a specific volunteer to cater to his/her needs. Though taking care of the participants in places such as GymG and SAC is extremely work intensive, Hemant has made sure that the children do not face any discomfort in this event.

The NGOs will arrive before 2 PM on October 8, 2022. The Junoon inauguration ceremony would take place in SAC at 4 PM, and Col. Vishal Ahlawat will be gracing the event as Chief Guest. The inauguration would be followed by indoor activities such as badminton and table tennis, along with recreational activities, being held in SAC, including dance, music and a performance by the Mime Club, Karaoke Club and ComHub. The children would get the opportunity to have dinner with the chief guest,  Col. Vishal Ahlawat.

GymG will host eight to ten athletic events on Day Two, including 100m race, relay race, shot put, long jump and many interesting activities. These events will occur under the supervision of the volunteers and referees. After the medal distribution ceremony, the Junoon Nite will commence. Hemant stated that the event will involve movie screenings, campus tour, performances by the Poetry, Music, Dance club and comhub.

Hemant stated that organising an event as mammoth as Junoon has been a very hectic task, since NSS is primarily the only team conducting the event along with help from other departments. This year, due to changes in the admission processes, the freshers, who form the basis of the volunteering team are absent, with their responsibilities transferred to the second years. However, he asserts that the team is capable of managing the event and are aware of their responsibilities. 

Since the children participating in the event will be interacting with the students of BITS, Hemant urges the students to be more cooperating and understanding. Finally, he stressed upon the importance of Junoon and invited the BITSians to be actively involved in it.