BITS Pilani is undergoing a metamorphosis and its transformation in keeping with the theme of the 50th Oasis, Demesne of Lost Gold, is being led by the Department of Art, Design, and Publicity (ADP). Panels, posters, podiums, structures, themed streets and auditorium decor showcasing the bonanzas on offer and building up the momentum and expectations for the fest are due to the efforts of ADP.
The StuCCAn, Rhythm Saxena, said, ‘Days and nights are melting into one and the ADP is operating endlessly to create huge monolith panels showcasing the theme of the fest and highlighting event-specific details.’ Coming to the division of work in ADP, Rhythm said that the creative wing of ADP is divided into painting and erection of structures, while the publicity wing focuses on social media outreach.
Outlining his role, Rhythm elaborated that the coordination across clubs, departments, and other StuCCAns, along with motivating his department to perform consistently, formed a major part of his duties. He also said that the department has been pivotal in designing the theme and logo of the fest. He added that bringing in media partners along with Youtubers and Instagrammers is also an important task of ADP. He said that the highlight of the decor will be the four Audi panels signifying the four elements, where the structures erected shall be “manifestations” of the theme.
Rhythm traced the history of the department, which was initially Art and Design but slowly expanded to include publicity in 2015. He pointed out that the decor structures and panels that were erected during Oasis before the NAB premises came into existence, were very different from what they are now. Over the years, ADP has expanded its footprints on the campus and has taken on more tasks and decor work.
Rhythm highlighted that the main challenges for ADP were the budgetary constraints and the gap of three years between the Oasis 2019 and the 50th edition in 2022, with three batches of students unaware of the Oasis ethos. He added that ADP is working hard to bridge the gap and make this fest a grand success.
For the BITSians, Rhythm pointed out that for sustenance in ADP, “you do not just require interest, but passion as well”, since ADP has long, irregular working hours and needs to “huddle together like a family.” ‘Primarily, there was motivation required at a sustained level to keep on working on the decor structures. Next, it was maintaining the optimum quality of the creations, along with making this edition of Oasis a complete showstopper.’