The APOGEE English Press sat down with Lalit Adithya, the CoStAAn for Reception and Accomodation (RecNAcc) to talk about the department’s work and responsibilities leading up to the fest.

RecNAcc is responsible for the accommodation of all outstation participants, guests and artists during the fest. Additionally, they ensure that all clubs and departments working for the fest are provided with the required inventory—ranging from chairs and mattresses to generators.

The preparatory work includes floating out forms to clubs and departments regarding their inventory needs. This is followed by negotiation meets to decide whether these requests are justified, and cut down unnecessary expenditure wherever possible. The vendors are then contacted and negotiation takes place to ensure the best rates possible are offered. A similar procedure is followed for accommodation purposes.

Lalit shared that although they did not face any problems as such, the ongoing road reparation work has been a major disappointment. ‘We were told the construction would be done by March 20, but there has been a delay and it seems like the road wouldn’t be repaired before APOGEE.’ He added that there were concerns of rain during the fest.

This year, the CoStAA has tried emphasizing the technical aspects of the fest. This has led to an increase in the number of technical events being conducted. ‘APOGEE 2022, being the first fest after two years was made more cultural, but this time we’ve tried to revert back to the traditions of the fest,’ Lalit shared.

Talking about his experience as a CoStAAn, he stated that everybody has been very accommodating towards any issues he faced and hoped they could continue working together after the fest.

On a concluding note, Lalit feels grateful that he was able to learn from his seniors and hopes to pass the baton to his juniors. He encouraged everyone to stay during APOGEE and enjoy the fest which everyone has worked hard to prepare for.