With Oasis right around the corner, the Oasis English Press sat down with the coordinator of Gurukul, Aditya Anand, in their practice room to learn more about the club’s activities for the upcoming fest.

Aditya shared that Gurukul hosts three events for Oasis every year – “Axetacy”, “Drum Duels”, and “Free Jam”. Axetacy and Drum Duels are competitions for guitarists and drummers respectively, while Free Jam is an event held at the food stalls where a stage is open to whoever wishes to perform. He also mentioned that for the first time, Gurukul plans to perform a set of their own during Free Jam. 

Furthermore, Aditya mentioned that in addition to these events, Gurukul is also participating in “Tarang”, a fusion band competition organised by the Department of Theatre. When asked for a sneak peek into their setlists, Aditya simply remarked that ‘if you enjoyed Dhwani, you should pull up for Tarang and Free Jam as we have some bangers lined up.’

When asked about the preparations for Oasis, he stated that the workload is considerably lighter than their usual Nite setup as there is a huge downscaling on the number of people performing in the events. Having started practice only a week before Tarang, Aditya remarked that Gurukul is working under a time crunch. Nevertheless, he is positive that the team will pull through. 

He also added that although there were issues with event scheduling, working with the StuCCA and all the departments involved has been a pleasant experience overall.  

Aditya’s main concern is that the competitive events – Axetacy and Drum Duels – will not receive enough participation. Moreover, damage of instruments is another issue the club hopes not to encounter. 

When asked about his experience as club coordinator, Aditya said that being on the other side of the table put a lot of things into perspective. ‘Factoring in a multitude of variables is no easy task, and a lot of teamwork goes into it.’ Having played the guitar for about ten years now, he sees music and Gurukul as more than a commitment. Calling the club his family, he stated that their love for music is what drives them forward. 

On a parting note, Aditya urged all BITSians to attend Tarang and Free Jam and hoped to see a relatively larger crowd show up this year. He wished for everyone to ‘have a good time’ with the fest.