For the first time in 50 years, the opening performance for the Inauguration Ceremony (Inaug) for APOGEE was performed by Gurukul. Historically, this responsibility had been given to the Music Club. These events caused a dispute between the clubs, which was brought up during the APOGEE Review Meet (ARM). The English Press Club sat down with the coordinator of Gurukul, Vasu Sharma, to learn more about the club’s side of events.

Vasu began by stating that since the lockdown, the club had been delivering ‘Nites’ that had been enjoyed by the public consistently and had received a favourable consensus about its performances. He added that the club also had experience with representing the college on a larger scale — citing the BITS Open Sports Meet (BOSM) Inauguration Ceremony as an example — and a combination of these factors made them want to pursue the opportunity of performing at the APOGEE Inaug. Vasu brought up the events of the Review Meet for APOGEE 2019, stating that the coverage of the event done by the English Press Club ‘clearly mentioned that the next APOGEE Inaug has to be performed by Gurukul’. He added that there were some issues regarding logistical affairs, but he thought CoStAA’s directive was for Gurukul to perform at the next Inaug. He said that these two factors led them to pitch the event.

Vasu said that Gurukul did not jump straight to pitching, as they were aware of the history and sentiments attached to the Inaug by the Music Club and did not want the club to feel like the event was being snatched from them. He added that Gurukul wanted an opportunity for themselves to present their music on a bigger scale. He claimed that they tried approaching the Music Club informally for the possibility of either forming a joint society to allow them both to perform or to alternate all Inaug performances, but they were turned down. He said that this led the club to formally pitch Gurukul’s performance in the Event Pitching Meets (EPMs), being given the responsibility after CoStAA interrogated them across three EPMs in a process he described as ‘very democratic’.

While talking about the process of organising the performance itself, Vasu said that an integral part was preparing the setlist of songs to be performed. He claimed that he had personally felt, as well as heard from ‘a lot of people’, that there was a disconnect between the audience and the performance every time due to the obscurity of the songs as well as ‘issues with the sound’ and an inability to hear the vocalists clearly. He added that one of Gurukul’s objectives was to perform relatable songs that appealed to a broader audience. He described the preparation as a rigorous process, stating that the only challenges faced were in the timeline and the slight inconsistencies in setting up practices due to the mid-semester exams and various breaks. He felt that the overall experience was pleasant, adding that the club was ‘very happy’ with the anticipation and feedback for the performance.

Vasu stated that moving forward, he wanted the establishment of a ‘Music Society’ that would handle the Inaug performances for all fests. He explained that some members of both clubs from the 2020 batch sat together and attempted to form this society to avoid creating animosity and involving themselves in politics. He added that solving all the logistical challenges related to this had not been possible in the short period leading up to this fest. Vasu said that they had not been able to progress in the task, explaining that the busy schedules of both clubs prevented them from sitting together and formally discussing the issue. He claimed that the society would ensure that the music culture of BITS was represented by both clubs during institute events such as the fest and Inter-BITS Inauguration ceremonies.

Talking about the relationship between the clubs after the dispute, Vasu said that while it had not caused direct problems between the members as such, he was disappointed with the reactions of some of the Music Club’s alumni and members, citing their comments on various social media platforms as an example. He felt that while their disappointment was understandable, Gurukul had attempted a peaceful solution and approached the Music Club multiple times, but had not received a proper response. 

Vasu went on to say that they did not want this resentment to continue with the future batches, which was the primary reason for ‘[their] faith in the unified music society’. He said that the details of the society were to be formulated during meetings between the clubs, but that he had not been able to arrange these due to a lack of response from the other side. He added that he had personally approached the Secretary of the Music Club multiple times and asked them to schedule them at their convenience, and while the possibility was not outright dismissed, he felt that they did not seem very interested in sitting down together.

Vasu expressed optimism towards the dispute being resolved, stating that all problems could be sorted through discussion if only they could sit down and talk about them. While parting, Vasu said that he felt the clubs were alike, and that they wanted a good relationship with the Music Club going forward, despite the rumours floating around. He also felt that the Inaug for this fest was more relatable for the audience, and expected the quality of the event to keep getting better regardless of which club or society performed it. He urged both parties to understand that the audience was as much a part of the ceremony as the performers, and that the most important thing was to ensure that they did not feel alienated.