If you’ve ever walked through the corridors of any Bhawan on campus, you would have encountered multiple rooms with speakers blasting out rock music at full volume. Hang around long enough, and you will end up hearing everything from a classic Led Zeppelin record to some obscure Finnish folk metal band. The chances are that the resident of the room that is playing this belongs to the Association of Rock in BITS, or ARBITS, as it is more popularly known.

ARBITS is not just a group of music enthusiasts, though. The members of this club use their common love for ‘all things rock’ to organise events related to rock music during Oasis. With less than a month left for the fest, their work has been on the rise. Their co-ordinator, Aditya Agarwal, is naturally a busy man. He was seen in a meet with members of the club immediately before the interview. Despite the busy schedule, he managed to make some time for us.

“We have four events, the English prof-show, Rocktaves, Axetasy and Music Quiz. Rocktaves and the English prof-show will happen on the night of the 20th. The prof-show will feature the popular punk rock band from Mumbai, Light Years Explode and When Chai Met Toast, a happy rock band from Kerala”, he informs us. They have been working on publicising their events as well. Aditya hopes to reach out to as many people as possible. “In addition to promoting our events online, we will be putting up flexes and posters around campus.”

He has found the experience of a coordinator to be insightful. “The hiccups aside, being at the forefront of things has been fun. Interacting with Indian bands gives you a better idea about the functioning of the Indian Music scene and it also serves to diversify your taste in music.”

Rocktaves is easily one of the most eagerly awaited events during Oasis. During the summer, eliminations were held in different cities across the country. Hand-picked bands will be coming to Pilani to compete in the finals. Previous winners of this event have included the likes of Parikrama, Indian Ocean and Euphoria.

To an outsider, this may seem like a lot of work. However, ARBITS has shown us that they can run things in a smooth and efficient manner. One hopes that their efforts pay off.