The carrom team captain, Subham Thakur, seemed to be bubbling with enthusiasm despite long hours of practice in the poorly ventilated carrom room in SAC. The room rang with the sound of the coins ricocheting off the edges of the board and initially, he was barely audible over the din, as he began to freely talk about how he was first introduced to the board under his father’s tutelage.

Subham believed that college has provided a fresh start to most of the team members who had to stay away from the board during the last few years of their schooling. His voice brimmed with pride when he says that trials were unnecessary in deciding the team for BOSM. ‘We have been practising for three weeks now and we hope to put forward a much better performance than last year.’

Another team player, Aman, emphatically shook his head when asked if the practice sessions interfere with his academic performance. Shubham professed that persistently nagging the team members to show up for practice sessions forms the most tiresome of his duties as captain. ‘Although bringing the team together proves to be difficult at times, the vibrant team dynamics keep us inspired,’ said Aman.

Apart from the practice sessions, the team spends a considerable time discussing strategies and watching videos, as carrom is much more about strategizing and less about haphazardly flicking coins than the general crowd tends to believe.

The team is disappointed in the reception received from the BITSian crowd in the previous editions of the fest but will not let it dampen their enthusiasm. When asked about the targets he has set, he admitted that teams from colleges like RAIT take the game to a whole new level, and that competition would be extremely tough.

He insisted that a little more practice can refine the team further and hopes for favourable reception this BOSM. We wish the team the very best in this endeavour.