The Department of Publications and Correspondence (PCr) is primarily in charge of inviting participants for BOSM. Apart from sending out invites to various colleges, the department also handles BOSM snap sessions and designs fest-related publications. A quick chat with Devansh Ghatak, the CoSSAcn of PCr, gives a brief idea of what one can expect from this BOSM.

As head of the department, Ghatak introduced a few changes in the way calling was carried out – one of them being the concept of ‘review calling’. Department members spent considerable time calling participants of BOSM 2017 for feedback and suggestions on how BOSM could be improved. According to Ghatak, ‘this gives an insight into what went wrong last year, and thus, helps us improve the experience of the teams participating in this edition.’ One common complaint that the department received from a lot of participants was about the long and cumbersome registration process. Efforts have been made to simplify the process, and Ghatak is hopeful that participants will find the process quick and hassle-free this time around

Participating teams backing out at the last minute remains the greatest challenge that PCr faces. ‘To tackle this, we started working for the fest much earlier than we usually do, and tried to understand the factors that force teams to withdraw very close to the fest. We analyzed different colleges’ timelines around BOSM, and tried to accommodate them in the fest,’ says Ghatak. Acting on a department member’s suggestion, members who were on their Practice School visited nearby colleges and universities to establish a personal connection with them. The visits also helped them understand the timelines of other colleges and the sports they participated in. ‘So, we knew which colleges to invite, and for which sport, so that there is healthy competition for all participating teams,” he added.

Owing to the limited facilities at their disposal, the department can only have a fixed number of teams participating in each sport. Around two weeks before BOSM, the department’s work reduces to shortlisting and choosing teams. The final list of teams to be invited is made after deliberations with the Sports Council and the various team captains. With limited accommodation available, the department is forced to reject several teams that register – however, they maintain good terms with them so that they continue to register for the next editions of BOSM.

Speaking about his time at the department, Ghatak said that he enjoys working for PCr – overlapping of personal interests and the workload of the department has made life easier for him. As a CoSSAcn, he devotes at least 12 hours a day to PCr-related work. ‘You can’t dedicate this much amount of time unless you love what you do. The workload of PCr is such that it motivates you to work more, and that’s what has kept me going.’ As a parting message to BITSians, he said, ‘The amount of energy, passion, and hard work that every single match carries is astonishing. The atmosphere among the audience is even more energizing than the game play.’ He concludes, urging BITSians to make the most of the fest.