The BOSM English Press sat down with Shantnu Sarda, the CoSSAcn of the Department of Reception and Accommodation (RecNAcc), to get an insight into how the department works for BOSM.

Shantnu explained that the department’s work for the fest could be split into three major parts. First was providing the outstation participants with accommodation by setting up the common rooms. This was followed by the booking of VFast and hotel rooms off-campus for the Chief Guests and artists. Secondly, he stated that they also managed the club inventory required during the fest and also handled the tent setup for events and food stalls. Finally, for BOSM, they also handle the travel for all the major guests, artists, and participants.

Elaborating on their work timeline, he stated that the initial process involved getting the necessary permissions from the Chief Warden and the Dean of Administration, which he stated was done by him and ‘whichever junior he would run into on the way there’. It was followed by ordering the inventory, planning the tent setup, setting up the common rooms, and holding inventory requisition meetings with the clubs. He said that they were on track and were hoping to avoid any delays. 

Talking about the challenges faced, Shantnu mentioned that a major one each year is the accommodation of female attendees. He elaborated that this was an especially major hurdle this year, due to the non-availability of accommodation after the demolition of SR Bhawan (‘RIP SR, you will be missed[sic]’), and the inability to obtain the permissions for accommodating participants off-campus or in empty staff quarters. He further explained that BOSM was limited by the capacity of the campus and the availability of accommodation, not by the number of people willing to come, considering that they still had hundreds of people on the waitlist.

Another aspect of the fest the department contributed to was setting up decorations on campus in collaboration with the Department of Sports Publicity and Design (SPD). He explained that they planned to set up lanterns and banners to enhance the fest’s visual appeal, which had not been done before for BOSM.

When asked about his experience working with the CoSSAc body, he said that it had been smooth and no matter what problem arose, they managed to fix it and get the job done.

Reminiscing about his first BOSM, Shantnu recalled sitting with his wingies, cheering on his friend in a basketball match and sledging on their competitors. He stated that ‘you won’t feel that emotion and energy in any other fest.’ He wished to maintain that zeal and fervour and carry the BOSM legacy forward.