With Oasis drawing closer, the Oasis English Press sat down with Soham Agrawal, the Coordinator of the Department of Sounds (Sounds), to gain insight into their role and preparation for the upcoming fest.

Soham explained that Sounds was a dedicated group of ‘audiophiles’ primarily responsible for managing all audio environments across campus. He noted that while most of their work was in the Main Auditorium—such as Tarang and Rocktaves—it sometimes extended to events held at South Park and NAB Auditorium. For Oasis, the department would majorly be handling audio requirements for events such as the Inauguration, N2O, various music and dance performances, as well as any other needs of the clubs and departments. He highlighted that, this year, the team had put in significant effort towards fine-tuning equipment and production management to compensate for hardware limitations.

Elaborating on this, Soham revealed that the department was currently operating without a digital mixer—a piece of equipment that cost more than seven lakh rupees—since the previous one ‘fried’ due to poor electronics management. He added that the small units such as cables and routers were renewed with the help of the Students’ Union, but the major units— which he remarked were “even older than him”— had seen no improvement, as they were heavily dependent upon institute funding. Another issue faced by the department, was the requisition of equipment by clubs without prior communication to Sounds. He said that the department would gladly help anyone if they communicated their issues in advance.

Soham remarked that the workload for their members was pretty demanding, and often required members to sleep in the Auditorium, recalling an instance where he had to work for sixteen hours continuously in his first year. However, he emphasised that responsibilities were shared equally amongst peers, with seniors passing on knowledge to the juniors. On his experience as Coordinator, he described it as being ‘lite’. He also stated that he grateful for the experience thanks to the close-knit nature of the department. 

Concludingly, he thanked the StuCCA and CRC for their help and cooperation. He wished his team the best, and urged all students to attend the fest and make fond memories. He further encouraged the students to drop by the auditorium and ‘say hi’, humorously adding, ‘preferably with a Red Bull’.