Peeling his eyes away from the voluminous block of code on his laptop, Vihang Shah flashed a quick smile as the BOSM English Press approached him for the interview.

‘Things are going well, we have an enthusiastic first year batch,’ he said. ‘We’re currently working on a new theme this year and spirit is running high.’

Creating the official website of a college festival from scratch is no easy task, and in today’s digital age it is quintessential to command a strong online presence. The Department of Visual Media is instrumental in maintaining the rich legacy of BITS Pilani’s annual sports fest, BOSM. DVM strives to get users involved in the online experience, thereby increasing their likelihood of attending events during the fest. From teasers and promotional videos to an online ticket counter for the professional shows, DVM is involved in it all.

‘Building a website is a dynamic process,’ mused Vihang. ‘We have to make sure our code is strong enough to scale with an ever-increasing number of participants, and flexible enough to deal with the needs and requirements of other departments.’ While usability and interface cannot be compromised, the site represents the event’s true colors and its appeal can make or break BOSM’s success.

‘To be able to work in tandem, we need a motivated group of people,’ emphasized Vihang. ‘We look for learning enthusiasts with a technical background.’ To deal with various tasks, recruits are divided into teams tackling web development, graphics and video editing.

Department tasks are, more often than not, long-drawn and time consuming, and the system of continuous evaluation certainly doesn’t placate the time crunch. However, Vihang believes that a common love for, and impact of the work they do gets them through the tough moments.

‘In my first year, I was amazed by what we had achieved. I could see results with my own eyes,’ beamed a proud Vihang. He did however pointedly mention the increased frequency of ANC visits post the late-night coding sessions. ‘Most expenses included,’ he smirked.

Over the past few weeks, Vihang has been engrossed in department work. This year, he is involved in app development to create a comprehensive BOSM application that provides information about match fixtures, timings, professional shows and other fest related details.

He is confident that their efforts will come to fruition. ‘For those students who love to create from scratch and work on new web technology, DVM is the department to watch out for. I’d love to talk to you guys some more, but deadlines are deadlines,’ he said as his attention snapped back to his work.