Despite clearly having a lot on his plate, the coordinator of the Department of Live Events (DLE), Shubham Saxena, squeezed in a few minutes to talk to the Oasis English Press about his department’s responsibilities during the upcoming fest.

DLE primarily organizes the Hindi and EDM Professional Shows for Oasis, and manages the production of those events in the Main Auditorium that require professional lights and sounds. Although they haven’t taken up any additional responsibilities compared to the previous edition of the fest, they aim to make the professional shows grander and more spectacular than ever.

The coordinator’s work for the fest began as early as June, and his priority during the first couple of months was to bring in the best possible artists whilst minimizing the expense. Over the last month, however, his department’s focus has shifted to managing the logistics of their events and ensuring that their vision and hard work comes to fruition.

Shubham explained that DLE looks after each aspect of the show, from arranging accommodation for artists to choosing the right equipment to be used. Complimenting the theme for this Oasis (Neon Noir), Shubham expressed that incorporating neon in their stage setup and lighting enabled them to enhance the visuals and aesthetics of their prof shows rather easily.  The sole setback, he believed, was the exorbitant cost of the required equipment, but this was a small sacrifice to be made to produce a great show.

Shubham proudly said that in his time in DLE, he witnessed the department evolve and take up more challenging responsibilities. As the shows and the fest grew larger in magnitude, so did the quality of performers and production of the events. Moreover, the dynamic nature of their work allowed them to make improvements in the publicity and logistics of their events, ensuring that each show was much better than the last. However, Shubham remarked that there is still a long way to go before the visuals of our professional shows reach the level of those in other large cultural fests. Although this is difficult to achieve, in Shubham’s opinion, it is certainly not impossible.

He described his experience as coordinator to be enriching and fulfilling, and said that managing events at such a scale taught him many invaluable skills which could be useful in several essential avenues. He added that the journey of bringing these events together taught him the value of dedication and perseverance, and made him feel more connected to the fest than ever before.

Shubham said that there were few things more satisfying to him than watching the fest come together from seemingly nothing, and after overcoming obstacles of every kind imaginable during the months leading up to it. He urged all BITSians to enjoy the fest to the fullest, as there is something about it to love for everyone.