BOSM
#HallaToHogaHi
BITS Open Sports Meet (BOSM), one of the largest student-run sports fests of the country, is the first fest of the academic calendar. The Council for Students’ Sports Activities (CoSSAc) is responsible for organising the fest, along with the Sports Finance Committee (SFC) and the Sports Secretary. Eminent personalities like Padma Shri Devendra Jhajharia, Commonwealth gold medallist Babita Phogat and Olympic freestyle wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, have graced previous editions of the fest as chief guests. The sports played during the fest include athletics, volleyball, basketball, hockey, football, cricket, badminton, squash, table tennis, carrom, chess, swimming, bodybuilding, and powerlifting. For the non-sportsperson, fun games like kabaddi and soapy football are organised. BOSM plays host to sports-themed quizzes, photography workshops and exhibitions as well. As for professional shows, the 2018 edition witnessed the bands Naalayak and May Island and Parashara putting up excellent performances, while Prashasti Singh, of Comicstaan fame, had the audience in stitches. The rivalry is intense between BITS and other participating colleges. Unorthodox events like LAN gaming, PokemonGo and poker tournaments are also quite popular. BOSM 2018 faced an unexpected series of showers which delayed the scheduled matches by a fair amount of time. An important thing to note is that classes continue as usual during BOSM. Junoon, a two-day sports fest for the differently abled, is held a week before BOSM.
i-BOSM: Those who failed to make the cut for the BOSM teams can still take part in the inter-hostel sports tournament. Usually held in the second semester, i-BOSM is organised on a much smaller scale than BOSM. What it lacks in grandeur, it makes up for in the energy and enthusiasm of its participants.
Oasis
Oasis is one of India’s largest cultural fests. Life on campus changes completely during this four-day period, as events are organised around the clock and the population on campus nearly doubles. BITSians become vigilant with the security of their bicycles and the gardeners tend to zealously protect the perfectly manicured lawns against trespassers. For those interested in music, events like Tarang (Indian music competition), Andholika (vocals competition), Rocktaves (rock band competition), and Pitch Perfect (a cappella event) are organised. Events like FashP (Fashion Parade) give students the opportunity to display their talent at modelling and designing. A number of dance competitions, like Desert Duel, Choreo, Razzmatazz, and Street Dance draw large crowds as well. Stage Play and Street Play let students showcase their thespian abilities. There is also an array of quizzes, like Oasis Quiz, Entertainment Quiz, and a theme-specific quiz. Exposure and Galleria are exhibits of people skilled in photography, art and poetry. Events like Speed Scrabble and WordStock draw participants throughout the day while movie screenings attract an audience during the night. Other events include Treasure Hunt, Splash, Mr. and Ms. Oasis, Escape Room, Beg Borrow Steal, and BLAB (a Just-A-Minute competition).
The fest has witnessed professional shows by many reputed artists. Some performers from Oasis 2018 were Guthrie Govan, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Abhishek Upmanyu, Indosoul, Sabculture, WolfPack and The Backyard Shrooms. Various embassies also send performers from their country during every edition, the most recent being tango dancers from Argentina. M-Lawns becomes a hub of activity with students queuing up to get their faces painted or stuffed with slices of Domino’s pizza. Every year, a theme is chosen to bring together the diverse activities. The theme for Oasis 2019 is ‘Neon Noir’. The Students’ Council for Cultural Activities (StuCCA) is the organising body for Oasis.
APOGEE
A Professions-Oriented Gathering over Educational Experience, better known as APOGEE, is the annual technical fest of the college. The fest is largely academic, and helps students gain paper and project presentation skills. Workshops in robotics, computing, finance, and electronics engage people of various disciplines. Multiple events are conducted during APOGEE, like the International Drone Racing League, Robot Soccer, Junkyard Wars, Micromouse, remote-controlled car races, and hackathons. Several quizzes are organised, like the prestigious Brain of BITS and Overhead Transmission. In addition to these, finance-based events like Stock Market Simulation also draw large crowds. Events like the International Coding League reach out to an audience beyond Indian college students. Like Oasis, APOGEE editions also have themes, with the 2019 one being “The Reality Roulette”. Guest lectures and talks featuring eminent personalities are also organised. The headliner speaker for APOGEE 2019 was Rakesh Sharma, the only living Indian cosmonaut. Other speakers included Stephen Morse (architect of the Intel 8086 microprocessor), Arun Shourie, Ashwin Sanghi, Alan Emtage (creator of the world’s first search engine, Archie) and Lt. Gen. SS Hasabnis (deputy chief of the Indian Army). APOGEE 2019 also featured Exhibitions by ISRO, demonstrations by the NDRF, an Entrepreneurship Conclave, QED (A debating tournament), BITSMUN (an MUN competition), and a Youth Conference by the National Service Scheme (NSS).