The General Secretary, Akash Singh, took some time off his busy schedule comprising of back-to-back StuCCA meets for an interview with the Oasis English Press to give some insight into his work for the fest so far.
The General Secretary is the inventory StuCCAn of all the SU fests—looking after the inventory of all clubs and departments, and the merchandise as well. It is also his responsibility to act as a channel for communication between different clubs and departments that work for the fest and the Institute. ‘The Student Union takes care of the all the administrative work like obtaining permissions from the institute or settling up of bills and outstanding payments’, said Akash Singh.
Speaking of how this year’s Oasis is different from the previous editions, Akash said, ‘The quality of artists invited for almost every prof show has improved this time around. The StuCCA has also invested significant time and effort in ensuring that the fest does not incur losses.’ He felt that the theme for this year’s Oasis – counter-culture – is unique, and presenting it to the college crowd for the first time is going to be an exciting experience.
When questioned if his vision of making Students’ Union a student-centric body rather than a fest centric one has changed his approach towards Oasis from those of previous post-holders, he said that although his vision remains the same, he has come to understand the importance of fests as well. So, he gives the required amount of time to fest-related work as well. Working for the fests isn’t mutually exclusive from working towards student welfare—the calibre of artists, the amount they are charged, and the quality and timely delivery of merchandise are issues which are extremely important to the student body. ‘My first priority still remains fulfilling my manifesto points and student-related initiatives. Oasis work, or any other fest-related work for that matter, is not my primary concern’, says Akash.
The pre-Oasis preparations are going in full swing with the StuCCA putting in almost four to five hours every day to manage last-minute issues cropping up. Akash Singh has especially worked towards maximising profits through merchandise this year. If everything goes as planned, the StuCAA is expecting to double last year’s profits from merchandise. Akash assured that the t-shirts and the sweatshirts will be arriving on time, and he is also confident that they will be distributed before Oasis kicks off.
Akash felt that there is a need for the President and the General Secretary to mentor their successors in handling the fest. ‘I had a vision for the SU but I had no idea about organising a fest as I came from SSMS background’, said Akash. ‘When you attend the first StuCCA meet, a lot of work has already been done, a lot of ideas already discussed, and a lot of decisions already taken. At this point, you enter with too little knowledge. This creates a knowledge gap between you and the other StuCCAns. Although this gap is filled over time, it becomes difficult for someone without prior experience to handle the major decisions of the fest initially.’
On a parting note, Akash asked the BITSians to enjoy the fest and make the best out of the hard work put in by various clubs, departments, and the Students’ Union. He also urged the BITSians to take an active part in the review meets and to give their feedback to the Students’ Union. ‘Your response is the most valuable thing to us. Criticism helps correct ourselves while appreciation motivates us to work in the right direction.’