With less than a fortnight left for Oasis, the SU office resembled a war room of sorts with plans of action being charted out and frantic calls being made. At the thick of all of this was Shivam Jindal, the General Secretary of the SU and as of writing, one of the busiest men on campus. Despite his hectic schedule, he managed to speak to the Oasis English Press regarding Oasis and the role he plays in its functioning.

The General Secretary’s primary duty is to act as the head of inventory in the StuCCA. Each club and department is allotted a budget to procure their requirements for their events. In the past, improper handling has led to the several items being misplaced or damaged. Shivam stressed upon accountability this time around, with separate records being maintained for each club and department. That is not to suggest that the StuCCA is being miserly while handing out budget, Shivam reassured. If a club managed to convince the StuCCA of the viability of its plans, the StuCCA was willing to meet those requests even if that meant an increase in cost, as evidenced by a rise in overall expenditure this year. Shivam’s role extends beyond simply allotting and maintaining inventory though, as he is also responsible for its timely delivery.

The General Secretary mentioned a few major changes in Oasis, chief among them was the increase in decorations around campus. He further cited the decrease in ticket prices of the prof shows, despite the prof shows themselves being far more expensive, as a major positive. Security is also being beefed up, with Firewallz working overtime to ensure there are no lapses. There have been problems in the past regarding outstation participants entering without valid identity proof, but with multiple checks in place for this edition, Shivam was confident these issues would not be repeated.

With all the focus on Oasis so far, and less than a month left in the semester after Oasis Review Committee is completed, it is only natural to wonder whether progress is being made on the manifesto. Shivam admitted that there wasn’t enough time to complete manifesto points, but at the same time asserted that his primary focus wasn’t the fests but rather to ensure student grievances were resolved.