With Oasis ‘25 just around the corner, the Oasis English Press sat down with Arnav Mathur, the Coordinator of Gurukul, to learn more about the work they are doing for the upcoming fest.

Similar to past editions of Oasis, Gurukul would be conducting two competitive events—Axetacy and Drum Duels. Axetacy is a competition for guitarists, and Drum Duels for drummers. Both competitions take place in two stages. The preliminaries take place in Gurukul’s room in SAC, while the second round takes place at VK Lawns. The top three performers of each event would receive a cash award from a prize pool of 15,000 rupees.

As the Coordinator, Arnav said that he enjoyed every part of the fest preparation. Most of it involved setting up the venues for the final rounds, as well as selecting the soundtrack for the competition. He admitted that the former could get a bit tiring. Managing and dividing his team to do various tasks could also become hectic, as the club was also participating in the musical event Tarang. However, he said that working as a team always makes it easier and enjoyable.

When asked about how they were planning to incorporate the fest’s theme in their events, he answered that since Japanese metal is becoming a very popular style, it would be fair to use it in the soundtrack for the competitions. According to him, even though only about twenty performers take part in each event, deciding the winner is always a herculean task. ‘Although there are usually only about 25 of them, they are 25 of the very best ones, which is the thrill of our events,’ said Arnav. He also added that Gurukul is expecting a substantial footfall for both its events.

On a parting note, Arnav said that he wants all the BITSians to enjoy this year’s Oasis, participate in Gurukul’s events, and feel the spirit of the fest.