Asrita V Mandalam, the coordinator of the Department of Informalz, took time out of her busy schedule to sit down and talk to the BOSM English Press about her department, the fest, and the responsibility that comes along with being a coordinator. 

With less than a week to go, the department has quite a lot on their hands. Their classics, Anti-Chess and Human Foosball are to make a comeback this year as well. Additionally, two new games are in the works. “Crab Rave”, the title of which takes inspiration from the viral meme video, is the latest addition to this year’s list. It is a team-based outdoor game which involves hopping around and trying to avoid the “crabs” scuttling about. The other event called “Connect Float” is a spin on the classic Connect Four game. ‘There’s a baby pool, ping pong balls, and a floating grid involved,’ said the coordinator mysteriously. 

Asrita mentioned that the events they organise often “evolve” as the group members try and test them out, and added that they focus on the most fun aspects of the task. Past trends have shown that games which involve physical activity are usually popular during BOSM. Taking this into consideration, their activities are designed to appeal to a majority of the crowd showing up for the fest. 

Last year’s edition of Human Foosball was initially supposed to take place at the Student Activity Center in order to attract the BOSM crowd to that part of campus. This year though, the department plans to shift the location of all their events to the Gym Grounds instead of SAC, since the former is more accessible. 

When asked about her tenure as coordinator, Asrita said she’s had a smooth ride so far. The first year recruits were very enthusiastic and showed a lot of interest. Indeed, the entire department seemed to be functioning like a well-oiled machine, while simultaneously enjoying themselves.