With Oasis 2025 only a few days away, the Oasis English Press sat down with Anuj Wagh, Coordinator of Kalamvansh, to get a sneak peek into their preparations for the upcoming fest.

Anuj began by explaining that Kalamvansh aimed to promote hip-hop culture on campus. He elaborated that the club had a history of launching lesser-known Indian hip-hop artists to fame, citing Seedhe Maut and Talwinder as examples. Anuj mentioned that Kalamvansh had planned two events this Oasis; their first event would be a performance at VK Lawns by Bronx, an artist the club discovered through social media. For their other event, they would conduct cyphers, where a group of rappers gather to freestyle back and forth over a beat, and this would also involve a beatbox display by the club members. 

Anuj said that he was confident about the turnout for their events this year, stating that people were naturally drawn to hip-hop. He explained that the reason Kalamvansh chose VK Lawns for their performance was the presence of eateries, which drew the biggest crowds during the evenings. 

When asked about their recruitments this semester, he said that the skills Kalamvansh demands are ‘hard to come by.’ He added that the required skillset for the club could only be acquired by dedicatedly learning the craft, and believed it would be difficult for the club in the long run as well. He shared that the club had assigned its workforce to different aspects of the fest, with the six 2025 batch recruits working on signings, the second-years working on the events, and the 2023 batch coordinating with StuCCA.

Anuj strongly felt that any BITSian creating hip-hop music should receive their first few streams from the students on campus. He urged people to give Kalamvansh’s hip-hop a chance despite them not being accustomed to it. He reiterated that before judging an artist for their lyrics, one must consider the fact that the artists performing would be fellow BITSians using hip-hop as a medium to share their experiences.