With Oasis right around the corner, the Oasis English Press interviewed the coordinator of Matrix, Anish Hatua, to know more about the club’s contributions to the fest.

Anish introduced the readers to Matrix by calling it the literature and cinema society of BITS Pilani. He explained that they hold events like book reviews and movie screenings throughout the year. He added that they also host discussions based on literature and cinema and how they form a part of one’s daily life. Anish highlighted that this year, in honour of the 50th edition of Oasis, the club is hosting a new event called “Pen It Down”. It is a short story-writing competition which is going to be held online. When asked for the inspiration behind the event, Anish explained that they aimed to cater to the short story and content writers, given that the only writing event organised so far had been poetry.

Apart from this, they are also screening two movies, one each in English and Hindi. For the English movie, he explained that they have chosen Everything Everywhere All At Once, to be screened on November 20 at 1 AM, while for the Hindi movie, they have chosen Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota, to be screened on November 21 at 11 PM, both at Rotunda.

Anish then proceeded to talk about the preparatory work for Oasis from the club’s end. They had collectively decided on the events to be held a few months ago and discussed them with the StuCCA to gauge their feasibility. He explained that they had been unable to start preparatory work on time due to internal issues. This led to them facing difficulties in finding judges for Pen It Down on short notice. He confirmed that a judge is now available and that the participation in the event is enthusiastic. When asked if the absence of the 2022 batch affected their work, he stated that the nature of the events they were organising was such that the absence of the 2022 batch did not affect the conduction of the events. He added that they are excited about recruitment and hope that people turn up in great numbers for requirements. 

When asked about his experience as a second-year coordinator, Anish called it a ‘fulfilling journey.’ He explained, ‘I’ve learned a lot throughout the experience and I have thoroughly enjoyed working not just for the Matrix but for the fest in general.’

Anish urged BITSians to enjoy the fest to the fullest and hoped that the participants would relish the experience and appreciate the effort that everyone has put in.