With APOGEE 2026 only a few sleeps away, the APOGEE English Press sat down with Anuj Paliwal, Events Coordinator of the National Service Scheme (NSS), to gauge their preparation for this edition of the fest. Reflecting on his role in NSS so far, Anuj recalled that he used to enjoy observing how NSS conducted its events, eventually deciding to take up the role of Events Coordinator.

Talking about their plans for APOGEE this time around, he shared that they would be conducting three events—ImpactX, Samadhan, and Volunesia, under the umbrella of Conferentia de Youth (CdY), a social youth conference. NGOs from all across the country, including NSS chapters from various institutes, would present the work done by them over the last one year at Volunesia, and would be evaluated on various parameters. At ImpactX, an impromptu problem statement relating to a social issue would be given to participating teams. They would then be given a time of approximately one hour to come up with and present a solution to the problem. Finally, Samadhan, an event being conducted in collaboration with Pilani Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Society (PIEDS), would involve pitching of startup ideas related to tackling specific social issues and creating societal impact. The best ideas would then be funded by the panelists.

At its core, NSS is a social impact-driven organisation, and at first glance it may not seem very relevant to a technical extravaganza like APOGEE. Talking about this, Anuj explained that every year, they wished to align their events with the larger goal of the fest, which was to nurture scientific and technical thinking among attendees. He emphasised that this year too, the critical thinking skills of participants would be tested, and events such as Samadhan will give them a launchpad to hone their entrepreneurial skills. He also divulged that last year, due to a lack of funding, they were only able to conduct one out of the three planned events for CdY, which was ImpactX. That hurdle had been overcome this time, and all three planned events would happen as per schedule at APOGEE 2026. 

Anuj’s experience as Events Coordinator consisted of Junoon, Oasis Stalls, and the Blood Donation Camp. He said that his experience so far had taught him many things, including outreach, scheduling, and managing the workforce. Talking about the workforce, he explained that approximately 50 volunteers are required for the pre-fest outreach and only about 20–30 are required to actually conduct the event on the day.

In his final message to the GBM, he urged other social organisations such as DIYA and Nirmaan, along with all those who find satisfaction in social work, to visit their events, assuring them that they would enjoy the experience.