Hemant Kumar, the Events Coordinator for the BITS Pilani chapter of the National Service Scheme (NSS), sat down with the APOGEE English Press to talk about the club’s preparations leading up to the fest.

The events organised by NSS in APOGEE come under the umbrella of the ‘Conferencia De Youth’ (CdY). Last year, the team could not conduct CdY due to uncertainty regarding an offline fest. 

One of the competitions—‘Volunesia’—is a presentation-based competition wherein different social service organisations across the country present the work they have undertaken throughout the year. It provides a platform for the exchange of ideas and learning experiences.

‘Samadhaan’ is a new event being organised in collaboration with the Pilani Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Society (PIEDS). It offers a stage for social entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to judges already working in this field. The aim is to help develop a sustainable business model for the most promising startups, with PIEDS assisting in providing funding and mentorship.

The last event is ‘Yuva Samvad’, which is a debating competition concerning pressing social issues.

Hemant explained that the outreach for NSS events is done by themselves, instead of PCr-A. The club faced difficulties in sourcing startups working in the social domain due to the lack of a pre-existing database. Moreover, the turnout is expected to be modest due to the disruption in online mode, although Hemant believes that it will improve in the coming years.

Recounting his personal experience, Hemant shared that he used to teach students as a fresher but soon, transitioned to events to be able to manage things more efficiently. On a parting note, he encouraged students to donate to Umang, which helps provide education to underprivileged children.

Addendum: This interview was conducted before the deadline for Umang Collection (March 26) had passed.