The Oasis English Press (OEP) sat down with Harishankar Padmakumar, the Coordinator for the Poetry Club, to gain an understanding of their preparations for the upcoming fest.

Harishankar shared that the Poetry Club is one of the only literature-related clubs on campus. Apart from fest work, the members gathered for reading sessions where they shared their pieces and received feedback. The club also organises multiple events outside of Oasis, and he chose to highlight Shaam-e-Sukhan, a pre-APOGEE qawwali night to the student body. He mentioned that even though poetry is a niche topic, it enjoys a degree of popularity with the student body as evidenced by increasing footfall in Oasis events every year.

Harishankar mentioned that the Poetry Club would be organising three events this year. The first is Purple Prose—a slam poetry competition on Day One featuring contestants from across the country. The second is Rap Wars, a kernel event—a rap battle that would take place at Rotunda on Day Two night. He highlighted that over the years, Rap Wars had featured some of the best young and upcoming rappers from cities across the country. It had a history of big names such as Seedhe Maut, Divine, and Raftaar coming out of it. This year, the club would be organising a new event called Majlis—a non-competitive poetry reading session accompanied by tea, on Day four, open to both the student body and faculty. 

He shared that this year, the club had faced certain challenges, including a significant change in internal management two weeks before the fest, and delayed preliminary rounds. However, the club had been able to form new connections and sign MoUs in time, allowing the preliminary rounds to take place on time and not compromise the quality of the final events during the fest. 

Harishankar hoped for a significant turnout for both Purple Prose and Rap Wars. He was also optimistic for Majlis. According to him, this Oasis would be a success for the Poetry Club if they are able to evoke a culture of appreciating and engaging with poetry within the student body through their events. On a concluding note, he urged the student body to look forward to Rap Wars and know that it is the Poetry Club that conducts the event. He also requested them to attend Purple Prose and Majlis, promising an evening full of good poetry.