Sounds incredibly grandiose and unattainable, doesn’t it? However, the theme of Oasis 2017 is anything but that. Once we have a good grip on what the realms of fiction really are (they’re infinite, by the way), you realise just how encompassing this idea really is.
Just look at previous themes:
Oasis 2014: That ‘90’s show
Oasis 2015: Around the World in 96 Hours
Oasis 2016: Of Gods and Men
Do you realise that the themes are all plays on, you guessed it, fiction titles?
This means that the scope for creative content under a banner as vague and overwhelmingly large as Realms of Fiction is orders of magnitude larger than those of Oases past, allowing clubs and departments to get more experimental, more daring and presumably, better.
To break down the theme, we ask – what exactly are these so-called realms of fiction? What boundaries, if any, can be imposed on this veritable beast of a genre? As the entire campus gears up for the usual rigmarole of brainstorming for ideas and events, one could expect a significant increase in the variety and quality of the fest simply because of the theme.
Now, there had been a discussion on whether a theme is necessary at all, or whether the theme should be decided after the events are, to serve as better marketing. However, unless there is a real catastrophe, this Oasis should ideally fare well against the rising rumours of Pilani’s annual cultural extravaganza losing its sheen, the dangers of reduced participation from outstation colleges, and the constant drawback of Pilani’s remoteness from basically anything significant in the country except Pilani itself.
In the last few years, the question had always been: Can the theme of Oasis live up to the fest’s expectations? Can the departments deliver? However, a stroke of brilliance has shifted the status quo. Now, we shall expect the entire fest to live up to the theme’s expectations. The hype and attention that the campus and the fest generate, to be honest, has dwindled, despite what the numbers say.
In conclusion, the theme is pretty much the make-or- break for how a fest is viewed in its early stages, such as its conception, ideation and marketing. Whether it succeeds come November is a completely different story, but this incredible theme is the sort of head start Pilani needs to keep up with its college competitors.