After Zaeden and Sound Avtar brought the night to an end on Day 3, Day 4 at Oasis, BITS Pilani, started off with the stage play finals. The dramatics society of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (M), Natuve, bagged the first prize, followed by St. Xavier’s College.
Next in line was an event much looked forward to by the students – the Fash P Finals – an inter-college fashion show. This event coincided with a performance, Geronyom, by the Embassy of Portugal.
Image credits: Harshit Thukral for DU Beat
The event was closed by famous comedians Kenneth Sebastian and Karan Talwar who sent the audience in a fit of giggles.
Day 3 at Oasis 2016 was packed with colourful events such as Pitch Perfect, Splash, Poetry Slam, and others, which added to the atmosphere created by Amit Trivedi’s live performance the night before.
The results of the previous day’s events were also declared. Lady Irwin College won the first prize in Razzmatazz, the group dance competition. Funk In Motion of Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology bagged the second prize. Swaranjali was an umbrella event which included group and solo singing competitions. In the group category, Deshbandhu College won first place, whereas the individual category had winners for all the different musical instruments. In Desert Duel, a solo dancing competition, Mehul Sharma won the first prize, followed by Divyanshu Kumar. Both participants are from the College of Vocational Studies. Finally, the Drums Duel was won by Shri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, and second place was awarded to St Xavier’s College of Commerce.
Image credits: Harshit Thukral
Pitch Perfect, an acapella event, also had its final round on Day 3, the results of which haven’t been declared yet. Other events included Blab, Poetry Slam, and Story Baazi – a talk by Divya Prakash Dubey, a Hindi literary artist. Night’s Watch was organised by the astronomy club which was in perfect harmony with the theme of the fest, ‘Of Gods and Men’ where students related Greek, Roman and Indian mythology to stars.
The night concluded with the highlight event – an EDM prof show by Zaeden.
On the morning of Day 2 of the BITS Pilani fest, the results for the previous day’s competitions were declared. First place in the Street Play competition went to the Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies (VIPS), while the Hindi drama club of BITS Pilani came second.
The first half of the second day at Oasis 2016 was filled with quirky activities and competitions. These included events like Canvas Street, Swaranjali, and Drums Duels. The evening was occupied with high-energy events such as Rap Wars and Razzmatazz, the group dance competition.
Image credits: Gerush Bahal
Razzmatazz was a highlight event, with many Delhi University colleges also participating. Unlike most other dance fests, Razzmatazz conducted three rounds in its finals. The first was the prepared performance of the teams. The participants had an extremely short amount of time to prepare for the second and third rounds. In the second round, the teams were given a mix of songs on which they had to create a cohesive performance. This was to test their synchronisation with each other and with the beat. The most entertaining round was the third, in which each team was given a different prop which they were required to use throughout the performance. An engaging event, it elicited immense applause and cheers from the audience. The results of all the competitions conducted today will be declared tomorrow.
The night is to conclude with a Hindi prof show by Bollywood star Amit Trivedi, known for his soulful performances at Coke Studio.
Day 1 at Oasis, the annual cultural festival of BITS Pilani, saw a plethora of events being held in the campus. After the inauguration ceremony and an interactive talk with Amish Tripathi the night before, the institute was buzzing with activity all day which started early in the morning.
The first event was Razzmatazz, a group dance preformance. The elimination round took place for several hours, with teams from all around India giving their best performances. This was followed by the preliminary round of Andholika – an on-the-spot solo singing competition.
Classical prof show at BITS Pilani
Soon after this, the crowd started gathering in the lawns for the street play event, which was in tune with the theme of the fest – of gods and men. The teams gave the audience food for thought with their impactful performances. While the students were in awe of the theatrical events in the lawns, one of the auditoriums was occupied with students who followed the writing of Manav Kaul, a contemporary Hindi poet. Kaul was joined by Manish Gupta, a peer in the theater industry. They both conducted an interactive session, engaging with the students and answering their queries about literature and life. The highlight of the day was a classical prof show with influential musicians such as Pandit Ronu Majumdar. The soft music touched the audience and left them feeling calm as well as ecstatic, resulting in a standing ovation from everyone in the auditorium.
The first day of the fest was a truly fantastic experience for everyone involved. More events will take place throughout the night.
Image credits: Vibhana Kanwar for DU Beat Akshara Srivastava [email protected]
The annual cultural fest of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Oasis 2016, kicked off on 19 October 2016 with an inauguration ceremony. The ceremony began on a musical note with the college band performing for the packed auditorium. The band also received a shoutout from Amish Tripathi, the guest of honour for this year’s fest.
The organising committee was introduced, and the work of the art department was especially praised in reference to the giant panels all around the auditorium. The Vice Chancellor of the institute addressed the audience with his opening speech, and congratulated the organising committee for putting together such a grand fest. Next, Amish Tripathi gave a brief message, expressing his appreciation for the event.
Image credits: Gerush Bahal
The ceremony continued with performance from the college students. The mime club elicited laughter from the audience with their original humorous skits. They also prseented an act with ultra violet lighting. This was followed by a powerful performance by the dance club, depicting the Mahabharata as well as a western dance performance.
The day will be concluded with a talk from Amish Tripathi as well as closing remarks.
With such an energetic start to the fest, we are looking forward to a truly fantastic four-day event!
Feature Image Credits- Harshit Thukral for DU Beat
