Oasis (culfest)

OASIS is one of the most prestigious college cultural festivals, conducted annually by the students of Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India. Organised during the month of October, the college swarms with more than 5000 participants during the festival. Unlike other festivals, all outstation participants are accommodated in the institute premises for the entire duration of the festival.

Dubbed by many as the 'Mother of All fests', it has been a roaring success year after year. Preparations for the festival start from the beginning of the first semester.(August)

Perhaps the remote location of the college in the midst of a desert is its biggest attraction. Being one of the only continuous 96 hour festivals keeps the spirits on a high always. There is no break to OASIS in these four days, and events starting as late as 3 A.M. also see tremendous enthusiasm.

Every year a dance floor is set up which runs till about midnight. The plush green lawns called SKY is a favourite among participants and is also host to a number of events.

The breathtaking backdrops for every auditorium event and the different structures made by so many departments set a beautiful ambience.

History

OASIS was first held in the year 1971. The location of the college notwithstanding, it received tremendous response.

From being a 5 day festival a few years back to a night inauguration for the first time in 2007, OASIS has come a long way.

Events

Oasis is famous for many of its events.

Inauguration

The opening ceremony of OASIS always sees a grand response from students. Beginning with a CCTV presentation, its biggest attraction are the performances from Dance and Mime clubs. In 2006, the chief guest was renowned director Mani Shankar. During the ceremony , apart from the Art n Dee structure being inaugurated, the ideas ideas behind the new four panels in the auditorium are also unveiled.----

'Dance Events'

Razzmatazz

One of the most enterprising dance competitions in India. Its famous for its entertaining value to the spectators because of the difficult rounds the teams have to cope up with, dance syncrhronisation being one of its most important features.

Choreo

This is a theme based narrative dance through which participants display the particular expressions.----

'Rocktaves'

Rocktaves is a semi professional rock band competition held during OASIS. A student body called ARBITS (Association of Rockerz in BITS) is the organizing force behind it. Over the years it has gained momentum as being one of the most prestigious rock competitions and many professional bands today have previously been part of Rocktaves.----

'Music Events'

Tarang

Tarang is an event dedicated to 'Light Indian Music’ that showcases vocal and instrumental talent of teams from various colleges. The event unveils the best music band that recreates their favorite musical numbers with superlative instrumental co-ordination and vocal harmony.

Fusion

Fusion, as the name suggests, is a harmony of Indian and Western styles of music. This brings out the ingenuity, innovation and creativity of amateur musicians.----

'Oasis Quiz'

Quizzing has always been extremely popular in BITS Pilani, and guarantees a night's worth of entertainment by way of the Oasis Quiz (dubbed OQ). Being an audience friendly quiz anchored by professional quizmasters, OQ stands rooted as a major Oasis attraction with attractive prize money. The past few years have seen electrifying quizzes going down to the wire with the audience hooked on to the edge of their seats. Famous quizmasters in the country to have hosted OQ include Mitesh Agarwal, Sreekanth Kanthamneni aka Dhaaji and the upcoming Thejaswi Udupa. ----

'Fashion Parade'

One of the biggest crowd pullers during OASIS, Fash P(as it is called) with its unique sets of rounds has seen some of the best College teams from across India.----

Other events

Apart from the above there are various other events that highlight OASIS.
*Music Competitions: Aandholika, Western Acoustics Jam, Carnatic & Hindustani.
*Dance Events: Tandav
*Blab, Literary, poetry & creative events
*Theatre Events: Mime, Stage Play, Act & React, Street Plays
*Treasure hunt and other fun events are conducted by the Department of Informalz.
*Professional band shows, magic shows and Dance workshops

Organising Bodies

There is no one particular body responsible for the running of the festival. Headed by the StuCCA(Student Union Council for Cultural Activities)there are numerous clubs and departments that work behind the scenes. Also, OASIS is one festival that is organised entirely by the students of BITS.

The various departments that work for OASIS include Art & Decoration, Reception & Accommodation, [Controlz] , Sponsorship & Marketing, Publications & Correspondence, Backstage, Lights, Sounds, Photography, CCTV, Reporting & Networking, Theatre, Security, Make-Up, Audi Force and Trophy Fabrication.

Clubs include those of ARBITS, Creative Activities, English Press, Hindi Press, Dance, Mime, Music, Poetry, Photography, Hindi Activities Society, English Language Activities Society and Jhankar.

External links

* [http://www.bits-oasis.org/ OASIS website]
* [http://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/ BITS Pilani Homepage]
* [http://www.controlzbits.org/ Department of Controlz]