Where is ATMOS?
Written on October 1st , 2022 by {"login"=>"jcbphc21", "email"=>"f20181005@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"Journal Club", "last_name"=>"BPHC"}We are late to the party, once again…and we might have to pay for it.
Assimilation of Technically MOtivated Souls, or as we call it ATMOS, is BITS Hyderabad’s national techno-management fest. This is to inform you that our seniors put in more effort to name this fest than we are in conducting its iterations. This academic year, ATMOS was initially scheduled to be conducted from 18 to 20 November, according to the Timetable provided by the TT Division. However, the dates are now changed to 25 to 27 November, as sent in the mail today for unknown reasons. Oasis and Waves, the cultural fests of BITS Pilani and BITS Goa, respectively, are scheduled for 18 to 20 November as well, which is rumored to be the primary reason for the changed dates.
The theme for Waves was released on 11th September while the complete list of events was out. The registrations started simultaneously on 19th September 2022, while in Hyderabad, we were busy looking for prom partners. Even Oasis has already released its theme, and publicity has begun for it. Oasis is making a return after two years, and it is planned to be bigger than ever.
At the same time, ATMOS 22 is nowhere to be seen or heard, no logo or theme has been released officially, and the list of events is maybe being kept secretly “safe” in a tech senate WhatsApp group (if one exists), no discussions anywhere and people seem to be just fine being oblivious. Sources tell us that there are “plans” to organize previously popular events such as Robowars, Drone Racing League, Cubing Atmosphere, etc., but to actually execute these and live up to the standards of events of our sister campuses, clearly, we’ve got some learning to do in how to plan said events. This Rome can’t be built in a day. An extravagant fest won’t just fall from the sky; it has to be planned carefully while optimizing all the resources we are provided with.
The General Body has turned a blind eye to the fact that the SUC hasn't yet provided closing account details of ATMOS 2019, let alone the incredibly charming and a tad bit expensive Orbe Novo. We’re assuming and hoping the GB is aware that we are the ones who pay the SWD advances and the student union fee.
According to the Constitution, the fest's budget must be presented at least a month before the fest. October is already here, but there has been no talk about the fest, let alone a call for a GBM. GB is being kept distracted with lollipop events in the name of campus culture, which are all great for what it is, but well, we seem to be missing the bigger picture here. We are spiraling back into the same situation we were in last time with Orbe Novo, a fest that barely the students of our college are aware of, let alone people from other colleges and outside of bits, and note here that this time we desperately need the profits that will be generated from external footfall.
But here we are, postponing our fest to avoid a clash with the “cultural fest” of a sister campus located 700km away when there seems to be no intersection in the audiences they catered to. According to sources, the entire Technical Senate favored having the fest from 18-20 November, considering we have our comprehensive exams following right after and keeping in mind last-minute evaluatives right before exams begin.
It is evident here that we’re moving into a vicious circle of delaying fest preparations and rushing them. Anyone who worked for Orbe Novo can confirm the hustle it came with and the mismanagement throughout. The pro shows might have been great, but they indeed weren’t the only thing in the fest. Given that the fest was in-house, the announcements were still very similar to how SMC informs you about your changed lunch menu.
ATMOS 22, which so far, the GB has heard nothing about, is on the same path as its predecessor Orbe Novo.
What can we as the GB do now? Ask questions.
Where are the accounts of the previous fests – ATMOS 2019 and Orbe Novo? Where are the ATMOS’22 logo, website, and list of events? When do they plan to start publicizing ATMOS?
And finally - What is the theme? It's Wormhole to the Future. (In case you didn’t know already, we didn’t tell you this)
Note that our technical fest represents our college to the public, given that we are a technical institute. Pearl might get the spotlight ad to seem more appealing and fun to the GB, but are you aware of the losses pearl reaps yearly? In fact, the losses made by Pearl exceed the profits made by ATMOS, which is by no means a small amount.
Have a look at how things were pre-covid:
If this still doesn’t catch your attention, do keep reading.
If ATMOS doesn’t do an exceptional job and reap the expected profits, there is a good chance Pearl may not happen due to a lack of funds because Orbe Novo certainly didn’t leave the accounts in a very reputable situation (at least as much as we’re aware since the accounts of Orbe Novo remains a mystery) and if the delay in the preparation continues, it won’t be a surprise if we fail to meet the success of the previous ATMOSes.
A subpar Technical fest deteriorates the reputation of the tech culture on campus and will eventually leave an impact on the placements of the campus, not immediately. Of course, the 2020 batch might not be affected, but for the 2021 batch, we better look into this before it's too late. The mismanagement of the fests is an example of our inability and incompetency as a campus. When Pilani and Goa conduct successful grand fests, we struggle to get things started in time and later depend on deductions to make ends meet and convince GB into believing that the success of the fests depends on the deductions.
It is evident that we’ve been trying to match the level of our fest to that of the Top IITs, so let's look at IIT Bombay’s Techfest, which is scheduled for 16-18 December, which is around a month after ATMOS. The theme for the fest was out on 3rd September, while publicity started in August.
Orbe Novo deserves a special mention here, whose impact will be seen on the upcoming fests. The carelessness in handling funds by the previous SUC can’t be ignored. The way they ignored the opportunity at their hand to start fresh with a clean account and instead once again started a dreadful cycle of losses, one they had all the opportunities to avoid if only they weren’t so ambitious to have the best fest ever, which they didn’t anyway with all the mismanagement. Even rallying for the maximum deductions didn’t save them from the overspending and blind planning they got themselves in. The present SUC better not follow the footsteps of their predecessors, but with how things are being planned right now, the SUC’22 doesn’t shine bright.
Evidently, the biggest enemy of the current situation and the existing system on campus is our ignorance, the inability to ask questions, and the failure to even give a damn about what is happening in our name. All this combined is tarnishing our image as a BITS campus.
So please start asking questions. It's the only way out.
Our purpose here is not to disturb the “stability” but the “stagnancy.”
Warm Regards
The Journal Club of BPHC