With cultural, technical and fun events interspersed over 3 days, the Oculus Organizing Committee had a lot on their hands. Take a look at some of the marquee events that they organized.
HLM-
Everyday we come across people from various walks of life. At times some of these people leave a massive impression on us. The Human Library event was quintessentially tailor-made for that. The ‘books’ at the human library were people from unusual walks of life with a unique story to tell. The type which we rarely meet in our day to day life. The books at the HLM shared awe-inspiring anecdotes which left the audience touched as well as intrigued. A total of five books were hosted. The subjects of the books ranged from sexuality and gender enlightenment to a rags-to-riches story. Broaching sensitive subjects, the stories were heart-rending and struck a chord with those watching. Suffice to say, there was a lot to hear and learn from, for the audience present.
YOUTUBERS Meet and Greet-
The two guests invited for this event were Viraj Ghelani and Ambrish Verma, from runaway hit Youtube channels, Filtercopy and Timeliners. They were called upon to meet and interact with their fans. Many of the students were massive followers of the said channels and were starstruck when they came face-to-face with the Youtubers. Rest assured they had a great time interacting with their virtual world favourites. The interaction ranged from the students expressing their pleasure over meeting the Youtubers, to knowing the secret to creating a superhit Youtube channel. The stars of the virtual world stayed true to their nature, and were cool enough to also play human foosball at the adjoining playground, thereby leaving an indelible mark in everyone’s hearts with their gesture.
OCULUS Auto Expo
A few massive cars were part of the exhibit for students to marvel at. A couple of bouncers were called upon to make sure everything was in order. Models from the Audi Q-5 and a classic Mercedes were on display.
Liminal AR VR
As one entered the college it was impossible to miss the curious sight of people punching in the air with headgear on them. That was the place were the AR VR experience was delivered. It was a one of kind feeling to see things in the augmented and virtual reality which is usually not a daily happening for any of us. There were games and movies which the players could choose from, a rather exquisite collection to experiment with.
Anthracite
As the sun went down the glimmering lights livened up the atmosphere as The Anthracite took on the smokey stage. The group gave tribute to one of our most beloved bands Linkin Park. The symphony of the instruments reverberated in the quadrangle as everyone cheered them on, waving with their flashlights turned on. It was a great time as fans came out in full force to celebrate the occasion, bringing day two of Oculus to a perfect close.
Amit Mishra and Illuminati Pronite
Every college fest is incomplete without a pronite, the most memorable and vibrant event of the fest. For this year it was the esteemed Mr Amit Mishra who visited SPIT to weave magic with his voice. But before the singer, was another very special act, one that literally set the podium alight. Performing before the ecstatic crowd was the group Illuminati, former contestants of India’s got Talent. Adorned in glowing body suits equipped with LED lights, the group put up a mesmerizing performance that had the crowd screaming for more. It couldn’t be as it was now time for the most awaited performance of the night.
As the musician took on the stage a huge roar from the crowd beckoned him to sing his signature track, “Bulleya”. The atmosphere at the quadrangle was electric as Mr. Mishra belted out hit after hit before the frenetic audience. The students dancing and singing into the night, Oculus 2019 finished on a powerful note, one that will resonate for years to come.
Report by Ramanansri Aiyyar. Sahil Sawant, Garima Kaushik and Aumkar Gadekar.