Ace Film Maker Mani Shankar gives BITS Pilani OASIS a Scintillating Start
For BITSians, OASIS is a passionate exercise for perfection to make something in an inward condition of the mind and spirit rather than having something in an outward set of circumstances.
-- October each year is the time of metamorphosis of BITS-Pilani. The quaint town in the middle of a desert turns into a pulsating amalgam of youth. A dollop of dance, a sprinkle of drama, a dash of quizzing with a delectable garnish of music sets up a recipe of fun for nonstop 96 hours that none would like to miss.
This year OASIS has a fantastic bundle of sponsoring organizations which include Express Yourself Airtel, Its now or never Apache, Construction MajorGiant KillerGMR, Mobile broad band everywhere Airvana,for every problem they have it Cognizant Technology Solutions, the Freshmaker Mentos, darling of campus placements oil major Schlumberger, Turn it on Leave it on MTV, the magazine of the corporate world Business India, your cup of inspiration Nescafe, Generation Next cola major Pepsi, Not Just Another Magazine JAM, Keep smiling Colgate and spreading all over SMS Country.
With "Scintillations" as the theme, for the 36th All India Cultural Festival OASIS 2K6 scheduled from 16-19 October, who else can give a sensational start other than the Golden Nandi award winner Mani Shankar, a proud alumnus of BITS Pilani who shot to fame with his Hindi film '16 December', the multi talented chemical engineer rolled up as a Film Director, Music Director, Story Writer, Dialogue Writer, Screen Play Writer, Tech Savvy Film Editor, Visual Effect Wiz Kid who makes story centric films instead of hero centric films.
Like a true BITSian, Mani Shankar who did his Chemical Engineering from 1973 to 1978, puts passion into whatever he does. His passion for cinema and the undying mission to make something different puts him indeed as a film director cut above the rest - as a person who takes cinema to be more than just a medium of entertainment. He believes in using technology as a tool to enhance his story telling and to him the journey is more important than the destination. He does not believe in seeking solace in escapism. He is said to have read Chanakya's Arth Shastra, just to fine tune his story about intelligence gathering at the cutting edge level for his soon to be released Mukhbir.
Recalling his nostalgic days at BITS, Pilani, When Mani Shankar thundered with his punchlinethat BITS educational system prepares you for facing unknown challenges in life and that each letter in the word BITS imparts Boldness, Intuition, Techniques and Stamina respectively, the Richter scale measured over 8 in the jam packed auditorium of the Institute. To hear that from Mani Shankar who moved with wireless sets during his OASIS days calling out Alpha Beta Roger and today Tango Charlieing in film making was an unforgettable experience for the BITSians and the over 800 participants who had come from different colleges from various corners of the country.
OASISindeedis a once in a lifetime experience that no one even remotely connected with it once, would even dream of missing ever again.
Notes to Editor
Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani is a Leading University in India offering degrees in Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, Sciences, Engineering Technology, Information Systems, General Studies, Finance, etc presently at Pilani, Dubai, Goa campuses and in the near future at Hyderabad campus. BITS Pilani also offers an array of work integrated learning programmes for HRD of a vast spectrum of Indian corporates.