Ten

Ed Speak: In the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin Jesse Owens won four gold medals; his triumphs were made all the

more cathartic by his African-American heritage, which certainly stood out in a decidedly discriminatory dec-

ade.

During the 1971 World Table-Tennis Championships in Japan the United States team received an invitation to

visit China, the first for any group of Americans since the start of communism in the country.

South Africa‟s post-apartheid Rugby World Cup victory in 1995 helped underscore the nation‟s new beginning

– a nation no longer divided by race.

During this year‟s Summer Olympics the Manipuri State Power Board kept the electricity running just long

enough for the state to watch Mary Kom‟s semifinal bout against Nicola Adams, providing an entire crisis-

ridden region a brief respite and a source of unification.

On October 22, 1990, a group of young musicians played together for the first time, using the name of All-Star

basketball legend Mookie Blaylock.

Alright, in all fairness that last one may not have been as significant as the rest of them, but still.

The celebration of sports is intricately linked to the celebration of humanity. The built-up walls of racism and

segregation, proliferated by propaganda and false information, are easily torn down in the time it takes for a

young German athlete to walk over and help his African-American counterpart. The mutual mistrust and ani-

mosity between nations can thaw over a game of ping-pong. An entire region can bond over the celebration of

a common sports hero. And great music can come from the desire to pay homage to a sports idol.

This year marks the 27th Edition of the BITS Open Sports Meet. Hopefully the ominous musical significance

of the number 27 will not extend to the field of sports, and hopefully you, the reader, will take the time to step

outside and support your fellow students in their celebration of sports.

We at the BOSM English Press will be committed to this ideal, and will be committed to bringing you all the

latest news and information about your favourite teams, sports, and everything else. Check out our blog for

match reviews, live minute-by-minute reports, medal tallies and (thanks to previous editions of BOSM), weath-

er reports.

http://bits-bosm.org/blogs/english

The Team Deepa, Dipto, Iyer, Neetha, Parikshit, Reuben, Rishi, Satyaam, Shreyas, Shruti, Sriram, Shoo, Vishwadeep; IG,

Aloor, Angad, Kaustav, Manickam, Mohit, Neo, Pranita, Spriha, Siddhant, Tanya, Vishala, Shuja ;Ajay Ramya, Amulya

Debolina, Neel, Nithya, Passey, Prateek, Ritvik, Sahils D,K, Shashank, Shruti, Steffie, Viraaj; Prateek, Tanay, Vijay,

Ananth, Anish, Rahul, Tanmayee, Soumya, Ayush, Rounaq,

Issue 1|Day 0 12th September 2012 A BOSM English Press Presentation

Sports Secretary :

Syed Ain Ahmad

1. Is baar to BOSM lite hai

2. Talk to Haria about registrations.

3. Meet Physical Education division.

4. Is baar to BOSM lite hai

5. Write lab record.

6. Talk to Kapoor sir about the court.

7. Practice! Practice! Practice!

And a million other thoughts and anxieties are what must be running through Syed Ain Ahmed‟s mind every second. Faced with problems no other sec has faced, he took up the mantle of the BITS Pilani sports secretary. And now, BOSM has arrived. Once the initial hullabaloo dies down, BOSM is what every BITSian looks forward to, though not for the same reasons. “Call it affection for tradition or unwillingness to be the first sports secretary who does not see a BOSM, I was personally adamant that it happens”, he says. Organizing it was indeed a herculean task, though the authorities helped immensely. If not for them, it would have been impossible to have a functional volley ball court in two days and a multi –venue BOSM. Traditionally above the CoSSAC body, the sports secretary‟s main responsibility is to organize BOSM and facilitate commu-nication between the people-who-run-the-institution and the-people-who-run. His is a yearlong responsibility, and the job description also includes leading the BITSian contingent when in distant lands. BOSM 2012 will see fewer outstation participants as compared to last year, majorly due to a lack of accommodation. Despite this, he says, “quality will only go up”. Though Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) was the overall winner last time round, BITS had a decent performance. Syed hopes to change that for the better. He says that seeing the amount of dedication that every team is putting in, it will be hard not to perform better than last year. He urges the BITSian populace to support their college. As is common knowledge now, BOSM was rained out last year (think washed-out-Bombay style rains). It was a sorry scene that was at the same time cathartic (the dedication of team members engaged in frantic attempts to salvage their fest can-not be overstated). Syed claims to have many back-up plans for this year‟s BOSM. Syed has been playing cricket for more years than he cares to remember. Taking after the likes of Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram, our man here has been a part of the playing eleven since his first year –experiences that he is now exploit-ing. He still remembers how the first place that he visited on campus was the gym grounds. Ironically, the sport that he fol-lows religiously is not cricket but tennis, though he confessed to having played it all of three times. Having visited the IITs and other colleges as a part of the cricket team Syed claims that, despite everything, our sporting scenario still has a long way to go. Lamenting the loss of the age of tanned faces and perennially sweaty individuals, he said that it will indeed be a sad day when the number of people

playing FIFA exceeds that playing football. He still gets a glint in his eyes when he looks back on the near misses and thumping victories –probably something that comes from playing the game.

Joint Secretary :

Anubha Kaushik Most of us know people who refuse to play even one sport just because it is “time consuming” and an “energy drainer”. Well, Anubha is someone they definitely need to talk to. This third year has not only played in every BOSM since her first year, but she has also proved her versatility by excelling in four different sports. A table tennis player, she has won lau-rels in athletics in all semesters, and is captaining the girls‟ badminton team since last year. Last semester, she also went to IIT Roorkee, as a part of the basketball team. Now that is a sportswoman in the true sense of the term! No wonder that she had no difficulty at all in clearing the interview for Joint Secretary having comfortably fulfilled the eligibility condition of playing in at least two BOSMs.

Taking time out from her busy schedule she was gracious enough to spend some minutes talking to BEP.

The preparations for BOSM began in the last semester itself, when the committee was formed after the inter college sports events in Delhi. Big plans had been made and everyone was excited to see them being executed. However, they were dis-appointed on their return to the campus this semester, as project Parivartan was posing a big problem. As a result, some changes had to be brought about, like having the hock-ey matches in the Shishu Vihar grounds and the cricket matches in the Med C grounds. Unfortunately, as football was shifted to the BSS grounds, the girls‟ football matches had to be done away with. For those who are wondering why, BSS is a boys‟ school! No girls allowed!

The sadder part was the athletics event being scrapped. “BITS had been winning all athletic events consecutively for the past 2 years after a gap of 25 long years. We tried our best to arrange for tracks but some things are out of bounds for the institution as well. There is a lot of responsibility involved in terms of security outside the campus. The facilities are quite good but logistical problems cannot be helped in Pilani. We are doing our bit by calling special coaches from outside who will be starting from today”.

Badminton, basketball, swimming and table tennis are the other events which are being looked forward to, based on the BITS record. Last year, the badminton team reached the semi finals while the swimming team won. Delhi University is one of the closest competitors. “Having a sports quota works a lot in their favour”, she says. Around 850 participants have registered this year. Among the participating teams is also the University of Moratuwa, a Sri Lankan team. BOSM has truly made its mark in the subcontinent. And how are the draws made? “There is always home advantage, and we cannot judge new teams beforehand, but we are never unfair, unlike some tournaments where the draws are repeatedly changed to suit the hosting team”.

As for the inauguration ceremony to be held in the evening of the 14th, in the basketball court, the chief guest is none other than Saba Karim, one India‟s noted wicketkeepers. The guest of honour is an Asian Games Gold medallist, but we will keep the name under covers for you to discover for yourself! As usual, the Dance Club will perform on a mix of western and semi western numbers. For entertaining the general public, Radioactiv, CrAC and Informalz have a range of events planned. So gear up for some fun, game and sport! And to sati-ate your taste buds and growling stomach after sweating it out (either by playing or just watching others play in the sweltering heat), Pizza Hut and CCD are there to dish out your favourite recipes.

This year, not many changes in the format could be brought in, but it was made up for by the inaugural edition of Junoon, the sports fest for the differently abled. “It was very well received as we got participants from four NGOs, and also support from the Institution, but we would love to see an even better re-sponse next year. It was simply a pleasure watching these peo-ple give out their best performances in spite of everything.”

Adding a word of caution, she said, “The sand piles at Gym G may seem quite adventurous, but I request everyone not to wander into them or try climbing them. We are specially barri-cading them. They are isolated as well as dangerous.”

Finally she concluded, “This year, the glamour of BOSM has been marred by apprehension from some. However we have mid sems instead of tests; so I hope that this brings in more spectators to cheer for us. The main events are usually during the evenings, especially from the semi-finals onwards, so miss-ing classes dare not be an excuse. The larger the crowd, the merrier it is!”

Joint Secretary :

Neeraj Agarwal Joint Secretary Neeraj Agarwal spoke to the BEP regarding preparations for BOSM ‟12 and how he‟s looking forward to it. A strong, capable individual who is always ready to lend a help-ing hand, Neeraj is also a member of the carrom team and is confident that the dust of Project Parivartan will not get in the way of the events happening smoothly. While pre-BOSM events may not have been given as much emphasis this year as in the past, Neeraj feels very confident that this year‟s Junoon, an event conducted in coordination with NSS to provide an athletic event for the differently abled, will be made bigger in the coming years; the overwhelming re-sponse it got this time certainly seemed to indicate as much. Neeraj is confident that the scattering of events over five ven-ues will be manageable. There are around ten first year volun-teers to help handle the fest. More people were recruited this year as compared to last year. Speaking of other things that will be done differently this year, Neeraj said that the teams will be getting customized kits to wear on the field in contrast to prototype shirts that used to be bought in bulk. These new kits will be better suited for playing as the others were designed more for casual wear. Neeraj hopes that more will be done in the future to help lift the profile of sports throughout the campus.

Joint Secretary :

Shantanab Dinda When BEP caught up with Shantanab in the IC, he had just come back from class, was surrounded by his department juniors, and was being hounded by an eager young reporter (yours truly). Watching him wade through all of this with the stoicism and coolness head he displayed, it‟s easy enough to guess that he is a goal keeper.

We first talked about his biggest priority – BOSM. With mul-tiple venues spread not just across the expanse of this cam-pus but across Pilani logistics is on top of the list for the sports council, he says. Some compromises have also had to be reached.

With the outstation participation fixed at a number less than last year‟s, emphasis has been laid on quality. “It‟s obvious that we would invite the defending champions,” he says. The remaining teams are invited taking into consideration the quality of their teams and the likelihood of them turning up.

Shantanab lauded the Department of Sponsorship for its work this year, with sponsorship numbers reaching a new high. BOSM, being both a newer fest as well as a less con-ventional one, has a lot more to offer to sponsors.

The usual weigh-downs no longer a problem, the biggest task at hand for the council and the biggest worry is in attracting the crowd to the various events. Empty stands are always associated with most BOSM events except in the last stages; with the map of BOSM having expanded, questions only increase about the crowd factor. Shantanab, however, is con-fident that this is more of an advantage than disadvantage. He is confident about the success of BITS teams this year and this will definitely pull more spectators to the usually deserted fields.

Another worry, but one which the council can do nothing about apart from hope and pray, is the rain. Rains played spoilsport last year and he hopes that this time around the rain gods smile upon the genuinely hardworking sports coun-cil and decide to postpone their visit to after 17th of Septem-ber. Rains will most definitely bring up practical issues in terms of scheduling and field conditions.

Talking about his goalkeeping duties with the football team, Shantanab is ready to take his chances and predict a path to the gold medal for his team. This Wigan Athletic fan (a pleas-ant surprise given the glory-hunting trend that engulfs the football-fan-scene these days) who has been in the team from his first year is however vary of the competition. The DU teams, he says, have lot more facilities and time to practice throughout the year unlike the engineering students here who have a lot more on their hands that they cannot afford to put second. With the home crowd cheering on, he is confident that they can go step ahead from their semi final appearance of last year.

He decided to stand for the post of the Joint Sports Secretary only at the end of the previous semester. This is because of his CoStAAn duties, but after the success of APOGEE, he was confident about taking on a new challenge. Here‟s hop-ing that challenge culminates in something good- a successful BOSM.

When one thinks of Pilani, one doesn‟t usually think of food. No out-station participant‟s BOSM experience is complete, however, without tasting some of the fine local cuisine. So while you‟re spending downtime before getting back on the pitch, have a taste of some of the food on our guide to BITS-Pilani‟s best vegetarian food: Poha at RP Redi: A popular Indian breakfast food, the version of the dish served at UCO Redi is no let down. While it may not send one into rap-tures of delight, it still keeps the bar at a respectably high level. Hyderbadi Biryani at Sharma’s: A dish that gives its namesakes available at the other restaurants in the vicinity an inferiority complex, the Hyderabadi Biryani from Sharma‟s Restaurant is the food item you see being channelled to hungry diners all over C‟Not. With only fried potatoes and onions inhabit-ing the rice, this is a surprisingly tasty plate of food, and something which is completely worthy of its spot on this list. Grilled Cheese Sandwich at Noble’s: The grilled cheese sandwich at Noble‟s in C‟Not is a great combination of toasted bread, cheese and veggies. Unlike its absurdly small cousins available at Sky Lab, this sandwich comes in a size befitting both

the large BITSian appetite, and the higher prices of the restaurant in question. Veg. Cheese Mayonnaise Burger at Sky Lab: No visitor to BITS-Pilani should leave without meeting Pappu Ji, the enigmatic owner of Sky Lab (and probably the richest local „entrepeneur‟ this campus will ever pro-duce), and tasting one of his famous „Moynee‟ dishes. My food of choice here is the veg. cheese mayonnaise burger. Fruit Salad at Gandhi Redi: Watermelons, chikoos, grapes, bananas, apples, mangos, pineapples, guavas, oranges, musk melons: these are just a few of the fruits, subject to availability, that go into this vegan delight. And to boot, few people are more interesting than Ra-tan Ji, the owner of Gandhi Redi. Lend him your ear and he will tell you outlandish stories on how to cure hiccups (suddenly abuse the victim), on the troubles X is having with Y and so on. Samosa Chaat at Krishna Redi: It‟s hard to decide which Redi has the best Sam-Chaat, but the majority of the campus favour would have to be with the Krishna Redi. This particular dish has come to the rescue of many-a-student residing in Krishna or Gandhi Bhawan at lunch time, and is must-try for anyone passing through the campus. Oh, and have a Kela-Rabdi too,

Unfortunately, as is the nature of a sporting event, not everyone can win. For those of you who sud-denly find yourself having far more free time while at BITS than you would have liked, we suggest tak-ing the time to visit some of the more scenic loca-tions on campus: Sky Lawns: The pride of the campus most defi-nitely (and commonly known only as “Sky” to most BITSians), the large tract of green lawns is “the” meeting-cum-hangout spot (not to mention eating out spot, thanks to “Sky Labs”, owned by the most successful entrepreneur in Pilani!) Sky is where most people go to “Chill out” in between classes and/or during classes and is the perfect spot for resting after a long, tiring game. Birla Museum: Traditionally a psenti-sem visit (last semester on campus), Birla Museum deserves more than what BITSians give it credit for. In addi-tion to the run of the mill technical museum stuff, the place houses a real-life model of a coal mine,

accurate to the smallest, most intricate of details. If you have the time, we suggest you take a look. Connaught: Connaught in the BITS Pilani campus is as integral to its small closed society as Connaught Place is to New Delhi. Though neither as big or as encompassing as its more famous namesake, Con-naught still has the “place-you-get-everything” notion among students. The restaurants in Connaught are every foodie‟s delight. A visit to a Connaught restau-rant is definitely one of the things you must do. Saraswati Temple: Completely carved out of mar-ble, and adorned with intricate carvings, the Saraswati Temple is one of the landmarks on campus. The dis-tinguishing feature of this temple is the presence of carvings of famous people on its walls, ranging from Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Sir CV Raman to even Jesus Christ. The Temple Lawns, shortened to T-Lawns, also make for a great hangout spot during leisure hours.

PILANI FOOD

Places to Visit

Across 3. He once famously said that "the aim of English cricket, is in fact, mainly, to beat Australia.". Identify this English bowler. (3+5) 5. The only host country to not win a single gold medal in the Summer Olympics. (6) 7. First Indian medal winner at Paralympic Games. (7) 9. The only man to have scored two centuries in his 100th test. (7) 11. Of the 53 Europeans countries which are recog-nised by UEFA, only this one is not allowed to enter even a single team in the UEFA Champions League, including the qualification stages. (13) 12. Meaning “Free” in Italian, it is used to refer to a player specialized in defensive skills in volleyball and also a versatile center back in football. (6) 14. 2013 film Rush is based on the rivalry between X and James Hunt. (4+5) Down 1. A major 1985 X stadium disaster involving the death of 39 Liverpool and Juventus fans. (6) 2. Ryder cup : Golf :: Weber cup : ? (7) 4. "It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up" (8+3) 6. Trainee, Intermediate, Captain, Honor, Champion-ship” and “B level, A level, AA level, Honor level and Evans scholar” are two alternative ranking systems used in this profession. (8) 8. The current president of the National Olympic Council of Ukraine, he broke the world record in his sport 35 times. (6+5) 9. Named after the inventor Thomas Edison, he was originally given the nickname Dico. (4) 10. Youngest player ever to play in an NBA game. (5) 13. First person to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics. (8)

How good is your sports trivia? Have a practice-run for Saturday afternoon’s BOSM Sports Quiz (Organized by ELAS) with this trivia-based Sports Crossword!

BITS‟ tradition of getting top-quality chief guests and guests of honour continues, with this year‟s BOSM 2012 featuring three sports personalities whose reputation as sports personalities are unri-valled. Chief Guest - Mr. Saba Karim (Former Indian Wicketkeeper): Cricket enthusiasts take note - Chief Guest Mr. Saba Karim‟s example as a former wicketkeeper and right-handed batsman for the Indian team is well worth following. Having started career in 1982-83 immediately after finishing school at St. Xavier‟s High School in Patna, Mr. Karim scored a 234 in the 1990-91 Ranji Trophy. Beginning his international career in South Africa with a debut score of 55, Mr. Karim continued to play until an eye-injury terminated his career, averaging over 56 runs in first-class cricket. Guest of Honour - Mr. Charles Borromeo (Former Asian Games Gold Medal Athlete):

Mr. Charles Borromeo‟s contribution to India‟s interna-tional athletics profile cannot be stated enough. Having proven his talent in various international Athletics Meets, Mr. Borromeo went on to win the 800m gold with a rec-ord time of 1:46:81 seconds at the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi (the first time an Indian broke the sub-1:47 barrier). After retiring in 1986 this Arjuna Award and Padma Shri Award winning athlete has been actively involved in the promotion of sports for the specially abled, and has served as National Sports Director of the Special Olym-pics Bharat . Guest of Honour - Ms. Andrea Lietz-Sybille Weier-man (Former Olympic Hockey Silver-Medalist): Andrea Lietz-Sybille Weierman‟s presence as a Guest of Honour at this edition of BOSM serves is truly notewor-thy. Having made her debut in the international hockey sce-ne in 1980, Ms. Weiermann went on to play for West Germany in the 1984 Summer Olympics, helping her team win the silver medal.

Chief Guest/Guest of Honour