Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) will host Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth’s (SPIC MACAY) 9th Annual International Convention from 20th to 26th May 2024. The institute had previously hosted the convention twice – 1996 and 2014.

It is a week-long festival of Indian culture in which more than 1,500 students and volunteers gather from across India and the world. Participants get an outlook of the Indian culture, heritage and ethics as they interact with great artists.

The Convention is open to only school and college students who have registered for the event. Their entire accommodation and food will be provided free of cost as they get to experience the best of classical Indian arts in its full glory for a week.

Looking forward to hosting the event, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Culture is the spine of every country. As a country, we are proud of the variety of cultural activities performed across Bharat. SPICMACAY brings all of them to our IIT Madras campus. Looking forward to the events.”

The SPIC MACAY Newsletter May 2024 issue focused on the 9th International Convention can be viewed and downloaded from the following link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SYuB1lRjWOdBFOoQ3fE_Re8dFp5alznm/view?usp=sharing

Speaking about the event, Prof. Sathyanarayana N. Gummadi, Dean Students said “This is third time that IIT Madras is co-organizing this event which SPICMACAY. Faculty, UG, PG and research scholars team of around 150 and above are actively participating in smooth conduct of this event. This is a great platform for IIT Madras community to experience the rich cultural festival for one week.”

Activities during the convention range from classical music and dance concerts, folk performances, crafts workshops, and movie screenings to heritage walks, Shramdaan, early morning yoga and eating holistic food.

Highlighting the unique aspects of this year’s Convention, Mr. Radha Mohan Tiwari, National Chairperson, SPIC MACAY, said, “SPIC MACAY is completing 47 years of it journey as a movement of the youth in which IIT Madras has played a very crucial role. With the help of IIT Madras and other supporters we are able to provide everything free to all the participants from accommodation to food to workshops. We will provide each of the nearly 1300 participants, from across India, an opportunity to learn one art form everyday and experience the performances of the topmost artists of India. I hope the Convention will achieve its objective and make some difference to the lives of the youth.”

Further, Ms. Suman Doonga, Vice Chairperson, SPIC MACAY, said,“SPIC MACAY stands on the shoulders of its four main pillars: Artists, Institutions, Sponsors and Volunteers. IIT Madras, an eminent institution, is an important pillar of support for our movement. It is one of the few institutions that has a vibrant cultural scene, and hosts several classical music & dance events. We are extremely happy to collaborate with IITM and wish for a long term alliance.”

The idea of organizing the convention is to create a unique ashram-like atmosphere to leave an impact on the new generation. This also resonates with SPIC MACAY’s core purpose - to have every child experience the inspiration and mysticism embodied in Indian and World heritage. The vision is to reach every child by 2030.

The main supporter of this convention is Tata Consultancy Services. This is SPIC MACAY’s flagship event which is held every year at a reputed educational institution in the county.

As is being done every year, the Convention will feature some of the finest and best artists from all over the country. Some of the artists performing at the convention include Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia (Hindustani Flute), Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Sarod), Vid. Padma Subrahmanyam (Bharatanatyam), Vid. Sudha Ragunathan (Carnatic Vocal), Vid. Seshampatti T. Sivalingam (Nadaswaram), Vidushi A. Kanyakumari (Carnatic Violin), Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar (Hindustani Vocal), Pt. M. Venkatesh Kumar (Hindustani Vocal), Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (Sitar), Vidushi Sunayana Hazarilal (Kathak) Ustad Wasifuddin (Dhrupad), Vid. Jayanthi Kumaresh (SaraswatiVeena), Vid. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande (Hindustani Vocal), Shri Margi Madhu Chakyar (Koodiyattam) and Vidwan Lalgudi GJR Krishnan (Carnatic Violin).

The convention will also have five-day long workshop intensives by eminent artists and craftspersons such as Carnatic Vocal by Vidwan Neyveli Santhanagopalan, Gurbani by Dr Alankar Singh, Sattriya by Guru Gopiram Burha Bhakat, Kathak by Vid. Sunayana Hazarilal, Mohiniyattam by Dr Neena Prasad, Odissi by VidushiMadhaviMudgal, PungCholom by KhumukchamRomendro Singh, PuruliaChhau by Shri TarapadaRajak, Hatha Yog by Swami Tyagrajanand Saraswati, Puppetry by Sudeep Gupta, Dhrupad by Ustad Wasifudd in Dagar. Different types of craft intensives such as Tikuli painting (Bihar) by Shri Ashok Kumar Biswas, Gond Tribal painting (Madhya Pradesh) by Shri Bhajju Shyam, Mughal Miniature painting (Rajasthan) by Janab Shakir Ali, Roghan art (Gujarat) by Janab Abdul Gafur Khatri, Mask making (Majuli Assam) by Shri Hemchandra, Terracotta (Tamil Nadu) by Shri VK Munusamy, will also be conducted.

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