IIT-Delhi will host international convention on India’s cultural heritage

Over 1500 students from all over the country and abroad will assemble at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi next week to experience India’s rich cultural heritage.

Spic Macay (Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth) is holding its annual international convention at the IIT from 5 to 11 June, for which the inaugural address will be delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through video conferencing on 5 June (Monday). The event is expected to give exposure to the participating youth from about the cultural and traditional values which India has preserved in various forms since times immemorial.

Other dignitaries who will be present at the occasion are Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla and Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki. The inaugural ceremony will be presided over by Prof V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT Delhi. The inaugural performance will given by Girija Devi and T.N. Krishnan.

The idea of organizing the convention, according to the organisers, is to contrive the unique ashram-like atmosphere to leave an impact on the new generation. The mega event will feature performances of classical and folk music and dance, reflecting India’s diverse and rich cultural heritage.

Some of the prominent artistes, who will feature in the event, include Girija Devi (vocal), Shiv Kumar Sharma (Santoor), Begum Parween Sultana (vocal), Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Mohan Veena), Wasifuddin Dagar (Dhrupad), Ulhas Kashalkar (vocal), Teejan Bai (Pandavani). Other artistes who will be feature during the event include Bhajan Sopori, Anjolie Ela Menon, Dadi Pudumjee, Raghu Rai, Kapila Venu, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Umayalapuram Sivaraman, Shri Adoor Gopalakrishnan, T N Krishnan, Alarmel Valli, Sudha Ragunathan, Venkatesh Kumar and Guru Ghanakanta Bora.

The organization, founded by Kiran Seth, Padma Shri, is working for the promotion of Indian culture for the last 40 years and this is for the first time that its annual convention is being held in the national capital. Spic Macay organizes over 5000 programmes in the 300 chapters in India and 20 chapters abroad. But the seven days at the convention are the zenith of the movement as volunteers and members assemble from all over the world to experience the “mysticism” and “beauty” of India. The schedule of the convention is such that a person is away from the world which is bombarded with too much knowledge and information. A participant gets an outlook of Indian culture, heritage and ethics.

“Activities in the convention range from classical music and dance concerts, performances of folk arts, crafts, intensives, and classic cinema screenings to shramdaan, getting up early in the morning for yoga and eating holistic food,” said Suman Doonga, national head of media and communication, Spic Macay.

A day at the convention starts with getting up at 3.30 am during the very special time called the ‘Brahma Mahurat’, performing ‘yoga’ or meditation for three hours with the gurus. Participants themselves choose from options like Naad Yog, Hath Yog, Dhrupad and Kutiyattam for this. This is followed by the ‘Shramdaan’, with an idea to give back a cleaner place to the hosts than how they gave it to the participants.

The participants would also attend intensives, Hindustani vocal, Carnatic vocal, Dhrupad, Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, Odissi, Kooddiyattam, Hatha Yoga, meditation, crafts, puppetry and theatre. These will be conducted by great masters in various fields. This session goes on in the form of a three hours workshop every day at the convention.

After the intensives the participants get to attend talks by eminent personalities, movie screenings and concerts in the afternoon. In the evening, some of the most distinguished artists perform for the participants. This is paralleled by holistic food which provides the necessary support to the body, mind and soul throughout this wonderful week long journey.

On the penultimate day, participants get a chance to demonstrate what they have learnt from their Gurus on the stage. Then there is an overnight concert which is the culmination of an intense experience created through five continuous performances of classical dance and music by India’s top performing artists. On the last day, heritage walks are organized to some of the heritage sites.

“We had over 4000 registrations from all across the country and abroad out of which 1500 have been selected who will attend the convention with all their boarding and lodging covered at IIT Delhi. The afternoon programmes and evening concerts will be open for all and an estimated 1000 other people will attend these programmes,” said media coordinator Anshuman Jain.