(From top) Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pt Birju Maharaj and Shubha Mudgal

The lush green campus of IIT Powai became, for five days, a home to over 800 delegates from India and abroad, who came together to attend the 19th National Convention of SPICMACAY from June 1 to 5. The programme was dedicated to Sri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Ustad Vilayat Khan and Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra. Calcutta was represented by a 54-member team comprising teachers and students of schools and colleges.

The Calcutta boys and girls reached Powai after a long and hot train journey. The inaugural show was in the evening. The performers for the day were shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan and kathak exponent Pt Birju Maharaj, who enthralled the audience.

On the second day, Ustad Fahimuddin Dagar presented a dhrupad recital in the morning, which was followed by workshops for delegates on music, dance, theatre, yoga and handicrafts. Shabana Azmi and Farooq Sheikh staged their critically-acclaimed play Tumhari Amrita in the evening.

An eager audience gathered early the next day to hear Gulzar read his poems and answer questions. Lunch was followed by a screening of Shyam Benegal’s Samar and an interactive session. Performances by santoor maestro Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma and vocalist Pt Dinkar Kaikini were lined up in the evening.

A series of SPICMACAY meetings was scheduled on Day IV. The evening concert was dedicated to Indian folk art and Marathi dancer Maya Jadhav performed the lavani with her troupe. The Wadali Bandhu followed, with their enchanting Sufi songs.

On the fifth day, the morning concert was a major attraction as singer Shubha Mudgal was the performer. The concluding session was after lunch. The convention ended with an overnight show featuring Dr M. Balamuralikrishna, Mukul Shivputra, Yashwantbua Joshi, sitarist Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffar Khan, flautist Pt Raghunath Seth and violinist T.N. Krishnan.

The Calcutta students had a whale of a time at the convention. They attended various workshops. Theatre, abhinaya in dance and dhrupad seemed to be the choice of most, with Hindustani classical music, painting and handloom following suit.

The early morning yoga sessions also received an enthusiastic response from the participants, in spite of the early schedule. The students also attended special orientation sessions, organised to help them work for the movement better in their cities and to strive for more participation from people.

On the final day, the Calcutta team went on a sight-seeing and shopping trip around Mumbai, buying souvenirs for their family and friends, and visiting the beach and aquarium, with lunch at McDonald’s and a dinner of pav bhaji, aamchi Mumbai style, thrown in.

The concerts were the highlights of the convention. The inaugural show was rated the best, with Ustad Bismillah Khan performing some of the audience’s favourite tunes on the shehnai and Pt Birju Maharaj charming one and all with his enactment of young Krishna, peacocks, ducks and, unbelievably, the telephone.

Star acts: Shabana Azmi and Farooq Sheikh in Tumhari Amrita.

Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma performed the Puriyadhanashri, the twilight raga, while Shubha Mudgal concentrated on the morning ragas.

Maya Jadhav’s lavani performance with her troupe was a huge hit. The performance by the Sufi singers of Wadali Bandhu was highly appreciated. The overnight show, too, was a success.

The SPICMACAY magazine, The Eye, was also relaunched. Next year’s event will be held in Manipal.

— Sohini Dey,
GD Birla Centre for Education

Aim of the year

The District Interact Conference, Manzil 2004, organised by the Interact District Council, to be held at Kala Mandir on July 25 and 26, promises to be as enjoyable as last year.

Manzil 2004 will be the culmination of an odyssey begun last year.

The conference will comprise a medley of events. After the inauguration is Conclave, a panel discussion where speakers will enlighten the audience on a subject selected by the representatives. Angel Eyes, Nirmal Hriday and Sparsh are events that will provide an opportunity to under-privileged children. We will give them a chance to showcase their talent through a dance and skit.

Sparsh, which draws inspiration from the donations given by The Telegraph Education Foundation, aims to recognise and financially help needy children get an education.

Mischief@foot and The Perfect Ensemble will provide a platform for the schools to exchange ideas through the medium of dance and clothes. Expressing a theme through vibrant, synchronised motions is what Mischief@foot is all about, while The Perfect Ensemble will have budding style icons scorching the ramp.

If these events have a following of their own, for some the district awards ceremony is the magnum opus. The awards laud the efforts put in by the interactors through the year. To top this, in store is a musical extravaganza by guest performers, gift packages for each interactor and an interactive career guidance session.

— Siddharth Jain,
Inter-club chairperson,
Interact District Council

(Top) A child peers at the celestial spectacle through solar filters. A Western dance class at the Padatik summer carnival. Picture by Apurba Banerjee.

Facing up

On a recent Sunday morning, the cricket-crazy boys of Vivekananda Park took a break from practice for some quizzing with a mix of seriousness and fun.

TTIS had organised an inter-club quiz competition for the wannabe Sachins and Souravs, and they all enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

The participating teams were Mainland Sambaran Cricket Academy (MSCA), SP Cricket Coaching Centre and Bulan Cricket Academy. The questions were on sports — predominantly cricket, but football, hockey and a few other disciplines were also included.

The teams participated with great enthusiasm. Even the rain could not put a damper on their high spirits.

MSCA made a clean sweep and took home the winners’ certificates. Gifts were also in store for all the participants. The prizes were given away by former Bengal captain Sambaran Banerjee.

— Subhajoy Roy,
Mitra Institution

Venus on view

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, in association with Breakthrough Science Society, set up an astronomy centre on the school grounds on June 8 to enable people to witness one of those rarest events of the solar system — the transit of Venus.

The public viewing camp was initiated by Md Sadik Hasan Siraji, a maths teacher of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. With the help of student volunteers Arunima Ray, Sourav Sen and Souvik Saha, the journey of Venus across the sun was projected on a sheet through binoculars, on the school terrace. Everyone was intrigued by the celestial spectre, which could be viewed through telescopes fitted with sun filters. Pamphlets and sun filters were provided by the science society for “safe viewing”.

— Stuti Agarwal,
Ist year B.Com (hons),
JD Birla Institute

Bottlers’ battle

Did you know PET bottles, carrying your favourite soft drink, can be recycled to yield enough fibre for T-shirts and sweaters?

Such curious facts came up for discussion at a meet on the importance of recycling PET bottles. Coca Cola, a member of The Indian Association of PET Manufacturers (IAPM), in collaboration with West Bengal Pollution Control Board, had organised an interface with the students of Lakshmipat Singhania Academy on June 17 at the school.

IAPM comprises soft drinks and cosmetics companies, as well as other manufactures who use PET bottles. These are made of non-biodegradable plastic widely used for various purposes, which, if not properly disposed of, can cause environmental hazards.

The IAPM drive is aimed at making students understand the necessity of reaching used PET bottles to kabadiwallas. IAPM collects the bottles from them, and recycles them at its Chennai plant. The students were shown ad campaigns used by the IAPM to spread the word.

The session also highlighted the activities being carried out in Bengal to raise awareness through rallies, hoardings, banners and World Environment Day events. The drive, carrying the message “We will heal the world”, gave the students food for thought.

— Nihar Jain,
Class X, Lakshmipat Singhania Academy

Clarification: In the Olympics torch relay story in Young Metro last week, Vivek Tanka sent 980 tons, not runs, of supplies to Orissa during the cyclone.