Guwahati, May 8: Over 1,000 youths will arrive on the IIT Guwahati campus from across the country to learn about classical dance, music and other art forms in a weeklong convention beginning tomorrow.
The 4th International Convention of the Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (Spic Macay) will create an " ashram-like" atmosphere for 1,400 youths to take part in concerts and intensive workshops of classical music, dance, craft and other art forms by prominent artistes.
Spic Macay is a non-political, nationwide, voluntary movement founded in 1977 by Kiran Seth, professor emeritus, IIT Delhi, to "enrich the quality of formal education by increasing awareness about different aspects of Indian heritage and inspiring the young minds to imbibe the values embedded in it".
"This convention is aimed to be a heritage festival for the Northeast. There will be a series of programmes by eminent artistes of the country. The events will be graced by a large number of dignitaries from across the country and from abroad as well," said Bhavin Mandalaywala, the convener of the event.
During the week, the participants will begin the day at 3.30am, doing yoga for three hours followed by shram daan (voluntary work).
Subsequently, they will learn classical and folk music and dance, traditional craft, literature and art, among others, from gurus who have mastered their skills in a particular art form, during a three-hour intensive workshop.
There will be talks by eminent personalities, movie screenings and concerts in the afternoon.
In the evening, classical music and dance concerts by artistes like Shiv Kumar Sharma, Girija Devi, Birju Maharaj, Ulhas Kashalkar, Begum Parveen Sultana, Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Vidushi Sudha Raghunathan, Malavika Sarukkai, Shahid Parvez, Rajan and Sajan Misra, Wasifuddin Dagar and T.M. Krishna, will be the highlights.
Mandalaywala said there will be trips to heritage sites like Kamakhya temple, Kaziranga National Park and Majuli island on offer on the last day, from which participants can select one.
"The participants do not pay anything for the entire convention except that they are required to sever all ties with the outside world for a week and adhere to the prescribed routine," he said.
"The weeklong experience is designed to teach one the difficult practice of connecting with within. Watching and listening to great masters can elevate them to much higher levels than the mundane existence," Mandalaywala said.
