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SPIC MACAY int�l convention concludes

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, May 15 - The weeklong 4th International Convention of leading cultural voluntary organisation SPIC MACAY ended today with overnight concerts of great practitioners of Indian classical music and dance.

The audience, consisting mainly of students, was enthralled by artistes like L Subramaniam, N Ravikiran, Vidushi Ashwini Bhide Deshpande and Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar. Among the guests who attended the convention was Governor of Nagaland and Assam Padmanabh Balakrishna Acharya.

The participants came from all over India and many other countries including Pakistan. The focus of this year was the beautiful tapestry of north Indian states.

The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY), which is trying to expose the young generation of students to the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Indian culture, showcases it every year through international conventions.

The day of the convention started at 4 am with yoga, as the philosophy of SPIC MACAY is not to entertain but make the students experience the subtle and intangible aspects of Indianness. This was led by Kudiyattam and Sattriya gurus Margi Madhu and Ghanakanta Bora respectively, Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, Inkar Dadkar, PL Dhar and experts from Brahmakumaris and Bihar School of Yoga.

The convention was inaugurated on May 9 by Acharya. This was followed by recitals by Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia and Ghanakanta Bora. The welcome concerts included presentation of Borgeet and Bihu.

Workshops and intensive workshops were mandatory for every participant to learn under a guru of their choice. These included Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Odissi, Mohiniattam, Sattriya, Dhrupad and Hindustani Vocal in the classical genre. Bihu, Ojahgiri, Naga, Wangla, Purulia and different forms of meditation and yoga, crafts, cinema and creative writing also formed part of the convention.

The afternoons and evenings saw a galaxy of artistes mesmerising the audience with their performances. The list included the likes of Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Girija Devi, Ulhas Kashalkar, Rajan & Sajan Misra, TV Sankaranarayanan, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, N Ravikiran and others. Rajendra Gangani and Malavika Sarukkai left deep imprints on the audience.

The convention featured the north-eastern arts in a big way. All the seven states were represented with the best in the folk and classical ranges. Gurus Thanil Singh and Ghanakanta Bora along with many other artistes regaled the audience. The cinema classic module was represented by Akira Kurosawa�s film. The workshop in film-making was conducted by Nandan Kudiyati. The creative writing workshop saw famous Marathi writer, Jnanpeeth awardee Bhalchand Nemade sharing tips on writing.

Nearly 1,300 students and 222 artistes made this international convention an event to remember. The IIT volunteers led by Prof Kaustubh Mohanty and Prof Chandan Mohanta along with the SPIC MACAY volunteers, left no stone unturned to make the programme a success.

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