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OUR GRACIOUS HOSTIIT Guwahati was establishedin 1994 as the sixth memberof IIT fraternity. The campus islocated on a sprawling 700 acresarea towards the northern bank

of Brahmaputra, 20 kms from the heart of thecity. With the majestic Brahmaputra lowing bythe side, overlooking hills and many lakes onthe campus, IIT Guwahati is perhaps the onlyIIT that is nestled in pure natural beauty. It willcertainly provide an ideal environment for theSPIC MACAY delegates for enjoying the riches

of our cultural heritage during the convention.IIT Guwahati also boasts of a very uniquecourse, introduced only in 2015, as part of itscurriculum called the SA Course. It is speci icallydesigned to promote Indian Classical Cultureamongst students. The course o ers a choicebetween Sattriya dance, classical instrumentaland classical vocals, all taught by "Artists inResidence".

Smt. Anwesa Mahanta, Sh. Devanand Pathak,Smt. Anita Mahanta and Smt. Bhaswati Sarma

are some of the resident artistes. The coursehas received an overwhelming response asover 60 students enrolled in the irst batch. A

CONVENTION SPECIAL ISSUE

huge increase is anticipated in the enrolmentfor the next session, thus making IIT Guwahatiplay a major role in the promotion of IndianClassical Music and Culture amongst the futuregeneration.

IIT Guwahati has had a long associationwith SPIC MACAY. It hosted the North EastRegional Convention and the Virasat series inAugust 2014. This convention witnessed someinspirational performances from artists like

Sh. Buddhadev Das Gupta, Smt. Ileana Citaristi,Sh. Wasim Ahmed Khan, Us. Shahid Parvez andothers.

Dear Delegates,

IIT Guwahati is all set to welcome all of you for the 4th International Convention (InterCon) ofSPIC MACAY to be hosted from 9th to 15th May 2016.

The inaugural function on 9th May will be chaired by the Hon'ble Governor of Assam andNagaland Sh. P.B. Acharya who is also the Chairman of Advisory Board of SPIC MACAY-Assam

in the presence of Dr. Jitendra Singh, Hon'ble Union Minister for Science & Technology andDONER, and Sh. Sarbananda Sonowal, Hon'ble Union Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs.The inaugural function will be followed by the flute recital of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia andSattriya performance by Guru Ghanakanta Bora.

The convention will have performances and intensive by eminent artistes. All the artistes anddelegates will be housed in the gratifying campus of IIT Guwahati for the entire duration of theconvention.

All through the week, delegates will begin the day with Yoga in the Brahma Muhurat, carry onthe day with intensives followed by afternoon concert and evening concerts. Holistic food will beserved to keep the delegates energised the entire day.

Looking forward to a pleasant and memorable stay for all delegates and volunteers at IIT.

With Best Wishes ,Prof. K. Mohanty

On behalf of the 4th InterCon Organising Committee

WELCOME TO IIT GUWAHATI

-PAGE 3-

Our Host City:Guwahati

-PAGE 4-

A Day AtThe Convention

-PAGE 5-

ConventionSchedule

-PAGE 7-

Artistes At TheConvention

-PAGE 12-

Craft Artists At the

Convention

- PAGE 17-

Conceptual Corner

- PAGE 18-

I Feel Strongly

- PAGE 19-

News From States

-PAGE 22-

SPIC MACAY Abroad

-PAGE 23-

In Remembrance

-PAGE 26-Conventions-

The Way Ahead

INSIDE


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GUWAHATI: THE ANCIENT CITY

GUWAHATI, the largest city of Assam, located on thebanks of the mighty Brahmaputra river, is the gatewayto North East India. Also known as the ‘City of Temples’,the city boasts of the famous Kamakhya Temple, which isone of the Shaktipeeths in India; and the ancient UmanandaTemple located at the Peacock Island in the middle of riverBrahmaputra.

Guwahati was known as Pragjyotishpura in ancient Assam. It

is said that the ancient cities of Pragjyotishpura and Durjaya(North Guwahati) were the capitals of the state of Kamarupaunder the Varman and Pala dynasties. Dispur, the capital ofAssam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahatiand is the seat of the Government of Assam.

Guwahati's myths and history go back several thousandyears. Although the exact date of the city's beginningis unknown, references in the epics, Puranas and othertraditional histories of India lead many to assume that it isone of the ancient cities of Asia. Epigraphic sources place thecapitals of many ancient kingdoms in Guwahati. It was the

capital of the kings Narakasura and Bhagadatta according tothe Mahabharata.

Located within Guwahati is the ancient Shakti temple ofGoddess Kamakhya in Nilachal hill (an important seat ofTantric and Vajrayana Buddhism), the ancient and uniqueastrological temple Navagraha in Chitrachal Hill, andarchaeological remains in Basistha and other archaeologicallocations of mythological importance.

The Ambari excavations trace the city to the Hindu kingdomsof Shunga-Kushana period between the 2nd century BC andthe 1st century AD. Descriptions by Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang)reveal that during the reign of the Varman King BhaskarVarman (7th century AD), the city stretched for almost 15kms. It remained as the capital of Assam until the 10th-11thcentury AD under the rule of the Pala dynasty.

The city was also the seat of the Borphukan, the civilmilitary authority of the Lower Assam region appointedby the Ahom kings. The Borphukan's residence was inthe present Fancy Bazaar area and his council-hall, called

Dopdar, was about 300 yards to the west of the Bharalustream. The Majindar Baruah, the personal secretary of theBorphukan, had his residence in the present-day deputycommissioner's residence.

The Mughals invaded Assam 17 times and were defeated bythe Ahoms in Battle of Itakhuli and Battle of Saraighat. Duringthe Battle of Saraighat, fought in 1671, the Mughals wereoverrun due to the strong leadership of Lachit Borphukan.The great embankment called ‘Mumai-Kota Gorh’, namedafter an incident in which Lachit had to slay (Kota) hisown maternal uncle (Mumai) for being lazy in building theembankment (Gorh) that runs along the outskirts of the city,stands as a proof of the hard work and war-readiness on the

part of the Ahoms.The city experienced a brief period of Burmese rule duringthe Burmese invasions of Assam from 1817 to 1826. Afterthe First Anglo-Burmese War, the city became a part of theBritish Indian Empire vide Yandabo Treaty 1826. Laterthe city was an active site of the Indian independencemovement, being the birthplace of many independenceactivists.

CONVENTION SPECIAL ISSUEOUR HOST


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3:30 am Wake Up

4:00 am – 7:00 am Yog

7:00 am – 7:15 am Shramdaan

7:15 am – 8:45 am Personal time and Holistic Breakfast

8:45 am - 9:00 am Movement time

9:00 am – 12:00 noon (Fixed) Intensives / Workshops

12:00 noon – 1:00 pm Holistic Lunch

1:00 pm - 1:15 pm Movement time

1:15 pm – 4:45 pm (Fixed) Folk / Theatre / Cinema Classic / Talk /Performances

4:45 pm - 5:45 pm Holistic Dinner

5:45 pm – 6:00 pm Movement time

6:00 pm – 9:30 pm (Fixed) Performances

9:30 pm - 9:45 pm Movement time

10:00 pm Lights O

A TYPICAL DAY AT THE CONVENTION



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DATE TIME SESSION ARTIST ART FORMMon09 May

12 noon -12:45 pm

Welcome Performance Manik Bora Borbayan Bor Geet

1:00 – 1:45 pm Holistic Lunch2:00 - 4:45 pm Orientation for ALL participants by Kiran Seth & Kaustubha Mohanty

6:00 – 7:00 pm Lighting of Lamp &Inaugural Ceremony

7:00 – 7:15 pm Stage Setting Time

7:30 – 9:30 pm Performance Hariprasad Chaurasia FluteGhanakanta Bora SattriyaTue10 May

9:00 – 12 noon Meeting with Intensive Gurus1:15 – 3:30 pm Performance 'Vivekananda' by Shekhar Sen Theatre

3:30 – 4:15 pm Performance Tarapada Rajak & Group Purulia Chhau

4:15– 4:45 pm Presentation Aruna Mohanty Odissi6:00 – 9:30 pm Performance Thanil Singh & troupe Raas Sankirtan

Ulhas Kashalkar Hindustani VocalWed11 May

1:15 – 4:45 pm Performance Bihu dance (Assam)Mizo Choir (Mizoram)Hojagiri dance (Tripura)

Naga dance (Nagaland)Wangla dance (Meghalaya)Lion dance (Sikkim)

North Eastern Folk

6:00 – 9:30 pm Performance Rajendra Gangani Kathak Girija Devi Hindustani Vocal

Thu12 May

1:15 – 3:45 pm Cinema Classic screening ‘Kagemusha' by Akira Kurosawa Cinema Classic

3:45 – 4:45 pm Talk Bhalchandra Nemade on Nativism Talk

6:00 – 9:30 pm Performance Vishwa Mohan Bhatt Mohan VeenaTV Sankaranarayanan Carnatic Vocal

Fri13 May

1:15 – 4:45 pm Performance GurbaniWarsi Brothers (Qawwali)

Sooryagayathri (Bhajan)Naga/ Mizo (Choir)Monks from Tawang Monastery

Prayer and Music

6:00 – 9:30 pm Performance Malavika Sarukkai BharatanatyamRajan & Sajan Misra Hindustani Vocal

Sat 14 May

12:15 – 2:15 pm Intensive Presentations By all participants

8:30 pmonwards

Overnight L Subramaniam Carnatic ViolinAshwini Bhide Deshpande Hindustani VocalMargi Madhu KudiyattamRavikiran Chitra VeenaF. Wasifuddin Dagar Dhrupad

Sun15 May

9:30 am Heritage Tour options: Kamakhya & Umanand Temple / Hajo - a centre for Buddhists,Muslims & Hindus / Sualkucchi - Town known for silk weaving handloom units

SCHEDULE*

4 th International Convention at IIT-Guwahati, 9 th May – 15 th May 2016

*Subject to change



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LIST OF CRAFT & CLASSICAL INTENSIVES

10 th May to 14 th May / 9am – 12 noon

SL.NO.

NAME ART FORM 4 - 7 AM

Also

1 Akshay Bariki PattachitraPainting

2 Amaljith Kathakali3 Ambica Devi Madhubani

Painting

4 Anant Malakar Sholapith

5 Aruna Mohanty Odissi

6 Ashwini BhideDeshpande

Hindustani Vocal

7 Balu Mhase Warli Painting

8 BhalchandraNemade Creative Writing

9 Ranjit Gogoi Bihu Dance

10 Brahmakumaris Meditation √

11 D Padma Cheriyal MaskMaking

12 F. Wasifuddin Dagar Dhrupad √

13 Ghanakanta Bora Sattriya √

14 Adhiraj Deb Varma Hojagiri Dance15 Irshad H Farooqi Calligraphy in

Wood Carving

16 Ishwar Naik Chittara Painting

17 Lokendrajit Singh Manipuri

18 Jamini Payeng HandloomWeaving

19 Japani Shyam Gond TribalPainting

20 Kalyan Joshi Phad Painting

SL.NO.

NAME ART FORM 4 - 7 AM

Also

21 Kalyanmal Sahu Picchwai TempleArt

22 Lion Dance North East Folk 23 Malabika Mitra Kathak

24 Manendra Deka Bamboo Weaving

25 Manik BoraBorbayan

Bor Geet

26 Manimal Chitrakar Patua Painting

27 Manjula Murthy Mohiniattam

28 Margi Madhu Kudiyattam √

29 Mizo Choir North East Folk

30 Mohd Muslim Dyer Bandhej

31 Along Longchar Naga Dance

32 Nandan Kudhyadi CinemaAppreciation

33 Omkar Dadarkar Hindustani Vocal √

34 R K Padmanabha Carnatic Vocal

35 RaginiChandershekar

Bharatanatyam

36 Ram Soni Sanjhi PaperCutting

37 Swami Tyagaraj -Bihar School of Yoga

Hath Yog √

38 Tarapada Rajak &Group

Purulia Chhau

39 Wangala Dance North East Folk

40 P.L. Dhar Mindfullness



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ARTISTES AT THE CONVENTION

recipients (for Odissi) of the Bismillah Khan Award (bySNA) for young dancers, have been her students.

Sougaijam Thanil Singh - ManipuriSh. Thanil Singh is a renownedManipuri dancer and NataSankirtana performer. Hereceived his early training fromhis father as well as Guru TombiSharma, Guru BhaigchandraSingh and Guru Koireng Singh. Healso studied at Jawaharlal NehruManipur Dance Academy, Imphaland went on to join it as a memberof faculty and later became its

Pradhan Guru while superannuating as the director of theinstitution. He has performed on many stages in India andabroad. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in1994 and Padma Shri in 2005.

Ulhas Kashalkar – Hindustani VocalPt. Ulhas Kashalkar, son of Shri N.D.Kashalkar and disciple of Sh RamMarathe and Pt. Gajananbua Joshi,blends Gwalior, Agra and Jaipurgharana gayaki with authenticityand aesthetic excellence. Hehas performed at some of themost prestigious venues inthe world and is the recipientseveral awards including the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2008 and Padma Shri in2010.

Rajendra Gangani - Kathak Pt. Rajendra Gangai is a Kathakdancer trained in the JaipurGharana and is notable for hisinnovative style. Disciple of Pt.Kundanlal Gangani, Rajendraji started training in the art ofKathak at the early age of four.He graduated from the KathakKendra, Delhi in 1984 and eversince has made significantcontributions to this field. He

stands out for his style; making use of his excellent blend ofmanly grace and delicacy, he depicts the devotional aspectsthat characterises Jaipur gharana. For his outstandingcontribution to Kathak, he received the Sangeet NatakAkademi Award in 2003.

Girija Devi – Hindustani VocalVidushi Girija Devi sings in the

Banaras gharana and performs thePurabi Ang Thumri style typicalof the tradition, whose status shehelped elevate. Her repertoireincludes the semi-classical genresKajri, Chaiti, and Holi and she singsKhyal, Indian folk music and Tappa.She is considered as the "Queen OfThumri". She was conferred thePadma Shri in 1972, the PadmaBhushan in 1989, the SangeetNatak Akademi Award in 1977 and the Padma Vibhushan in2016.

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt – Mohan VeenaCreator of the Mohan Veena,Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt hasmesmerized the world with hispristine and delicate yet ierymusic. Owing to his maiden megae orts, the guitar was rechristenedas Mohan Veena and is nowestablished at the top most level inthe mainstream of Indian ClassicalMusic scenario. He received theGrammy Award in 1993, theSangeet Natak Academi Award in 1998 and the Padma Shriin 2002.

T. V. Sankaranarayanan – Carnatic VocalT.V. Sankaranarayanan is aneminent Carnatic vocalist,known for his vibrant music. Hisemotion-laden style of singinghas won him a large followingamong music lovers. He hasperformed widely in India aswell as abroad and has severalalbums to his credit. He is therecipient of the Sangeet NatakAcademi Award (1990), thePadma Bhushan (2003) and theand the Sangeet Kalanidhi Award(2003).

Warsi Brothers - QawwaliNazeer Ahmed Khan Warsi and Naseer Ahmed Khan Warsiwere born in Rampur. They are the music bearers of the gayeki


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of Dilli gharana and are noted fortheir melody and improvisation.They are recognised especially for

their traditional Su iana Qawwali,Ghazal, Thumri, Bhajan andClassical Bandish. The brothersjointly received the Sangeet Natak

Akademi Award for their contribution to Qawwali.

Malavika Sarukkai – BharatanatyamSmt Malavika Sarukkai is a classicaldancer and choreographerspecializing in Bharatanatyam.Intense, extraordinary and

luminous are the qualities thatdistinguish Malavika Sarukkai‘sdancing. With her artistic masteryand technique, she commandsa presence on the world stage.She is acclaimed globally for hercreative dance choreographies. A2002 winner of the Sangeet Natak

Akademi Award, she was honoured with the PadmaShri in 2003.

Rajan and Sajan Mishra – HindustaniVocal

Pt. Rajan and Pt. Sajan Mishra arebrothers and renowned singers ofthe khayal style of Indian classicalmusic. Part of a 300-year-oldlineage of khayal singing of theBanaras gharana, the Mishrabrothers have been performing toaudiences all over the world formany years. They were awardedthe Padma Bhushan in 2007 and

the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1998.

L. Subramaniam - Carnatic ViolinDr L Subramaniam is anacclaimed violinist, composerand conductor, trained in theclassical Carnatic tradition andalso Western classical music. He isrenowned for his virtuoso playingtechniques and compositions in

orchestral fusion. Subramaniamdeveloped a passion for music aswell as science from a young age,studying Medicine and acquiring

his M.B.B.S. at Madras Medical College but decided to pursuemusic full-time. Since 1973 Subramaniam has amassed over200 recordings to his credit, releasing several historic solo

albums, recording collaborations with world musicians likeYehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli, Ruggiero Ricci and Jean-Pierre Rampal, Ruggiero Ricci, Herbie Hancock, Joe Sample,George Harrison and several others.

Ashwini Bhide Deshpande –Hindustani VocalSmt Ashwini B. Deshpande,an outstanding vocalist ofthe famed “Jaipur-Atrauli”Khayal Gayaki tradition,represents the newgeneration of veterans.She pursued her career inmusic after completing her doctorate in Biochemistry fromthe Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. She is the recipientof the Government of Maharashtra “Sanskritik Puraskar”for 2011 and the Sahyadri Doordarshan “Sangeet Ratna”Puraskar for 2010.

Margi Madhu – KuddiyatamSh. Margi Madhu's portrayalof characters on the stage ofvenerated Kudiyattam is beyondbelief. A recipient of manyprestigious awards such as the‘Sanskriti National Award’ foryoung artists and the KeralaKalamandalam Award, MargiMadhu is known for the intenserendering of characters that heplays. The artiste is currentlyworking as Assistant professorin the Department of Theatre,

Sreesankaracharya University ofSanskrit in Kerala.

N. RavikiranSh Ravikiran is a Carnaticmusician, considered one of themost celebrated prodigies andmusicians whose been performingsince the age of two. A slideinstrumentalist and vocalist from

age 5, a composer, guru, author& orator, he is also the creatorof the concept Melharmony inworld music. Son and disciple of



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revolutionary "prodigy-maker" Chitravina Narasimhan, heis the grandson of famous musician Gotuvadyam NarayanIyengar. He is also hailed as the ‘Mozart’ of Indian music.

Ravikiran made his irst appearance in 1969. He has over700 classical compositions to his credit which includevarnam, krti, javali, tillana and padam. He received theSangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007 and has numerousother recognitions to his credit from around the world.

F. Wasifuddin Dagar – Dhrupad

Us. Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagaris a classical singer of theDhrupad genre and the son

of renowned dhrupad singerUstad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar.Since the death of his fatherand later his uncle, Wasifuddinhas been singing solo. He wasawarded the Padma Shri in2010.

Sooryagayathri - Bhajanis a ten-year-old girl born to aMridangam player father froma remote village – Vadakara innorth Kerala. She is truly a giftof God and an amazing bundleof talent. She has been singingCarnatic music ever since shewas ive-years-old. Soon shestarted singing devotional songsand thereafter she has beengiving public performances. On

one such concert she even sang some bhajans that hadbeen earlier sung by the great Smt. M.S. Subbalakshmiand received rave reviews. The little girl is continuing

with her music education with all commitment anddevotion.

ARTISTES FOR INTENSIVES

BhalchandraNemade - Writer

is a Marathi writer, famous for hisbooks "Hindu" & "Kosala". Nemade

was born in the Khandesh regionof Maharashtra. He received hisbachelor's degree from FergussonCollege in Pune and Master's in

May 2015Sandesh

Linguistics from Deccan College, Pune and Masters in EnglishLiterature from Mumbai University. Nemade taught English,Marathi and comparative literature at various universities,

including the School of Oriental and African Studies atLondon. In the 1960s Nemade also edited Marathi magazineVacha. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award (1990) forhis critical work Teeka Svayanwar, Padma Shri in 2011 andJnanpith Award in 2014.

R.K. PadmanabhaRK Padmanabha is a well knownCarnatic musician. He startedlearning music only at age 25.

His music is characterizedby discipline, tradition. Hisstrong hold on both Lakshyaand Lakshana (practical andtheoretical) aspects of music,makes his lecture demonstrationsa treat to both the classes andmasses. He established SharadaKala Kendra in 1990 and hasbeen tutoring many young musicians ever since. He has150 compositions, several varnams, krithis and thillanas,which are easily appealing to even a lay man. He has createdragas like Hayasya, Manasollasini, Prabhamani, Ramasudha.Has published many books and cassettes with notations.Received 64 awards including Karnataka Rajyotsava.Developed two residential layouts where roads and plots arenamed after ragas! Worked for 30 years with SBI. Has greatenthusiasm for sports and won Volleyball, Kho Kho, Kabadditournaments during his college days. Also a theatre actorand has portrayed the role of the music trinity, PurandaraDasa, Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Tyagaraja & Shyama Shastri

Ragini Chandershekar

Smt Ragini is the inestBharatanatyam dancers of hergeneration. Trained by hermother Jamuna Krishnan andlater by legends like Kalaimamani,K.N. Dakshinamoorthy Pillai,Kalanidhi Narayanan and UshaSrinivasan, she is an accomplishedclassical singer too. She is alsotrained in Nattuvangam and hasconducted several performancesof other dancers. Equipped with

her superlative training, her art re lects her own uniquesensibilities. Her ‘nritta’ (pure dance) sparkles with thekinetics of movement and space, her ‘abhinaya’ lows intothe subtle spaces within. She has performed at several



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prestigious festivals both at home and abroad. In recognitionof her brilliant talent as a young performing artiste, she hasbeen conferred with the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar

by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Manjula Murthy

Smt Manjula Murthy is aMohiniattam dancer whosepassion for this dance form ledher to seek guidance of the lateKalamandalam KalyanikuttyAmma, the renowned pioneer whorevived this art. She later studied

at Nrityagram, the Gurukul oflate Protima Gauri Bedi, whichculminated in nine year tutelageby the acclaimed MohiniattamGuru Bharathi Shivaji. She has

taken part in most productions by her Guru. She is therecipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Bismillah Khan YuvaPuraskaar for2009 and received Nritya Jayantika title fromMayadhar Raut Institute of Odissi.

Kalamandalam Amaljith

Sh Amaljith is a senior artistcum teacher. Born in a family oftraditional Kathakali dancers, hisgrandfathers Champakulam PachuPillai & Dr. Guru Gopinath werewell known Kathakali dancers. Atthe age of 12 he started learningunder his grandfather. After hisinitial training he joined KeralaKalamandalam, Trichur. In 2000he joined the International Centrefor Kathakali, New Delhi as a

teacher-cum-artiste. He has also worked and learned underthe Sadanam. Balakrishnan. He has been teaching studentsand has performed extensively in India and abroad. In 2009his performance of a fusion dance , incorporating ive classicaldance forms of India for the Incredible India campaign in NewYork won rave reviews. He has been awarded the BismillahKhan Yuva Puraskar 2010 and Natana Praveena award fromGuru Gopinath Trust, Kottayamamong many others.

Wanghkhem

Lokendrajit SinghLokendrajit Singh has been a lagbearer of Nata-Sankirtana, one

of the pillars of Manipuri dance. A dedicated guru, he is anexemplary choreographer too.

Omkar Dadarkar

Sh Omkar Dadarkar comes from afamily of Natyasangeet exponents.He has been trained by legendslike Ram Deshpande; HirabaiBarodekar and Yashwantbua Joshiin Guru-Shishya style and has alsolearnt from Pt. Ulhas Kashalkarat ITC-SRA; Girija Devi in thumriand Srinivas Kale for abhangs

and natyasangeet. He is presentlyan instructor at ITC SangeetResearch Academy, Kolkata. Hehas performed all over India andabroad. He is also recipient of Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar(2009) from Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Malabika Mitra

Smt Malabika Mitra starteddancing at the age of 3 and wasgroomed by Guru RamgopalMishra of the Jaipur gharanaand Guru Om Prakash Maharajof Lucknow. She also trainedwith Sh Vijay Shankar andattended workshops underPt. Birju Maharaj and SitaraDevi. A graduate in medicine,she applied this knowledge todevelop a better understandingof the body and its movements indance. She has choreographed several dance productionsbased on literary works in Bengali and Sanskrit. She has

performed at national and international dance festivalslike Khajuraho, Konark, Edinborough, Bath and others.She received Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2011 andEminent Dancer recognition 2004 from the Govt. of WestBengal among other such awards.

Apart from the above mentioned artistes, there will be otherstoo who shall be taking the week long intensive / workshopsat the 4th international convention:

Swami Tyagaraj from Bihar School of Yoga(Hath Yoga), Brahmakumaris (Meditation),Nandan Kudhyadi (Cinema Appreciation),Ranjit Gogoi (Bihu), PL Dhar (Mindfulness)apart from a few folk dances of North East.



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CRAFT INTENSIVES AT THE CONVENTION

PHAD PAINTINGBorn in the land of folklore Rajasthan, the Phad paintingsare huge paintings done on cloth, and depict stories of thelocal deities and gods. Scale of the igures in the paintingdepicts the social status of the character in the story. Whatis also interesting is that the igures face each other, not theaudience..

About the Artist : KALYAN JOSHI

Sh. Kalyan Josh i comes fromBhilwara, Rajasthan. He isthe son of world renownedPhad artist Sh. Lal ji Joshi.Phad means folds or refersto rolling and unrollingof scrolls made of starch-primed cloth. It’s a traditionthat goes back almost 700

yrs. Joshi has been honouredwith National Merit Award in2006. National Award, StateAward (Rajasthan), UNESCOAward, Gourishankar MehtaAward among others.

MADHUBANI PAINTINGMadhubani painting or Mithila painting is a style of Indianpainting practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar and theadjoining parts of Terai in Nepal. The painting is done with

ingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens and matchsticks, usingnatural dyes and pigments, and is characterized by eye-catching geometrical patterns. There are paintings for eachoccasion and festival such as birth, marriage, Holi, SuryaShasti, kali puja, Upanayanam, Durga Puja etc.

About the Artist : SMT. AMBIKA DEVI

Hails from Rasidpur villagein Madhubani district, Bihar.Devi learned the craft ofMadhubani painting from

her mother, Smt. LeelaDevi, at the age of 12. Shehas been engaged in thistraditional folk painting

(Scroll-painting) for the last 40 year and has receivedmany national and State awards. She has also been invitedto a number of European and Asian countries. She alsoparticipated in Marie Claire - Dastkar fashion show, whichbrought together 15 designers with craftspersons from allover India to create trendy garments using traditional craftsin their own in luential style.

PICHWAI TEMPLE ARTPichwai paintings are cloth paintings that depict the scenesfrom the life of lord Krishna and are used as the backdrop forhis idol in the Nathdwara temple, near Udaipur. Nathdwarais famous for the pichwai paintings. The main theme of thesepichwai paintings is lord Shrinathji and his exploits. Pichwaipaintings are made in dark rich hues on rough hand spuncloth. These paintings have deep religious roots and areexecuted with the utmost devotion of the painters.

About the Artist : KALYANMAL SAHUSh. Kalyanmal Sahu comesfrom Ajmer, Rajasthan.He has been working onPichhwai temple art forthe last 40 years. Pichwaistyle is from the NathdwaraSchool in Rajasthan, and isidenti ied by characteristicfeatures like large eyes,broad nose and a heavy body, similar to the features on theidol of Shrinathji, an incarnation of Lord Krishna. Sahu was

awarded national award in 2011.

PATUA FOLK PAINTINGIn Bengali, "Pat" means "scroll" and "Patua" or "Chitrakar"means "Painter". The origin of the painted scrolls is veryancient. We could find some in the Pharaohs' graves inEgypt. In India the first description of these painted scrollscan be found in a sacred text dated 200 B.C.

About the Artist : MANIMALA CHITRAKAR

Manimala Chitrakar learnt to paint in the 1970s from hergrandparents with whom she traveled across villagessinging stories and painting scrolls. Her paintings depictmythological stories of deities as well social themes



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such women's education andempowerment. She has receivedseveral awards at state andnational levels, including anaward from the Indira GandhiFolk Art Museum in Bhopal. Shehas travelled with her paintingsto exhibitions and shows in theUK, Thailand, New Zealand andthe US.

The unique feature of thesehangings was that instead ofbeing hung behind an icon, four to

ive hangings were used to form ashrine for the goddess.

GOND TRIBAL PAINTINGThe word “Gond” comes from the Dravidian expression kond,meaning “the green mountain.” The work of Gond artists isrooted in their folk tales and culture, and thus story-tellingis a strong element of every painting.

About the Artist : MS. JAPANI SHYAM

Ms. Japani Shyam is thedaughter of legendry

Jangarh Singh Shyam.Jangarh Singh had namedher Japani after his visitto Japan which was hisfavourite country. She isthe youngest recipient ofKamla Devi Award in 1999(at age 11) and has heldexhibitions at popular artgallaries around the world.Japani’s main motif is animals and birds, their strugglefor food, their sense of camaraderie and di erent moods.Another motif is the world of rituals & beliefs among theGonds.

WARLI PAINTINGWarli is the vivid expression of daily life and social events ofthe Warli tribe of Maharashtra, used by them to embellishthe walls of village houses. This was the only means oftransmitting folklore to a populace not acquainted withthe written word. This art form is simple in comparisonto the vibrant paintings of Madhubani. Mostly women areengaged in the creation of these paintings. Painted white

on mud walls, they are pretty close to pre-historic cavepaintings in execution and usually depict scenes of humanigures engaged in activities like hunting, dancing, sowing

and harvesting.

About the Artist : BALU MAHSE

Sh. Balu Mahse is the son of legendary

Warli painter Jivya Soma Mhase. Hispictorial style is rooted in the traditionof Warli, with rhythmic, simpli iedforms representing the complexitiesof the world around him. In 2007, theartist exhibited his paintings along withhis father at Gallery Chemould. Balucontinues the tradition of Warli painting along with hisbrother Sadashiv Mashe.

CHERIAL SAWDUST MASKS

Cheriyal Scroll Painting is a stylized version of Nakashi art,rich in the local motifs peculiar to the Telangana region.The scrolls are painted in a narrative format, much likea ilm roll or a comic strip, depicting stories from Greekmythology, and intimately tied to the shorter storiesfrom the Puranas and Epics. Earlier, these paintings wereprevalent across Andhra, and also in various other parts ofthe country, albeit lavoured with their distinct styles andother local peculiarities dictated by the local customs andtraditions.

About the Artist: D. PADMA

D Padma is an accomplishedartist of the Cherial artform in which she likesto create scroll painting,sawdust dolls and masks.She has organized variousworkshops across thecountry and was a StateAward winner for the year2009.

CHITTARA TRIBAL PAINTINGIndian tribal art has a great potential because of itstraditional aesthetic sensibility and authenticity. Chittarais a form of intricate painting done on walls using naturalcolours; indigenous to the Malnad region of Karnatakaand practiced mainly by tribal women of the Deevarucommunity. The art form is known for distinctivedesigns, which are treated with intriguing motifs,reflecting the creative energy found in rural areas thatacts as an undercurrent to the craftsmanship of the tribalpeople.

About the Artist: ISHWAR NAIK

Sh. Ishwar Naik hails from Uttarkannada district ofKarnataka. He graduated from renowned theatre schoolNinasam Heggudu in Shivamogga, Karnataka. He is the



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biggest torch-bearer of Chittarapainting style which is usuallypractised by women. He also runsa full time school named ChittaraChawadi to teach this art and isgiven credit for single-handedlyreviving the art form. He has beenhonoured by President of India,has received Kannada RajyotsawaAward in 2007 and the NationalAward for his painting AradhanaChitra .

PATTACHITRA FOLK PAINTINGPattachitra is a term for traditional, cloth-based scrollpainting based in Odisha. In Sanskrit "Patta" means clothand "Chitra" means picture. Most of these paintings depictstories of Hindu deities and specially inspired by Jagannathand Vaishnava sect. All colours used in the Paintings arenatural and paintings are made fully old traditional wayby Chitrakaras that is Oriya Painter. Pattachitra style ofpainting is one of the oldest and most popular art forms ofOdisha

About the Artist: AKSHAY BARIKI

Sh. Akshay Bariki has beencontributing to this art form forthe last 18 years. He received thenational award in 2011 and WCCUNESCO award in 2014. He workson Pattachitra painting, Tussarpainting, saree and dress painting,palm leaf etching and woodpainting.

SHOLAPITH

Sholapith or Shola Pith (also referred to as Indian cork) is a driedmilky-white spongy plant matter which can be pressed andshaped into delicate and beautiful objects of art. Shola growswild in marshy waterlogged areas. Traditionally sholapithproducts were used in decorating Hindu idols and in creatingthe headgears of brides and grooms for a traditional Bengaliwedding. Almost similar to thermocol, which is arti iciallyproduced, sholapith is much superior to thermocol in termsof malleability, texture, lustre and sponginess. In Bengalthis craft is mainly practised in the districts of Bardhaman,Murshidabad, Birbhum, Nadia, Hooghly and Malda

About the Artist: SHILPGURU ANANTA MALAKARShilpguru Sh. Ananta Malakar is a master craftsman fromWest Bengal who turns out impressive decorations from

the sholapith plant. Hebelongs to the traditionalMalakar communitywhose knowledge of thecraft is hereditary. Hewas awarded ‘ShilpGuru’title in 2004. He hasseveral state, national andinternational awards and recognitions to his credit. In 1970a documentary "Ananta's dream" was commissioned by Govt.of India on him.

SANJHI PAPER CUTTINGSanjhi, the art of hand cutting designs on paper, is typical

art of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, the legendary home ofthe god Krishna. Traditionally, motifs from the Krishnastories are created in stencil and used to decorate spacesduring festive seasons, or are used for illing in with colorsin water and on the loors of temples. The cutting processrequires enormous skill, concentration and patience, andthe ine detail is achieved with specially designed scissors.Of late, striding latticework patterns of Mughal origin aswell as more contemporary themes have been introducedto widen the repertoire

About the Artist: RAM SONI

Sh. Ram Soni is custodianof an ancient art formthat his family has beenpractising for at least 350years. He has shown hiswork at the Nehru Centrein London. He won theNational Award in 2002.It is his dream to start aSanjhi museum.

CALLIGRAPHY IN WOOD About the Artist: IRSHAD HUSSAIN FAROOQI

Sh. Irshad Hussain Farooqi is aself taught practitioner of one ofthe rare crafts in India, Farooqiis the only calligrapher in Indiawho does Calligraphy on wood.He also learnt urdu calligraphyfrom master calligrapher UstadAnees Siddiqui. He has beenhonoured with the prestigious

Kalanidhi Award by Haryanagovt. in 2009 and the Moulana Qazi Sajjad Hussain Awardat Ghalib Academy. He has also received the NationalAward.



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BAMBOO WEAVING

Assam is rich in sylvan resources and most of its forests arerichly stocked with bamboos and canes of various species.Bamboo is a raw material of great versatility and forms anintegral part of the lifestyle and economy of Assam. Themaking of bamboo and cane products is perhaps the mostuniversal of all the crafts practiced by a large number ofartisans scattered throughout the State. It is practiced asa household industry and no mechanical device is used.Cane and bamboo products are used for a wide rangeof purposes and extensively used in every household.

About the Artist: MANENDRA DEKA

Sh. Manendra Deka comes fromBarpeta, Assam. He has been workingwith bamboo and cane craft for thelast 30 years, continuing the familylegacy. Has been awarded NationalMerit Certi icate in 1991 and Nationalaward in 1998.

HANDLOOM

Handloom weaving forms a cultural constituent ofthe woman of Assam. In earlier days most of the clothrequired for the family was produced in the familyitself. Home made cloths are Mekhla and Patani (lowergarment of the women), chaddar (upper garment of thewomen), gamocha (towel), dhuti, bed sheet, eri (endi), etc.

About the Artist: JAMINI PAYENG

Smt. Jamini Payeng is amaster weaver from Majuli,Assam. She has been workingon traditional handlooms and

weaving intricate patterns onit. She is a ive time nationalaward winner. She has alsoreceived award from CraftCouncil of India in 2015 andCraft Council of Mangalore.She has been associated with SPIC MACAY since 2009.

Sandesh



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GURUKUL SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME

Establishing a Bond By Ranjani Govind

In 30 years, SPIC MACAY’s Gurukul Anubhav Scholarshipscheme has bene itted nearly 2,500 students from ruralschools across the countryCan young students imagine going to a gurukul to learn musicin this day and age? SPIC MACAY (Society for the Promotionof Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth) in 1986

stepped in to provide opportunities for students residing infar lung areas of each state in the country with the GurukulAnubhav Scholarship Scheme. In 30 years, have seen 2,500students attend the gurukuls.

“This year nearly 200 students from various schools willbe attending. They will be selected on merit and will getan opportunity to attend lessons conducted by illustriousmusicians,” says Supriti, Karnataka State Co-ordinator, SPICMACAY. “A student is given an opportunity to stay with a gurufor a month during the summer vacations and observe the

ethos that exists in the system of education and living.

They bring in gurus from classical music/dance, arts, yoga,and social service disciplines. This year SPIC MACAY will haveits gurukul conducted at Welham Boys’ School, Dehradunwhere six gurus will teach 90 students. Apart from this,students will also be sent to Vrindavan Gurukul in Mumbai,ITC SRA at Kolkata and Gangubai Hangal Gurukul at Hubli.

Acclaimed gurus, who are part of this experience arealso looking forward to the exercise. “The Gurukul is notaimed at creating artists. It is to use art as a catalyst andmedium to facilitate holistic excellence in the lives ofchildren,” says N. Rajam, acclaimed Hindustani violinist.More and more children need to be part of this Gurukulscheme so that our values are not lost, feel other seniorgurus. “It’s gratifying to be part of something as this. I wishmore students are given the exposure to learn away fromtheir surroundings. It helps open up one’s personality andbuilds a Guru-Shishya relationship,” says the renownedPandit. Hariprasad Chaurasia who has been part of SPICMACAY’s initiatives.

How di erent is the lute maestro Chaurasia as a guru? “Atour Gurukul there is no formality and set time-table. No one

is forced to do anything. The environment is so conducivethat it inspires one to watch, practice, listen, write from 6 inthe morning to 9 at night,” says Chaurasia.

“I was thrilled to be selected for the Gurukul as it is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that helped me stay and learn fromthe maestros in music who have only been our ‘models,’ saysa Gurukul scholarship recipient Tejaswini Vernekar, whostarted learning Hindustani as a ive-year-old.

For Tejaswini, daughter of a KSRTC driver from Kumta inKarnataka, it was a dream come true. “Learning and stayingin the Gurukul with icons as Pt. Ulhas N. Kashalkar, UstadMashkoor Ali Khan was so rewarding. It helped me getadmission at ITC-SRA in Kolkata and helped me in furtheringmy musical pursuits,” says Tejaswini whose parents came allthe way from Karnataka to settle down in Kolkata and see thedaughter pursue music studies.

Tejaswini went on to become the junior scholar at the ITCSangeet Research Academy. “My Guru, Sri Kumar Mardur jihelped me mend my ways paying attention to even minutedetails. I was taught the right pronunciation of each swara,techniques of breathing, breath control and a lot of suchseemingly basic, yet profound aspects,” says Tejaswini

Email: [email protected]

Courtesy: The Hindu


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Imbalance Dr. Kiran Seth

C N P T U A L C O N E R

Areport in the newspaper once stated thata sum of Rs 19 crore had been raised forNarain Karthikeyan, the Formula One cardriver, in endorsement for him. On the other handKuttiyattam, declared as one of the masterpieces ofthe oral traditions of humanity, not by the IndianGovernment but by UNESCO, stands on very shakygrounds due to a lack of support. A large amount of

media space is given to a Sania Mirza when she goespast the irst round of a tennis tournament but lateUstad Bismillah Khan got just a small mention whenhe performed.

This imbalance has resulted in a gross devaluation ofwhat this country has to o er to the world. We are allaware of the fact that the globe has shrunk. This hasresulted in a big melting pot of all cultures in whichevery country is contributing its own bit. An eminentphilosopher has stated that Indians are going to this

pot empty-handed, not because they have nothing too er, but because they do not know what they have.This is the direct result of the imbalance referred to.

When computers irst came into existence, they werebulky and limited. Diodes and triodes gave way totransistors, which in turn developed into integratedcircuits, bringing down the size and pushing up thecomputing power of these useful machines. It wouldbe very unfortunate if the entire process of researchand development that has brought us to this stagewas suddenly lost.

Similarly our ancestors have conducted extensiveresearch in the inner domain, using the body as alaboratory for several centuries. The results that theyobtained in this intangible domain were and still areuseful to mankind. It would be sad if even some ofthese were lost due to our negligence. While movingforward to catch up in di erent areas with the rest ofthe world, let us not forget what invaluable treasuresour ancestors have bequeathed us, from which notonly us but the entire world can bene it.

This article appeared in a previous issue of Sandesh

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

There is astory ofBambooand Fern.When both areplanted side byside, the fern

sprouts quicklyand the small plant with shiny green leaves actuallyleaves a spell on the beholder. Nothing happensto the bamboo seeds for three or four years andslowly a tiny bulb emerges which then grows quitetall over the years, as almost a 100 feet majesticbamboo tree.

The reason why the seed took so much time to growis that unseen by us, it irst establishes very, verystrong roots under the soil. It irst grows INSIDEbefore growing outside.

Our relations can grow like a bamboo tree onlyafter establishing stronger roots. The fern can fadeaway leaving the tall bamboo tree to prosper. Inlife each relationship will surely have feelings anddi erences. Both coexist. We need to realise ourmistakes that allow these di erences to grow morethan the feelings to grow.

A very valuable morale of the story is that wheneverthere is a combination of feelings and di erences ina relationship, we must recognize the feelings andallow oneself to melt in the feelings rather than getfrozen with di erences.

It has been a situation of heavy rains challengingour lives. I was asking for lighter rains. I shouldhave instead asked for a better umbrella and thatwould have been a better attitude.

By CS Pancham


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I Feel Strongly...

In the short time that I have been associated with SPICMACAY, my exposure to art, music and Indian culture hasincreased manifold. My initial idea about SPIC MACAY beingjust a society to promote art and dance changed with my irstreal experience of being a volunteer during the IIT Bombay

convention in 2015, and I soon realised it was so much more.

The convention had an ashram-like environment wherestudents from all parts of the country and abroad cametogether to learn from the most eminentgurus and each other. The rigorousschedule starting with yoga at 4amfollowed by intensive workshops by thegurus in various disciplines enabled us tobecome very productive and disciplined. Itwas overwhelming to be taught with suchpersonal attention by such learned gurus.

As my choice for intensive I had selectedPhad Painting. Having not used a paintbrush for many years, and having seenthe intricacies involved in this I thought itwas going to be a dif icult thing to learn.But Guru Prakash Joshi was amazinglypatient and taught me from the basics.

I was able to create a piece I am proud ofand more importantly, I realised that Icould be creative as well. Despite getting

no more than ive hours of sleep a day, itwas the one week of my life when I feltmost energetic and productive. We havegreat potential, both to do and to learn,irrespective of the age we realise this at.

In the one year that I have been associated with SPICMACAY I've learned a lot. But it was the basic principleof volunteerism or 'Nishkaam Seva' which I found to bethe most striking. I realised how powerful the idea ofvolunteerism is, and how every successful movement

was led by volunteers. This principle if applied in otherareas of the society can lead to a revolution of sorts.

I come from an engineering background and the idea ofsomeone being interested in bothtechnology and arts seemed strange atthat time. But surprisingly, I discoveredboth the aspects in myself and realisedthat they have a lot in common. Theyare both creators. As with composers,architects, and writers, whatengineers and painters are trying to

do is create something with a purpose.In the course of creation they oftendiscover something new in the artor execution, and hence contributeto the knowledge of the field. Also,I feel that art is necessary to strike abalance between the creative and thecognitive parts of one's brain, andone adds to the function of the other.

I'll always be grateful to SPIC MACAYfor making me start this journey

of exploring the world outside andwithin and for showing the wayto go forward. I still have a longway to go and I hope I continue tohelp the movement grow, as I do.

Art is necessary to strike a balance between the creative and the cognitive parts of brain,says ARCHIT VERMA , inal year student of Delhi Technological University.

In SPIC MACAY Idiscovered that bothtechnology and artare about ‘creating.’ As with composers,architects or writers,

what engineersand painters are

trying to do is createsomething with

a purpose. In thecourse of creationthey often discover

something new andhence contribute tothe knowledge of the

field.


“Technology, like art, is a soaring exercise of thehuman imagination..."

Daniel Bell, American sociologist at Harvard


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>

DELHI Under its annual series the Delhi/NCR chapter celebratedWorld Dance Day (29th April) for the entire month of April.This was a tribute to the great dancers and dance forms ofIndia.

During this period (11th April to 3rd May) there wereregular performances by more than 10 renowned dancersat various educational institutions across the city. Someof the artistes who performed were: Guru Singhajit Singhand Charu Sija [Manipuri], Smt Shovana Narayan [Kathak].Smt Geeta Chandran [Bharatnatyam], Pt. Rajendra Gangani[Kathak], Smt. Madhavi Mudgal [Odissi], Su. IleanaCitaristi [Odissi], Smt. Rama Vidyanathan [Bharatnatyam],Smt. Uma Sharma [Kathak], Smt. Ranjana Gauhar [Odissi]and others.

There were also workshops by Smt. Meenu Thakur[Kuchipudi] and Smt. Malti Shyam [Kathak] in schools.

Some of the educational institutions that celebratedWorld Dace Day were: Modern School Barakhamba Road,Humayum Road and Kundli branches; Presidium Group ofschools in Ashok Vihar, Indirapuram, Gurgaon & Dwarka;DPS-Indirapuram, Queen Mary’s, G.D. Goenka group.Khaitan Public School-Noida, KIET Ghaziabad, UttamSchool for Girls Ghaziabad and DPS-Vasundhara amongothers.

World Dance Day is celebrated very graciously by theinstitutions that hold these programmes for enriching andinspiring the younger generation to keep such traditionsalive.

RAJASTHANMUSIC IN THE PARK

The annual and most popular classical music event for Jaipurresidents – Music in the Park (MIP)– was organized underthe banner of SPIC MACAY yet again at the Central Park on13th February 2016. Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khanperformed at the event and was accompanied by Pt. ShubhMaharaj and Sh. Anubrat Chatterjee on Tabla. Dr. DevendraPathak, Vice Chancellor of K.N. Modi University-Newai,felicitated Ustad ji.

The second edition of MIP 2016 was held on 9th April 2016where legendary Dr L Subramaniam gave a splendid violinperformance. He was accompanied by his son Sh. AmbiSubramaniam.

The violin recital was followed by taal chakra, a duet betweenGhattam and Mridangam by Sh. Burra Sriram (Mridangam)and Sh. Vaikom Gopalakrishnan (Ghatam).

All the Music in the Park initiatives are supported byRajasthan Tourism.

HIMACHAL PRADESHA two-day BASANT FESTIVAL was held for the Shimlacommunity and students to welcome spring and celebrateregeneration of life from February 26 to 27, 2016. Seasonsare something we take for granted these days. They are underextreme stress and increased volatility in the Himalayas andare also getting increasingly unpredictable.

Through this series SPIC MACAY tried to do its bit to raiseenvironmental awareness and bring this to the audience'sattention to re lect and start a conversation.The two day event saw performances by Dr Kamala Shankar(Hindustani Guitar) and Vidwan R Kumaresh (CarnaticViolin) at the historic Gaiety Theater on The Mall. The unique

aspect of this series was that both the artiste irst performedfor school and college students during the day time and gavepublic concerts in the evenings.

On day 1, February 26, Dr Kamala Shankar gave a Lec-Demat the Gaiety Theatre where university, college and schoolstudents were invited to interact with the artist. About 160students attended this Lec Dem. On the second day, VidwanKumaresh demonstrated his Carnatic violin to almost 140students from Kendriya Vidyalaya and Himachal University.Kumaresh explained to students about the emergence andevolution of music and also imparted knowledge about theseven notes

On both days the evening public concerts were packed tocapacity with more than 200 people in attendance.

MAHARASHTRAThe Pune chapter organized a North East Festival that hadperformances by Manipuri Dancer Smt. Dhanarani Devi andPurulia Chhau by Sh. Chinibas Mahato. There were a totalof 11 programs at 6 institutions in 3 di erent cities coveringmore than 6500 students.

This was the irst time that such elaborate arrangements weremade for a North East dance fest. Almost 22 artists toured for7 days in February 2016. Their lodging, food and transportationresponsibilities were given to various schools and colleges andthey ably managed to deal with the big challenge.

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Thanks to Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT-Pune)and Riverdale High School for making it work. We aregrateful to MIT for sharing the major chunk of expenses. We

also had program at Zilla Parishad School in Lasur village,which was also sponsored by local benefactor. This villageprogram was itself an experience to all as it was conducted ina temple premises and we had Mahishasur Badh by PuruliaChhau group in the temple. It was applauded by studentsand villagers alike. This tour also included First SPIC MACAYprogram in Nashik at the DPS.

At the end, it was the smile and excitement on youngstudents’ faces at the end of the program that was worth allthe e orts. We are sure these 6500 students will now cherishthese programs for life and become aware of our rich culturalheritage.

A Virasat series was also held at Government College ofEngineering, Pune (COEP) from 7th to 9th March 2016.Following artistes participated in the series: Us. Irshad Khan(Sitar), Pt. Jayteerth Mevundi (Hindustani Vocal), ManjushaPatil Kulkarni (Hindustani Vocal), Nancy Kulkarni (Dhrupadon Cello) and Smt. Rajashree Shirke (Kathak).

The chapter also observed International Women's day on8th March with performances by Smt Manjusha Kulkarni andNancy Kulkarni. Smt Rajashree Shirke performed for the irsttime for SPIC MACAY.

TELANGANAHyderabad Chapter hosted Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh (SaraswathiVeena) from 9th to 11th March, 2016. Dr. Jayanthi performedat various educational institutions during this period.

KARNATAKASmt Prerana Shrimali had a wonderful circuit of Mysuru,Mandya and Bengaluru where she gave 9 performances. Herlasya bhava swept away everyone in the audiences.

Dr Kiran Seth at NITK

Dr. Kiran Seth visited NITK-Surathkal on 8th February for a talkthat was organized by the Department of Applied Mechanics.Prior to the talk Dr Seth interacted with various groups ofpeople about the movement in three separate events.

Dr Seth and Mr Arun Sahay attended the SPIC MACAY RegionalMeet on 7th Feb held at NITK. Dr S G Mayya graced the occasionwith his presence. Dr Rajamohan, Principal, Govinda DasaCollege, Surathkal, an important partner of the movement,was also present. Su. Supriti, Vidya and Basava also camefrom the Bengaluru chapter. The problems faced by the NITKchapter and the di erent ways to overcome it were discussedin the meeting. The meeting was followed by Lunch.

Later that evening there was an interaction with studentsof NITK. Dr Seth and Arun ji interacted with students and

inspired them with their tales. They made them realize theSpirit of Nishkaam Seva.

Next day, i.e. on 8th Feb, prior to the talk, Dr Seth also had

a brief meeting with some of the faculty of NITK. This wasfollowed by the talk on ‘Innovative Optimization’.

TAMIL NADUCoimbatore chapter had its inaugural concert by Sh. ShashankSubramanyam (Carnatic Flute) on 28th and 29th March 2016at PSG Institute of Management and other schools.

A formal Coimbatore Chapter was inaugurated in December2015 during the National School Intensive held at DPSCoimbatore in the presence of Dr Kiran Seth and seniorvolunteers, music lovers, representatives of various

institutions of Coimbatore city. Sriram Krishnan has beenselected as the convener of the Coimbatore chapter. He andhis team of dedicated volunteers has been working hard toorganise more activities in the region.

KERALASummer vacation workshops in Govt and Govt-aidedschools have been started by the Kerala chapter in variousparts of the state. The irst one was organized at Govt. HigherSecondary School, Perassannur, Malappuram Distt. with twoart forms - Koodiyattam/Nangiar Kooth (Dr. Aparna Nangiar)and Mural Painting (K.R. Babu) from 2nd to- 7th April 2016.

This was the irst time that a workshop on Koodiyattam/Nangiarkooth was held by a SPIC MACAY chapter in Kerala,otherwise this particular dance drama is performed onlyduring conventions.

We were thrilled with the positive feedback with almost42 students participating. In ive days time they evenmanaged to learn a few Sanskrit Slokas in order to give agood presentation, complete with ‘Abhinaya’.

Similarly for the painting workshop too around 45 studentsenrolled themselves. It was heartening to see the enthusiasmconsidering this was a rural school with majority of thestudents coming from very poor living standards. All students,teachers and parents were happy with the programme.

UTTARAKHANDA week-long 'Virasat' was held from 28th March to 2nd April2016 in various cities of the state. The artistes were Smt.Geeta Chandran (Bharatnatyam), Pt. Ronu Majumdar (Flute)and Us. Kamal Sabri (Sarangi). We covered Sirinagar, Garhwal,Rishikesh, Mussoorie, Selakui and Dehradun for a total of17 programs.

The travel, hospitality and most of the honorarium was takencare of by the chapter itself. In the month of March schoolsare almost impossible to get due to examinations, therefore,programs were held mostly in Universities and Academies.

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SPIC MACAY Abroad

ABU DHABISitar Lec-Dem at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan‘Ram Manch' at Bhavan’s school reverberated with rhythm andmusic when the Abu Dhabi Chapter of SPIC MACAY organizeda Lec-Dem by Sh. Sameep Kulkarni (Sitar) accompaniedby Sh. Arvind Paranjape on the Tabla on February 23, 2016.It was a treat to the ears for hundreds of students who hadgathered to listen to Sh. Kulkarni play the electric sitar whokept everyone spell bound by e ortlessly stretching from

one note to another.The Lec Dem also included an interactive session withstudents and parents who were eager for a chat with therenowned musician. On a lighter note Sameep ji also sharedhis wide experience in music and how he enjoys managingboth his passion – music and his IT profession. He also tooktime to clarify certain doubts put forward by students. Theevent was a memorable experience that will be cherished byall music lovers and students for a long time.

HONG KONGPt. Partho Sarothy performs at HK University

Sarod maestro Pt. Partho Sarothy, accompanied bySh. Nishikant Barodekar (Tabla) gave two performancesbetween March 14-15, 2016 in Hong Kong. On the 14th therewas an evening concert, open to public, at the CYM CulturalCentre of HKU. It was a wonderful evening that started withRaag Madhuvanti and ended with Raag Bhairavi enthrallingthe audience no ends. It was most heartening to see a packedtheatre even on a Monday evening.

A Lec Dem was held on 15th March for young schoolstudents of Clear Water Bay School. Young pupils, as youngas 5-yrs sat in rapt attention as they listen to the maestrosand learnt about Indian classical music – many experiencingit for the irst time in their life.All expenses relating to the travel, lodging & other expensesfor this tour were ably raised by the volunteers of HK

chapter. We congratulate Viveik Saigal, chief coordinator ofHK chapter and Yosha Gupta for continuing to keep the lag ofthe movement lying high in foreign lands.

USAStanford shows the wayThe Stanford University chapter has been quite active thesepast few months. It began with a Carnatic violin concert ofbrothers Sh. Ganesh & Sh. Kumaresh Rajagopalan on

October 4, 2015. They performed at the famous Roble Theaterto a jam-packed hall. The concert received rave reviews.

This was followed by a highly successful solo table concertby Pt. Subhankar Banerjee on November 8, 2015 at theCampbell Recital Hall. He is considered by many to bethe most virtuosic tabla player of his generation. He wasaccompanied by his son Sh. Aarchik Banerjee on tabla and Sh.Manoj Tamhankar on the harmonium. His performance wasgenerously supported by the Music Dept of the university.This too received an overwhelming response.

The inal programme under the SPIC MACAY banner was bySh. Sikkil Gurucharan (Carnatic Vocal) who performed onApril 1, 2016 at the Cubberley Auditorium inside StanfordEducation Building. He was accompanied by Sri. V Sanjeevon the violin and Sh. Patri Satish Kumar on the mridangam.Sh Gurucharan blew away the listeners with his bhava andcomplexity.

But the other major highlight cum achievement of theStanford chapter has been conducting Indian classicalmusic classes called the Music 1 SL. This spring, SPICMACAY's Guhan Venkataraman and Devangi Vivrekar taughtintroduction classes for Indian classical music to students.They taught the basics of Indian music appreciation andsupplemented it with live demos. There were also guestlecturers from a plethora of talent around the Bay area. Theclass has so far seen a record number of attendees at 40auditors and 15 students and has received positive feedback.

Finally, the volunteer group at Stanford is expanding. Thereis more funding now with much more in the pipeline. Newof icer elections are also happening. We wish the team allthe best in their endeavor to keep the Indian classical music

lourishing in their university.

Kansas UniversityThe KU Chapter organized a concert by three great musicians:Smt Mita Nag (Sitar), Pt Subhen Chatterjee (table) and PtJoydeeo Ghosh (Sarod) in a sort of jugalbandi on 27th April2016 at the Alderson Auditorium, Kansas. The event was co-sponsored by KU South Asian Studies, Student Senate andCenter for Global & International Studies.



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in REMEMBRANCE

USTAD ABDUL RASHID KHANVeteran Hindustaniclassical vocalist UstadAbdul Rashid Khanpassed away in Kolkata onFebruary 18, 2016 due toold age problems. He was107.

Born in 1908, in a family ofmusicians of the Gwaliorgharana, Rashid Khanreceived his initial training from his father Us. Chhote YusufKhan and uncle Bade Yusuf Khan as also from other eldersin the family like Chand Khan, Barkhurdar Khan and MahtabKhan.

His family of musicians traced their lineage back to Us.Behram Khan who was a singer of traditional Gwaliorgayaki in the royal courts. Young Abdul Rashid furtherdeveloped this style suiting his own artistic sensitivity.

His traditional compositions have been recorded byreputed broadcasters and institutes like BBC, Iraq Radio,UP Sangeet Natak Akademi-Lucknow and ITC SangeetResearch Academy, Kolkata. Equally adept at Khayal,thumri, dhrupad and dhamar, Khan sahab created severalcompositions and was a prolific writer and poet under thepseudonym Rasan Piya.

He was a regular performer in AIR and Doordarshanand reputed national music conferences like SadarangConference, Godrej Conference, Lucknow Mahotsav,

Dover Lance Conference, ITC Sangeet Sammelan, PrayagSangeet Samiti Sangeet Sammelan all over India and hasbeen felicitated by critics, fellow artists and reputed andrecognized institutions like UP Sangeet Natak Academy,(1981), Banaras Hindu University (1993), EasternZone cultural center and Press club Kolkata. He wasalso a regular at various SPIC MACAY events for the last7 years.

He also received numerous awards like ITC award (1994),Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2009), Kashi Swar GangaAward (2003), Padma Bhushan (2013) - the oldest personever to be conferred a Padma award and the Lifetimeachievement award by Government of NCT of Delhi(2013).

OUR SENIOR VOLUNTEER Col. GOPAL VERMA(Retd.) REMEMBERS USTAD JI:

I am extremely saddened to learn about the demise of themaestro. I remember meeting him when he had come for aconvention at Don Bosco School at Agartala in 2007. He wasa little upset with the arrangements but was as humble as a great man could be. He told me "Gavaiya theek se khayega ya soyega nahi to gaayega kya?" A bandish that he latertaught children there was, "Sauten Meri bairaniya" still

hums in my ears. RIP Baba...

GURU KALANIDHI NARAYANANSmt. Kalanidhi Narayananwas a renownedBharatanatyam Guru & Abhinaya exponent. Shepassed away on 21st Feb 2016in Chennai.

Born in 1928 in a Brahminhousehold of Sumitra andGanapati, her mother was keenon getting her dance education,and this was supported by her father. Thus starting at theage of seven she trained intensively under various guruslike Kamakshi Ammal for Padams and Javalis and ManakkalSivarajan for vocal lessons. Noted guru Kannappa Pillai fromKanchipuram was her main teacher. He was also the teacherto Balasaraswati, while Chinnayya Naidu and Mylapore GauriAmmal taught her Abhinaya.

Kalanidhi was the early non-devadasi girl to learn this danceform and performed on stage in the 1930s and 1940s. Shemade her stage-debut at the age of 12 at the Senate Housein Chennai for the Madras Music Academy. While still in herteens, she gave two notable recitals, one with Dhanamanikkamand another with Nattuvanar K. Ganesan, son of the KandappaPillai.

She had a brief dance career in the 1940s, before she steppedout at the age of sixteen when her mother died and she wasmarried into a conservative family. She returned to danceonly in 1973 when noted art-patron, Y. G. Doraiswamy, whohad seen her performances as a teen, asked to instruct dancerAlarmel Valli in abhinaya, to which she agreed, encouraged byher sons who had by now grown up. This started the secondphase of her career after a gap of 30 years at the age of 46.



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She also started to reeducate herself in dance. Luckily herbooks from her younger days had survived. She startedattending dance performances and Arangetram in the city

and enrolled in a course on dance theory on Bharatanatyamby Dr. Padma Subramanium. Gradually more students startedcoming to her and in the coming decades she became "themost sought after teacher for abhinaya".

In December 2003, various dance teachers and her disciplescelebrated her 75th birthday at the Luz Community Hall inChennai. It was marked by a two-day seminar on Abhinaya ,where prominent gurus of Bharatanatyam participated.

Disciples

Amongst her noted disciples are, Geeta Chandran (Delhi),

A. Lakshmanaswamy, Uma Vasudevan (Montreal), RamyaHarishankar (California), Hema Rajagopalan (Chicago),Subashree Narayanan (Jacksonville, FL/Bangalore, India),Minal Prabhu (India), Priya Govind (India), SharmilaBiswas, Madhusri Sethuraman (Plano, TX) and MeenakshiChitharanjan.

She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1985, Sangeet NatakAkademi Award in 1990 and Kalidas Samman 1998.

NIDA FAZLI

Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli,known as Nida Fazli, wasa Hindi and Urdu poet,lyricist and ilm dialoguewriter. He passed away on8th February 2016.

Nida was born in Delhi, ina Kashmiri family but grewup in Gwalior where hestudied English literature.His father was also an Urdu

poet. During the partition in1947, his parents migrated to Pakistan but Fazli decided tostay back in India.

While still young, Fazli was passing by a Hindu temple wherea bhajan singer was singing a composition of Soordas aboutRadha sharing her sorrow with her maids at being separatedfrom her beloved Krishna. The poetic beauty of the Pad,relating to the close rapport and bonding between humanbeings, inspired Nida to begin writing poems.

During that period, he felt that there were limitations in Urdupoetry. He absorbed the essence of Mir and Ghalib to expresswhat he intended. He was fascinated by the lyrical mood ofMeera and Kabir and widened his knowledge of poetry bystudying T. S. Eliot, Gogol and Anton Chekhov.

He moved to Mumbai in search of a job in 1964. In the earlydays of his career, he wrote in magazines like Dharmayug andBlitz. His poetic style attracted the notice of ilmmakers andwriters of Hindi and Urdu literature. He was often invited toMushairas and became known among readers and ghazalsingers for his elegant presentation and exclusive use ofcolloquial language for while avoiding ornate Persian imageryand compound words to simplify his poetry.

He wrote the famous couplet: 'Duniya jise kehte hain jaadukaa khilona hai, Mil jaaye to mitti hai kho jaaye to sona hai '.

Some of his famous ilm songs include Aa bhi jaa (Sur), Tuis tarah se meri zindagi mein (Aap To Aise Na The) and Hoshwaalon ko khabar Kya (Sarfarosh). He wrote essays critical ofcontemporary poets of 1960s in his book Mulaqatein whichoutraged poets including Sahir Ludhianvi, Ali Sardar Jafri andKai i Azmi. As a result he was even boycotted in some poeticsessions. His career shot up when ilmmaker Kamal Amrohiapproached him for inal two songs of his movie Razia Sultan.Soon he was attracting many Hindi ilmmakers.

Shortly before his death he wrote columns for BBC Hindiwebsite on various contemporary issues and literature. MirzaGhalib's works were often mentioned by him.

Nida Fazli disagreed with the partition of India and hasspoken out against the communal riots, politicians and

fundamentalism. He was honoured with the NationalHarmony Award for writing on communal harmony. He wrote24 books in Urdu, Hindi and Gujarati — some of which areassigned as school textbooks in Maharashtra. He received theMir Taqi Mir award for his autobiographical novel DeewaronKe Beech from the Government of Madhya Pradesh.

USTAD ALI AHMED HUSSAIN KHANShehnai maestro Us. AliAhmed Hussain Khan wasthe most popular musicianin the realm of Shehnai afterUstad Bismillah Khan. Hepassed away in Kolkata onMarch 19, 2016 at the ageof 77.

Ali Ahmad Hussain was sonof Ustad Ali Jaan Khan ofAllahabad and was widelyacknowledged as thepremier Shehnai specialistof Eastern India. He wasborn in Kolkata on 21st March 1939. His grandfather UstadWazir Ali Khan of Benaras was an eminent musician who wasthe first Indian to demonstrate Indian classical music on

IN REMEMBRANCE


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the Shehnai in London in 1910 and was even honoured byPt. Motilal Nehru at a grand public function.

He received his training from his maternal uncle Ustad NazirHussain Khan & his paternal uncle Ustad Imdad Hussain Khanof Benaras. He also took training from Pt. Tansen Pandey invocal under the Senia Gharana tradition. Soft, subtle & sweettones presented in a melodious manner were some of thehallmarks of his playing the Shehnai. Purity of the raga alsodepicted his solid traditional background.

His irst performance was at the All Bengal Music Conferencein 1956. He regularly featured on All India Radio andDoordarshan. He also holds the distinction of composingthe signature tune for Doordarshan along with Pt. RaviShankar . He played many jugalbandis, both commerciallyand in live performances with artists like Us. Vilayat HussainKhan & Pt. Manilal Nag on sitar, Pt. V.G. Jog on violin and Us.


Munewar Ali Khan (Hindustani vocal). His recordings arenumerous and under a variety of labels.

He also taught at the Sangeet Research Academy, Calcuttafrom 1974 till almost his last days.

Ali Ahmed Hussain traveled extensively in India and abroadover a span of twenty years. On several occasions he wasinvited by governments and music festivals. He performed aduet with pianist Peter Michael Hamel at the Indo-GermanFestival and participated in the Music Festival Raag-Mala inthe U.S. and Canada in 1994.

He was awarded and feted by people across the world.Amongst others he received the All Bengal Music ConferenceAward, Award from Indian Classical Music Circle of Austin-USA, Bishwa Banga Sammelan Award & Awarded by IndianCommunity at Bangdung, Indonesia.

Participants will then head into a three hour intenseworkshop to learn classical and folk forms of music anddance, traditional crafts, literature, arts etc from celebratedGurus, who have mastered her skill in that particularart form. There will be talks by eminent personalities,movie screenings and concerts in the afternoon. In theevening there will be concerts by some of the mostdistinguished artists like Pt. HariprasadChaurasia, Dr. L. Subramniam, Smt. Girija Devi,Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, Smt. Malavika Sarukkai,Pt. Rajan and Sajan Misra, Us. WasifuddinDagar, Vidwan TV Sankaranarayanan and manyothers. All this will be supplemented by holisticfood that provides necessary support to body,mind and soul in this wonderful journey.

On the penultimate day, participants willdemonstrate what they have learnt from theirGurus on the stage. There will also be an overnightconcert which is the culmination of the event.

The last day has been kept for trips to heritagesites like Kamakhya temple, Sualkucchi town and

Hoja pilgrimage centre, where participants willhave to select any one trip.

SPIC MACAY would like to thankProf. Kaustubha Mohanty, Chairman, Cultural BoardIIT, Guwahati, Prof. Chandan Mahanta and the IITGuwahati Volunteers: Bhavin Mandalaywala, Anupam Anand, Himansu Goyal, M. Zeelani, Kuldeep, PragyamMaheswari, Ishan Sharma, Paawan Talwar, Sreemoyand Krishnanjan among others for their efforts.

PLEASING GREENS OF IIT-GUWAHATI AWAIT ALL THE ACTION

Continued from page 1


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Over the last year, SPIC MACAY has had moreConventions than ever before which led to peopleposing the question why so many Conventions;when earlier there was only one National Convention.Over the last three years we have had the annualInternational Convention apart from State Conventionswhich are of three days’ duration. The straightforwardanswer would be to be there to witness the power ofthe Convention to bring about positive changes duringthat one week period, not only in the Children/Delegatesbut also in the organising team and people who becomepart of it. The lasting impression that it leaves onthose who partake of it goes a long way in inculcatingvalues and understanding that SPIC MACAY espouses .

There are many reasons for ‘Why’ we should have moreConventions both at Nationalas well as State level apart fromthe Annual International one.

The length of a week-longconvention enables one tohave an empirical experienceof lasting nature. It exposesthe delegate to a wide arrayof rich and diverse culturebrought forth beautifully toenhance understanding andawareness of traditions whichhave stood the test of the time.

The schedule which is

tightly assembled allowsone to attain a disciplineand also realise the importance of time. The morningYoga session from 0400 a.m. to 0700 a.m. apart from theHatha Yoga also has Naad Yog, Dhyan Yog and Kudiyattamenabling one to prepare the body and mind for the dayahead. This is followed by Shramdaan (Voluntarilyoffering to work physically) for half-an-hour. Post thepersonal time and breakfast, one moves to the place ofone's workshop/intensives both in performing arts aswell as crafts where the finest exponents of art and craft

guide and teach the students. Each delegate is allowed oneworkshop/intensive which the person then partakes of forthe whole duration of the Convention. This Session lastsfrom 0900 a.m to 12 noon followed by a holistic lunch.

The afternoon sessions explore folk forms, theatre, talkson art, literature and other forms by leading exponentsof the respective fields. There are also cinema classicsin the presence of the film’s director. This is followedby an early holistic dinner. All these sessions are for theregistered delegates (students and others) during theConvention. The evening session is of performances byluminaries in their art forms and an experience whichelevates one to a whole new level. This Session is open toothers as well in keeping with the SPICMACAY philosophy.

By 10 p.m. the day ends for the experience to continuein the same vein for the next six days. The last day of theConvention gives the delegates an opportunity to be on stageto share of what they have learned during the Convention inthe afternoon followed by resting so that they can be fresh

for the beautiful ‘overnight’experience whereinperformances begin at 0800p.m. and go on till 0400 a.m.

The overnight experienceis a magical one where oneis transported in time andwords can't do justice tothe feeling it generates. TheConvention ends with heritagewalks wherein one gets toexperience the tangible formof the rich diversity of India.

The Conventions thus

with its residentialnature of an Ashram-likeatmosphere, purposeful

planning of the day, holistic food and empiricalexperiences creates impressions which are not easilypossible in today's time of instant grati ication.

The week-long Convention apart from exposing theparticipants to an array of art forms and crafts alsoenables them to look within and reflect on life and thepossibilities to lead a meaningful life and contribute tothe well being of others in the society and keeping with

one of the key aspects of SPICMACAY of 'Nishkam Seva'(Selfless Service) along with its core purpose of : Haveevery child experience the inspiration and mysticismembodied in Indian and World Heritage.

CONVENTIONS: THE WAY AHEAD

By Robinson



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Team SandeshEditor : Anshuman Jain

Associate Editor: Robinson

Design : Ashok Joshi +91 9999395562

Printing : Imagica Graphics, Okhla, New Delhi

Send your views, contributions and queries to :

Editor, Sandesh c/o SPIC MACAY,41/42, Lucknow Road, Delhi - 110054OR call 011-23323826, 9810000874

Email : [email protected]

Website : www.spicmacay.com

Takshila EducationalSocietyrecognizes the invaluable effortsof SPIC MACAY in keeping aliveIndia’s rich cultural heritage. Tosupport the movement Takshila

Broadcast Yourself www.youtube.com/spicmacay www.facebook.com/spicmacay

Going by the ever expanding rateof our activities, it is importantthat we are able to suitably andregularly reach out to the massesto make them aware of ourmission.

In this endeavour, we have recently tied up with leadingHindi daily of the country, Dainik Bhaskar for givingwide coverage to our events across Hindi speakingstates . While the iner details of the tie-up are still being

worked out, we feel since Bhaskar is a well known brand /publication with a wide reach, this tie up will help us reachout to millions of people and the resultant publicity will helpus achieve our goal (Vision 2020) faster. This initiative waslead by Mrs Suman Doonga, Head of SPIC MACAY's Mediaand Communications wing.

SPIC MACAY TIES UP WITHDAINIK BHASKAR

WE WANT VOLUNTEERS!!

Dear Volunteers, SPIC MACAY has set up a Facebook Group

where we assign a One Tiny Drop Task to all those peoplewho want to volunteer for the movement. All such peoplemay post how they they would like to contribute. Facebookoffers many such groups for startups where peopleconnect for sharing ideas and finding co-workers, so we atSPIC MACAY are now trying it for SPIC MACAYVolunteer Opportunities too. Spread the word andjoin in!

The Facebook group page will also be used for anyonewho wants to post their chapter-level volunteer

opportunities. SPIC MACAY chapters are present in all majorcities of India and Capital cities abroad.

VISIT US ATh ps://www.facebook.com/groups/

spicmacay.volunteers

sandesh may 2016 final

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