1700 Students & Volunteers from India and 17 countries will participate in the 3rd Int’l Convention at IIT-Bombay,          from 31st May – 6th June, 2015

The 3rd International Convention of SPIC MACAY will be inaugurated on 31st May at IIT-Bombay, Powai, Mumbai. Around 1700 students and volunteers from India and abroad will attend the week long convention to live through the experience of India’s varied art and cultural heritage. Renowned maestros like Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Pt. Birju Maharaj, Vidushi Girija Devi, Dr. Balamurali Krishna, Prof. T.N. Krishnan; Pt. Vishwamohan Bhatt, Smt. Malavika Sarukkai, Ust. Sahid Parvez, Shri Shekhar Sen are some of the performers along with Intensive sessions with Vocal, Dance, Paintings, Yog Gurus and Master Craftsmen from all over India.

SPIC MACAY’s core purpose is to ‘Have every child experience the inspiration and mysticism embodied in Indian and World heritage’. The vision is to reach every child by 2020. This includes children not only in big towns but also in rural areas in India and in foreign countries. Of late, SPIC MACAY has been organising programmes of Indian classical music and dance in Norway, Hong Kong, USA, UK, Dubai, Singapore and many other countries. As outreach expands, more students, Indian and foreign develop a curiosity to know more about Indian heritage.

The 3rd International Convention is an attempt to awaken this curiosity in pursuit of a life-long quest for betterment. It will leave the modern youth with inspiring experiences by providing a glimpse of India’s composite heritage. Around 200 foreign students from SAARC countries, Europe, North America and 1500 Indian school and college students from different towns will experience living in an ashram during this Convention.

The day starts early with participants waking up by 330am and doing yoga everyday 4-7am. This yog includes meditation through classical dance like Odissi, Koodiyattam, Naad yog, Hatha yog and Dhrupad. This will be followed by shramdaan where participants will help to clean up the place every day.

A unique feature is the 3 hour workshop every day for 5 days, at the end of which all students perform in front of everyone on the last day! 48 intensives with famous Gurus of classical music and dance, folk music, writing skills and craft workshops by master craftspersons from all over India. In addition, there are concerts with some of the living legends and icons of India.

Another unique feature is the overnight on 5 June which is a series of classical music concerts from 8pm to 6am – a whole night of inspiring classical music by maestros. On the last day, there is a heritage tour planned to different heritage sites of importance like the Kanheri Caves or the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in the city of Mumbai.

There will be talks by eminent people, classic cinema screenings and discussion with Director of the film, play, poetry, etc.

This deeply enriching experience for participants will help them to introspect. The SPIC MACAY logo is that of the inner eye reflecting introspection. We also hope that many will volunteer with the movement and help to reach out to other students in their regions. Some foreign students have expressed an interest to start a similar movement in their countries to increase awareness about their country’s heritage.

Source : Sachin Murdeshwar