|
Saarang 2004
 Saarang, the annual cultural-festival of lIT Madras, begins on the 21st of January and goes on till the 26th for a total of five days and six nights.
Among the myriad musical stops in the Chennai calendar, the Saarang professional shows occupy a place of pride, showcasing the very best of musical talent in the country, said IIT Director M S Ananth, besides giving an opportunity to the students to organise events and inter-act with students from other regions.
Kicking off the professional shows this year is the classical music concert on January 21st night "in accordance with our efforts to promote our rich cultural heritage. This year Saarang brings to you a rare confluence of two maestros - K Bhaskaran and T M Krishna," said Cultural Secretaries Kalyan and
Sharat.
The Light Music Show this year features Udit Narayan, accompanied by his wife Deepa Narayan and a 21-member dance troupe. For the rock lovers, the Saarang rock show brings together two of the biggest names of the Indian rock scene, Mother Jane and Pin Drop Violence.
The highlight of this year's festival is a Unity concert by a Pakistani band called Strings with the Indian band, Euphoria, on Republic Day (0900 hrs). IIT Dean for Students, V G Idichandy, thanked the Ministry of External Affairs for clearing the participation of the two-member Pakistani band.
IIT's Adviser (Cultural) Prof L Vijayaraghavan said there are the traditional events for students from various colleges -- Speaking Events, Quizzes, Literary Events, Fine Arts and Music Events. The Speaking Events are the most keenly contested of the lot, particularly JAM, where eight witty participants try to outdo the other. The Saarang debate sets for itself particularly high standards. The debate attracts students from all over India. Extempore, the art of thinking on your feet and speaking with a ready wit, is yet another showcase for human creativity. From cockney to the language of Shakespeare, from a battle cry to the whispers of a dying man, Saarang elocution has it all.
Saarang also boasts of a variety of quizzes, starting from the famed Saarang Main Quiz to the crowd-pulling Entertainment Quiz, said student co-ordinator Vinitha. Saarang Main Quiz is one of the most coveted events in the quizzing world. In addition to the above, they conduct the business quiz, the sports quiz and the daily quiz. The literary events are cluedo, catering to the tastes of the wannabe Hercule Poirots, scrabble & crossie, both of which challenge one's command over-the-English language, potpourri, which as its name reflects is an assortment of a number of games, to name but a few. Fine arts include cartooning, soap carving, collage, clay-modeling, pencil shading, shirt painting, painting and
rangoli.
The music events can be broadly classified into light music and western music. Anthakshri, Light Music Solo and Group fall into the former category, said Kalyan and Sharat.
"In the western music category, we have WM solo, Decibel and Power Chord. The Decibel finals are big enough to be held at the Open Air Theatre on January 24th amidst an audience of over ten thousand to cheer some of the best talent in the country."
Easily the most awaited and anticipated event of all, Choreo Nite is next only to the professional shows in popularity. With over 100 colleges craving to perform, Choreo Nite lays a perfect platform for the best to battle it out, offering a variety ranging from theme- based contemporary dances to fast-paced, adrenaline pumping performances. The gloss, glitter and glamour of the event pull massive crowds to the OAT. (Open Air Theatre).
A highlight of Saarang 2004 will be the Reality Show, labelled as the first-of-its kind in a college in India. It aims at giving participants a novel experience, wherein they are placed in various situations like in a movie and the plot is developed from there on.
Over 1,000 persons have been working together to make Saarang a reality, said Director Ananth. With 700 volunteers being managed by 150 co-ordinators, who, in turn are managed by a core group of eight with two cultural secretaries right at the top of the ladder, the IIT campus is abuzz with activity.
"Sponsorship is another very important aspect of Saarang and not much would have been possible without the support of a number of sponsors who have given us their full backing in all our endeavours," said the Dean,
Idichandy.
RR
Published on 21st
Jan, 2004
More
Articles
|
