Notes from Pilani Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazine

BY THE SPICMACAY TEAM SPICMACAY: THE BITS CHAPTER One of BITS’ most popular clubs, SPICMACAY has 8 shows a year which are attended by anywhere from 500 to 3,000 students. These spectacular shows are aimed at introducing BITSians to the Indian arts, and helps in a small way to sustain India’s rich heritage. The team talks about the history of the club, its past and planned activities, and makes an appeal to alumni to assist in supporting 8 annual events. With an annual budget of Rs 240,000 (US$5,000), which works out to approx. Rs 30,000 ($600) per show for 8 memorable performances, it is a fairly inexpensive way to support declining arts and teach BITSians to appreciate India’s rich heritage. The team is contemplating a fund, since lack of available funds means a constant scramble, and a fragile existence dependent on SPICMACAY Delhi for financial support.

About SPICMACAY grown to nearly 40 registered The BITS-Pilani Chapter volunteers, and a track record of SPICMACAY or the Society having organized nearly 40 for Promotion of Indian The BITS chapter of SPIC programs till date. The noble spirit of SPICMACAY has been Classical Music and Culture MACAY has been an active inculcated among the local Amongst Youth is a non-profit, member of this family as early voluntary, apolitical and as the 1980’s under the guidance schools of Pilani- namely Birla Balika Vidyapeeth, Birla Higher participatory student movement. of Dr.G Sundar . Many eminent Secondary School and Birla Founded in 1977, it has grown artists like Pt. Hariprasad from strength to strength and has Chaurasia, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Shiv Public School. It has also released a magazine of its own caught the very imagination of Kumar Sharma, Smt. Sonal called ‘Jyotsna’ with thought- the youth across the length and Mansingh, Vidwan Chitti breadth of the country. The provoking and insightful articles fundamental aim of SPICMACAY is to create an awareness of and an appreciation for the many facets of our rich cultural heritage. The educational system of our country has zero inputs when it comes to making our students aware of their rich heritage. This is where SPICMACAY steps in. Through concerts, lecture- demonstrations, informal Baithaks in classical music, dance, folk arts, literature, theater, cinema, painting, Yoga Babu, Smt. Sanjukta on matters of art and culture. In its new avatar, the chapter and spirituality by eminent Panigrahi and others had organized concerts and lecture- artists and thinkers—it exposes graced the campus during the the students to the cultural early years of the chapter. After demonstrations by such eminent people as Pt Vishwa Mohan tapestry of this land that they a brief interlude of inaction the Bhatt, Smt. Shubha Mudgal, seem to be slowly, yet steadily, chapter was revived by a group losing touch of. SPICMACAY of motivated students in 1999, Shri T.N. Krishnan, Shri T.V. Sankaranarayanan, Smt has nearly 200 chapters in with Dr. Suresh Ramaswamy Bombay Jayashri Ramnath, schools and colleges across (also the Chief Warden) and India and some 70 chapters Prof. Geetha Raghurama Shri Raja and Smt. Radha Reddy, Smt. Uma Sharma, abroad. (Languages Faculty) at the helm. Smt. Shovana Narayan, Smt.

Within a span of Anjolie Ela Menon, Aman and Ayan Ali Bangash to name a 5 years, the few. The programs have chapter has

______FALL 2004 SANDPAPER 36 Notes from Pilani Birla Institute of Technology & Science Alumni Magazine received overwhelming response and support from the student community and the faculty members. On an average 450- 500 students attend these programs; with a record high of nearly 3000 students who planned to be released during Pt acknowledged in the invites and thronged the Auditorium during Chaurasia’s concert. souvenir for the event, as also in Smt. Shubha Mudgal’s concert! the chapter website that we plan How can you help? to host very soon. The publicity pamphlets that the chapter Events as high profile as the distributes before each event would also gratefully ones mentioned above obviously acknowledge the contributions entail financial burdens on the chapter. Hitherto, it has been made by the sponsors.

dependent on the grants issued Help us in bequeathing to the by the SPICMACAY center at younger generation, the glorious Delhi and alumni of the traditions of this famed land— institute. To become a more which are unfortunately getting self-sufficient chapter with depleted at an alarming rate! greater autonomy and freedom to conduct its programs in a CONTACT SPICMACAY regular manner, the chapter The road ahead needs a funds corpus for its Dr. Suresh Ramaswamy, Chief Warden, President of the BITS upkeep. Typically each concert Chapter of SPICMACAY at The Chapter wishes to continue costs the chapter around [email protected] , with the good work that it has Rs.30,000 taking into account the airfare for the artists up to Geetha Raghurama been doing in this direction and Faculty, [email protected] , has chalked out a number of Delhi, the road travel to Pilani, a programs for the future. The token honorarium, local Lakshmi Raj, Student Coordinator, coming semester (January-May hospitality, boarding and [email protected] lodging facilities. The chapter 2005) promises to be an exciting Guruprasad A, Student coordinator, one as the Chapter has planned a organizes an average of 8 [email protected] series of events under the banner programs in a year. Hence the cost incurred on the chapter is of the FEST 2005 series. Photos above (in order) are: Eminent artists like Pt roughly Rs. 240,000 a year. Folk performance by Langas Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Mandaniyaars (attendance The Chapter would be extremely Shashank, Mysore Brothers, 1,500), Hindustan Vocal Recital Yakshagana folk art of grateful to alumni of the by Smt. Shuba Mudgal Karnataka, Rama Institute if they could help in (attendance 3,000), Sarod Vaidyanathan and a Yoga creating a Corpus fund for the recital by Amaan and Ayaan Shibir are in the offing. A chapter to ensure a regular and Ali Bangash (attendance 1,000) second edition of the Chapter steady flow of funds for its and Kuchipudi maestros Raja magazine titled ‘Drishti’ is varied programs. All help rendered would be duly and Radha Reddy ¨

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