Concerts on successive days by a host of music maestros marked the recent opening of a chapter of the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) at the Pondicherry University. The performances began with Carnatic exponent Sikkil Gurucharan’s concert followed by Ustad Shahid Parvez on the sitar. Shashank Subramanyam’s flute notes opened proceedings on the final day followed by Pt. Venkatesh Kumar’s Hindustani vocal concert.
Earlier, at the launch function, Gurmeet Singh, vice-chancellor of Pondicherry University shared his memories as a SPIC MACAY volunteer during its early days in 1977 when it was initiated by Kiran Seth, Emeritus Professor of IIT Delhi, at Delhi.
SPIC MACAY convenor (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry) Jayashree and V. Santhi Siri, assistant professor of the Department of Electronic Media & Mass Communication, Pondicherry University and coordinator for PU-SPIC MACAY), also spoke. The idea for such a chapter was first proposed by Ms. Santhi Siri, a pianist-painter, and was green-flagged by the vice-chancellor.
The vice-chancellor also felicitated all the artistes with a memento as a token of appreciation. The two-day cultural event was attended by people across the city.
According to the university, the concerts were hosted in collaboration with SPIC MACAY as part of furthering the organisation’s motto of Indian culture and heritage among youths of Pondicherry University.
PU-SPIC MACAY plans to organise a cultural event every two months and expects the patronage of enthusiasts in the region, the press note said.