None like a movement, SPICMACAY (Society For Promotion of Indian Classical Music, Art and Culture Among Youth), initiated by a soft-spoken but gutsy, purposeful, passionate and ever persevering, youthful Dr. Kiran Seth, PadmaSri, a professor at IIT Delhi, 44 years ago!

The movement has been synonymous with creating awareness and awakening the consciousness and conscience of children and youth to the mysticism associated with India’s rich cultural heritage, intangible and tangible, along with the world culture and heritage.

The beauty about the movement is that it does all these predominantly through the soulful concerts, performances of galaxy of artists and their Interactions with children within the precincts of their own institutions. The movement, propelled by volunteers, has become a powerful source of not only promoting the culture among children but also an inspiring platform for generations of young artists to gain recognition, across the country, even in the hinterlands. Thanks to the benign support of the elderly, seasoned, accomplished artists who saw the genuineness of Dr. Seth’s purpose and endeavours, the movement is a well entrenched, respected and endearing. Even an elderly artist takes pain in reaching the schools in deep hinterland, catching a train or hitching a ride bullock cart with his flute, violin, mridangam, table or a tanpura.

With the power of social media in their pockets, many a young artist has been launching his or her career, showcasing a snippet from their SPICMACAY performance to garner a number of followers on their Facebook, Instagram accounts. Yes, many a not so young but established enterprising artists also have caught on to the social media bandwagon, with their disciples showing the way.

Come COVID, the world has been hit really hard. Devastating, for most of the self-reliant professionals, especially artists whose only source of livelihood is to inspire the gentry with their soulful performances and earn accolades and some returns in hard currency that sustains them.

The annual SPICMACAY conventions that bring all eminent exponents of various artforms and scores of rasiks from across the country and world for a close gurukul-like anubhav (experience of a personalized guru’s tutoring) have been a great source inspiration for all the rasiks to gather and be at the feet of their cherished, accomplished gurus.

COVID has hit this annual Anubhav too. Thanks to young, spirited millenials, the Anubhav goes online with a little enthusiastic support from not-so young volunteers too. Hopefully this may prove to be a blessing in disguise for the ambassadors and catalysts of culture, SPICMACAY and others too, the way EDUCATION space has been catapulted to a plane of technology enablement, that now no one can deny. And I feel delighted, that this has happened.

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As the Anubhav goes online, that will enable its reach to not just a couple of thousands but a few lakhs now, experiencing from homes, I take all rasiks through the nostalgic experiences of the mysticism, through a few short films that I had put together of the SPICMACAY Anubhav, the convention that happened in 2017, at IIT Delhi. Enjoy. Relive. 🙏

The Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi, inaugurating the International convention 2017, in his inimitable style of eloquence, pays tribute to the movement of SPIC MACAY and also to the founder of the movement, Dr. Kiran Seth. Beseeches the youth to embrace the spirit and purpose of the movement.

The following short video documentary, in five parts, captures the essence of the conventions, the daily schedule followed, the spirit of volunteerism, the passionate facilitation by gurus who have dedicated their lives for the cause of artforms, the earnest desire of every participant to assimilate, imbibe and live the spirit as well as the art forms, as much as they can.

The week long convention is an endeavour to instill the discipline and have a sublime control of ones own life and expose every participant to the mysticism of arts and culture.

The days start at 4am with YOGA, then shramdan to keep our environment clean and tidy, then after a break of an hour for morning ablutions, commences with the intensives. Every participant will undergo an intensive to gain deeper understanding of an art form works with a Guru for seven days, four hours a day. The afternoons after the lunch is devoted the exposing every participant to a variety of genre like not limited to music and dance but also theatre, choir music, folk music and dance, puppetry etc. The evenings are devoted to classical music and dance performances.
Enjoy watching!

The last day is all about sharing the learning during the week gone by, in every art form. .Here are a few of the showcasing I have been able to capture at a couple of venues. I apologize for not being able to cover all the five centres of performances.

Hope you had a nostalgic time, if you already have been through the annual pilgrimage of SPICMACAY ANUBHAV. If you have not, you will get a feel of the real, to some extent, when you experience this year at home. Have a soulful week ahead.

Come participate and contribute to the propagation of art forms and the spread of the spirit of brotherhood and composite culture. UNITY in Diversity.

Your destination for Anubhav will be this

https://www.youtube.com/user/spicmacay