The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) has organised its 8th Annual International Convention from May 29 to June 4, at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) in city. This is the first convention since the 2019 JNU Delhi convention.

The week-long convention is Spic Macay’s flagship event. It is organised every year and hosts more than 1,500 students and volunteers. The programme will be inaugurated on May 29 at the hands of Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations; Kanchan Gadkari, President, Sevasadan Sanstha; Dr Krishna Kumar, Director, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham; and Dr Sameer Pingle, Director, Symbiosis. The inauguration ceremony will be followed by Hindustani Violin performance by ‘Padma Bhushan’ Dr N Rajam and Hindustani Vocal performance by ‘Padma Vibhushan’ Vidushi Dr Prabha Atre. “The convention has been organised to promote and conserve the rich Indian culture. The main focus will be on Classical arts associated with traditions, narratives, and Indian philoshopy to facilitate an appreciation of their deeper values and significance among the youth,” said R M Tiwari, National Chairperson, SPIC MACAY, at the press conference held at VNIT, on Sunday. The convention will feature a range of activities including classical music concerts, dance performances, crafts intensive workshops, cinema screenings, heritage walks, early morning yoga and eating holistic food. “The idea of organizing the convention is to contrive unique ashram-like atmosphere and leave an impact on the new generation,” he further added. The convention has organised Indian Classical art form performances like Mridangam, Bharatnatyam, Koodiyattam, Carnatic Vocal, Puppetry and more. It will also feature film screening of ‘The Making of The Mahatama’ and ‘Images’ which will culminate into discussion with actor Rajit Kapur and Padma Vibhushan Adoor Gopalkrishnan and Padma Shri Girish Kasaravalli.