The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth,

abbreviated An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening, contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened form of a word, usually ended with a trailing per ...

as SPIC MACAY, is a voluntary youth movement which promotes intangible aspects of Indian

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

by promoting

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the art music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like ''Shastriya Sangeet'' and ''Marg Sangeet''. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as ...

, classical dance, folk music,

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

, meditation, crafts and other aspects of Indian culture; it is a movement with chapters in over 8, 000 towns all over the world. SPIC MACAY was established by Dr. Kiran Seth in 1977 at IIT Delhi.

History

Kiran Seth, a young graduate from IIT Kharagpur, was studying for his doctorate at the

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, New York, when he chanced to attend a Dhrupad concert by Ustad Nasir Aminuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariddudin Dagar at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City. On his return to India in 1976, he started teaching and doing research work at IIT Delhi, where he got together with students and started SPIC MACAY in 1977, and its first concert by Junior Dagar Brothers was held at IIT Delhi on 28 March 1978. To promote fitness, music, and Gandhian thought, Kiran Seth undertook a bicycle yatra across India, spreading SPIC MACAY’s mission. Some of its major activities include: FEST series, VIRASAT series, National Conventions for students and teachers, National School Intensives, Music in the Park, the SPIC MACAY Scholarship Programme, heritage walks, talks by eminent thinkers,

Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

camps, screening of Classic Cinema, night-long musical concerts, and workshops like those on Kathak dance. SPIC MACAY has also launched chapters in various cities, such as Tiruchirappalli at IIM, and collaborated with institutions like Auroville to promote cultural heritage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, SPIC MACAY adapted by taking its ‘Anubhav’ programme online from June 1, 2020, to continue engaging youth with Indian culture. The organization has sustained its efforts to make Indian classical music and culture accessible to youth through innovative initiatives.SPIC MACAY: A musical journey
''The Hindu'', June 3, 2022

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spic Macay Cultural heritage of India Cultural organisations based in India Non-profit organisations based in India Organizations established in 1977 Youth organisations based in India