Speak MACAY

They had seen the stage assemble. They had registered online. They had roamed around the place

confused so as to which workshop to attend, as no one bothered to make the allotment list public.

But the first brush an average IISTian had with SPIC MACAY State Convention 2015 was when peo-

ple caught off-guard by guests were spotted escorting them around the campus while the music

blared on. After aesthetically arranging all the footwear, this slowly transformed into the Inaugura-

tion Ceremony. The inauguration started with a native song by Aprem, followed by addresses by

our beloved Director - Dr. Dasgupta, Dr. Kiran Seth, and Shri Adoor Gopalakrishan. Shri T. N. Krish-

nan spoke a few words and then set free the transfixing music that results when masters of violin,

mridangam and ghatam work together. For the next two hours, entrancing Carnatic music rever-

berated throughout the campus. This was followed by the pure, ancient and deeply spiritual art

form of Theyyam. Performed in the dark of the night outside the Admin Block while the almost-full

moon hung overhead, this left us wondering about our roots, our beliefs and our consciousness (as

posted by a moved sophomore). The convention was conducted successfully with the organizers

seemingly pulling things off smoothly despite many hurdles along the way.

8 February 2015

Volume I, Issue 1

A TSR Initiative

Workshops and Events

SPIC MACAY is well renowned for providing students with the opportunity to learn an art form di-

rectly from eminent Gurus by attending workshops and intensives. Students learn and experience

the art form for 3 hours every day of the convention—6,7 & 8 of Feb’15. A disciplined routine and

diet ensure an optimal learning atmosphere.

Hath Yoga

Participants assembled in our once multipur-

pose basketball court at 5 in the morning. They

were instructed on asanas, the proper way to

them, the merits and demerits. That was fol-

lowed by rhythmic breathing, surya namaskar

and finally relaxation. The participants de-

scribed it as a peaceful experience.

Naad Yoga

People showed up in front of the admin build-

ing at 4.00 in the morning and learnt to use the

stability of their voice as a measure of their

concentration. They further went in to learn

how all religions have one unified goal. On the

way back to the hostels the participants were

asked to abstain from talking and pick at least

five pieces of litter in a much appreciated at-

tempt to return the campus cleaner than they

had received it. Modi Approves.

Martial Arts

It started with a very intense presentation

about Kalaripayattu, the tradition martial art

of Kerala, including the video by the Tourism

Department of Kerala which was particularly

visual and informative, and is a highly recom-

mended watch. That was followed by the par-

ticipants lining up in space outside the Ther-

mal Engineering lab and trying to balance

themselves in the attack positions of various

animals (which is a kalaripayattu concept).

Hindustani Vocal Associated with SPIC MACAY for the past 12

years, Ms. Abhradita Maitra Banerjee strives to

ignite an interest in music in the technically in-

clined minds. It takes more than a decade to pre-

pare a true musician but in the three day window

she tries to non-intimidatingly present all possi-

ble directions through which a person can get

involved with music. Her expectations were met

when midway through the second class, melliflu-

ous raagas were observed around her classroom.

Cheriyal Painting and Sawdust Mask Making

Four centuries ago, the Nakashi family of Cheriyar

in Warangal were one of the eight castes to be as-

signed different stories to narrate through their

scroll paintings and other artistic expressions.

Today, only three of them continue their narra-

tion and the Nakashi family finds great pleasure

in presenting their art in around 10 SPIC MACAY

conventions that they’ve attended. They like the

idea of their family’s art reaching out to youth all

over the country. The Cheriyal Paintings are done

on khadi fabric after it has been coated with a lay-

er of tamarind seed paste. Traditionally, long

scrolls depicted mythological instances in great

detail but with time the art has evolved into

paintings on shorter scrolls depicted instances

that the society as a whole can appreciate. Partici-

pants were given a scroll to inspire them to make

one of their own.

The Sawdust Masks are made of a paste of saw-

dust and tamarind seeds, coated with fabric, plas-

tered with calcium carbonate and then coloured

to perfection. The participants received a saw-

dust mask as samples which they observed before

making their masks. Smt. D. Padma was with the

participants at every step. She was pleased by the

enthusiasm of the participants.

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Adoor Gopalakrishnan

A Door to Adoor Gopalakrishnan's World

The credits roll in, the room is immersed in

awed silence and then thundering applause as

Padma Vibhushan awardee Shri. Gopalakrish-

nan walks in to the front of the room. A crowd

of 60 odd students from various institutes

have just finished a journey with Kaliyappan,

the protagonist of the movie Nizhalkuthu

(that would be Shadow Kill for non-Malayali

folks), a gritty take on the system of capital

punishment in the kingdom of Travancore

during 1940's. The movie also explores the

intricacies of human conscience and the lives

of real people. Shri. Gopalakrishnan is a man

of many sensibilities and has an acute sense of

detail. This is immediately evident from his

responses to the various questions put to him

in the informal interaction session held after

the screening of his movie. He talks about the

historical background of Nizhalkuthu, depic-

tion (or rather the lack) of reality in movies,

female empowerment, vulgarity in cinema,

entertainment, the unsung role of directors;

his extremely easy demeanour and non-

patronising tone does the trick. And like eve-

rything even remotely interesting, we are

soon running out of time, narrowly missing

the opportunity of an exclusive interview.

Even through all the squeezed answers and

confused mic passing, it has been enlighten-

ing, and we can't complain.

Sawdust masks to be painted

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Kathakali

The Kathakali workshop was taken by Shri

Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboodiri, a Thadi ex-

pert, Thadi being the form in which the most

ferocious and cruel characters appear during

the storytelling. The participants were taught

the twenty-four mudras of Kathakali the first

day. The next two days were utilised in string-

ing the mudras together to prepare a small

musical piece from Kalyan Saugandhika, a sto-

ry about Bhima and Draupadi from Mahabha-

rata. The participants seemed delighted to get

a chance to learn the graceful form of art that

is Kathakali.

Participants in Warli Painting Workshop.

Warli Painting

Traditionally painted on clay walls during wed-

dings in Maharashtra, Warli Painting is yet an-

other form of art evolving with time. Depicting

ancient stories of gods, day to day ordeals of ag-

riculture and other aspects of daily life, these

auspicious paintings have seen a tremendous

peak in popularity in the last decade. Shri Rajesh

Chaitya Vangad, the man behind the Warli Paint-

ings in Mumbai Airport, drew many iconic Warli

representations on the board while the partici-

pants used white paint, a bamboo quill,

and scrapbook papers to create their paintings

with those icons.

Carnatic Vocal

Shri Ajith Namboothiri and his acquaintances

greeted us as we entered the room filled with

people trying to move out for lunch after 3 hours

in the world of Carnatic music. The conversation

which then ensued made us realise that we were

talking to a group of people highly skilled in that

field who had come to attend Mr. Namboothiri's

workshop expecting advance level classes in

Carnatic vocals. After catching phrases like

'people should have been divided according to

their knowledge of Carnatic' and 'a theme should

have been given', we surmise that the workshop

consisted of discussions covering a range of top-

ics, evidently enough for a newbie to develop

interest. But hey, that is what SPIC MACAY is

about, isn't it?

Shri T.N. Krishnan’s Recital

Padma Bhushan T. N. Krishnan graced the IIST

campus on 6 February, 2015 at the inaugural

ceremony of SPIC MACAY and demonstrated the

depth and beauty the musical art form gains to

make Carnatic music. He had some difficulty in

walking and speaking but once he started play-

ing his violin it seemed he could continue for

days. We bow down to his passion and bril-

liance. He was happy to give us an interview af-

ter his performance despite a busy schedule.

Shri T. N. Krishnan

TSR: Tell us something about your relation-ship with Bharatanatyam. RW: Bharatanatyam is like my mother tongue: a comfort zone. I feel completely at ease and secure dancing Bharatanatyam, thus creating new idioms and words using its vocab-ulary and grammar. TSR: How did your childhood help to script what you are today? RW: I was blessed to have great emotional ambience at home, classical art enthusiasts as parents. I watched some “offbeat” films in film festivals that helped me, as an artist, to become what I am today. TSR: How different were you as a child? RW: I read amazing books which made me imagine characters and plots. My grandfather was a great orator and he used to read out sto-ries. It helped me to explore my individuality.

Bharatanatyam Workshop

Interview with Rajashree Warrier

An editor goes exploring the convention and is mesmerized by Rajashree Warrier’s Bharatanatyam.

She hears the entrancing notes of Ms. Abhradita Banerjee’s song; while the Kalaripayattu folks are

busy with their exercises. She becomes convinced that Carnatic music is beautiful and enchanting.

Entering the admin block later, against the usual silence, one could hear either the melodious Hin-

dustani vocal music or Rajashree Warrier's Manjira counting the beats. There was something;

somewhat fundamental in her expressions and her storytelling which compelled her to ask for an

interview to which the Guru graciously agreed.

TSR: How do classical art forms connect with today's generation? RW: Classical art forms have a contempo-rary character associated with them. Children today relate to the theme through its vivid ex-pressions. TSR: If not a Bharatanatyam artiste; what would you be? RW: I would probably not exist [grins]. TSR: How should a child be sensitised to art? RW: Children today are burdened with aca-demics. A child should simply be allowed to appreciate the various classical art forms... it helps to find one's calling in life. TSR: What do you look for in a prospective student? RW: The desire to learn and complete sur-render to art.

Malavika Sarukkai’s Performance

The highlight of the second day, a Bharatanatyam performance by Ms. Malavika Sarukkai was ex-

pected to start at 6 pm. A light shower of rain at around 5.30 created a doubt in a few people's minds

as to whether or not to attend the performance. Thankfully, it stopped, and the show was started at

around 6.15 pm. It started with Ms. Malavika introducing herself and her group of musicians, and

went on to demonstrate the basic acts and how to interpret the various forms in her dance. After the

first piece, she requested not to be recorded on any form of electronic media. She insisted that a clas-

sical dance is a spiritual art form, which must be experienced in the moment, and hence shouldn't go

on record. There were several acts depicting various situations and mythological stories ranging from

praising the Sun God, to grief of Radha's separation from Krishna, to Yashoda with her little Kanha.

The performance ended on a high note with Ms. Sarukkai dancing to the classical version of our na-

tional song, Vande Mataram.

Contact us at: thesoundingrocket@gmail.com

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