http://www.spicmacay.com/ Excerpts from the interview of founder -chairperson of SPICMACAY,Dr.Kiran seth, Prof-Applied Mathematics, IIT DELHI
How did the idea of SPICMACAY come to you and how was it founded?
When I was studying at Columbia University, I heard a concert of Ustad Aminuddin Dagar and Ustad Fariduddin Dagar. I was deeply affected by it –in fact, I felt that I was moving 1 foot above the ground! In 1976, when I started teaching Operations Research at IIT, Delhi, I asked the class if anybody had heard of Nikhil Banerjee. Nobody had heard of him, let alone listen to him. I felt very sad. Shouldn’t we do something I felt?
In SPICMACAY why do you stress on classical music the most?
Indian classical music has been the most experimented amongst all art forms and has the longest tradition in the world. There is immense freedom but it is also bound within a framework. In life, it is also the same. We can’t have complete freedom, for there would be chaos. And we can’t have only bandhan for that would be bondage.
Also we can reach out to young people through the classical performing arts more easily. The medium is very important and it goes beyond language. So children all over can respond to it.
What is your message to today’s youth?
They are very brilliant. They are focused and much smarter and more aware. However, I feel, two things are lacking in them. One is patience. Often, their questions are ready even before I have completed what I am saying. They ask questions before something has even reached them. So, I feel that they should give themselves some time and go deep. Also have a little more faith. To understand anything of depth, patience and faith are important ingredients. Life is not Maggi noodles or instant coffee…
What is your message to SPICMACAY volunteers?
They should know what they are doing. They should understand the depth of what they are doing. This is not a mere organizational exercise.
What is your vision of SPICMACAY in the future, say about 20 or 50 years from now?
20 years from today I would like SPICMACAY to take young people into much greater depth, through more programs, more workshops and more efforts being made at the primary level. It should have spread geographically and content wise. Not just in big cities and towns but even in villages and schools for the underprivileged. We should realize that food is very important to nourish the body and this is also important- for it nurtures the mind and the soul.
50 years from now, I feel there should be no need for SPICMACAY to exist!
How did the idea of SPICMACAY come to you and how was it founded?
When I was studying at Columbia University, I heard a concert of Ustad Aminuddin Dagar and Ustad Fariduddin Dagar. I was deeply affected by it –in fact, I felt that I was moving 1 foot above the ground! In 1976, when I started teaching Operations Research at IIT, Delhi, I asked the class if anybody had heard of Nikhil Banerjee. Nobody had heard of him, let alone listen to him. I felt very sad. Shouldn’t we do something I felt?
In SPICMACAY why do you stress on classical music the most?
Indian classical music has been the most experimented amongst all art forms and has the longest tradition in the world. There is immense freedom but it is also bound within a framework. In life, it is also the same. We can’t have complete freedom, for there would be chaos. And we can’t have only bandhan for that would be bondage.
Also we can reach out to young people through the classical performing arts more easily. The medium is very important and it goes beyond language. So children all over can respond to it.
What is your message to today’s youth?
They are very brilliant. They are focused and much smarter and more aware. However, I feel, two things are lacking in them. One is patience. Often, their questions are ready even before I have completed what I am saying. They ask questions before something has even reached them. So, I feel that they should give themselves some time and go deep. Also have a little more faith. To understand anything of depth, patience and faith are important ingredients. Life is not Maggi noodles or instant coffee…
What is your message to SPICMACAY volunteers?
They should know what they are doing. They should understand the depth of what they are doing. This is not a mere organizational exercise.
What is your vision of SPICMACAY in the future, say about 20 or 50 years from now?
20 years from today I would like SPICMACAY to take young people into much greater depth, through more programs, more workshops and more efforts being made at the primary level. It should have spread geographically and content wise. Not just in big cities and towns but even in villages and schools for the underprivileged. We should realize that food is very important to nourish the body and this is also important- for it nurtures the mind and the soul.
50 years from now, I feel there should be no need for SPICMACAY to exist!
SPIC MACAY is an affirmation of :-
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a priceless cultural heritage rooted in what is essentially Indian. With the onslaught of rapid change and global homogenization, this multifaceted Indian heritage is being increasingly marginalized and diluted. SPIC MACAY seeks to conserve and promote an awareness of this rich and heterogeneous cultural tapestry amongst the youth of this country through focus on the classical arts, with their attendant legends, rituals, mythology and philosophy and to facilitate an awareness of their deeper and subtler values.
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the pulsating and dynamic vitality of the young person. The movement incorporates this vitality to cajole them into being custodian of what is actually their birthright, namely their heritage, roots and identity. It seeks to provoke thought and a genuine spirit of enquiry in the young.
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a solid value-based education, which involves the absorption of aesthetics and spirituality in an increasingly technical, mundane and competitive world. Thus its work is educational in spirit and character and locates itself in educational institutions only.
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the effectiveness of voluntary work in inculcating a spirit of service. This is, in fact, the hidden agenda of this movement. Volunteers come from all walks of life with varied aspirations and skills. They give some of their time to a cause which is for the larger good and outside of their immediate self interest. The emphasis is on participation without hierarchy and too much formalism.
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the need for a more inspired perspective in a world bombarded by too much information. A unique feature of the heritage of India is its inbuilt characteristic of introspection and a philosophy that transcends mere intellectualism.
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all that is beautiful, lofty and wholesome, of the sensitive, kind and gentle human being who is inspired and in turn inspires.
