50 years of 'Saarang': IIT-M kicks off five-day fest
The five-day fest started on Wednesday will conclude by January 14," said V Kamakoti, Director of IIT-Madras.
Students of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on Wednesday started celebrating 50 years of 'Saarang'
CHENNAI: Students of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on Wednesday started celebrating 50 years of 'Saarang', the annual cultural festival of the institute.
V Kamakoti, Director of IIT-M marked the inauguration of this cultural festival with a violin performance during the 'Classical Night' at Open Air Theatre.
"For the golden jubilee year of our celebration, although we have a wide spectrum of events, we are dedicating it to the rich culture and traditions of Tamil Nadu.
The five-day fest started on Wednesday will conclude by January 14," said V Kamakoti, Director of IIT-Madras.
"Nearly 850 students are working together to make Saarang a grand success. In the past 50 years, Saarang has come a long way, transitioning from a small cultural fest to a large-scale international collaboration between artists, students and communities, transcending generations, " he noted.
"For the first time, we introduce the classical and folk night, wherein we will showcase both classical music and Tamil Nadu folk arts for this golden jubilee celebration, " said professor V Sathyanarayana N Gummadi.
Since its inception in 1974, the erstwhile 'Mardi Gras' is deeply rooted in South India's culture and has become an integral part of Chennai's cultural scene.
To honour its Indian roots and celebrate the omnipresence of the spotted deer commonly found in the campus, Mardi Gras was rebranded as 'Saarang' in 1996.