The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Saarang 2007 kicks off with a bang

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 26, 2007
ePaper


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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Saarang 2007 kicks off with a bang

Staff Reporter

First day ends with a professional show by Global Rhythms

MUSICAL ENSEMBLE: Global Rhythms performing at Saarang 2007 on Thursday. — Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

CHENNAI: At IIT-Madras Saarang 2007, arguably the biggest college cultural brand here, chief guest at the inauguration Bharat Bala introduced the students and other guests to an even bigger brand - India.

The ad man-turned-filmmaker, best known for the video of A.R. Rahman's `Vande Mataram' told the audience that the concept of selling India emotionally back to Indians came from his father, a former freedom fighter and friend of K. Kamaraj. That was how Bala got the idea to use Vande Mataram just as New York City had used the now iconic `I Love New York' to sell the city.

The audience was shown a few short films by Bala to kick off the proceedings of the four day-five night cultural events.

Dean of students V.G. Idichandy said planning for Saarang took up a lot of the students' time through the year. Often, the emphasis on the cultural festival has been questioned, as IIT is a technical institution, he said. But participating in the planning and execution of the festival helps students work on their inter-personal, communication and overall personality development, something that Mr. Idichandy said he has witnessed first hand.

Cultural Affairs Secretary, Arts, S. Shiva Shankar, commented about the phenomenal growth of Saarang from a backyard event for the students. He said this year, they would continue their focus on `Green Saarang' to protect the biodiversity of the IIT-M campus. In addition to this, PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) would be given a platform for their cause, among many other related issues.

The first day of Saarang 2007 ended with a professional show by world music ensemble Global Rhythms.

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