Saarang is an annual festival founded in 1974 in honour of the erstwhile ‘Mardi Gras’ or the spotted deer that is deeply rooted in South India’s culture.
Students of Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT) Madras are celebrating 50 years of the annual cultural festival of the Institute – Saarang, from today till January 14.
Notably, the event was founded in 1974 in honour of the erstwhile ‘Mardi Gras’ or the spotted deer that is deeply rooted in South India’s culture. Mardi Gras was rebranded as ‘Saarang’ in 1996 to honour its Indian roots and celebrate the omnipresence of the spotted deer commonly found in the campus.
According to a press release, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras inaugurated the cultural festival with a violin performance during the ‘Classical Night’ at Open Air Theatre.
With an estimated footfall of 80,000 visitors, the 5-day event has been planned keeping the interests of all at top priority, the press release said.
Prof Kamakoti, while highlighting about the festival, said that the golden jubilee celebrations is being dedicated to the rich culture and traditions of Tamil Nadu.
Prof. Sathyanarayana N Gummadi, Dean (Students) of IIT Madras, said it was for the first time that a classical and folk night has been introduced showcasing both classical music and Tamil Nadu folk arts.
Prof Gummadi lauded the efforts of over 800 students for making the 50th edition of Saarang a success.
Prasad Patnaik B S V., Advisor (Cultural) of IIT Madras also applauded the efforts of the students and said, “The entire Saarang organising team has been putting higher order efforts to make the festival more exciting for the Gen-Z. Kudos to the team lead by our cultural secretaries Jyotir Aditya Menon and Valeti Sriraj.”
Features of Saarang 2024:
A unique platform for young artists and performers coming from a diverse array of art forms and interests such as freestyle dance, photography, acapella, graphic designing and stand-up comedy.
Saarang to feature events from the many cultural clubs of IIT Madras, including oratory, comedy, fine arts, writing, and the culinary arts club.
Professional Shows: A line-up of well-established and upcoming artists whose performances will enthral the audience.
The ‘Spotlight Lecture Series’ wherein a host of speakers with a wide-ranging reach across various cultural domains would be attending. This includes renowned celebrities like Nassar, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Rukmini Vijayakumar, Usha Uthup, and Manoj Bajpayee.
‘Urjam’ Social Campaign: Like every year, Saarang will be running a social campaign titled ‘Urjam’ to encourage people to make conscious decisions and switch to renewable energy sources.
