Saarang

Last updated

Saarang
Saarang Logo + Black text.png
Saarang '23
Genre Cultural Festival
DatesJanuary 11th–15th (2023)
Location(s) Chennai, India
Founded1974
Attendance70,000+ [1]
Organized byStudent community of IIT Madras
Filing statusStudent-run non-profit organization
Website saarang.org

Saarang (means 'Chital' or Spotted Deer in Sanskrit, a common sight on IIT Madras campus) is the annual social and cultural festival of IIT Madras. It is a 5-day long festival usually in the second week of the year. Founded in 1974, Saarang is the second oldest college festival in India. [2] It was started in the name of 'Mardi Gras' with a small number of quizzes and music events. [3] It adopted the name 'Saarang' and grew with the help of corporate sponsorship, collaboration with large-scale event organizers and international artists.

Contents

Saarang is a not-for-profit, entirely student-run, ISO 9001:2015 organization. All organizing members of the festival are current students of IIT Madras. 450 coordinators are organized as per function, in 12 departments, each headed by a 'core coordinator'. The 12 departments are led by the 2 cultural secretaries, who are elected by the institute annually in March. [4]

Saarang Core Team 2020 Saarang Core Team 2020.jpg
Saarang Core Team 2020
Saarang's Core Member Team, 2019 Saarang Core Team 2019.jpg
Saarang's Core Member Team, 2019
Saarang Core Member Team 2018 Saaarang2018 Head Organising Team.jpg
Saarang Core Member Team 2018

History

In the early 1970s, a "cultural week" festival was held. [5]

The fest was formally started in 1974-75 as Mardi Gras, the focus of the festival being to promote interest in cultural and literary activities and to develop the organizational skills of the students. [6] The event was renamed to 'Saarang' in 1996 to give it a more 'Indian' theme. Commercial sponsorships for the event increased significantly in the late 90s.

Events

Students performing at a Choreo event Choreo Classical.jpg
Students performing at a Choreo event

Spotlight (lectures and demonstrations)

Kiran Bedi talks to students as part of Lectures and Demonstrations at Saarang, IIT Madras Kiran Bedi, Lec Dems.jpg
Kiran Bedi talks to students as part of Lectures and Demonstrations at Saarang, IIT Madras

Saarang has observed a wide range of personalities present lectures and conduct demonstrations during the event and as a part of Pre-Saarang activities. "Spotlight", a concept in the previous editions of Saarang was a platform for famous and notable persons from various fields to address the audience and hold interactive sessions with them. Past speakers featured in Saarang include Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Kamal Hassan, Shriya Saran, Manu Joseph, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mahesh Dattani, Leela Samson, Leander Paes, Kiran Bedi, Anita Rathnam, Ira Trivedi and R. Balakrishnan.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui at Saarang's Lectures and Demonstrations Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Lec Dems.jpg
Nawazuddin Siddiqui at Saarang's Lectures and Demonstrations

Competitions

Competitive events are held throughout Saarang and registration begins in December through their website. There are events in every field of art, dance and music, apart from literary events and group events like Scavenger Hunt. There are also informal stalls set up every day for spectators to participate in many small events.

IIT students perform at Choreo Nite Choreo IIT.jpg
IIT students perform at Choreo Nite

World Fest Shows

The World Fest, previously known as "World Culture Show" (WCS), at Saarang is a platform to showcase culture and talent from around the world and hosts artists from various countries across the world. There have been many such performances at Saarang, in many kinds of music, like Irish folk, contemporary music, alternative rock, hip-hop and acoustic music. In the past, World Fest had introduced artists into Chennai's cultural scene through the contributions of Goethe-Institute/Max Mueller Bhavan, Alliance Française de Madras, the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Embassy of Israel, and the US Consulate in Chennai, among other international organizations, in support of their respective artistes.

Abaji performs at the World Cultural Show in Saarang Abaji, WCS.jpg
Abaji performs at the World Cultural Show in Saarang

Rock Show

At The Rock Show of Saarang, musicians of international bands of rock, alternative rock, metal and fusion have performed.

EDM Night

EDM Night is initiated in 2013. Brands like Sunburn and VH1 Supersonic have featured as its organizing partners. The line-up has featured popular artists in electronic dance music as well as a few international artists.

Classical Night

Sonal Mansingh performs at Classical Night Classical Night.jpg
Sonal Mansingh performs at Classical Night

Every year Saarang starts with "Classical night" in the Open Air Theatre of IIT Madras. Reputed performers of Indian classical music and dance forms inaugurate Saarang at this professional show. M. Balamuralikrishna, Daksha Seth Dance Academy represented by Isha Sarvani, [21] Mallika Sarabhai and troupe, Anil Srinivasan, Sikkil Gurucharan, Navin Iyer, Ganesh Kumaresh, S. Sowmya, B.S. Purushothaman, Sonal Mansingh, Aruna Sairam, Shobana [22] have performed in the previous editions of Saarang.

Salim -Sulaiman perform at Popular Night SalimSuleiman.jpg
Salim -Sulaiman perform at Popular Night

Popular Night is hosted at the Open-Air Theatre of IIT Madras. It features live performances by members of the Kollywood and Bollywood music industry. Popular Night has featured artists like Devi Sri Prasad and Vishal& Shekhar (in the year 2012), Krishnakumar Kunnath, (in the year 2011), [23] the musical trio Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy(in 2010) [24] [25] [26] [27] Sonu Nigam(in 2009), [22] [28] Lucky Ali and Karthik (in 2008), [29] [30] Sukhwinder Singh (in 2007), [11] Shaan (in 2004)., [31] Salim-Sulaiman, Benny Dayal (2019) and Shankar Mahadevan (2020).

Workshop as part of Saarang Eunoia Eunoia, 1.jpg
Workshop as part of Saarang Eunoia
People at the Terry Fox run to raise cancer awareness at IIT Madras Terry Fox Run 2014.jpg
People at the Terry Fox run to raise cancer awareness at IIT Madras

Social Campaign

Each year Saarang gives back to society in the form of initiatives taken as part of social campaigns. Saarang's past social campaigns have centered around community welfare in the form of water conservation, education, mental health, and health and hygiene awareness.

Panacea (2023)

Inspired by the Greek goddess of universal wellbeing, Panacea was the health and hygiene social campaign of Saarang 2023. The five major spheres under the campaign included, personal well-being, environmental hygiene, public health awareness, sanitation and sexual health. Initiatives such informative presentations, cyclathons, case competitions, educational text-based games, podcasts, and breast awareness campaigns, were used to spread awareness about keeping clean and healthy.

Mann & Mann 2.0 (2021 & 2022)

The years 2021 and 2022 hosted the social campaigns, Mann and its successor, Mann 2.0. Mann aimed to destigmatize the topic of mental health by bringing conversations on the topic to the forefront. Saarang collaborated with the MINDS foundation to conduct webinars for school children to encourage positive discussion normalizing the existence of mental illnesses and the need to provide professional help and support to those in need. With Mann Conversations, interactive conversations were held with mental health professionals and an educated perspective on the topic was streamed for thousands to see. The Mann website has multiple published articles about mental health issues, interactive quizzes on the topic and resources of mental health helplines, thereby acting as a steady source of support and guidance to those seeking mental help.

Past associates and sponsors

Saarang has been sponsored [32] by various established corporations. The main sponsor of Saarang for many years has been MRF Limited. [33] [ circular reference ] Some of the other companies that have been sponsoring various events of Saarang are Max, Vodafone Essar, [34] Bharti Airtel, [35] Nokia, [36] SBI, Exprez, Canara Bank, Derby, Wildcraft, Durex Jeans, Pepe Jeans, Aircel, Times of India, Freecharge, INOX, McDonald's, TATA Tion, isoft, [35] Club Mahindra Holidays.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chennai</span> Capital of Tamil Nadu, India

Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is the state's primate city and is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Chennai is the sixth-most populous city in India and forms the fourth-most populous urban agglomeration. Incorporated in 1688, the Greater Chennai Corporation is the oldest municipal corporation of India and the second oldest in the world after London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Chennai</span>

The culture of Chennai, popularly called the "Gateway to the South India", is distinct from that of any other Indian city. Being a cosmopolitan hub, the city's culture reflects its diverse population that has resulted in a unique blend. Though a modern metropolis, Chennai continues to be traditional and conventional in certain ways. Traditional music, dance and all other art forms of Tamil Nadu are very popular in the city. One can find a peculiar cultural blend in city, from traditional foods to fast foods, from ancient temple architecture to modern high-rises, and from classical music and dance to the growing nightlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madras Medical College</span> Medical school and hospital in Chennai, India

Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1835, it is one of the oldest medical colleges in India, as well as in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madras Christian College</span> Liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India

Madras Christian College (MCC) is a liberal arts and sciences college in Chennai, India. Founded in 1837, MCC is one of Asia's oldest extant colleges. The college is affiliated to the University of Madras but functions as an autonomous institution from its main campus in Tambaram, Chennai.

Shaastra is the annual technical festival of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Chennai, India. The Sanskrit word ‘Shaastra’ means a subject of study/branch of knowledge and the festival accordingly consists of various engineering, science and technology competitions, summits, lectures, video conferences, exhibitions, demonstrations and workshops. The festival is traditionally held over four days and four nights during the first week of January. It has so far seen twenty one editions, having started in its current avatar in the year 2000. Shaastra attracts participation from all over India, and seeks to provide collegiate students with a platform to showcase their scientific and engineering talents. Shaastra is entirely student managed and is the first such event in the world to be ISO 9001:2015 certified for implementing a Quality Management System. It is one of Asia's largest completely student-run techno-managerial festivals.

The Department of Management Studies of IIT Madras, also known as DoMS, IIT Madras is a business school under the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Fest</span>

Spring Fest, known as SF, is the annual social and cultural festival of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur held during January in the spring semester. The first edition was held in 1960. The 60th edition of Spring Fest was held from January 24 to 27, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IIT Madras</span> Public engineering institution in India

Indian Institute of Technology Madras is a public technical university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the eight public Institutes of Eminence of India. As one of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), IIT Madras is also recognized as an Institute of National Importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chennai Book Fair</span> Annual book fair organized in Chennai, India

Chennai Book Fair is an annual book fair organized in Chennai, India by the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI). The fair typically lasts for about two weeks during the New Year-Pongal season, that is between the last week of December and the third week of January. It is the second largest book fair in the country after the Kolkata Book Fair. All major Tamil and English publishing houses participate in this fair. It is considered as an important event in the Chennai cultural calendar along with the Chennai music season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benny Dayal</span> Indian singer (born 1984)

Benny Dayal is an Indian playback singer. He is a prominent singer in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Gujarati and Marathi and more languages films. He has sung more than 3500 songs in 19+ Indian languages. He is a member of the band S5, launched by SS Music TV channel. He made his acting debut in the Malayalam movie By the People, a suspense thriller. All the songs were sung by S5 members and it was then that A.R. Rahman noticed him and took an audition.

Chennai is home to many educational and research institutions. IIT Madras, located in South Chennai is considered as the premier centre of engineering education in India. Anna University and the University of Madras are the oldest state owned universities which are ranked among the best universities in India. The College of Engineering, Guindy and Madras Institute of Technology, which are the constituent college of Anna University along with Alagappa College of Technology are the pioneer institutes of engineering education in India. Some of the oldest medical colleges India, the Madras Medical College (1835) and Stanley Medical College (1938) are located in the city. Notable, liberal arts colleges in the city include Loyola College, Madras Christian College, Presidency College, Stella Maris College, Women's Christian College and Ethiraj College for Women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in Chennai</span>

Cricket is the most popular sport in Chennai. The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in India and has been the venue for many notable milestones in the history of Indian cricket. Tennis, field hockey, football and formula racing and squash are the other popular sports. The city hosts an ATP tennis event, the Chennai Open. Chennai has a rich legacy in chess and has produced many well-known chess players, the most notable of them being Viswanathan Anand, the former multiple World Chess Champion.

Nerverek is an Indian progressive metal band formed in Chennai, India. The band won Campus Rock Idols '07, becoming the first South Indian band to win the national inter-college contest. They performed recently as the opening act for international act, the Scorpions in Bangalore and also opened for Iron Maiden in their tour to India at Mumbai on 1 February 2008. In January 2011, they opened for Pain of Salvation along with Bicycle Days at Saarang 2011, the annual cultural festival of IIT Madras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IIT Hyderabad</span> Public higher education institute located in Hyderabad, Telangana

Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad is a public technical research university located at Kandi Village of outskirts of the Sangareddy in Sangareddy district in the Indian state of Telangana. As with all Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), IIT Hyderabad is an Institute of National Importance.

K. Bhaskaran is an Indian Carnatic music flautist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chronic Xorn</span> Indian metalcore band

Chronic Xorn, is a metal band, based in Kolkata, India. Chronic Xorn started in 2008, and shot to prominence after being featured in October 2009 in Headbanger's India.

Alma Fiesta is the annual socio-cultural festival of the Indian Institute of Technology in Bhubaneswar. It is a three-day-long event usually held during the second week of January every year. The first edition of Alma Fiesta took place in 2010. It was inaugurated by Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oopali Operajita</span> Classical Indian dancer and public policy advisor

Oopalee Operajita, is a classical Odissi and Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer. As well as the chair and founder of the Al Gore Sustainable Technology Venture Competition. The competition is named for former U.S. vice president Al Gore but operates without his involvement.

Chennai has LGBTQIA cultures that are diverse concerning- socio-economic class, gender, and degree of visibility and politicisation. They have historically existed in the margins and surfaced primarily in contexts such as transgender activism and HIV prevention initiatives for men having sex with men (MSM) and trans women (TG).

The following list is a partially completed compilation of events considered to have a profound effect on the welfare or image of Tamil sexual minorities. The use of bold typeface indicates that the event is widely considered to be landmark:

References

  1. ↑ "Saarang 2011 web site". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  2. ↑ Neha, Michelle. "Saarang makes its way into every student's calendar". The Hindu. The Hindu.
  3. ↑ Harish, Shreyas (21 January 2009). "Mardi Gras". The Hindu.
  4. ↑ Harish, Shreyas. "Saarang Organisation". Saarang Contacts.
  5. ↑ "Mardi Gras was a highlight of Chennai's cultural scene". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 21 January 2009. Archived from the original on 23 January 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  6. ↑ "Mardi Gras aka Saarang" . Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  7. ↑ "Celebrating team work". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 29 January 2003. Archived from the original on 4 July 2003.
  8. ↑ "Campus confluence". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 8 January 2004. Archived from the original on 22 January 2004.
  9. ↑ "Saarang continues to rock Chennai". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 24 January 2005. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005.
  10. 1 2 "IIT officials pull plug on rock show". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 31 January 2006. Archived from the original on 22 August 2006.
  11. 1 2 "Saarang set to roll on January 25". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 22 January 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007.
  12. ↑ "Yet another exciting edition of 'Saarang'". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 14 January 2008. Archived from the original on 17 January 2008.
  13. ↑ "Schedule for Saarang, IIT's mega fest". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 18 January 2009. Archived from the original on 23 January 2009.
  14. ↑ "Gig Review: IIT Saarang 2009: Opeth (Chennai) : Headbangers India". headbangers.in. Archived from the original on 23 November 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "UNSEEN UNDERGROUND: saarang 2010". January 18, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Hammerfall to Headline SAARANG 2010 | INDIAN ROCK MP3". indianrockmp3.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  17. ↑ "Saarang Pre Show | Headbangers India". headbangers.in. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  18. ↑ "Pain of Salvation Pre-show night | Headbangers India". headbangers.in. Archived from the original on 10 November 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 "Architects To Headline IIT Madras Saarang Rock Show 2014". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media LLC. 22 September 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  20. ↑ "ARCHITECTS – Saarang 2014′s headlining act". Indian Music Mug . 1 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "American band to feature in Saarang". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 16 January 2010. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010.
  22. 1 2 "Saarang is back". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 13 January 2009. Archived from the original on 25 January 2009.
  23. ↑ Kamath, Sudhish (30 January 2011). "Living every 'pal'". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  24. ↑ "Headbangers' night out". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 25 January 2010.
  25. ↑ "IIT Madras revs up for Saarang 2010". Rediff.
  26. ↑ "Indiatimes: India News, Business, Movies, Cricket, Shopping, more". The Times Of India. Archived from the original on May 24, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Noise | Split Magazine — IIT Madras: We Skid You Not". Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
  28. ↑ "Theatre fest new element in IIT-M". The Times of India . 21 January 2009. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013.
  29. ↑ "More is definitely better at SAARANG". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 21 January 2008. Archived from the original on 22 January 2008.
  30. ↑ "Brand Saarang gets better". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 22 January 2008. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012.
  31. ↑ "Celebrating team work". The Hindu . Chennai, India. 29 January 2003. Archived from the original on 16 February 2005.
  32. ↑ Kamath, Sudhish (17 January 2011). "Better than before". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  33. ↑ MRF (company)
  34. ↑ "Vodafone connects with IIT's Saarang fest". Sify. Archived from the original on 2019-02-19.
  35. 1 2 "When brands go to college ..." @businessline. 22 March 2006.
  36. ↑ "Beep Experience manages brand activation for Nokia at IIT Saarang". EVENTFAQS Media.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.