Interactions and virtual Spic Macay Convention a unique experience - I - Taalam: column by Leela Venkataraman

It was a fateful day in the 1970's when Kiran Seth, a student at Columbia University went "more to see" the concert of Dagar brothers Hameenuddin and Fareeduddin in New York's Brooklyn University, the experience turning out to be what he himself calls the 'Black box'. He went in and much later walked out, feet above the ground, not aware of what had hit him inside so intensely. "If I could have such an experience, it could happen to others too," he decided. And the idea of Spic Macay was born! After a stint as Mechanical Engineer and working with Bel Labs, the first earnest effort in India, to emulate the New York experience by inviting the Dagar Brothers had about ten people attending with five walking out! The first lec-dem effort at Delhi School of Economics in 1978 with the most acclaimed of artistes of music and dance involved, did not fare much better. But with the never-say-die persistence, helped by a handful of like-minded persons, not to speak of obliging artistes, today's colossus of Spic Macay stands as an exemplary instance of voluntary effort, enabling the exposure of young minds in the country to the best of India's culture and heritage.

With all live programming cut by the pandemic crisis, the ever striving Spic Macay team put together a bouquet of select recorded programmes of acclaimed artistes, supplemented by live interactions with them on the internet. Predictably, for volunteers not used to this medium, there were glitches in melding interactive live sessions with the recorded programmes and being able to provide timely links to interested persons. Despite all the drawbacks, the week turned out to be an unusually riveting experience.

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