The SPIC MACAY NSIT Overnite 2008!

Essentially, this is all that I wanted to say about the overnite, I hope you find something you want to read. (As may be palpable, this last line was written after the entire mail!)
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Like many of the finest of things to touch our selves, this overnite too shall grow in taste, in significance, and in meaning, with time.

I'm sure this event took a million births before seeing the dawn of day. Any volunteer to have attended the National Convention or even a 'stand alone' overnite, would have at SOME point dreamt of such a day. And by the powers of induction, I'm sure such an aspiration must've been shared by more than a handful of us.

I am pretty sure that the approval for such an outrageous event would not have been very possible had this year been 2007 instead of 2008. Who would've thought of such a script... Our final year coinciding with the Silver Jubilee, of our institute.. An institute attempting to step outside of many shadows, trying hard to sculpt an identity for itself that goes beyond "wahi DCE wala..".
With the coming together of SO many variables, it was nothing short of a miracle, the approval. And it was marked by justifiedly insane implosions of joy in all of us, that beauuuuuuutiful evening, when Duru Ma'am called us up after the fateful meeting.

It was obvious from the outset, that we wouldn't quite be the 'rasiks' that we so eagerly long to be, if we were to organize an event of SUCH a scale. In particular, given the fact that we were 'using' the gaga sentiment flowing across college, in order to pursue an elevated exponent of a generally shunned activity.

The initial days after the admin approval went into TRYING (really hard) to get at least half the artistes mentioned in the "superstar A-grade" list mentioned in the proposal. Some people might have found that step a little dubious, but I for one feel we had left ourselves with enough space to wriggle out of any legal and moral issues. Anyhow, this was followed by days and days of working out complex permutations, juggling with variables like money, time, egos, history, the entire range. There were times when we felt elated beyond bounds, and then there were those when we felt scarily lost in the rush; days when we felt compromised, sold out, weak, "too worldly"; days when we lived the best of what we'd gained over the last 3+ years, and days when nothing seemed right. At different times, for different people, the build up to this event presented different dimensions of their own selves; things they were glad to find, as well as things not so enviable.
Anyhow, none of this forms the crux of the whole experience, in fact I'm not sure what (if anything should) does.

Moving on...
Finally, we reached at a final date. 15th Feb.
Final list of artistes made, with just one glaring uncomfortability: the fact that VMB was yet to be asked/informed about his slot (4th), one that we were sure he (and generally all artistes) would have qualms with. The fact that artistes more senior to him had moulded the schedule in a way that left us helpless (in his regard) would not really have held much water.
With time, all plans of contacting him, meeting, couriering, EVERYTHING failed. This little thorn would prick us right till the day of the event, when even though we knew he wouldn't ditch us, but the undenyable power of an artiste's hurt pride meant those paranoid among us (read ME) were always on our toes, wary of a bolt of lightning that might stroll sleepily by, and bring the entire plan down.

Thankfully, sanity was maintained and Mother Earth lived on.

Returning to the original time line, we then got busy with the work of publicity, file work, SECURITY and the rest. Here I must say, the way the 1st-2nd-3rd yearites went about everything, was brilliant. With the final year pple mostly out of the loop owing to a gamut of "prior commitments", it was indeed critical for the rest of the chapter to stand up and be counted. I won't resort to taking names here (in spite of the immensely positive context!), because the list would really be too long, and injustices inevitable.
The security issue would bring press the lowest out of our creative imaginations. After days of discussions and self imposed paranoia, we arrived at a safe sounding security proposal. And seriously, hats OFF, to everyone responsible for its methodic implementation (again I play safe with the names!). It really was a HUGE task to ensure decorum and rule compliance et al, but in the end, it all worked out beautifully.

With time, things took shape. The nitty gritties were fascinating, but more or less fitting into the set standard of pre fest work, so no point detailing every aspect here.

Eventually, after all the days that had to pass had passed, the time had finally arrived.
We were thrilled to see the auditorium getting filled at a steady rate. The standard handful of phirangs were present as well.

A delay of 45 minutes at the very start was unpleasant indeed, but thankfully, once we lifted off, we were free of any major turbulence. Vidya’s scathing verbal attack on a group of unpunctual juniors shall be inscribed in memory for all witnesses, for some time to come.

And talking of things that shall be part of my overnite highlight reel, I cannot help but cite Ashish’s absolute ghisai and the diligent efforts of Prashant, a volunteer I had met for the first time.


Coming to the events, the Kathak performance by Smt. Shovana Narayan ji was good I’m sure. I speculate owing to my general “missing the event”, and I infer from the audience’s generous response.

Then came our beloved Fahim Sahab. I was fortunate to be present for part of his riyaz in the green room. And even though the tea reached him not quite piping hot, we managed to keep him reasonably happy. I attended parts of his performance, which I know is NOT the way to appreciate music, especially dhrupad, but that’s a divine right held by “senior” members as part of our “reverse discrimination policy”, whereby freshers are not “allowed” to miss any of the events for work.

The Rudra Veena concert by Ust. Asad Ali Khan was a majorly reminiscent of Jaipur 2006, for those of us present there. Raag Purya, with his trademark lec-dem approach. The elements were all there for an event of the same scale, magnitude and downright awe as before. I hope and pray that it touched someone the same way and to the same (or greater) extent as it touched me.

At this stage now, the NSIT audience (of over 100) had had 4+ hours of continuous dhrupad. Understandably flustered, they flocked to the saviour and redeemer in Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. They knew, that he and he alone could light up their “mostly curiosity and novelty driven” night out venture. And yes, he didn’t disappoint. The Vijay Mallya (Come on, he DOES look a lot like him!) of Indian Classical Music gave a beautiful performance, which reminded me strongly of a random conversation I’d had with Ashish just hours before (or was it afterwards?). The idea was, our dependence on time in order to appreciate (read enjoy?) music, and the general truth of “Samay pita, Shruti mata”, and how we really needed to grow before we truly felt the significance of the mother.

Anyhow, the performance really awakened the audience, and in a way this sequencing helped, as it did the awakening before Ust. Abdul Rashid Khan’s performance, arguably THE event of the overnite.

As can be seen, I am not quite in a position to delve into the depths and wonders of the different events. For that, I shall await a report from someone who attended more freely.

Ust. Abdul Rashid Khan had been with us at the Guest House since the afternoon of Feb 14th. His performance formed the epicenter of many organizational issues, but in the end, everything worked out fine, and Manish Dhooper joined the list of esteemed NSIT alumni to have contributed towards the movement, by joining us on a frantic ride on makemytrip.

I attended the beginning and end of his event, both in reasonably satisfying stretches. The ending (it was a semi classical piece on Hindu-Muslim and extrapolatably general unity) was AWESOME. I had prepared a complex flow-Gantt-chart of the event. After the end of the organizational tasks, I had left a small void between that point and the final giant smiley representative of our potential success. I realized later, that it would be that last piece, of that last performance, that would be the link between organizational proficiency, and a really happy volunteer rasik.

All in all, the kids were happy with the event. And so were the present faculty, admin seniors (The Director and DSW were present for the best part of the 1st 2 events!), general audience.

Yes, the increased attendance did mark a visible decrease in the “quality” of the audience, but that is an inescapable part of our responsibility as being S.P.I.C.M.A.C.A.Y.

Also, our event was punctuated with coffee breaks in between performances and a dinner break after the dance event. So yes, a bit of dilution there as well, but given the easily forgettable “other factor” of NSIT’s Silver Jubilee, we had to oblige I guess.

Must say here, it was a simultaneously heartening and queer sight, Dr. Seth, the DSW, the Director, and Duru Ma’am, all occupying the front row in an audi, in the same dimension of reality.

All in all, it really was a BRILLIANT event. Indeed, a crowning moment for the efforts of ALL our volunteers, present and past. For as Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Also, present amongst us were Rajesh, Dhooper, Joshi, Vivek and Ameya. So, a real get together it turned out to be, in the most beautiful sense of that word.


On a slightly personal note…

I, had always (since the time I began thinking about it) thought of my “final SPIC MACAY @NSIT event” as being an absolute earth shattering moment; with the full flow of high drama, emotion, tears, the works. I had always imagined myself sitting in a corner, wallowing in a realization of newly found mortality, and looking back, and forward.

I set myself to do just that, but for reasons beyond my comprehension, nothing happened. No burning bushes, no parting of the skies, no opening of another eye, nothing.
It was only later, that I found a plausible explanation for this.

The music, the artistes, the art, the emotion, the expression, the creation (and perhaps the tired and sleepiness as well!), takes one away from petty human boundaries of time, space and consciousness. For at that instant, during Ust. Abdul Rashid Khan’s performance, when I was looking to enact the entire melodrama, there was the music, and there was the music. For the life of me, I couldn’t find myself. I couldn’t feel any joy or sorrow within me, just a sense of gradual bliss; as gradual as the Sun rising in slow motion. Nothing else mattered.

During the overnite, Niharika and I had discussed as to how the "feeling" of this event had been "different" from the normal. Beyond the blatant factor of being an organizer rather than a pure rasik, I feel there was something else here as well. I'm not quite sure what that was, but with time, I hope to find more answers.

Thinking about the event now, it takes me back to a thought I had had a while back. It was the culmination of all that we had dreamt of. And by the beautiful art of back tracing, it was the culmination of all that had moulded us towards our dreams. And recursively, we can then go on. The point is, I am overwhelmingly obliged to the 1,05,289 different existences, purposes, souls, chemical reactions, that came together to give us this wonderful event.

On a more addressable level of abstraction, Thank you SPIC MACAY, and EVERYONE at the NSIT Chapter.

Love.
Peace.
Kandisa…

Exploring the heights of Pseudo Drunkenness...!

Sigh... Today, after an EXTREMELY long duration of time, I had the good fortune of getting immersed in the spirit of a college fest, one of my last at NSIT (yes, every single moment I live is "one of my last" technically, but this time its more tangible!).

Circa Resonanz 2007 - Day 2, i.e. the 7th of September...

I'd gone to college with the specific intention of attending my first ever Rain Dance, in the good company of the Spic family. After a decent amount of thass with the Mr/Ms Fresher contest, and a twilight terrace sojourn, we finally made our way to the "place to be".
The initial offerings from the DJ were disappointing to say the very least. However the music improved in a short while, and finally the lifeless forms that were the uninspired beings of us, caught sight of a delicious looking ray of light at the end of the all too proverbial tunnel. This rise in the audio inputs more than made up for the incessant and retarded beams of (bright!) light that kept flickering at our eyes. With time things improved on that front too.

Anyways, as always, the point of this post isn't whats been mentioned till now.

What followed in the rain dance can be described simply as the most beautiful cocktail of thass, music, love, camaraderie EVER made!
The things we did. From trashing the DJ when we felt he let us down, to implementing the latest most modern dance steps of the Haikutushu tribe, to ACTUALLY holding a Spic meeting (sitting, circle and all) in the midst of the melee, to thrashing Narang after declaring it to be his birthday, to doing a repeat of what Kay Kay Menon does in the "sajna ji wari wari" song of Honeymoon Travels, to ACTUALLY attempting Naad Yog, to turning into stark raving mad people, then dogs, then lions, and then finally back to the people we are now.
WHAT a ride its been...! :)


Sigh... and the gaze heavenwards in the middle of the madness, acknowledging the presence of His tender hand on the "caterpillar-turning-to-butterfly" of a night! Thanks SO much! Kandisa!

Life is beautiful... and SO very much at that!

Cheers people!

May He Bless us Everyone...

PS: More on the nuances of being pseudo-drunk later!

SPIC MACAY Convention – Jammu 2007 – Through the eyes of Team NSIT

Hmmmm…. The destined hour has finally arrived it seems. After the 10 day visit to paradise, the time has come at last, to sit back, to reflect and most importantly, to look forward.

Forewarning: This document shall be a mix of the good’s and the not-so-good’s encountered at the convention, along with ideological tit-bits interspersed as and when deemed necessary. This is in NO WAY a “proper” report on the event.

It is not too often that one comes across a phenomenon which compels the mind and soul to open itself up to a whole new dimension of expression, devotion and consciousness; which takes one to the threshold of a universe as yet unexplored, and lets him/her take the first step (of a million) into the unknown. SPIC MACAY is one such entity.

However, even within this “rarest of rare” experience, there exists a breed of events, which forces one to question ones beliefs, ideals and objectives; to contemplate into unprecedented levels of joy, sorrow, sensitivity and downright humanity. For me, THIS is where the Jammu Convention comes in.

The complete experience started with the journey to Jammu itself. Nothing much to mention, except that it was a “truly enriching experience”, in the art of working and not working. Come to think of it, that sums up some portions of the remaining convention as well, but getting into that now would be getting ahead of the story.

The convention started off on a pedestrian note (quite literally), with the NSIT Chapter spending a good hour on the pavement, indulging in the first of MANY conceptual discussions. In a few hours, we managed to arrange for a room, and shifted base from the confines of the public guest room.

Then came the big National Executive Meeting, where Manish was pronounced Secretary. Little did we know then that THAT one step would open the floodgates to all our responsibilities/duties/labour.

After the registration formalities were done with, things went to a temporary high with the introduction of delegates. NSIT machaoed to a degree unheard of, representing Delhi as the true cultural potpourri that it is. Manish in particular and NSIT in general, along with some more of our anmol rattan were proclaimed as Team Fix-It. Most of us had that SLIGHT sense of unease seeping into us by now.

The inaugural night that followed just went on to confirm what we had been expecting. It will not be remembered as an ideal one for those of NSIT and our sweet Ma’am from Uttam School.

What was supposed to be an evening of enchantment and wonder courtesy the great Pt. Birju Maharaj, turned into one where one was required to run around for a table, pick up cartons of merchandise and finally be sales reps for the movement.

Even as I write this, I realize the importance of this activity, and also that we, being the chapter we’ve been, were the obvious choice to take on responsibility. HOWEVER, I would still say that a shift based dissemination of responsibilities would have best suited the interests of the volunteer-rasik in us. Something to think about (AND easily implement-able) I’m sure.

The saving grace of course was the fact that our “children” (read freshers) did manage to attend most of the, what was an AMAZING, performance. My only regret personally, shall be Parikh’s inability to experience the magic in all its magnificence.

That night was consumed by a little more soul searching, and LOTS of thass to go with it. Ashish and I had a nice foray to the terrace, where there were several moments of absolute creative brilliance!

The next morning, after most of us at least had chucked (much to our future regret) the Yoga session AND the talk AND the intensive, I attended the State Coordinators Meet. My presence was brought to an abrupt halt by the arrival of the Kathakali maestros, Guru Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair and Guru Kalamandalam Gopi. Finding myself in the odd position of being the sole (albeit inadequate) “Mallu in da House” and inspired by my need to discover my roots, I pounced on the opportunity of “coordinating” their event. During the course of this coordination business, I managed to swap my slippers for one 2 sizes too small, land the job of “uninspiring event compere pre event, gone gaga-googoo-high-bawra-TOTALLY inspired post it”, make a nice acquaintance with a kind old driver who took me to the super market to get the artiste’s requirements, and win some sort of confidence of the greatest living legends from my land.

In all, it was an absolutely BEAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTIFUL day.

Of course, it was not quite as beautiful for some among us. This issue formed the crux of MOST of our actions over the coming days…

Returning to the story… That night, we successfully survived an overnight of our own, in order to attend the Yoga session the next morning, following which I went and bought some bananas for my by now beloved Gurus. It is THIS sense of service towards souls of such near-divinity that inspires us volunteers to move forward.

Anyway, that day, after the requisite sleep compensation, we took the first step in a conscious effort to rescue the convention for our children, for whom it had been a fairly dry affair up until now.

In the team from NSIT, Manish and I were the only ones who’d attended Jaipur. So for us, and for Parikh as well, this convention one characterized by inherent responsibilities and the need to nurture the interests of our beloved children; unlike Jaipur where we ourselves were part of the star-struck kids band, devouring every moment of blissful enlightenment like a toddler attends to a lollipop.

Hence, we made up our minds, and SOMEHOW managed to shrug off work, and attend the FANTABULOUS Dolls Theatre by Sh. Sudip Gupta, followed by Sankhvadyam and Purulia Chhau (we all fell in love with marigold-esque shaded, Einstein-esque mane-d, flimsily tailed, baby-on-coffee hyper-actified LION!). It must be said, the first step was a pretty successful one. Kandisa!

The thass session on the terrace that night was something not too distant from divine. It brought us all to tears (branding this part as ‘thass’ will not quite be appropriate), and later to the throes of EXTREME laughter; we had an all expenses paid trip to the brink of insanity, AND (thankfully!) back. It is when I look back at evenings such as those, that I can say without a strand of exaggeration OR deceit, that thass truly forms the core of our existence. And mind it, I am NOT laughing right now.

And I almost forgot in all this rush, that we were joined at Jammu by our super-duper senior, Pratibha Ma’am, currently in the US. She brought with herself that sense of calm and composure that only real experience can bring. As I later discovered, she also played an integral role in the convention rescue operations mentioned before.

The next day dawned upon us, and as had become the norm by now, the “NSIT de munde” managed to miss the morning session. After lunch, we took our boldest step of this convention, in our continuing efforts to make the convention more human, less mechanical and downright more “quintessential SPIC MACAY as we know it”.

We, quite openly in the end, and with the blessings of the one senior member whose consent we REALLY wanted before embarking on this rebel journey, ditched the movie, AND the State Coordinators meet and had a conceptual/thass session of our own, quite literally a stone’s throw from the venue of the state meeting.

We sang, we shared experiences, we INTERACTED, we had arbit random fun. In short, we thassoed away to glory in that 2 hour period. It was a worthy substitute for the till not so long back officially held, Informal Session. The only limitation being that it was confined to us and our children, meaning NSIT, St. Mark’s and the one lucky volunteer from Panipat. But then again, every revolution starts from humble beginnings.

At this point I cannot help but elaborate a LITTLE on the root cause of our break-away session.
ANY students’ movement, and SPIC MACAY in particular, always has been and SHOULD always be, before ANYTHING else, about the volunteer and his/her upliftment/enlightenment/growth and downright well being. Yes, the ideology, the art, the service is all important, but NEVER at the cost of personal joy/contentment. A movement remains one only till the time its volunteers remain truly ALIVE.

This cause is NOT helped by scheduling a NATIONAL CONVENTION (read those words carefully – This event is supposed to be a forum where volunteers from across the nation meet, interact, grow) with events packed from dawn to dusk, leaving absolutely NO time for inter-personal communication, conceptual/ideological discussions, orientations on what the movement can really offer to its volunteers, and lest I forget, THASS.

Thus, that BEAUTIFUL thass session passed. Ajit and I dropped off Pratibha Ma’am at the Railway Station, and returned in time for Pt. Ulhas Kashalkar, and later Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma.

And it was THEN, that I began to realize the OTHER extremity in ideology. Apparently there was a plan to take our children to a separate section of the hall, so we could all have more thass. I personally was VERY very VERY against the very idea.

TRUE, this convention was over-scheduled; TRUE it left little time for interaction et al; but none of that justifies missing out on concerts by SUCH legends. The very idea smelt badly of overkill. There’s a very thin line between thassoing for conceptual/intellectual refreshment, and just for the heck of it. I personally feel, when you have had a fruitful session earlier in the day, it is your DUTY to USE the performances offered to you on a silver platter, to elevate your own consciousness to an altogether different level. Appreciating such art requires an open and fresh mind, but once achieved, one must know how to use it for a SLIGHTLY higher purpose; for one’s own growth and spirito-intellectual progress. (YES I coined that term just NOW.)

Anyhow, I’m not too sure how things passed that night. I expressed my open disagreement and stepped away. I sincerely hope most of our beloved children got to experience the magic that was on show that amazing night.

That day was marked by the open reprimanding of one of our senior most volunteers at the hands of THE man. As we soaked in the events of the whole day, we realized how the treatment meted out to him was a consequence not only of his minor blemish, but also of our actions, and the happenings in and around the bourgeois cafeteria.

That night we returned to our abode with the sincere intentions of sleeping like decent beings. However, the burden of guilt, and the plight of that pure volunteer ensured that we had a true and cathartic talk with him, explaining the various factors that had soured this convention to a certain extent. It was unanimously decided that none of us would “work” the next day.

The next day, most of us got to attend a truly BREATH TAKING performance by our beloved Fahim Saheb. Barring the inconsistencies of the obviously inexperienced Pakhawaj player, the event was a real treat for the senses and beyond.

This being the final day also meant that we were supposed to present what we’d learnt at our intensives. Thus, ALL the practice, toil and effort that we had put in our respective intensives came to the fore now. Kathakali got maximum participation from our extended family, and the performance was superb (despite some critical reviews I received later!).
Chhau and Sankhvadyam performances were astounding as well.

Earlier in the day, we’d spent most of the “sleep time” thassoing with our pyaare se bachche. No regrets there, whatsoever.

The Overnight that followed was the stuff that legends are borne out of. Even though we missed most of the Carnatic Violin thanks to a missing purse caper in our family, the Vocal performance by Ust. Abdul Rashid Khan Saheb was celestial in terms of elevation, POWERFUL in terms of sheer magnitude, and downright miraculous considering we were presented with SUCH a treat by a 99 year old artiste, half blind and leper. I get goose bumps just thinking about that experience.

Also, I was fortunate enough to gain SOME gyaan in the field of Hindustani Classical, thanks to the pyaari si bachchi seated next to me, who was a 6 year veteran in learning Classical music. I obviously grabbed at this opportunity to elevate my technical level from a state of impoverished illiteracy all hands flinging! Bless you bachchi…

If this performance was awe-inspiring, then the next was enough to blow life into a defeated soul. Sh. T.M. Krishna’s Carnatic Vocal was the epitome of controlled vocal might. Without doubt THE performance of the convention, after the one it followed.

After his performance, Ashish and I couldn’t help but ask him the one question that had haunted us the entire while: During the performance, he would have his eyes closed for long stretches, his hands making intricate patterns on an invisible canvas, and his voice spewing pure melody. We asked him as to exactly what WAS it that his inner eye saw in those periods that inspired him to give SUCH an enthralling performance.

His answer was certainly very thought provoking: “That’s a very interesting question… With my eyes closed, I see what I’m singing, I see the MUSIC…” is what I remember to be his reply.

People, THIS is what SPIC MACAY gives to you that NOBODY else can offer. To have the greatest living artistes perform AND share their inner most thoughts with you is nothing short of a privilege to be cherished.

After this wonder ride, what followed was a comparatively less inspiring performance (at least from what I heard) by Ust. Shahid Pervez on the Sitar. By this time I was slightly busy back stage, helping out here and there, explaining the concept of thass to the wonderful volunteers from down south, and in the end, helping another one of our pyaari si bachchiyan out with her compeering speech for the last event. As I would slowly discover, the last activity would affect me and my subsequent thought the most.

The bachchi who was to compeer the last event was surprisingly mature and critical of some of the things she had observed. I must admit, explaining the nuances of the volunteer effort, the bond between the rasik and the upaasak, relating our own experiences with our beloved gurus over the years, was a truly soul searching experience. The fresh views posed by this brave new mind were a nice test for the age old views that us relative old timers had come to cherish. And perhaps MOST importantly, her ONE question really REALLY shook me: “Why didn’t you tell us all this before ever?”

It was then that I saw the glaring inadequacies in our heavy dependence on the seemingly all encompassing concept of thass. Even though it indeed is, the version that we’d put forward so far certainly DID lack in the truly conceptual paradigm. Nothing inspires a volunteer like a memorable interaction with a truly saintly artiste. And it killed me to think that we had just NOT shared our many such experiences often enough.

Eventually, the overnight came to an end. Sh. Venkatesh Kumar was very inspiring in the little that I got to hear of him (owing to all the WORK, not my tribute to Hypnos!), and it’s a pity that 90% of the audi was asleep.

We then had a highly disillusioning trip to Raghunath Mandir, which was followed by the inevitable parting of ways. Our bachche, along with the rest of the Delhi Chapter left for Delhi, while we, Team NSIT left for Katra and the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage.

The entire pilgrimage was a sequence of beautiful memories. Bonds with our own children were strengthened. Ajit’s act of selflessness at Ardhkwari HAS to stand out as THE moment of the pilgrimage. Without his persistence and subsequent large heartedness, our pilgrimage would CERTAINLY have been majorly deficient.

In the midst of all the divinity, we managed to further pursue our spirit of scientific inquiry, approve the standards of Government approved institutions run along the way, test the limits of fatigue and sleep deprivation and beyond.

Upon our return to Katra, the sight seeing that followed was also pretty memorable. The journey, the rain, Mansar, Ashish’s minor faux pas, the deceitful tour operator… They’ll all be a part of our cherished memories for a long long time to come.

Back at Jammu, we visited a Gurudwara and a Church. Thus rounding off what had already been a pretty perfect day.

The return journey was marked by a visible emotional outbreak by some of us at Pathankot. Parikh, we all LOVE you man! God Bless…

Later, at Delhi, when we all parted ways after 10 days of pure paradise, we knew these days that had just passed were certainly special, and worthy of such a long drawn “report”.

And by the end of it all, the pure and unbridled LOVE that permeated the air, it was just SO beautiful. Just thinking about it brings a tear to my eye. Indeed to steal from our great Mughals, I daresay, at that one moment, if there had been a paradise on earth, it was there, it was there.

People, we have been in the midst of divinity, greatness, and downright heaven. It is up to us to move forward and make the most of all the inspiration that we have been blessed with. After all, inspiration IS the root for all of our work.
And deriving from what I had mentioned on our way to Ardhkwari, after the scientific explorations had been successfully completed:

“The moment shall soon pass us; after that we will be mere mortals.”

And thus I conclude my essay on all that has been part of those 10 beautiful days.

Live life to the fullest.

From Thoreau’s Walden:

“I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life…”

Cheers to SPIC!

Kandisa for life!

Aanandam…

Being a SPIC MACAY volunteer...

SPIC MACAY… Its so much more than an a body of people working together for a common cause; it is just so much more significant and deep rooted in its effect than any ordinary organization.

To begin with, thanks to SPIC MACAY, I’ve had the privilege to attend some truly soul stirring performances over the last couple of years. From the vocal strains of the prodigious Pt. Mukul Shivputra, to the enchantment of Sh. Kamal Sabri and his Sarangi.
The movement has opened my mind to a treasure trove of the richest of our cultures and arts, to a level of dedication, of devotion and of commitment previously unheard of, at least for me. This conscious knowledge of their lifelong sadhana towards their art form always inspires me to go ahead and achieve my goals. I feel Pt. Ravi Shankar has very accurately said, “Music is not just for entertainment, ….but to appreciate it, has a very civilizing effect.”

The artistes that I’ve interacted with, have shown me a higher level of thought that I can truly aspire to reach. Perhaps the most moving such incident was my meeting with Ust. Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar Sahab. His warmth along with his profound simplicity in thought really left a mark on me and my thinking.

Besides the obvious exposure to our nation’s rich and diverse heritage, the movement has given me something slightly less tangible. I’ve been introduced to a school of thought which professes a universal respect and tolerance to things that are not entirely known to me. The spirit of exploration, which initially drew me to SPIC MACAY, has now become a part of my thinking and living. As my seniors at my college used to tell me, its all about “opening one’s mind” to a phenomenon as yet unknown to you; to a phenomenon which most people consider it natural to shun at the first instance. It is this sense of logical tolerance, of accepting the fact that there might be great things as yet unknown to one, and of then giving it a chance to impress, that is the underlying backbone of a progressive society.

Another point, which is just synonymous with the name of SPIC MACAY, is the spirit of volunteerism that drives the movement forward. This seamless integration in mind and heart among the countless volunteers truly amazes me. For me this sense of service really contributes to the upliftment that one gets when working with SPIC MACAY. To quote an example, in my time with the movement I’ve helped out with the shoe counter a couple of times, a job which is both critical for the event and taxing for volunteers. And I can say for sure, that the feeling that I got at the end of the whole exercise was unlike any that I’d ever experienced. The simple task of picking up and aligning shoes became an act of divine service for the movement, when done with that spirit of real volunteerism and humility. Without any sense of exaggeration, I can say that SPIC MACAY makes all of us volunteers better workers, better members of society, and downright better human beings.

Finally, perhaps the most obvious gain from being in a movement like SPIC MACAY, and what I consider to be the greatest assets one can hope to have, is the multitude of amazing people that one gets to meet and interact with. I can confidently say, that some of my closest friends and comrades, have been gems strewn upon my life’s path by SPIC MACAY.

Long live the movement!

May God Bless SPIC MACAY!

Kandisa!