Saarang, the cultural annual extravaganza of IIT Madras is being held from 18th-22nd January 2012. Hosted in the sylvan environs of the IIT Madras campus, Saarang is ISO 9001:2008 certified. With an attendance of over 50,000 people, Saarang 2012 is an extravaganza of competitions, lectures and demonstrations, and professional shows by the best in the industry. The professional shows or Pro Shows, as they are popularly called, have been the highlight of Saarang over the years.
The classical arts have always enjoyed a niche audience at Saarang. Keeping with this tradition, The Open Air Theatre at IIT Madras will witness scintillating performances showcasing Indian culture on 18th January. “Sammilan”, featuring flute maestro Shashank Subramanyam, and the internationally acclaimed WOMEX performers are back together for the second time to enthral the audience with their confluence of Carnatic, Hindustani and Folk music. This is the first time they are performing in a college festival.
To keep with the atmosphere created, the musical concert will be followed by “Vision of Forever”, a production by the world renowned Odissi dancer Ramli Ibrahim and Sutra Dance Theatre from Malaysia. The group which has travelled to places as far as Poland to captivate people with their interpretation of the Indian culture is all set to leave an everlasting impression on the home crowd at Saarang!
On the second night of Saarang, the Open Air Theatre plays host to the finals of Choreo Night, the inter-collegiate group dance competition. College teams from all over the country fly down to IIT Madras to prove their mettle on a grand stage. The bubbling energy of the participants and the roar of the cheering crowd create an electric environment. All proceeds from this show cum competition will go to ATMA Foundation, a charitable organization that undertakes a variety of activities that support needy people in different walks of lines.
This Saarang will see the crowd dance to the catchy foot-tapping songs of a prominent music composer and playback singer, Devi Sri Prasad on the 20th of January. Starting at 6PM this four hour concert by Devi Sri Prasad or DSP as he is popularly known is sure to be a hit. DSP is an accomplished multi-lingual singer-he is the first composer who could give hits in three different languages simultaneously.
The Rock Show is one of the most eagerly anticipated events at Saarang. From the Mardi Gras days, when Western Music bands were alien in conservative Chennai, the cultural festival has witnessed performances by international bands and artistes. This Saarang, the show will see the Swedish metal band Vildhjarta playing live in India for the first time, at the Open Air Theater in the institute on 21st January. Vildhjarta are a progressive metal band, known for having pioneered the ‘ambidjent’ genre of metal, which is marked by harmonic minor guitar riffs that create the ambiance, characterized by layers of reverberant guitars.
The night will be a 5 hour long musical extravaganza, kicked off by performances by the finalists of Decibels, and will continue to feature leading bands from India- Scribe, Blind Image, and Inner Sanctum. Scribe, which was nominated for the MTV Europe Music Awards, is a Mumbai-based hardcore experi-metal band and is hailed as one of the most technically proficient on the underground music scene, while Inner Sanctum are a Bangalore-based thrash metal band, that have won many accolades and has opened for Metallica and Cradle of Filth, and headlined several international music festivals. Blind Image, one of Chennai’s foremost bands, has opened for Cradle of Filth and has been critically acclaimed by Rolling Stones. For metal fans, the night truly promises to be one to remember for a long, long time.
Vishal and Shekhar, one of the leading music director duos of Bollywood, shall be performing live at the Open Air Theater, IIT Madras on 22nd January. The performance shall be their first ever in Chennai satiating the public desire to watch them perform.
The performance shall be set in motion by an opening act by one of the most successful and exceptionally talented Indian bands ‘Faridkot’. The finalist of Channel V-Launchpad 3; Faridkot has performed over 100 shows all over India and has already stepped into Bollywood music scene. Accompanying Vishal and Shekhar, Shweta Pandit shall be joining the party too. Having worked with legendary composers like Ilaiyaraja and A R Rahman, Shweta Pandit is one of the most talented singers in the music industry. Vishal and Shekhar along with Faridkot and Shweta Pandit are all set to make what they call “An Unforgettable Night”.