WHY SPIC MACAY?

Classical music is often seen as an elitist art form. It is an art which can create a glorious experience for its listeners and takes a huge amount of devotion to portray at a high level and can be enjoyed by all on some level. Indian cultural heritage is from one of the oldest civilizations in earth and some elements of India’s diverse heritage have had a profound impact across the world.

There seems a lack of understanding and therefore interest among people in general in the classical arts in their purest forms - primarily owing to lack of knowledge and exposure. We have encountered numerous occasions where people have asked to organise a bollywood-bharatnatyam or something more fusion style that is catchy, blingy and "more appealing". However, our firm belief in our classical arts and our rich cultural heritage - music, dance, arts, folk, food, handicrafts...the list is endless, has led a group of volunteers to revive a cultural youth movement here in the UK called SPIC MACAY - Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth. (www.spicmacay.co.uk)

SPIC MACAY infact is a youth movement over three decades old, that started in India (www.spicmacay.com) in 1977. It is now a non-profit, registered society in India whose objective is to enrich the quality of formal education by increasing awareness about different aspects of Indian and World heritage and inspiring the young mind to imbibe the values embedded in it. For this, the most accomplished artistes render performances in art forms ranging from classical music and dance, folk, poetry, theatre, traditional paintings, crafts & yoga in the local communities and in the premises of educational institutes.

The SPIC MACAY logo is the inner eye that inspires inquiry and introspection to help an individual become a better human being. This non-profit movement is driven by youth volunteers and works with a wide network of schools and universities. Volunteering offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around them. For others it provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge while being able to experience these art forms.

SPIC MACAY is currently active in over 1500 academic institutions and holds a staggering 8000 events every year in over 350 cities in India and 50 cities outside India reaching out to more than 2 million students each year. Besides actual performances by renowned maestros, these events include lecture-demonstrations, film screenings and reviews, heritage walks, yoga and meditation sessions and also workshops in classical and folk arts/crafts. As students observe the classical arts, interact with evolved artists & learn about art forms, they imbibe the beauty, grace, humility and discipline that define heritage.