Yamini 2017

SPIC MACAY chapter of IIIT Bangalore held its first-ever overnight event ‘Yamini’ 2017 on 31st October 2017 to celebrate five major classical art forms. The night boasted back to back performances from dusk to dawn. The performances were a fascinating blend of Indian music and dance. Ms. Rama N S, the CEO of ELCITA was the chief guest for the occasion.

The event commenced with the beguiling performance of Mohiniyattam by Dr. Methil Devika, a dance research scholar, performer, choreographer, and a 
professor. Known for being proactive in Arts-in-Education and Arts-for- Specific Groups programs she also provides therapy through Arts for people with mental illnesses. Dr Devika demonstrated her magnificent repertoire and choreography by choosing some wonderful songs for the occasion and explaining the meaning to the audience. 

It was then followed by the Oscar nominee, Smt. Bombay Jayashri performing a soul stirring Carnatic vocal concert. She presented some wonderful ragas like Malayamarutham, Kambhoji, SubhaPantuvarali, demonstrating multiple facets of her presentation style. 

Pt. Nityanand Haldipur, a purist in Maihar Gharana tradition, and one of the most sought-after Hindustani Bansuri artistes then amazed the audience with his fascinating performance of Bansuri, a Hindustani classical instrument.

Smt. Shruti Sadolikar, a Hindustani singer of the khyal style in the Jaipur- Atrauli gharana mesmerized the audience with an auditory aesthetic performance. She performed rare ragas like Kaafi Kaanada which kept the audience awake at 2 AM in the night!

The enthralling event concluded with the rise of the sun and a performance by Vidwan Seshampatti Shivalingam playing Nadaswaram. He is known for his 
specialization in raga aalapana and krithis. He presented some of the classical krithis like Marugelara O Raghava in JayanthaSri raga, the famous Mallari in Devagandhari and few other chaste Carnatic ragas that left audience spellbound. 

“I’ve been attending Yamini for the past six years. I think this a great event and we make sure we don’t miss it. IIIT Bangalore has done a great job at organizing this.”, said one of the attendees.

About SPIC MACAY
SPIC MACAY is a non-political nationwide voluntary movement that organises programmes of classical music and dance, folk arts, crafts, yog, classic cinema screenings, heritage walks, etc. inside school and college campuses throughout the world to make students more aware about Indian and world heritage. This initiative makes education more holistic and meaningful as it highlights all that is abstract, subtle, inspiring and mystical in the world teaching one to look within oneself. SPIC MACAY runs on the energy of volunteers who come from all walks of life - students, teachers, housewives, professional and retired people, young and old. Nishkam Seva - the spirit of volunteerism – of giving selflessly without expectation, a value that is intrinsic to our culture and important to nurture in today's world is a key aspect of the movement.

About IIIT Bangalore
IIIT Bangalore is a premier institute focused on Post-Graduate IT education and research, located in the heart of Electronic City, Bangalore. It contains state of the art infrastructure, world-class faculty, vibrant alumni community, cutting edge research facilities and close industry collaboration. The institute’s specially designed courses make the students cognitive of the current technologies and practices, thereby equipping them with the tools and knowledge to solve contemporary real problems.

About Artists:
Vidwan Seshampatti Sivalingam specializes in raga aalapana and krithis in an authentic manner. Sri Sivalingam is a top grade artiste of AIR and has been performing in Akashvani Sangeeth Sammelan for 43 years. He was named as Asthana Vidwan of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham and has been bestowed with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi.

A dance research scholar, educator, performer and choreographer, Dr. Methil Devika is an extraordinary artist who hails from Palakkad. Dr. Methil Devika was born to Late N. Rajagopalam and Methil Rajeswari on 18 January 1976. In Government Victoria College, she was the Vice Chairperson of the college union in the academic year 1994–95. She was a candidate under the banner of CSU-Creative Students Union. Apart from her MBA from Madras University and then a Ph.D. in Mohiniyattam from Bharathidasan University, Methil Devika has also worked as Course Counselor at the Department of International Students, Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University. She is also active in Arts-in-Education and Arts-for-Specific Groups programs providing therapy through Arts for people with mental illnesses.

Pt. Nityanand Haldipur, a purist in Maihar Gharana tradition, is one of the most sought-after Hindustani Bansuri artistes. Born in a musical family, Nityanand was a prodigal musician. He was awarded the prestigious Sangeet Natak Academi award in 2010. He believes in Guru-Shishya tradition and imparts his knowledge in music at various institutions and for eminent organizations like SPIC MACAY.

Smt. Bombay Jayashri the award-winning vocalist, composer and teacher of music was born to a family of five generations of musicians and entered into a life steeped in music.Under her gurus, TR Balamani and Lalgudi Jayaraman, she trained in Carnatic music and imbibed the nuances of melody. Jayashri also trained in Hindustani music under

Mahavir Jaipurvale and Ajay Pohankar.
Bombay Jayashri has performed at festivals and concerts in more than 35 countries. Her compositions amalgamate classical Carnatic music with our rich legacy in literature and other art forms. She believes in experimenting and collaborating between different genres and various forms, diving into both World Music, and the music of film soundtracks of India.

Smt. Shruti Sadolikar, Indian classical singer of the khyal style in the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana. She performs all forms of Indian classical and semi-classical music, including thumri, tappa, and natya sangeet. She is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi. She has performed in various events for SPIC MACAY and regularly performs playback in Indian movies.