The quintessential Chennai college experience is incomplete without days spent frolicking at Saarang, IIT Madras’s long-hailed cultural festival. Over five days, the largely-quiet green oasis turns into a carnival, teeming with the city’s youngsters; some warding off boredom, some in pursuit of their favourite musician, or others on the lookout for talent they need to be wary of in competition circuits.
The festival, now the largest student-run festival in the country, took baby steps as early as 1974 and was called Mardi Gras. In 1996, Mardi Gras was rebranded as Saarang, in honour of the spotted deer that often roam around the campus. Fifty years since, the festival, replete with music concerts, lecture series, workshops, carnival rides, and active game corners, is synonymous with Chennai’s ever-evolving cultural ecosystem. The five-day programming this year, scheduled from January 9 to 13, is hinged on the theme Frames and Fables celebrating the art of visual storytelling.
But what does it take to put together one of the biggest student-led arts festivals of the country? Meticulous planning, and 850 minds. On ‘Day Minus 1’ (the night before the festival begins), the core heads gather at the iconic institution’s Lecture Theatre to address their teams. They reminisce fond memories from editions past, and reflect on what Saarang means to them. They collectively hope for a festival free of snags. One last hurrah, and they spring into action.
Band Mysore Express
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Poojha D, core (events) says, “It is a huge responsibility! But it’s magical.” From penning down ideas, sketching possible layouts and dealing with last minute schedule changes, the organising team goes through the grind over five months. The ideas are proposed at the time of the office bearers’ selections. In fact, Poojha says that their selection itself relies heavily on the proposed ideas.
“The preparation starts as early as August, [the previous year],” says Poojha. This year around, the majority of the team wanted the theme to have something to do with the medium of cinema, and that is how Frames and Fables procured the maximum number of votes.
This year, there will be an indie music and hip hop fest, “a fest within a fest” as Poojha puts it, that follows an open mic concept to encourage budding talent in the city. “We are giving a stage to under-represented indie artists to showcase their art forms. This is something that we are looking forward to this year, which will resonate with the crowds ,” adds Poojha. She also points to the multicultural folk parade that will flag off from the State Bank of India, all the way to the Open Air Theatre (OAT), that will showcase around 15 folk art forms that Tamil Nadu is home to. This will culminate in the inauguration of Classical Night by music director Ilaiyaraaja and the Governor of Tamil Nadu, and will mark the official start of the festival with a performance by Grammy-winning flutist Shashank Subramanyam.
Amit Trivedi
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A range of public workshops have also been introduced this year, highlighting Paraiyattam, Oyilattam, Karagattam, Kalaripayyatu and more led by artistes from across the State. More than 15 speakers, from singer KS Chitra and actor Gautami to musician Lydian Nadaswaram, will helm the Spotlight Lecture Series. Titled World Fest, daytime concerts from January 10 to 12 will feature a Japanese orchestra, an Italian progressive metal band and a Polish accordionist among others.
EDM Night, scheduled for January 11, will be headlined by Ritviz, and opened by DJ Frozt while the Rock Night of Day 3 will be graced by bands Antariksh and Mysore Express. Possibly the biggest night of the festival is the Pop Night — “the night that Chennai waits for” — on Day 5 headlined by popular playback singer and music director Amit Trivedi.
Before the pandemic, when pop music concerts were few and far in between in the city , Saarang was among the first few festivals to scale up. “After the pandemic, there are many such concerts happening in the city, but we try to put our best foot forward every year. We are expecting a footfall of 80,000 this year.”
Ritviz
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Prof Sushanta Panigrahi, Faculty Advisor (Cultural), IIT Madras considers the festival testament to the enduring legacy of IIT Madras’ cultural spirit. “[Saarang] continues to unite creativity, innovation, and inclusivity, making it more than just a festival — it’s a movement that inspires and empowers.”
IIT Saarang is presented by The Hindu. Find tickets and schedule at saarang.org.
Published – January 08, 2025 07:51 pm IST
