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SPIC MACAY International Convention 2013, IIM Kolkata (Part 1)

Posting a little late. But the experience to share is worthwhile!

   It was the 18th of June when we left for Kolkata. We went with Kiran sir, the founder of SPIC MACAY and some senior volunteers. Spending time with Kiran sir was really gratifying and we learnt so much from him. As the train entered West Bengal on the morning of 19th of June, all one could see was greenery and beautiful clouds. And rice fields.  It was absolutely beautiful and I sensed that I was going to love every moment of my stay here. Kiran sir is very particular about his yoga. But I got to realize that when we reached the station at 7 am in the morning, and he started jogging at the station! A symbol of true dedication.
                                 
Kiran Sir is quite oblivious to his surroundings, as he continues jogging.

We reached IIM Kolkata which was 18 kms away from the Howrah station, within an hour. And the campus was breathtaking. They had 11 lakes, and a bridge. The whole place was lush green. We got ourselves registered, went to our rooms, refreshed and went out to explore the campus. I was joined by my cousins who had arrived from Kota. The first day was spent lazing around. We interacted with many people from Assam. The next day was the opening ceremony which was inaugurated by the governor of Bengal. We witnessed the performances of Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, who has a great power in his voice even after his age being 105 years old., and Pt. Birju Maharaj, who is the best Kathak dancer today.
                                                   One of the lakes at IIM Kolkata.

 We had choices to take part in intensives and learn one of the activities from art, dance, music, theater and puppetry. I chose music and my teacher was luckily Rashid Khan ji. Our routine for 5 days was as follows:
3.45 am: Wake up
4:00-7:00 am: Yoga
7:00-7:30 am: Shramdaan
7:30-8:45 am: Personal time and breakfast
8:45-9:00 am: Time for moving to our respective classes
9:00-12:00 pm: Intensives
12:00-12:45 pm: Lunch
12:45-1:00 pm: Moving to the auditorium
1:00-5:00 pm: Folk/Theater/Cinema Classic/Talk Show
5:00-6:00 pm: Dinner
6:00-9:45 pm: Concerts
9:45-10:00 pm: Light Snack
10:15 pm: Lights out

In the days that followed, we had an awesome time, interacting with people from all around the world, including the wonderful groups from Pakistan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nepal, Japan, and more. It was a great cultural exchange, as we listened to Irish music, heard "Baul" music for the first time ( which was wonderful), watched a comedy classic film "Bhuvan Shome" by Mrinal Sen, enjoyed a puppetry show, heard  Pandavni (a folk story telling show of Chhattisgarh), and saw some beautiful paintings by Smt. Anjolie Ela Menon and Shri Jogen Choudhury. 

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