The Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) in its desire to spread its wings to the SAARC countries has gained another success. The society is sending a 15 member delegation to Pakistan with 10 artistes in the group. Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) is celebrating its tenth anniversary on the 3rd and 4th of September 2004. On this occasion SPIC MACAY shall present eminent Classical music artistes from India, to the Pakistani audience.

The SPIC MACAY delegates would also stay back in Lahore for a few more days to conduct programmes and lecture/demonstrations at various schools and colleges in Lahore, and possibly some other cities.

SPIC MACAY is a non-political, non-profit, non-government, voluntary youth movement. It is an affirmation of :

• The need to conserve and promote an awareness of this rich and heterogeneous cultural tapestry amongst the youth of this country through focus on the classical arts, and to facilitate an awareness of their deeper and subtler values.
• The need for an Inspired perspective in a world bombarded with too much information.
• A solid, value based education, which involves the absorption of aesthetics and subtleties, in an increasingly technical, mundane competitive world. The movement is educational in spirit and character and locates itself in educational institutions only.

The names of a few famous artistes who have given their kind consent to be a part of the delegation are as follows :-

1. Pandit Laxman Krishnarao Pandit
2. Ms. Meeta Pandit
3. Shri Kamal Sabri
4. Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt

Pandit Laxman Krishnarao Pandit represents the Gwalior gharana of Hindustani classical music - the oldest tradition and the fountainhead of all subsequent gharanas. Born on 5th March’1934 into a family of musicians, Panditji is the fifth in an unbroken lineage of legendary musicians. His father Padma Bhushan Pandit Krishnarao Shankar Pandit trained Panditji since early childhood in khayal, tappa, tarana, ashtapadi, and thumri. The accuracy of his notes is legendary, and his khayal gayaki unparalleled. Panditji is one of the few musicians today who can render the difficult genre of tappa with ease and fluidity. For his services in the world of music, Panditji has been conferred with numerous awards such as Tappa Samrat, Gayak Shiromani, Swar Vilas, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur Award and the Sangeet Natya Academy Award, Sahitya Kala Parishad Award, Hafiz Ali khan Award, Putturaj Gawai Award, Communal Harmony Award and Shikhar Samman.

Ms. Meeta Pandit has won critical acclaim as one of the finest artistes in the world of Hindustani Classical Music. She is the sixth in the unbroken lineage of musicians of the legendary Pandit family of Gwalior. Her grandfather, the late Padmabhushan Pandit Krishnarao Shankar Pandit and then her father
Pandit L.K. Pandit have groomed her. At such a young age, she has carved a niche in the hearts of music lovers all over and has won numerous prestigious awards. At the mere age of 15, Meeta was awarded The Golden Voice of India. Besides this, Sur – Mani, Yuva Ratna, Full Circle Inner Flame Award and the Nikhil Banerjee Smriti Award are indications of the recognition bestowed on her. She was sent by the Govt. of India as the Cultural Ambassador of India to Pakistan during SAARC-2004, Islamabad.

Shri Kamal Sabri is the worthy son of Sarangi maestro Ustad Sabri Khan.
At the very tender age of 9 years, this child prodigy made waves in the musical world with his talent. He has participated in several international festivals including the “Art of the Bow” Festival in Geneva, Switzerland. World Music Festival, Lahore, Pakistan and BBC Millennium Concert in International Centre, Birmingham, UK. He is a regular performer of All India Radio and India National Television. He has won several awards like ‘The best Instrumentalist’, ‘Surmani’, ‘The Young Maestro Award’ conferred by
Indo-Sri Lankan Cultural Council and the ‘Young Ustad Khitab’ at the prestigious Harballabh Music festival.

Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt is the creator of the MOHAN VEENA and the winner of the GRAMMY AWARD. Panditji has mesmerized the world with his pristine pure, delicate yet fiery music. Being the foremost disciple of Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt belongs to the elite body of musicians that traces its origin to the Mughal emperor Akbar’s court musician TANSEN and his guru Swami Haridas.

Outstanding features of Bhatt’s baaj (style) are his natural ability to play the ‘Tantrakari Angi’ and incorporate the ‘Gayaki Ang’ on Mohan Veena that is the greatest advantage of this instrument over traditional instruments like Sitar, Sarod, and Veena. It was no surprise that Panditji with his sheer virtuosity and limitless supply of melodies won the highest music award of the world, the GRAMMY AWARD in 1994 along with Ry Cooder for their World Music Album, ‘A MEETING BY THE RIVER’ enhancing his celebrity status not only as a star performer but also as an improviser and a soulful composer.
He has performed extensively in USA, Russia, Canada, the Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Scotland, Switzerland, then scaling the Gulf of Dubai, Sharjah, Bahrain, Muscat, Abu Dhabi and throughout India. He was especially called for performance by the then Prime Minister of India, Shri A.B. Vajpayee for the AGRA SUMMIT when Mr. Parvez Musharraf, President of Pakistan had come for negotiations. Mr. Musharraf knows Panditji personally and is fond of his music.

More information on SPIC MACAY is available at www.spicmacay.com.