From rock concerts to lectures on Carnatic music, students soak in various art forms

Italian rock band Noveria performing during Saraang 2025 at IIT-M on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

If one were to enter Gajendra Circle on the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) campus on Sunday, they would have been greeted by the sound of metal music. Noveria, a band from Italy, had students swaying to its music during the performance at Saarang 2025. Clearly, Andrea Arcangeli on the bass was calling the shots.

The ‘Festival Street’, full of small tents selling knick-knacks, are a favourite with freshers and adults alike. Devika Aravind, a first-year mechanical engineering student at the institute, said she had been buying items from the stalls for the past three days. Nearby ‘Festival Street’, stages where musicians performed for smaller audiences had been set up.

Playback singer K.S. Chitra also delivered a lecture at the event. Nihal K., a first-year naval architecture and ocean engineering student, who emerged from the Central Lecture Theatre, was pleased with the lecture by musician Lydian Nadhaswaram. “I had been a Carnatic music learner until my teacher passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. Mr. Lydian’s advice that musicians must get close to their roots and explore the Carnatic music culture in the State resonated well with the audience, he added.

Safe noise levels

Sathyanarayana N. Gummadi, dean of students, said the noise threshold was checked by the sound engineers at the event. The noise cannot cross 75-80 db. “There are random surprise checks by teams of students. We also check the particulate matter to ensure air quality,” he said.

In a departure from the usual cultural events, an exhibition showcasing musical instruments from across the world was held. Students enjoyed conversing with Babu Susan, who started collecting instruments as a hobby. Mr. Susan learnt morsing and violin and then gained an interest in musical instruments. Over the course of his 10-year journey, he has collected around 110 instruments.

Prem Nihar Reddy, a second-year civil engineering student, said the exhibition was one of the acts that were held as part of ‘Meraki Acts’. “We consider encouraging lesser-known artists. On Saturday, a shadow puppet show was also performed,” he added.

Sushanta Panigrahi, the faculty advisor for Saarang, was also present. Saarang 2025 is presented by The Hindu.