Remember sitting outside the college canteen or on the stairway of the last floor just next to the last classroom with a bunch of friends and strumming the guitar?
Secretly enjoying the attention of other students; who watch in awe as your fingers create magic on the first guitar you ever bought. Does it also bring bring back the memories of fights with band members the comeptitions that were won or lost?
College life is filled with numerous activities. Most of us will remember running through college corridors to be on time for auditions of various clubs like drama, singing, modelling, sports etc.
This part of college life is an inescapable phase. Just recently St Xavier's College-one of Mumbai's oldest colleges celebrated a "birthday concert" of their music club. Ameya Bhangale who is a second year student and also the general secretary of Indian Music Group (IMG) at Xavier's said, "Every year, the IMG holds a Janfest and just before the Janfest we have a 'birthday concert'-an annual baithak."
"General perception is that the youth doesn't appreciate classical music, but it is only after getting exposed to it do we understand its true magic" says Ameya.
He admits that he was never a crazed fan of Indian classical music but after being a part of the IMG and organising its various events and interacting with other enthusiasts he has begun to appreciate the instrumental form of classical music.
The uniqueness of IMG is in the fact that the group has not limited itself to being labelled as a 'student club'. "We have over 1100 members and these include students of Xavier's and other colleges, non-students including alumni and other patrons of classical music," informed Ameya.
The history of the club can be traced back to 1973; to late Chandu Kapadia and Yusuf Gandhi, ex-students of St Xavier's College who set up the club to revive the Indian heritage of classical music, popularise it among the youth and encourage them to carry forward this legacy.
The IMG actively organises baithaks that provide a platform to upcoming artists, music appreciation courses, lectures and workshops throughout the year. The club also has a library which is located on campus.
The library which was funded by Britannia Industries Limited has a collection of over 2,000 hours of live music, recordings of present day artists and maestros of yesteryears. It also houses a large collection of books delving into various aspects of classical music.
Similarly at the other end of town set in picturesque IIT-Bombay campus is the Staccato Music Club. It is a known fact that IITians are big fans of music be it Indian or western. The students of the institute have the opportunity to choose between Saaz-the Indian music club and Staccato-the western music club.
Kunal Mittal, a third year student at IIT who is also part of Staccato explained, "IIT's Mood I hosts Livewire-one of the largest music competitions in the city. It is just natural that we have enough representation there." Staccato has 10 to 12 rock bands as members.
Both Saaz and Staccato have 2 events each every semester. Saaz's 'Sur Bahar' caters to musicians who perform not just classical but popular music as well. "The western music club has an event called 'Acoustic Dusk' where all the member bands perform. It is a very casual event held at the convocation hall," said Kunal.
Kunal who is a drummer, currently plays with three bands. "I play with a hindi band and two bands which play progressive/ alternative metal.
Playing with all three bands has given me an opportunity to come up with original and innovative compositions. We reached the finals for Mood I's hindi band competition-Mantra and even came in third at Malhar this year."
Despite being away from hometown, Kunal has feels that his initial days at IIT were smooth sailing. "I knew to play drummer before, but my seniors at IIT groomed me for performing at shows," he said .
Though this becomes a part of the extra curricular, students are more than willing to give their time and effort at these clubs which help them make the most of their college life.
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