Kiran Seth

Kiran Seth
Born (1949-04-27) 27 April 1949
Nationality Indian
Education PhD (1974) Columbia University
Alma mater IIT Kharagpur, Columbia University
Occupation Professor Emeritus
Employer IIT Delhi
Known for SPIC MACAY

Kiran Seth (born 1949) is an Indian academician, Professor Emeritus in the department of Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. He is most known as the founder of SPIC MACAY (1977), a non-profit organisation which promotes Indian classical music, Indian classical dance, and other aspects Indian culture, amongst youth the world over; through its about 500 chapters and through conventions, baithaks, lectures and musical fests.[1][2][3][4]

In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution to the Arts.[5]

Early life and education

Seth was born on 27 April 1949. Seth's father, Bhojraj Seth, was a mathematician and the first professor at the IIT Kharagpur, established in 1951, while his mother Bhagawathi Seth was a housewife.[1] After completion of schooling from Modern School in Delhi, Seth secured AIR (All India Rank) 28 in the prestigious Joint Entrance Examination (IIT- JEE). Seth was one of the toppers of Mechanical Engineering (BTech) from IIT Kharagpur in the year 1970, after which he did his MS in 1971 and PhD in 1974 from Columbia University in New York.

Career

He started his career working as a Member of the Technical Staff (MTS) at Bell Laboratories, New Jersey in 1974, a job he gave up to return to India in 1976 as an Assistant Professor to teach at IIT Delhi, where he has been working ever since. It was at IIT Delhi that he founded SPIC MACAY in 1977.[6][7]

He has been member of several committees and boards, including, Central Advisory Board of Education, General Council of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Executive Board of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and Advisory Board (Education) of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.

He has also served as Vice-Chairman of the Governing Council of the Film and Television Institute in Pune, 2012 -14.[8]

SPIC MACAY

Seth is credited with setting up the Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music, Art and Culture amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) in 1977, a society that has done phenomenal amount of work in the area of promoting classical music and culture amongst school and colleges in India and more recently in different parts of the world.

This is the biggest, non-profit, voluntary, cultural, youth movement in independent India. Its contribution to Indian classical music & dance is unparalleled. Generations of Indians are today aware of Indian classical music and in a position to appreciate it, thanks to the efforts of Seth.

Today the movement conducts thousands of concerts, lec-dems, talks, yoga workshops, classic film shows, theatre shows and craft workshops all over in schools and colleges so that the young person is inspired and awakened.[9][10]

Awards and recognition

References

  1. 1 2 Quraishi, Humra (12 December 2007). "Kiran Seth: Without playing a note, he makes music touch the lives of many". Mint.
  2. ↑ "Keeping our virasat alive". The Tribune. 7 December 2003. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Kumar, Mala (30 October 2003). "From rap to raga". The Hindu.
  4. ↑ "Discovery of India". The Hindu. 28 May 2009.
  5. ↑ Datta, Sravasti (10 October 2014). "An artistic endeavour". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Bajoria, Jayshree (4 June 2004). "Young converts to Indian classics". BBC News.
  7. ↑ Ramchandra Guha (5 December 2004). "The education of a Philistine:SPIC MACAY". The Hindu.
  8. ↑ URL=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Mirza-aims-at-centre-of-excellence-status-for-FTII/articleshow/8094611.cms
  9. ↑ Kumar, Ranee (23 October 2003). "Catch 'em young: Kiran Seth, the founder of Spicmacay, has a focused agenda of shaping young minds". The Hindu.
  10. ↑ Chaudhuri, Shatarupa (5 March 2010). "Stay connected with culture". The New Indian Express.
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