Exciting line-up at virtual edition of ‘Saarang’

CHENNAI: Amid the rapidly increasing Covid-19 cases and a new variant spreading a pall of gloom, the students at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras are all set to kick start their annual festival, ‘Saarang 2022’. The festival, which will be held in hybrid mode, will see performances from a diverse group of young artistes, apart from other competitions in photography, acapella, stand-up comedy, and graphic designing.

The 27th edition of the cultural festival is themed as ‘Lores and Legacies’ and will focus on fables and legends that have passed down through generations. The festival that will be held from January 6 to9 is available for the public to attend online for free of cost.
This year, journalist-turned-author Sucheta Dalal, Olympic golfer Aditi Ashok, actors Dhruv Sehgal, Vinay Rai, Carnatic musician Sowmya S, and director Anand Gandhi will deliver spotlight lectures.
The worldfest shows have artists from across the world like Dutch Indie singer Tim Vantol, Korean electric duo Love X Stereo, Swedish hypnotherapist Dan Ahtola, Finnish pop star Robin Packalen.
The music shows will begin with "Indie Night" on January 7 with a scintillating performance by Raghav Meattle, whose debut album made it to the list in Rolling Stones India. Corner Cafe Chronicles will play rock night's lead act on January 8. Saarang's first-ever pop fusion night with singers Malavika Sundar and Palak Muchhal will deliver a melodious and exciting time on January 9.
Speaking at the virtual press conference on Wednesday, IIT Madras director Bhaskar Ramamurthi said, this year also most events will be held online while a few could be held offline by following Covid-19 protocols. "Our students have developed an online version of Saarang to provide a memorable experience to all our participants and audience. The organising team comprises more than 800 students from across the country," said Nilesh Vasa, dean (students), IIT Madras.
This is the 9th consecutive year of Times Of India associating with Saarang.