Kiran Seth, founder of Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth, speaking to mediapersons in Anantapur on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: R.V.S. PRASAD

Patronage to Indian classical music is drastically reducing and less than 5% of school students in the country pursue any form of art, said founder of Delhi-based Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) founder Kiran Seth.

To keep the Indian culture and classical music alive, 73-year-old Mr. Kiran Seth, a former IIT-Delhi professor, has taken up a cycle journey from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to promote and emphasise the importance of classical music and dance, folk music & dance, meditation and yoga among students in schools. 

As part of his cycle expedition, Mr. Seth, who is now in Andhra Pradesh, told mediapersons in Anantapur on Saturday that the organisation, with the support of hundreds of volunteers, is organising 5,000 programmes in 800 towns across the country.

Set out with three sets of clothes from Srinagar on August 15, Mr. Kiran Seth expects to reach Kanyakumari on January 31. He rides a simple cycle with no gears or disc brakes.

From Anantapur, he intends to reach his destination via Penukonda, Bengaluru, Vellore, Chennai, Puducherry, Tiruchirappalli.

“At SPIC MACAY, we aim at inspiring students to take active interest in Indian art forms by organising classic cinema screenings, talks by eminent persons, heritage walks and craft workshops on school and college campuses,” he said.