Art & Culture

Aim

The Centre of Excellence for Art & Culture (recognized as a Partner Institution by the National Skill Development Council, Govt. of India) has embarked on an aspirational plan of exploring opportunities in the field of arts.

Cultural Scholarship

Cultural Scholarships are offered to outstanding students in Performing Arts (Bharata Natyam, Vocal & Instrumental Music, Drama, and Oratory) and Fine Arts (Art & Craft) in order to motivate them.

Vision

  • To provide Awareness, Training and Platform for Performance, Research and Documentation of the various Indian Art Forms.

Mission

  • Organize enlightening Lectures, Seminars, and Conferences in collaboration with esteemed organizations, fostering ideas and knowledge exchange.
  • Offer meticulously designed workshops and courses to deepen understanding and appreciation of our rich cultural heritage.
  • Celebrate Indian culture through commemorating festivals, observing National and International Days and showcasing artistic diversity.
  • Inculcate research by exploring the Indian Knowledge System through the prism of Art and Culture, facilitating academic innovation.
  • Foster excellence in art production, performances, and documentation of rare art forms, contributes to the preservation and evolution of our cultural heritage.

Objective

  • The main objective of the centre is to explore the rich cultural heritage of our nation and to give exposure to various art forms.

Faculty

Dr. Ramadevi Sekar

MA. MPhil, B.Ed, Phd, National Gurukul Fellowship ( Indian Council of Historical Research, Ministry of HRDE)

Director, COE-A&C

+91 44-2432 8506 / 07

Ms.S.Srividhya

M.C.A., M.Phil., M.E

Coordinator,COE-A&C

srividhya1974@shasuncollege.edu.in

+91 44-2432 8506 / 07

Collaborative Contacts – National Level

  • SPICMACAY, TN
  • IGNOU, New Delhi
  • Nritya Sadhana  Kala Academy, Nashik
  • Bharata Ilango Foundation for Asian Culture (BIFAC), Chennai
  • ABHAI, Chennai
  • Nrithyodaya The Academy of Performing Arts, Mumbai
  • Sangamam Global Academy

Collaborative Contacts – State Level

  • Dept of Music , University of Madras
  • Nrithyodaya , Chennai
  • INTACH, Chennai
  • Krishnanjali Academy of Dance, Chennai
  • The Ashwin Maharaj Foundation (AMF), Chennai
  • Eyal, Isai Nataka Mandram, TN
  • Alliance Francaise of Madras
  • Anaadi Foundation, Palani

Activities

LAUNCH-14.11.2018

The Centre of Excellence for Art & Culture at Shri Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College for Women  in partnership with NSDC & MESC, Govt of India was launched by Filmmaker, Producer Shri Subhash Ghai,Chairman MESC & Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam. The NSDC was represented by Mr Mohit Soni, COO, MESC &   Mr Saradhi Krishna, Vice President, Academics & QA,MESC.

REGULAR

Lecture Series in Culture Studies

A unique Lecture Series in Culture Studies (LSCS) on a wide range of topics was organized with expert resource persons, benefitting innumerable students.

  • ‘Overview of Indian Cultural Heritage’, Dr Chitra Madhavan, Historian & Archaeologist
  • Inter-Cultural Interface: India and France’, Monsieur Pierre Emmanuel Jacob, Director, Alliance Francaise, Chennai, and Dr. Malini Ranganathan, Professor, Institute Supérieur De Gestion, (Nantes, France),
  • ‘Ramayana in Lanka’, Shri D.K Hari & Smt. Hema Hari ,Founders-Bharath Gyan & Mr. V. Krishna Moorthy, Deputy High Commissioner, Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission, Chennai,
  • ‘Impact of & Interest in Indian Classical Dance’, Prof. Sudharani Raghupathy, Padma Shri Awardee (In Association With ABHAI), Ms. Penny Hutchinson, Associate Professor Of Dance, Western Washington University Bellingham, W.A. USA
  • ‘Bharatanatyam: The Experience of Learning & Teaching the Art’
  • Reiki- 'Your Health is in Your Hands', Ms. Lucrezia Maniscotti, Director, Sangam Academy Of Milan, Italy
  • ‘Telling a Story... A Woman Story’ by Ms. Usha Narayanan, Author

Tribute To Tradition Series

To celebrate auspicious and festive days of special significance in our tradition, Tribute to Tradition Series (TTTS) was successfully organized on:

  • ‘Thyagaraja Aradhana’ - a tribute to Saint-Composer Thyagaraja Swamy
  • ‘Nataraja Natyanjali’- an offering of dance & chanting in praise of Nataraja
  • Quiz Competition –‘Then Madras, Now Chennai’- Madras Day Celebration
  • Webinar -Commemorating the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Smt M S Subbulakshmi
  • Sri Aurobindo Remembrance Day
  • Mahavir Jayanthi
  • Navaratri Celebrations
  • Margazhi – Thiruppavai Thiruvizha

The aim is to increase the awareness of the students about well-known national personalities & events. This will help them to inculcate the positive values they exemplify.

Wellness Series

To promote the mental health of the students, physical fitness, stress control and general wellbeing, a series of webinars were organized.

  • Yoga for Excellence
  • Stress Management through Yoga

SKILL BASED

Workshops

To kindle the creativity of students and public, for experiential learning from experts, to instill self-confidence,to enhance the skill and for thorough understanding of the art form, skill based workshops are organized. This training & expertise helps them become entrepreneurs & generate future income.

  • Homemade Face Mask Making
  • Writagram
  • Mandala Art
  • Nritya Yoga
  • Traditional Indian Embroidery
  • Decoupage Art
  • Terracotta Jewellery
  • Liquid Embroidery
  • Arts Management & Digital Presence in the Arts
  • Aharya Abinaya

Courses

To gain knowledge, practice & appreciation of traditional & modern art & cultural forms

To have a value addition to their personal identities

  • Dance & Music
  • Yoga & Cognition
  • One-stroke Painting

COLLABORATIVE

Grant Project

COE-A&C of Shri Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College for Women  is the first to win the Grant for the production of new dance-dramas by Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Mandram. 50 students performed in the dance drama ‘Kudumba Vilakku’,Tamil poet Bharathidasan.

National Symposium

The Centre of Excellence, Art & Culture in Collaboration with Bharata Ilango Foundation for Asian Culture (BIFAC), conducted a unique virtual National Symposium ‘Kala Samanvaya 2020′ on December 11, 12 & 13, 2020. It was specially curated by Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, (Padma Bhushan Awardee), Managing Trustee, BIFAC.

Three stalwarts Satavadhani Dr R. Ganesh, Dr R. Nagaswamy, (Padma Bhushan Awardee) & Dr S. Krishnaswamy (Padma Shri Awardee) gave illuminating talks on different aspects of art, showcasing the commonalities between the traditions of North & South India, between the Marga (Classical) & Desi (Regional) and the impact of Bharateeya traditions on the entire South East Asia.

The Valedictory Address was by Shri Ashish Khokar, Editor, Dancer & Curator, MKDC, IGNCA Delhi who effectively summed up the proceedings of the 3 days.

International Conference

A two-day International Conference on ‘Mythology: In Literature and Culture’(Western and  Indian Approaches) was organised by the Centre of Excellence-Art and Culture with the  Department of B.A English on 24th and 25th  February, 2021 through online mode.

It included a series of lectures by experts in the field followed by paper presentations by Faculty members, PG students and research scholars from various educational institutions across India. The Day 1 eminent speakers on the Western approach of the topic were Dr. S. Armstrong Head, Dept of English, University of Madras, Dr. E. Raja Rao, Visiting Professor, Dept of English, Central University of Odisha and Ms. Cauvery Madhavan, Author, Ireland. The emphasis on Day 2 was on the Indian approach and the experts were Ms. Usha Narayan, Author, Chennai, Dr. D.K. Hari and Dr. Hema Hari, Founders, Bharat Gyan. The Valedictory address was given by Dr. Jeffery D.Long, Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania, USA. The deliberations of the conference enabled the participants and scholars to understand the influence of myth on language, literature and culture in everyday life.

The Young researchers Forum

‘The Young Researchers Forum’, (TYRF) a platform for research presentations in collaboration with Nrithyodaya–The Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA), Mumbai was inaugurated by Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam & Padma Shri Sekhar Sen ji, Former Chairman, Sangeet Natak Akademi & successfully completed an impressive 18 sessions. It introduces two scholars per month, each session featuring one junior researcher presenting the article and one expert adding input to it.

Collaborative Projects

Collaborative Projects were organized with

  • Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India- ABHAI, Chennai
  • Global Art Project with Ms. Alexine Chanel, and Berlin in collaboration with Alliance Francaise, Chennai
  • Anaadi Foundation, Palani
  • Sruti and Aalap Foundation
  • Motta Maadi Music Troupe
  • Aspire- An Arts management company
  • National Seminar on Vachika Abhinaya with the collaboration of Prayathnam, Forum of Dancers & Divyanjali Dance School.
  • ‘Sakiye Rowthiram Pazhagu- Self Defence of Women’ in collaboration with Wake Up Creations, Chennai, a UK-based NGO founded by Jay Thattai.

OUT REACH

Inter School Cultural Fest - Shasun Shruthi

Inter school cultural fest–Shasun Shruthi provides a performance platform to school students to exhibit their talents in Shasun College’s events. Music & Dance Competitions received an overwhelming response from school students from India and abroad.

International Online Dance Competition

Collaborating with Sangamam Global Academy, the Center of Excellence (Art and Culture) conducted an International Online Dance Competition with more than 1500 participants.

Mentoring Services

Mentoring Services help COE-A&C Interns hone their artistic skills and to mentor others. They trained the teachers & students of various schools for their cultural celebrations.

Music Therapy

COE-A&C music students did therapeutic service for the cancer patients of Adyar Cancer Institute & Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital, Chennai through their Music Therapy with the help of AMF Foundation, Chennai.

Field Visit

Field Trips to institutions & sites like BIFAC, Kalakshetra Foundation, Dakshinachitra & C.P. were organised. The Art Centre offers rich cultural experience to students.

PERFORMANCES

Public Performances

COE-A&C students gave Public Performances in various places which provided a platform to enhance their talents.

  • Bharatheeya Samskara Ganam, organized by IMCTF, Chennai.
  • Bharata Muni Samskara Natanam
  • Sri Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple, Kotturpuram
  • Samayapuram, Trichy
  • Concerts in the Metro.(UNESCO_Cultural City Chennai Project)
  • Navratri Festivals
  • Sankara TV

Host Performances

Dance students of Centre of Excellence- Art & Culture showcase their talents in various internal college events such as

  • Shreyas- Intercollegiate Cultural Festival
  • Athulya-School Outreach Programme
  • Shasun Shruthi- Inter -School Cultural Fest
  • Pongal Celebrations
  • Shakala Utsav – College Annual Cultural Fest

The Emotional & Visual Power of dance is used for Marketing in

  • COE-Retail Seminar
  • CoE-Retail – ‘Retail Employees’ Day’

Newsletter

Newsletter (Volume 3 – Issue 1)
2022 – 2023