BIT Mesra’s ‘Dhwani’ Is One Of Jharkhand’s Best Inter-College Competitions

NAAD – the annual inter-college music competition conducted by Dhwani every year, will take place at a grander scale this time. With a series of exhilarating events and competitions, NAAD is back to mesmerize everyone and all set to make its triumphant return from 13^th-15^th March 2020. Dhwani – Music Club, BIT Mesra is the oldest club of BIT Mesra, and is associated with organizing several musical events which include Live Jams, BIT Unplugged and the Annual Music Competition -NAAD. Dhwani also conducts workshops in the field of vocals, table, guitar, keyboard, drums, beatboxing, sitar, and mixing & mastering throughout the year, for the enhancement of musical skills of the students.

This time, a footfall of more than 1500 music enthusiasts is expected in NAAD. Participants are expected from schools and colleges from all over Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, and Dhanbad which include students from Delhi Public School Ranchi, ISM Dhanbad, XLRI Jamshedpur, NIT Jamshedpur, CUJ Jharkhand, Ranchi University, St. Xaviers’ College, Ranchi and numerous other music schools and colleges in the state of Jharkhand.

A series of formal and informal events will be conducted, and for the very first time, NAAD will have its own flagship event.

Flagship Event: Mandra Mayhem – Battle of Bands

Formal Events:

1) Raageshree – Classical singing competition (Solo)
2) Dhun – Instrumental Competition (Solo)
3) Alankaar– Eastern Music Competition (Solo)
4) Euphony– Western Music Competition (Solo)
5) Maati – Regional Music Competition (Group)
Online Event: Hymn for the Weekend – Online Facebook entries-based event.

This year, eminent musicians of India have been invited to be a part of the esteemed judging panel of the various competitions in NAAD. The judging panel comprises of-

1. Pandit (Dr.) Harvinder Kumar Sharma – A gifted sitarist and disciple of Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan of Imdadkhani Gharana, Dr. Harvinder Kumar Sharma began his musical journey from a tender age of five. He has been a recipient of innumerable awards by prestigious musical organisations, the State Government of Haryana and Constituents of Surrey Newton British Columbia Canada. A ‘Top’ grade artist of All India Radio and having taught music in India as well as abroad, Dr. Harvinder has honed his skills in music for more than 32 years.
   
2. Lalit Narang – Mr. Lalit Narang started his musical journey at the age of 16 when he took formal Guitar training from Mr. Japal Moni (Music Director). Having developed interest in Teaching, he has trained students since 2012 from Trinity College (UK) and Rock School (UK) in Electronic keyboard and Guitar. With his 18 years of experience, Lalit Narang has been a part of the Judge Panel for many Western Music Competitions on National and Zonal Level organized by Association of Indian University, an Autonomous Body of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
   
3. Dr. Arvinder Singh – A Delhi based musician, music composer and music director, Dr. Arvinder Singh graduated in Music Honours from Delhi school of Music, Chanakyapuri in the 1990s. He owns ‘Muzic Monk’, a Music Studio in Delhi NCR. He has worked with renowned singers and musicians from all over India. He has also performed in various countries under the musical programmes conducted by ICCR.
   
4. Shailendra Kumar Pathak – Mr. Shailendra Kumar Pathak, an Intermediate in Arts from Gaya College, Gaya (Bihar) was awarded Best judge in 35^th AIU National Youth Festival 2020. He has been a recipient of several awards such as B-HIGH grade artist in dhrupad/dhamar from All India Radio, Ranchi and Doordarshan and has been awarded ‘Antarashtriya Kala Shree’ for his excellence in the field of Dhrupad/Dhamar. He has represented India at the Stage of ‘Renaissance of Writers, Artists Association DMS’ at Hong Kong in 2018, and has also represented Jharkhand in 10^th National Youth Festival, organised by Government of India at Hyderabad.
   
5. Suresh Prasad Gupta – Born in the musician family of the renowned vocalist of North Bihar Late Shri- Kailash Prakash Gupta, Suresh Prasad Gupta began learning music from his father. He was further trained by Padmashree- Pandit Sia Ram Tiwari and Padmashree- Pandit Vinayak Rao Patwardhan. A Jharkhand Ratna Awardee, he has performed internationally in places such as Nepal and Los Angeles. He is a High-Grade artist of the A.I.R. and Doordarshan. He specializes in Dhrupad, Dhamar, khyal, Thumri, Bhajan, geet, folk song and Ghazal. He served as the H.O.D. (Music) at Vikas Vidya, Ranchi and is presently the acting Secretary of A-One Public School, Ranchi.
   
6. Kabeeb Sivaprasad – An esteemed alumnus of BIT Mesra, Kabeeb Sivaprasad is a 25-year-old bassist from Chennai. Passionate about music, opinionated about life and looking to accomplish more than just fame, Mr. Sivaprasad takes life as it comes, one step at a time. He thrives on a space, free to experiment with music. He was a part of one of the most famous bands of BIT Mesra ‘Flying Panda’, which won various competitions at cultural fests all over the country. Currently, he works as a freelancer and plays for bands like Siennor, Arima Collective, Koadaari, Safe Asylum and Since 105.

This year, witness NAAD at its complete grandeur, as it takes place at a scale like never before. The top 2 winners from each competition will compete against each other on ‘Nishaad’– the grand finale night and the winners stand a chance to win prizes worth 15k and exciting goodies.

General Rules – Students of age 12 and above shall be allowed to participate.

For more details and to register for the events, visit the Official Website of NAAD https://naad.dhwanibitmesra.live/