Saarang

Saarang

Born in 1974 as ‘Mardi Gras’ and renamed Saarang in 1996 after the spotted deer of the IIT Madras campus. Chennai’s flagship January fest spans Choreo Night, Decibels and a genuinely global World Fest; past stages have held Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Opeth alike.

Run by: Saarang Student Body — 450 coordinators, 12 departments, led by 2 Cultural Secretaries elected annually in March
Colleges: 350-500+ colleges
Region: South
Founded: 1974
Usually in: January
Edition: 52nd
Contact Details: Sandeep S V (Core, QMS, Saarang 2026): +91 63740 92705; Grisha Shetty (Core, Sponsorship & PR, Saarang 2026): +91 78996 12004; historical: Abhinav P S +91 79078 33031, Sharanya Kannan +91 63696 24566
Institution: IIT Madras
Website: https://saarang.org
Instagram: @saarang_iitmadras
History & Origin:

Named after ‘Saarang’ — Sanskrit for the Chital/Spotted Deer (common on IIT-M campus). Started 1974 as ‘Mardi Gras’; renamed Saarang in 1996. Second-oldest college cultural fest in India. Student-run, ISO 9001:2015 certified.

Flagship Events

Choreo Night, Decibels (rock), Spotlight Lecture Series, World Fest (international acts), Classical Nights, Pro-Shows, Saarang Mr & Ms

Past Performers

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Farhan Akhtar, Rajesh Vaidya, Shobana, Opeth, AronChupa, DubVision, Katatonia. 2026 lectures: GV Prakash, Sivaangi Krishnakumar

Talent Stories:

Decibels has been a launchpad for South Indian indie rock. Social campaigns: MANN, Urjam, Kalaa 2026 (traditional arts artisans).

Sponsors & Partners:

Wipro, Cognizant, MRF, Vodafone, Essar, Airtel, Nokia, Hero, AirAsia, SBI, Canara Bank, Pepe Jeans, McDonald’s. Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for World Fest.

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