Chennai is the city that is well known for its December music season, food, temples, beaches and deep rooted culture. People from all over the world congregate in this city during the month of December to attend the hundreds of concerts that happen during a 3 week long period.

This city and its suburbs suffered a historic rain fall and flooding recently. But thanks to the resilience of the Chennai residents and the generosity of the people from around the globe the city is now recovering from the devastation. But still a lot of work needs to be done such as taking care of people affected by illnesses brought on by the flood, schools that lost classroom supplies, people who lost many of their personal belongings that they accumulated over the years through hard work and old folks homes that lost their buildings to the flood.

It is almost a moral obligation for us who live half way across the globe to help the city and its people who have been affected by this unprecedented event. Smitha Krishnan, a young woman, a violinist who is the student of Delhi Sundarajaran and a graduate student at Tufts University has taken the initiative to organize a cultural program to raise funds to help the cause. This program is very aptly called New England for Chennai since the local music and dance teachers are taking part in this program by presenting music and dance programs.

This evening will start with Durga Krishnan, well known veena artist/teacher from our area and her two of her senior students presenting a veena recital. This will then be followed by a Hindustani vocal recital by our own Shuchita Rao and some of her students. Uma Sankar, one of our talented music teachers will present a Carnatic vocal recital and the evening will end with a dance program by popular dance teachers of this area, Sujatha Meyyappan, Sripriya Natarajan, and Jeyanthi Ghatraju. Mridangam artists/teachers Pravin Sitaram and Mahalingam Santhanakrishnan and tabla artist/teacher Rajesh Pai will be providing percussion support to the program.

This fund raising event will take place under the banner of Sankara Healthcare Foundation on the 23rd of this month at Algonquin Regional High School in Northboro at 79 Bartlett Street and the tickets can be purchased online at www.giftofhealth.us. 

This event gives an opportunity to all in the New England area to come together to help a great cause and be a part in erasing the sufferings of people from our homeland.