Nazraana - A Magnificent Musical Fundraiser!

The spectacular music event, NAZRAANA was held this past Saturday, August 20. The event took place at the Hanover Theater in Worcester, MA. This musical event was a fundraiser for Samarthanam Trust for Disabled, the India based non-profit that is enabling the livelihood means for thousands of physically disabled and visually challenged people.

The chief guest of the evening was Mrs. Chitrani Lahiri, wife of late Bappi Lahiri. Worcester city Mayor Joseph Petty, and Vin Perrone of Veterans Inc. graced the event. It was special that Dr. Mahantesh Kivadasannavar , Managing Trustee and Founder and CEO of Samarthanam Trust for Disabled addressed the crowd and informed them about the strides that the organization is making in empowering the differently-abled people. Varavani Dwarki, president of Samarthanam USA welcomed the crowd. Prashanth Palakurthi of Juju Productions also addressed the audience. Anusha Kulkarni and Shreya Madhu presented the US and Indian national anthems at the start of the program.

There were amazing performances by Vijay Prakash and Anuradha Palakruthi. Together they enthralled the audiences with numbers from Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Marathi. There were special tributes to Latha Mangeshkar, Bappi Lahiri and Puneeth Rajkumar. An event of this scale – songs from multiple languages, 40 musicians’ accompaniment, stunning lighting and visuals is truly unprecedented in the Boston area Indian musical shows history.

Vijay Prakash and Anuradha Palakurthi are great performers. There are many numbers from this evening that the members of audience will remember for a long time - Vijay Prakash’s “Om Shivoham”, “Bombe heLuthaithe”, “Dil Kya Kare”, “Hosanna” and Anuradha’s “”Jaan Meri”, “Bappi medley”, “Piya thu”, “Oo antava” are just a few examples. The audience also received their duets very well.

The band of 40 musicians, led by Kamlesh Bhadkamkar from Mumbai accompanied them. The band is extremely talented and consisted of chorus singers, string coordinator, tabla players, dholak players, thumba players, drummers, octapad players, percussionists, keyboard players, guitarists, flute players, violinists, sitar player, trumpeters, and other people who helped create the magic!

This amazing musical spectacle was presented by many organizations joining hands for a wonderful cause - “Samarthanam”. Samarthanam USA hosted the event. It is the U.S. chapter of Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled (India), which works to help empower people with physical disabilities. Samarthanam has helped 14,114 children get an education, provided 22,974 youth with training to widen employment opportunities, and provided 73,000 children in 50 government schools in India with meals.

Juju Productions was the other organizer. Juju Productions strives to create music that transcends national and cultural boundaries while still staying true to their Indian roots. India Association of Greater Boston (IAGB), another organizer, is an Indian-American community with a long history dedicated to civic, community, social, and cultural causes. Last, but not the least, we had India Society of Worcester (ISW) who serve as a window into the cultural heritage of India, not only for Indians but also for the local community in the Greater Worcester area.

Close to 1300 people attended the concert, and they agree that a musical event of such magnitude was a rare occurrence.

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