Child Relief and You America (CRY America), is conducting its first major countrywide fund-raising activity in America, BALSURI, a concert by bansuri (bamboo flute) virtuoso, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia.

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is known internationally as the greatest living master of Bansuri, the North Indian bamboo flute. Chaurasia is among a few but growing classicists who have made a conscious effort to reach out and expand the audience for classical music. He is probably the most accessible Hindustani musician who has done a lot to popularize Bansuri and classical music among the masses.

Hariprasad Chaurasia was born in Allahabad in 1938 into a non musical family. His father was a wrestler. His mother died when he was very young. Hariprasad had to learn music almost in secret, scared of the father who wanted him to become a wrestler. First he started learning vocal music from Pt. Rajaram at the age of 15. Later, he switched to playing the flute under the tutelage of Pt. Bholanath of Varanasi. Much later, while working for All India Radio, he received guidance from the reclusive Smt. Annapurna Devi (daughter of Baba Allaudin Khan ).

Pt. Chaurasia is a rare combination of innovator and traditionalist. Using an uncanny combination of breathing and blowing techniques, he can produce an astounding four octaves on this simple musical instrument. His playing has been described as haunting, melodic and mesmerizing. Apart from classical music, he has made a mark as a Hindi film music director along with Pt Shivkumar Sharma forming a group called Shiv-Hari, while co-writing the music for Silsila.. He has also combined with various world musicians at experimental music, including the famous group Shakthi.

The great Indian master of the North Indian Bamboo Flute has won a number of prestigious awards including the Sangeet Natak Academy (1984), Padmabhushan (1992) and Padma Vibhushan (2000).

At the Bal Suri concert, Panditji will be accompanied by Pandit Bhawani Shankar Kathak on the tabla, Debopriya Chatterjee Ranadive on the flute and child prodigy, Rimpa Siva, also referred to as "Princess of Tabla", on the tabla. The entire amount raised through ticket sales will go towards the child development initiatives we support.

Location: Boston
Venue: John Hancock Building, 180 Berkeley Street, Hancock Place, Boston, MA 02116
Date: 10/23/04
Time: 7.00 p.m
Tickets: Patron $75; Deluxe $50; General $25; Student $15.
Book online: https://www.sulekha.com/oservices/buytickets.asp?cid=40000&nma=BOS
Contact: Sarika Agarwal - call 508-376-5861 or email cryamerica.boston@crymail.org

CRY America is a registered, non-profit organization in the USA that works towards restoring basic rights to underprivileged children, especially Indian. The focus is clearly on 4 basic rights that were defined in 1989, by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, an international human rights treaty to which 191 countries, including India, are signatories.

The Charter of Child Rights is built on the premise that ALL children are born with fundamental freedoms and ALL human beings have some inherent rights. By signing this Convention, these countries recognize children as a distinct group of individuals whose concerns need to be addressed separately under law and policy. The Charter confers the following basic rights on all children across the world, without discrimination:

the right to survival to life, health, nutrition, name and nationality
the right to development to education, care, leisure, recreation
the right to protection from exploitation, abuse, neglect
the right to participation to expression, information, thought and religion.

CRY America works to ensure these rights to all categories of underprivileged children, who could be street children, girl children, children bonded in labor, children of commercial sex workers, physically and mentally challenged children and children in juvenile institutions.

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