Saptaswar, the premier singing group of New England and Udavum Karangal, a registered non-governmental non-religious and Non-profit social service organization based in Chennai, India, are all set to host an entertaining evening of melodies. On December 7, 2002, at the Keefe Tech in Framingham, Saptaswar will present a fund raising musical concert featuring some of the best musical talents of New England. Instrumental music, popular Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam film songs, old and new, will be sung and going from their past performances, this one is sure to generate tremendous enthusiasm from the public. A major portion of the proceeds will go to Udavum Karangal.

About Udavum Karangal and Saptaswar

UDAVUM KARANGAL, a registered non-governmental non-religious and Non-profit social service organization based in Chennai, India, was established in 1983 with the sole objective of serving people in distress. In 1983, Vidyakar, the founder began his work in a voluntary counseling and guidance center, as a professional social worker, in the slums of N.S.K. Nagar, Chennai.
Vidyakar and his team of dedicated committed volunteers have made Udavum Karangal the force it is today, running five centers in Tiruverkadu, Maduravoyal, Velappanchavadi, Teynampet, Ambattur and Coimbatore. Constant encouragement, patronage and donations from well wishers around the world have sustained Udavum Karangal helping it become what it is today. I spoke at length about Udavum Karangal with one of their US Volunteers, Mr. Sundar Balasuryan.
First off, his enthusiasm and commitment are palpable in his rhetoric. As an involved patron he makes a trip to the center in Tiruverkadu at least three times every year and is abreast of every development in the center. Mr. Sundar Balasuryan, founder of the Tech Company, Vedas - is a good friend and supporter of Mr. Vidyakar.
His active involvement with Udavam Karangal began about four years ago when he heard his brother, who lives in Chennai talk about it. Since then he has been instrumental in running and developing the web site for Udavum Karangal. "No one," he insists, "can remain neutral or unemotional to the plight of these unfortunate people. Once you have seen them and the support this organization provides, you naturally want to become a part of it."
Another non- profit organization, ASHA for education teamed up with Vedas to provide computers for the high school. ASHA is now working with Schoolnet in India to formalize the computer education in this school.
Sundar also tells me about a plant nursery that is nurtured by residents of the home for the mentally retarded. Everyone in this center is actively involved in the upkeep and day- to- day activities of the center in spite of their personal challenges. Vidyakar or 'Papa' as he is addressed affectionately by the children makes everyone part of this extended family. Everyone contributes to the well being of the whole center, thus providing them with self-respect, hope and a reason to make an effort to lead a normal life.
Geeta Kannan, also of Vedas is a keen supporter and patron of Udavum Karangal. She talks fondly about her visits to the center with her sister and their children. "I want the children brought up with so much here, to see the plight of the underprivileged ones who live in some parts of India" she says. "Also, they should see Mr. Vidyakar as an example of how much one human being can do for others and how well."
If you want to know more about Udavum Karangal or want to contact them please go to www.udavumkarangal.org.

SAPTASWAR

Saptaswar is a music group formed by talented musicians and artists from the New England, Connecticut, and New York, New Jersey areas. It is committed to unify the rich talents of all of its members and utilize them to raise public awareness and/or funds to support the noble causes of local non-profit and charity organizations.
Says the director of Saptaswar Mr. Mohan Somasundaram :
“Our group is called "Saptaswar: Music Group with a Cause"...each performer is volunteering his or her time and talent, and because of this commitment to Saptaswar's objective/philosophy my efforts to unify and channel their talents are relatively easy! While we get together and enjoy what we like to do best (musically speaking!) in front of an audience made up of the community that we live in, we use such opportunities to inform the community about various charity/non-profit organizations and all about their noble goals and humanitarian services...
To this end, we are proud to be performing for an organization like Udavum Karangal and to be instrumental in spreading the word on their noble deeds...during the evening of the program and beyond, we will work with them to raise much-needed funds to complete their projects involving orphans, abused women and destitute children.
On a personal note, at my professional front I have been working in the areas of Pediatric and Adult AIDS research for more than 15+ years; and so I do feel that the Saptaswar-program for Udavum Karangal is a little closer to my heart because of their Kutty Papa-project that provides help to children with AIDS in Chennai and elsewhere in India.
Our previous program in June 2002 was for GURI, a non-profit organization that raised substantial amount of money for their projects to set up schools for children and elderly in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh and surrounding States.
We also believe that we need to give back to the immediate community that we live in and acknowledge the great opportunities that have been given to us to succeed in this Country...We shared the proceedings from our March, 2002 program with The Free Medical Clinic program of Worcester County, The Community Radio WCUW 91.3FM of Worcester, and with the India Society of Worchester’s Scholarship program for students with excellence in High School going onto College - health, art/music and education aspects of the community. We hope to continue our activities and collaborate with various other organizations and able to be part of the efforts to contribute to the well being of the Society, local and global!"
To learn more about Saptaswar please visit
www.saptaswar.org

|