On Sunday, March 27th, Child Rights and You Boston (http://www.cryboston.org) organized yet another sold-out, highly entertaining fundraiser event for child rights and education: “Isai Mazhai 2011”. The words “Isai Mazhai” means “Rain of Music” in Tamil, the language of the state of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. “Isai Mazhai 2011” was a light music show by a group called “Band-Aid”, which performed hit songs from Tamil movies on stage. The event was held at the India Center in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

There is an interesting story behind the name of the performing group - “Band-Aid”. Mahesh and Bharath, organizers and also singers in the band, were thinking of a name for the band. While explaining to a Udavum Karangal (UK) volunteer that their goal was to do shows to aid good causes, the UK volunteer said “Oh, since you are a band that aids good causes, maybe you should call yourselves Band-Aid” and hence the name! Band-Aid fully justified the reasoning behind the name by raising $1650 from this event for underprivileged children!

While Mahesh and Bharath put together the band and the event, the shining stars who really carried the show on their shoulders and showered the audience with delightful music were Meena Sundaram, Priya Raj, Sankar Gangaikondan and Uma Sankar! All four of them are very popular in the Massachusetts area and have performed many, many times on stage for various bands. It is a true honor and privilege for Child Rights and You and Band-Aid to have these singers perform on stage in support of the cause. Every one of them not only dedicated a lot of time and effort into practising for the show, but also helped get sponsors for CRY and to fill the venue with an enthusiastic audience that were already their friends and fans. A big thank you goes to Jawed Ji, our sound engineer and also to Aarthi (Mahesh’s wife) and Raj (Priya’s husband) for their love, support and encouragement from inception to completion!

The show started off at around 4 p.m. with introductions by Naveena and Ram who were comperes of the show. They both did a great job by introducing each song with an interesting tidbit or story and kept the audience smiling all day. Soon after, a flurry of tamil songs from the movies were performed on stage that kept the audience fully entertained. The songs ranged from hit movies from the 1980’s like “Thalapathi” all the way to the latest blockbuster in 2010: “Endhiran” (“Robot”). Uma and Sankar quickly set the expectations high with a beautiful rendition of “Kangal Irandal” from the movie “Subramanyapuram”. Meena raised the stakes even higher with a powerhouse performance of “Konjam Nilavu” from the movie “Thiruda Thiruda”. Priya sealed the deal with the song of the night, “Ninnukori Varnam”, for which the audience screamed “once-more” and made her repeat the song: a true honor for any artist. Bharath and Mahesh rocked the stage together with duet performances of “Ayyayo Nenju” from the movie “Aadukalam” and “Ennama Kannu” from the movie “Mr. Bharath”. As a surprise element, Bharath also performed a self-written rap to root for the Indian cricket team which was then headed to a highly anticipated semi-finals bout against a respectable rival. The highlight of the show was the performance of “Vande Mataram” (A.R. Rahman’s album version) by five very talented kids: Shreya (vocals), Sindhu (vocals), Vasanth (vocals), Tarun (keyboard, vocal support) and Mano (keyboard). The audience erupted in applause after the performance and the performing kids received many compliments for the rendition.

This event was a real treat to the audience for many reasons. The singers were excellent, the song selection was top-notch and the audience heard a good variety of songs ranging from romantic melodies to rap renditions. The entry fee was also very nominal ($10) and entry was free for kids less than seven years of age. To top it off, The Pongal Restaurant served mouth-watering dinner for just $6 which was well-appreciated by the audience.

CRY Boston raised $1,650 from this event, all of which benefit underprivileged children. CRY Boston wants to sincerely thank every one of the following sponsors who made it possible to raise money for the children with their magnanimous contributions: The Pongal Restaurant, Lessons and More 58, Lilliput Early Childhood Center, Aloha Mind Math, Mr. Ananth Ram (Re/Max Realtor), Newton Wellesley Hospital & West Suburban Cardiology and Praveena’s clothing & accessories.

Shefali Sunderlal, President CRY America, emphasized the need for individuals to participate in such events and support the cause of child rights. She said, “It is CRY America’s hope that a time will come when all marginalized children will attain their basic rights to learn, live, play, and realize their own full potential. We believe that each one of us can make a difference and that together, we will create a movement that irrevocably changes children’s lives.”

For more information about CRY America, please visit www.america.cry.org or write to support@cryamerica.org.

CRY America is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization driven by its vision of a just world in which every child has an equal opportunity to develop to his or her full potential. Since inception, in 5 years, CRY America has irreversibly transformed the lives of 156,503 children in India through support to 30 projects in 1,211 villages and slums. This has been possible due to the overwhelming support of 500 volunteers and 8,100 donors in the USA. CRY America believes in the power of people. Of individuals and organizations spurred by the belief that 'Change is possible, because I will make it possible'.

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