Archives
Contribute
| SANGAM: A Unique Concert Of Older And Newer Hindi Film Songs |
Meena Sundaram
09/12/2012
(Naye Purane geeton ki ek anokhi shaam)
Friends, EKAL VIDYALAYA is proud to announce SANGAM: A unique concert weaving melodious old Hindi film songs with the best of the new in a creative presentation. You will immerse yourselves in nostalgia, entertainment, the glory of music and support EKAL Vidyalaya’s noble goal of eradicating illiteracy from every corner of India. Please join us Sept 22nd, 2012 at 6:30 PM at Keefe technical School, 750 Winter Street, Framingham, MA 01702. All proceeds will benefit EKAL Vidyalaya, the organization and its mission of providing education in the most rural areas of India. You will have a fantastic time in SANGAM!
Singers include: Meena Sundaram, Sankar Gangaikondan, Parag Joshi, Mohan Subramaniam, Nidhi Tare, Sriharsha Sista and Nalini Krishnan.
Emcees include Kumkum Pareek Malik, Siraj Khan, Meera Subramaniam, Razia Mashkoor, Nalini Sharma, Jayashree Shahane, Monisha Prakash and Jharna Madan.
Sound and audiovisuals by Jawed Wahid and Lights by Sujit Potdar.
Please buy your tickets at http://www.lokvani.com/lokvani/cal.php?stage=1&event_id=9217.
Puran Dang, Chairman of Ekal Vidyalaya said “There is no higher cause than to help the poor destitute children. Education is the surest way to success. The mission of EKAL is to educate these kids but all generous people have to work together to accomplish this goal. The Music show on September 22 is to provide a grand evening of melodious songs and dinner to all those who love children. Ekal welcomes you to join in the celebration.â€
SANGAM is a unison of the noble cause of EKAL, the creative vision of Kumkum Pareek Malik and myself and the host of singers, emcees, volunteers and supports of this event. I requested Kumkum to elaborate on the journey we have travelled together; she has been the backbone of this event and this show would not be happening without her commitment and expertise.
Kumkum says “It has been a rich, deeply demanding journey in very good ways. I learned so much about how to bring out the best in everyone, and about the strengths that each person brought to this endeavor. There were days when I would feel so anxious that I promised myself I would never do another show again, only to realize the next day, sometimes even in the next moment, that this is what I love to do. But I could not have done it alone; Meena Sundaram, my co-producer, and I have had countless midnight phone calls, interrupted our work just to take each other's calls, and invented, planned and dreamed this show together. She has been invaluable. I have also felt very lucky to work with this particular group of singers and emcees. It was clear from the beginning that everyone wanted to do the show, and that mattered a lot to me. There were absolutely no egos in the room, ever.
All the hard work has been worth it, because of the cause. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to serve the cause of Ekal Vidyalaya. From far away, across an ocean, I feel as though I have touched the life of a child I may never meet, understood the pain and dreams of her parents, and perhaps become a little bit more humble and grateful for what life has given me. I cannot thank Ekal Vidyalaya enough for this opportunity, especially Shri Puran Dang and Shri Ram Nehra, for entrusting me with their first ever concert open for the general public. It is a new idea that two creative women, with a lot of help, have dreamed up. I am confident that audiences will fall in love with the music they will hear. “
Hi this is Meena Sundaram. I have been similarly touched by this process. Musically, I envisaged SANGAM as a way to display the best of the old and new side-by-side, so as to remove any barriers of time, age, preference and let the music, lyrics and emotion of the songs speak for themselves. “Naye hon ya purane hon sangeet ki kahani ek hi hai, lekin samay ki dhaara jis mod se guzarti hai, sangeet wohi mod leti haiâ€. I also felt that some stalwarts in Indian cinema have left their marks in the world of film music and it is our responsibility to remember their contributions and make sure their memory and music does not fade. The singers of SANGAM are presenting songs from various periods, singers and emotions so you will have a good sense of their versatility. I also wanted to presented a mix of established and younger, upcoming singers so we have a naya purana mix right there. Our team of artistes have been a joy to work with and EKAL VIDYALAYA especially Puranji and Ramji pillars of support.
We also have the privilege of having Siraj Khanji as one of our emcees. He describes himself as a world citizen who lives a life without boundaries and continues to build bridges of peace and bonding through music. He has produced many events in the Boston area and I wanted to know his thoughts on SANGAM. Sirajji described the concept as “Beyond the meeting point of old and new songs, SANGAM is a blend of old and new thoughts on education and knowledgeâ€
When I requested Sirajji to name a popular actor in the “older†genre and one in the newer†genre that have significant similarities, without hesitation, he replied “Ashok Kumar and Anupam Kher: I draw the similarities primarily finding them both very versatile in the roles they have played. Apart from being cast in lead roles, they have both excelled as villains, character roles, parents, grandparents, dirty old men, suave villains, comics and even terrorists. One cannot do any better. Anupam excels slightly in the comic department.â€
Hope you have had a quick peek at the wonderful people making up TEAM SANGAM and the various talents they are bringing to this show on Face book and have enjoyed our personal accounts in this article.
Ranjani Saigal, a long-time supporter of EKAL Vidyalaya and Woman of the Year 2012 rightly exhorts “This is truly a FABULOUS show and to support a great cause!!! Come because you like music!! Come because you want to bring education to people who have no access to it!!! Not too many chances to have a great time while helping a great cause!â€
Toh, ab hamara Milan 22nd September ko SANGAM mein hoga.. Hoga… HOGA!
It is our privilege to be associated with EKAL and work on this wonderful event. We hope all of you in the New England community will attend and support this event! Tickets are available at http://www.lokvani.com/lokvani/cal.php?stage=1&event_id=9217.
|
You may also access this article through our web-site http://www.lokvani.com/
