Amjad Ali Khan to perform for a cause

India's sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan will be a part of Vision concerts being held in Mumbai and Delhi to mark the start of a new phase in the global campaign to eradicate cataract blindness.

The target is to create 50 cataract surgical backlog free districts in backward parts of India by 2020.

The concerts, being held at NCPA, Mumbai (October 20) and Siri Fort Auditorium, Delhi (October 23), are a part of a India-US musical collaboration that brings together leading international musicians, read a statement.

They are presented by HelpMeSee and Music for Life International (MFLI).

George Mathew, a US-based music conductor and a MFLI Artistic Director, and American violinist Elmira Darvarova will also be a part of the concert.

Mathew said: "Music has the capacity not only to bring people together for a cause, it frequently can become the vehicle to illuminate that cause."

Jacob Mohan Thazhathu, President and CEO, HelpMeSee, said: "Poverty is the underlying cause of cataract blindness, which constitutes more than half of all blindness in the world. It costs about $100 to treat a single case."

--IANS

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