Artistes join hands for fundraiser event to support drought-hit Maharashtra

An array of artistes, including multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Dhruv Visvanath and stand-up comedian Sanjay Rajoura, will perform at a fundraiser concert called "Paani" for the victims of the Maharashtra drought.

A collective effort of NGO Pyaas, and organisers Big Bad Wolf and antiSOCIAL, the fundraiser will be held here on Thursday and in Mumbai on June 9.

All money raised will be sent will donated to NGO Give India, which in turn will match total contribution, therefore doubling the total funds collected.

Karan Singh Magic, Komorebi, Soul'd Out, Pratyush Pushkar, Aditi Angrias, Aditya Balani are some of the other performers for the Delhi show.

"Honestly, I am doing this because I feel a terrible guilt. Guilt, because I didn't know about the drought earlier, guilt because I live happily while 12-year-olds are dying of heatstrokes. This led me to tell myself very clearly that I needed to do something, so we got a group of people together; and tried to whatever we could, while continuously realising that whatever we do will not be enough," Sameer Thakur, founder, Pyaas, said in a statement.

Dhruv Jagasia, CEO, Big Bad Wolf, says that it is a "noble endeavour" to help victims of drought.

"Paani is one of their campaigns to provide help and support to the people affected by the drought in Maharashtra, when he spoke to us about #Paani, his conviction inspired us to do what we can in our little way. We have put together an engaging mix of talent, from comedy to music and poetry for the two fundraisers," Jagasia said.

"This cause matters to me because unlike many in the country I don't get offended by a silly joke by a comedian but I do get offended when farmers are suffering from drought and are denied basic human dignity by an apathetic government," Rajoura added.

Visvanath says he can't wait to perform at the event, as it is more than just music.

"I grew up in Mumbai and took a lot for granted as a child. To see the country suffering from something like this drought after all these years is hard to swallow. I really believe in the cause, and hope that the efforts we put across can have a strong impact in Maharashtra," he said.

--IANS

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