COVID-19: ISRA brings together top musicians for virtual concert Sangeet Setu'

Some of the biggest names from Indian music including Asha Bhonsle, S P Balasubramaniam and K J Yesudas are joining hands for a series of virtual concerts to express their solidarity with the people working at the forefront of the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

The Indian Singers Rights Association (ISRA) announced that it will hold a three-day concert 'Sangeet Setu', starting from April 10 between 8 pm and 9 pm, with the aim to entertain the public and help them deal with the stress in these unprecedented times of lockdown.

"The feed for the concert, dedicated to PM CARES, will be available on OTT platforms, Television, Digital and Social channels, the ISRA said in a release.

The concert, blessed by nightingale of bollywood Lata Mangeshkar, has an impressive line-up of veterans Asha Bhonsle, S P Balasubramaniam, K J Yesudas, Udit Narayan, Anoop Jalota, Pankaj Udhas, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sudesh Bhosale, Suresh Wadkar, Talat Aziz, Alka Yagnik, Kumar Shanu, Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan, Sonu Nigam, Salim Merchant, Shaan and Kailash Kher, the ISRA said.

"ISRA decided that leading singers of the country will entertain the masses and try to lighten their stress, strain and depression in these tough times. I thank all the artists who have made themselves available for this national service," Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sanjay Tandon said.

Moving Pixels Company, XP&D and Be.live have partnered with the ISRA in this effort.

MPC Creative Director, Manish Baradia said, This is not just a concert series, it is a national movement. We want to take this concert to one billion screens.

Speaking on behalf XP&D and Be.Live, Sukrit Singh said the O2O (Offline to Online) concert belongs to the nation - our feed is free for anyone who can get it to a screen.

"We appeal to every OTT, TV or digital channel to stream the content for free and show solidarity with the current battle. The feed of the virtual concerts will be available on several OTT platforms including MX Player, Hotstar, Vodafone Play, Flipkart, Jio Tv and Sony Liv, Singh said.

Singer Sonu Nigam said said the concert was their tribute to every Indian fighting against the coronavirus.

Every Indian be it an official, a health worker, an essential services provider or citizen at home - is contributing in this battle. Especially the mothers, home makers and sisters at home are bearing the burden and as artists we salute you through our music.

Shaan urged people to tune in and donate in the times of crisis.

We urge everyone to stay at home. With this initiative, we will be able to come to your homes and sing for the country. I urge everyone to donate generously to the PM Cares fund, as every single rupee counts, Shaan said.

"On behalf of ISRA we come together as a family to sing for you all to spread positivity amongst all of us in this dark phase bringing entertainment for enlightenment and cheer, Kher added.