Isha Vidhya Volunteers Raise $12,000 with a Music Concert

On October 19^th at the Keefe Tech Auditorium in Framingham, Massachusetts, USA, a group of singers and instrumentalists came together for Isha Vidhya – Isha Foundation’s rural education initiative – to perform a set of famed Indian composer, Ilaiyaraaja’s, melodies. Instrumentalists Nikhil Pendharkar and Alden D'Souza on the keyboard, Manish Kurup and Angshuman Parashar on the lead and bass guitars, Shridhar Ganapuram on the drums, and Pranav Ghatraju on the Tabla, were joined by singers Raghu Saranathan, Priya Anand, Sankar Gangaikondan, Vasanth Murthy, Uma Sankar and Sudha Lakshmi Rao. The concert was a rousing success and thanks to the generosity of friends and benefactors, the performance raised over $12,000 for Isha Vidhya.

The seeds of the idea were sowed in 2012, when the idea to have a Tamil music show of Ilaiyaraaja’s compositions was mooted. The concert Endrendrum Raja is the culmination of over a year’s worth of effort. Indu Subramanian, a member of the audience, said, “My heart is still soaked with the lovely Ilaiyaraaja hits sung by wonderful artists in the New England Area for Isha's Endrendrum Raja Concert. Amazing song selection. Was an immense joy to hear the live band. Prashanth Palakurthi says, “Thank you for an unforgettable evening of great music. Took me back to the 80’s. The singers, song selection, and the finale medley brought so much joy and cheer to the audience.”

For a complete report on the event, visit India New England’s coverage of the concert.

Editor’s Note: Isha Vidhya is committed to raise the level of education and literacy in rural India by providing rural children with English-medium, computer-based education on par with urban schools. Isha Vidhya’s nine rural schools offer education to 5200 children, 2900 of whom are on full scholarships, thanks to generous donors. If you would like to stay connected with Isha Vidhya, visit the Isha Vidhya facebook page.