Friends,
Words fail me today as I write this. Poetic expressions and language are not enough to express the flow of emotions and feelings. But let me try to write in as simple words as possible.
It all started 5-6 months back. One of my friends, Akhila, was in a Ayurvedic place getting treated for some pain and she suggested that why don’t we do something at Karunashraya. And then the world conspired to make it happen. A chance meeting with Bharat led to me attending Diwali Celebrations at Karunashraya and then we discussed this idea of doing a fund raiser. And from no where I got connected with the fabulous team whose commitment levels were amazing ( no more awesome ).
And I realized very soon that this was a very different organization and the cause they work for is so noble that even if we contribute to it in any possible way, we will be the privileged party. But then we had never done a ticketed show. We at BBG take pride in being totaly non commercial. We love music and love spreading happiness via it, that is the reason why we do it, nothing more, nothing less. But then when I put across the idea to do a fundraiser I had support from the BBG gang. Shalini and Falguni as always were eager to make it happen. And then started discussions with artists. Shammas was one of the first one I talked to and he as always was enthusiastic not only to sing but also help in organizing. Nanu, Mathangi, Kumaran, Vikram, Malvika, Chitra, Kunal, all of them did not bat an eyelid before confirming to donating their talent for the cause. It was so nice to see these accomplished artists were so excited about the cause. I am so touched by their support and makes me feel proud to have them in BBG fold.
As the show preparation started, the tension was clear on my face. I guess everybody around saw it. And so many people offered to help. Anu, Ekta, Mahantesh and Chetan to name a few of them. The team at Indian Cancer Society was always supportive. Ritesh from Mumbai penned down some great lines for me to host the show. Some awesome music lovers came over from different parts of the country to just attend the show. Lata from Mumbai, Rajani from Hyderabad and Kalesh from Chennai to mention a few of them. Vinod and Praveen made sure that the memories of this show will linger on with their insightfull photography.
And then as the music unfolded on the stage, my thoughts were wandering thinking of patients who have only few months of life left. We sometime hold life so tightly that we almost suffocate it. May be we could lead a life holding it gently. Letting it loose sometimes and holding back in another moment. May be we could live every moment. Just like a cruiser biker who enjoys the travel more than destination.
This was our first attempt at doing a fund raiser. We might have made mistakes and we thank you for being gracious enough to forgive us for them. All we promise is that we will continue to work hard, we will continue to be 100% non commercial, we will continue to spread happiness via music. BBG has given lot of us an opportunity to find a purpose in life.
Stay tuned…