Rebuilding Chennai: a benefit concert
Feat. Nassoons, Roaring 20, Wildcats, PPE, and food by Mehek
On Saturday Feb. 13, 2016, a benefit concert will be held at 7:00 pm in Taplin to raise money for the city of Chennai (Tamil Nadu, India). The event is hosted by Princeton Swara and co-sponsored by the Office of Religious Life’s Hindu Life Program and Princeton Hindu Satsangam.
In December 2015, Chennai, one of the largest cities in India, experienced devastating floods, resulting in a death toll of over 500 people.
Chennai floods, The India Express
Shruthi Rajasekar ’18, Glee Club officer and founder of the Indian classical music group Princeton Swara, was personally affected by the floods. “Like several other Princeton students, Chennai is my family’s home city. My mother was in Chennai aiding relief efforts at the time of the flooding,” she says. “While my mother was just unable to get to our apartment, thousands of people suffered far worse. Many lost everything.” Shruthi was inspired to act, wondering what Princeton could do to help.
Shruthi Rajesaker performing for the Flute ‘n’ Feather Dance Company, Minneapolis, MN
“The Hindu Life Program, Vibhaa [Sivaraman, 2017] and I decided to organize a benefit concert as tribute to Chennai’s vibrant arts culture.” Chennai is home to one of the largest music and dance festivals in the world. The 1,000 concert-festival takes place starts in mid-December and ends in late January. After a huge public debate, the city decided to go on with the festival.
World-renown musician (and Shruthi’s mother) Nirmala Rajesaker distributing items to flood victims on behalf of Carnatica Texas, an arts-based non-profit organization that has been aiding flood-relief
The concert will be held in Taplin at 7pm, on February 13, 2016. A dinner catered by Mehek will follow. Student tickets (available at Frist) are $10, and include dinner. Non-student tickets are $20. All proceeds will go towards the Chennai relief effort. The list of performers is as follows: Nassoons, Wildcats, PPE, Tigressions, Roaring 20, Avanthika Srinivasan, Swara, Contrapunctus XIV, and Tarana.
“One of the most inspiring results of this tragedy has been Chennai’s resilience. As diverse as the city is, it has unified under a common goal. We could learn a lot from the Chennai people’s spirit of coming together.”