Philanthropy and Indian show tunes went hand in hand at Galvin Playhouse on the Tempe campus Saturday evening.
The Tempe and ASU chapters of the Association for India’s Development presented “Sur aur Taal,” a Bollywood-style charity concert to raise funds for social reform and grassroots relief projects in India.
All proceeds from ticket sales went to help the organization’s two major relief projects. Some funds will go to flood-relief victims in the Indian state of Bahir, where heavy monsoon rains flooded more than 40 villages in August 2008, for supplies and rebuilding efforts.
Money raised at the concert will also help fund the Eureka Child program, which aims to improve the quality of primary education in rural and government schools in India.
ASU President Shriya Seshadri said the groups combined to promote cultural diversity to entertain the community and raise awareness for the relief efforts.
“It’s a win-win situation, isn’t it?” she said. “If we’re able to reach out to people and let them know a little about Indian culture, … we’re serving the community here, in a sense, and also serving the community back in India.”
The show featured performances of popular Bollywood scores by Sur aur Taal, a team of six local singers trained in Indian music. Four Valley-area dance groups also volunteered at the charity show, including professional dance troupe Aashiana, dubbed “the Valley’s most popular Bollywood dance group” by the Web site AZIndia.com.
Seshadri, a chemical engineering graduate student, said the Tempe and ASU chapters of the group align efforts to organize at least one charity concert a year. Past performances mostly included traditional acts from India, she said, but the group switched to energetic and contemporary Bollywood music at “Sur aur Taal” to engage a larger chunk of the community.
“People tend to pay attention when they’re having fun,” she said, “and I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t had fun at a Bollywood-type concert.”
Vice President Sarath Puthen Thermadam said the ASU chapter has organized fundraising event, besides charity concerts, with the Tempe chapter, including a cricket tournament and 5K run last November.
Thermadam, an electrical engineering graduate student, said the heightened community awareness for Indian relief efforts by past projects and “Sur aur Taal” are as fruitful as the proceeds raised.
“Even if we just break even by selling tickets, if we get just five or 10 people interested in our events and wanting to help with what we are doing, that’s even better,” he said.
General admission tickets for the event sold for $50, but were discounted to $10 for students. Thermadam said the lower price was to encourage the growth of the Association for India’s Development and interest in its causes on campus.
“It’s not just about raising money for us — it’s about raising [student] awareness about us,” he said, adding that many Tempe chapter members are ASU chapter alumni who have continued working with the organization in their professional lives.
Nagendran Rangan was a founding member of the Association for India’s Development chapter at ASU in 2002 and said the strong feelings that emerged from college volunteering led him to continue with the organization after graduating with a master’s in mechanical engineering in 2003.
Rangan, a current Tempe chapter member, said the combination of culture and charity at “Sur aur Taal” was a lesson in international understanding for those who attended.
“[This concert] gave people who’ve come here from India a chance to stay connected with it, and ASU students a chance to learn more about India,” he said.
At least 50 of the about 370 people who attended the concert were students, he said.
Rangan said he hoped audience members were not only entertained by the concert, but left with the knowledge that they had made a positive social impact in India by helping to improve child literacy and assist Bahir flood victims.
“During the performance, we want them to have fun, relax, forget about their problems,” he said. “When they leave the auditorium, we want them to think about how they fit into the community, and learn how they can give back to the community, and give to anyone in any way they feel strongly for.”
Reach the reporter at trabens@asu.edu.
