Indian playback singers kick off musical tour in Bay Area for a cause

The Music for Meals concert supports Akshaya Patra USA, the world’s largest NGO school meal program, providing mid-day meals to over 2.2 million children in 24,000+ schools across India everyday.

Madhura Datar. / Facebook/Madhura Datar

Indian playback singer Madhura Datar on May.10 stepped onto the ICC stage in California in a royal purple ensemble bearing the promise of Asha Bhonsle’s voice. As the first notes escaped her lips in a slow drawl, the audience hung on to each word. Some rushed to fill in the pauses with the lyrics of the song. Transported to their younger selves when in the 50s and the 60s, the radio program Vividh Bharati, had infused melody into their quietly buzzing homes, the audience nodded, clapped and tapped along with the singer.

Datar was accompanied by Sa Re Ga Ma Pa finalists Hrishikesh Ranade and Sharayu Date on their Timeless Bollywood six-stop musical tour. The following day, they headed to Seattle (Bellevue WA), Portland OR and Denver (Aurora,CO).

“The theme of the evening was 50s to 90s era songs in the first half. In the second half, we performed the contemporary numbers,” said Ranade. Ranade also composes music and shared with New India Abroad that he will soon be releasing one of his own compositions, a Tamil song.

The tour is part of the Music for Meals concert, which supports Akshaya Patra USA, the world’s largest NGO school meal program, providing hot, nutritious mid-day meals to over 2.2 million children in 24,000+ schools across India every day.

“Around 450,000 Indians live in the Bay Area,” said Siva Sivaram, chairman of Akshaya Patra, as he opened the concert. “We must contribute one meal per person. That is our goal.”

“Twenty dollars feeds a child for an entire school year,” shared MC Ketika Maheshwari, soliciting help for the 5,000 students in Orissa who are in need of help.

“Let's turn melodies into meals, beats into blessings, and rhythms into resources for those who need it most,” said Geeta Kulkarni, vice president, West Coast Akshaya Patra.