CHENNAI: A group of friends from different backgrounds connected through music and motivated them to come together and use music for a cause. “We wanted to give back to the society and address various social causes. This is how Aarohi Charitable Trust was started,” starts Vidhya Srinivasan, one of the founding members.
The other founders are V Balasubramanian, Harishankar Mani, Priya Sabu, Renu Akhileswaran and Surendran Menon. The unique element is that the founders are the performers in the event. “We all are interested in retro music and this genre touches the chords of many people out there. All our shows have a theme and cause. This time the theme is to pay tribute to legendary musicians like Ilaiyaraaja, MS Viswanathan and AR Rahman,” says Surendran from the decade-old Trust.
Aarohi supports the livelihood of cine musicians who are affected by the advent of digital music. The opportunities for the musicians to perform live have decreased in recent times. So, in all of the Trust’s performances, they engage a live orchestra.
For the upcoming Legends Edition 2, they have been leaving no stone unturned to raise funds for Sri Arunodayam NGO to look after intellectually challenged children and young adults. “These children are abandoned by their parents. The NGO rescues them and provides shelter. They also try to counsel the parents and reunite their children. They also have a vocational centre that aims to train these kids to become economically independent and be inclusive in our society,” shares Vidhya.
The other causes for which Aarohi had performed before are children with cancer, victims of domestic abuse, Multiple Sclerosis Society of India and kidney dialysis, among many others. “We act like an outreach platform for the NGOs, who cannot afford to promote themselves and raise funds. We try to expand their scope and create awareness about them among people,” she adds.
“We provide a helping hand for an organisation if they need visibility and funds,” says Priya Sabu. Apart from these, Aarohi is into creating autism awareness in June every year. “In our concerts for autism, we train and make the autistic kids perform,” Vidhya states.
Iyyappan Subramaniyan’s brother passed away due to a lack of knowledge and medical help at a young age. This made him begin a shelter that will be home to many intellectually challenged kids who are abandoned by their families. “For the past 20 years, I have been collaborating with police, society and many child helplines to create a safe and caring environment for these children. More than 100 children are residing at the home, receiving comprehensive care, rehabilitation, and opportunities for reintegration into society,” Iyyappan reflects.
Giving us an image of the harsh reality, Iyyappan explains, “We have separate shelters for girls and boys. Many donors are unaware of the operational cost. We need therapists and caretakers to guard and guide the kids. The major challenge is hunting for the kind-hearted human resource these children need positivity and kind souls around them.”
An evening celebrating music and philanthropy, the Legends Edition 2 will take place at Museum Theatre, Egmore, on June 23 from 6.00 pm.