Fusion concert to help raise funds for drought

You can help raise funds for drought-affected farmers in Maharashtra by attending a special fusion music recital at Sion.

You can help raise funds for drought-affected farmers in Maharashtra by attending a special fusion music recital at Sion.

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Popular instrumental band Sitar Funk will perform on Thursday at the Shanmu-khananda Auditorium in a fund-raising concert that aims to provide villages in Marath-wada with tanks for storing water. The event, held by cultural organisation Pancham Nishad, will direct all funds from ticket sales and donations to non-profit trust Mantra Foundation. The Foundation will then supply drought-ridden villages in Jalna, Beed and Osmanabad districts with plastic water tanks that can store up to 5,000 litres of water, along with large cement tubs for storing water for their cattle.

“My hometown is Marath-wada and in a recent visit, I saw farmers facing a problem storing water brought to their villages by government tankers,” said Shashi Vyas, director, Pancham Nishad.

Sitar Funk comprises sitar and zitar player Niladri Kumar, drummer Gino Banks, tabla player Satyajit Talwalkar, bassist Sheldon D’Silva and keyboard player Agnelo Fernandes. Senior jazz keyboardist Louis Banks will also perform as a guest artiste at Thursday’s concert.

“We will play acoustic and electronic instrumental music based on classical traditions,” said Kumar, who founded the band in 1999 and has prepared a set of special compositions for the fund-raiser.

“We hope that people attend in last numbers to show their solidarity with the state’s drought-stricken villages,” Vyas added.