LO 6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

I took part in a fundraiser for a global concern group in the school called Kahaani, which supports the Voice of World NGO in Kolkata, India. Voice of the World supports over 300 differently-abled children in Kolkata. In May 2020, Cyclone Amphan hit the Bay of Bengal and devastated cities including Kolkata. Over a hundred lives were lost along with billions of dollars in property damage. Voice of World was one such victim of this property damage, losing access to food and water, their basic shelter, and consequently, the ability to care for the children they support. As such, a fundraiser was organised to support Voice of World, and I took part in it by helping create and appearing in a music video that was part of the fundraiser. A dance had already been planned to feature in the video when we, the school’s house band, decided that we’d love to put together the music to which the dancers would dance to. I played guitar on the song, chosen to be the Bollywood song “Koi Mil Gaya!” Along with recording the actual instrumental, I recorded brief video clips of me playing the song to be put in the video. We were quick in putting together the track, and we had it done within a week of being notified of the opportunity to be part of this wonderful project. The video can be seen here. The feedback we got for the video was tremendous, and at the end of the day, it felt so rewarding to be able to translate my passion (guitar) into such a noble cause that would actually end up making a difference in the lives of those who need it. This was actually not the first time I’ve worked with the global concern Kahaani, as I had taken part in their annual Kahaani show just a few months prior. Kahaani is primarily an Indian-themed dance show that raises awareness of and serves as a fundraiser for Voice of World. As part of the show in February, I played guitar to the Bollywood song “Lag Ja Gale,” with my fellow house band members and a few singers. Similarly, the reward of translating my passion into change was unmatched, and I was glad to have replicated that with the second project. Engaging with an issue of global significance has proven to me that no matter what one’s skills or talents are, there is always a way to make a positive impact on the communities we live in, or even on the communities we don’t. It’s all about taking the initiative to find the opportunities that allow us to make these impacts.