Lending their star power for a cause, the trio Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy perform for Sankara Eye Foundation’s (SEF) annual fundraising concert on April 29th.
The performance is a tribute to R.D Burman and S.D Burman, making it extra special for those who cherish the music of yesteryear with a touch of fusion. By the end of this evening, Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy will leave you mesmerized. The three have a unique camaraderie and many a time one feels like we are peeping into a private jam session.
Shankar Mahadevan born March 6, 1967 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, is a famous singer and music composer. He left us speechless with his first album called Breathless. He has won the National award four times, three times for best playback singer and once for best music director. We can never forget his heart touching song “Meri Maa” from Taare Zameen Par for which he won an award for best playback singer.
Ehsaan Noorani born October 12, 1963 in Hydrabad India is a famous music composer and guitarist. He has lent his vocals to many Bollywood songs such as “Ek Junoon” from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and “Don The Theme” from Don. Loy Mendonsa played guitar and piano for A.R Rehman before he became a music composer.
Siddharth Mahadevan, born April 16, 1993, is the son of Shankar Mahadevan, and is a playback singer and composer himself. He is a promising new talent and is well known for his debut song “Zinda” from the film Bhaag Milkha Bhaagand his most recent hit song “Malang Malang” from Dhoom 3.
The trio of Shankar/Ehsaan/Loy has created magic together and won many national awards for best Music Direction with such hits as Kaal Ho Na Ho, Dil Chahta Hai, Bunty aur Babli and Rock On. They also won awards for Two States (Best Music) and Mission Kashmir (Best Background Music). Here is your chance to witness their live performance in San Jose.
Established in the Bay Area, SEF is a non-profit organization that has been working for the cause of eradicating curable blindness in India. Driven by the truly inspirational vision of “Vision 20/20 by the year 2020,” SEF currently has 11 hospitals and is working on three new hospitals- in Hyderabad, Indore and Jaipur. Like any successful nonprofit, SEF proudly boasts a base of 200-plus dedicated volunteers throughout the United States, and several in India, who have practically devoted a lifetime to perpetuating the cause of the Sankara Eye Hospital.
What is 20/20 by 2020? It was initially difficult to define the scope of this ambitions goal, Murali Krishnamurthy, Founder and Executive Chairman at Sankara Eye Foundation explains. After careful thought, SEF arrived at a viable target: build 20 hospitals in India by the year 2020, each performing up to 50,000 eye surgeries per year, totaling a grand figure of a million per year. “We think that figure will act as a catalyst and make a big dent into the visual handicap,” Murali adds.
By far the most unique and remarkable characteristic of SEF is that they provide free eye care for those unable to afford it, the rural poor. These account for 80 percent—which is approximately 150,000 people per year—of the surgeries performed at their hospitals. The tireless efforts by the SEF team since inception, has enabled over 1.35 million people to receive the gift of vision, utterly free of cost.
It is an organization started in the living room by three committed volunteers and retains the character of a people’s movement. Over thousand volunteers service the fifty thousand plus SEF donors with meticulous attention to detail. The grass roots organization is flat where any volunteer can propose, take the lead and run with a project and it is seen as a collective achievement.
In the delivery of its vision it became imperative for SEF to manage the use of funds in an efficient manner. Cost of building a hospital, not including the cost of the land, is four to five million dollars. Once the capital expenditure is incurred, it is imperative that the hospital become self-sufficient and run on it’s own steam. By following the eighty-twenty rule, within five years a hospital is able to bear all recurring expenditures. For every two paying patients, eight patients are treated free.
Also, it has maintained the top rating from Charity Navigator for sound fiscal management. Become a Founding Donor and leave a legacy – get your and your loved ones’ names on the Wall of Founders.
It truly takes the vision of a caring community to enable the needy with sight. If you would like to participate, donate, or know more about SEF’s activities, visit www.giftofvision.org.
April 29th, 7:30 p.m. Event Center at SJSU, 290 S 7th St., San Jose. Tickets: home.giftofvision.org