Last week, over 200 music enthusiasts traveled on a magical and musical voyage, an evening with -- Srishti: The Melodies of Nature to benefit Foodlink. This virtual musical event presented by Abhinaya Arts was packed with Bollywood songs celebrating the beauty of Srishti - or Mother Earth to benefit Foodlink.

Srishti, a Sanskrit word means the creation of the universe and the root of our existence. The program showcased how music and nature inspire and reflect each other in the balance of life.

“When we conceived this musical program as a fundraiser for Foodlink, we envisaged an evening where we could celebrate an idyllic world, where we are one with nature, with abundance for all in a pure and pristine environment”, said Meena Sundaram from Abhinaya Arts

Srishti was also a fundraiser for Food Link, a community organization based in Arlington, MA, that rescues fresh food, alleviates hunger, and contributes to environmental sustainability. With the help of over 250 volunteers, last year Food Link rescued fresh food that equals to more than a 1 million meals. Thanks to the generosity of the audience, sponsors and a match from an anonymous donor, the event raised more than twenty thousand dollars to help Food Link feed the hungry in our communities in the Boston area. 

“I am extremely thankful to Abhinaya Arts, Meena Sundaram, Vijay Kumar and the entire team of performers for their time and talent in making this evening so enjoyable. On behalf of Food Link and those we serve, I want to share our sincere appreciation to the Indian community for their generosity in helping us raise funds that will help us respond to the growing food insecurity in our community,” said Shoba Reginald, a Food Link Board member. 

Highly talented performers from our community - Div Prakash, Nikhil Pendharkar, Raghu Saranathan, Sudha Subbaraman, Vijay Kumar  and Meena Sundaram - with the help of Zoom Master Sanjay Jain and Emcee Shamita Behl, kept the audience captivated late into the night with melodious songs spanning many decades.

From cool breezes, to verdant hills, from inspiring sunrises to flaming sunsets, from the rhythm of the splattering raindrops to the powerful echoes of thunder, the songs presented celebrated nature while thoughtful messages from The Foodlink team including,co-founder and President, Deanne Dupont, and Shoba Reginald kept the show grounded to the cause it was benefiting.

A musical bouquet of wonderful songs from Aaj mausam bada beimaan by Div, Bheege bheegi faza by Sudha, Baharon phool barsao, by Raghu, Ek haseen shaam ko by Vijay, Pal pal dil ke paas by Nikhil on the keyboard and Barso re by Meena entertained the audience and kept them engrossed. With smooth emceeing by Shamita and flawless zoom management by Sanjay who was assisted by Anand and Karthik, the event provided a joyful, melodious and purposeful end to the week on a moonlit Friday evening.

Here are a few comments from the audience:

“Really enjoying the concert. All the performers are stellar and thanks to Meena ji for bringing them all together!”

“Wonderful performance by everyone. Magical night. Thank you”

“Thank you so much to all the wonderful artists who shared their talents with us tonight! Namaste.”

“ What an amazing concert. Wonderful performance by everyone. Very well organized. Thank you all once again.”

“This is so inspiring, a great cause. Thank you for sharing”

“ Hunger and food insecurity knows no boundaries - it is in Lowell and Lexington, Malden and Concord, etc etc. diverse communities of all socio-economic levels. Love Food link - what a passionate, thoughtful presentation, thank you!” 

The organizers are thankful to Gunjan Radio and Bipin Parikh, Ranjani Saigal and Lokvani and India New England and Upendra Mishra for featuring their event and helping spread the word.

They are extremely grateful to the wonderful diverse audience and the generous sponsors who supported and contributed to this event.

Please check out Food Link’s website to www.foodlinkma.org, to support their mission, including volunteering opportunities.

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