Tune into a concert being held to raise funds for rain-hit Assam
Bottle Rockets India earlier performed for Amphan relief
It is raining in Mumbai at the time of writing this. Parts of the city are somewhat submerged. People are wading in knee or ankle-deep water. But life is carrying on as usual (or whatever 'usual' means at this point in human history). It's not a crisis as such, like it is in Assam right now.
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Twenty-seven of the state's 33 districts have been affected by the floods that have ravaged it. Wildlife has been displaced at Kaziranga National Park. Around 40 lakh people have had their lives turned upside down. Ninety-seven of them have died, and these are all official figures. They make Mumbai's rainfall seem like a ripple in the pond in comparison.
That's why a group of organisations have joined forces to host a fund-raising concert this weekend. They are a youth collective called People for People, an e-portal called The News Mill, and musical outfit Bottle Rockets India. The event will feature 10 different artistes playing in 30-minute slots over two days. The idea is for viewers across the country to log in, enjoy the concert, and loosen their purse strings to help Indian citizens who have been left helpless in the face of a natural calamity.
A man braces the floodwaters in Morigoan, Assam. PIC courtesy/AFP
Because let's face it. Not just Assam, but the whole of the Northeast gets step-brotherly treatment from the so-called 'mainland' (or make that step-sisterly, since we do refer to the region as The Seven Sisters). Arghadeep Barua of Bottle Rockets India tells us, "There is coal and oil extraction in Assam. People use our land for tea plantations. So, if our resources are our country's, then our problems should also be our country's. What is the point of extracting our resources if you don't turn towards us during a moment of crisis?"
It's a fair question, and something to ponder on the next time we soak in the Mumbai monsoon with a comforting cup of tea in our hands.
On July 18 and 19, 6 pm
Log on to The Voice of the Northeast page on Facebook, and milaap.org to donate
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