It was an evening of soulful Sufi music amidst distinguished guests and affluent gathering at the Alzheimer’s Awareness Initiative organised by SUBURB for Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd at The City Club 4, Gurgaon.
It was a rocking evening of Sufi music, played live by Shwaas Sufi Rock Band of Rajesh Prasanna, the internationally acclaimed flutist and the lead vocalist of the band Rizwan Khan hails from the reputed Rampur SehaswanGharana and music for him has been a part of his early growing up years.
The event for the sensitive cause of Alzheimer’s was a CSR awareness initiative of Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd curated & presented by SUBURB. The event touched the heart of the audience of all age groups who attended the event. It was Honda’s second CSR awareness initiative at the City Club 4, since the company believes in touching lives for larger & smaller causes that impact human life.
Speaking on the occasion Mr Harbhajan Singh, Director-General & Corporate Affairs was overwhelmed by the cause of the elderly, he said, “Honda as a company is very concerned and supportive about the cause of the senior citizens and elderly. Alzheimer’s as a disease is on rising in our country and it is the caregivers who need to sensitively handle this issue of the elderly.’’ As a company, Honda may soon be working more closely with the cause of the elderly, bringing them relief and support informed Mr Singh at the event.
The Event
Shwaas Band playing Sufi Rock mesmerized the audience with their exemplary performance. The show got together the cream of the city to enjoy a soul-stirring sensational evening. Amidst much foot tapping and cheers, renowned singer Rizwan Khan belted out popular Sufi Bollywood tracks. The audience also got a chance to hear Lavanya Radhika, a Sufi & devotional singer who believes her “mission in life is to heal people through music.’’
The Prassana Brothers wowed the audiences with their prowess at the flutes and treated them to a scintillating JugalBandi that left the audience mesmerized.
Dr Sushma Chawla, Founder & Director Hope Ek Asha, an NGO dedicated to the cause of Alzheimer’s patients, present at the occasion enlightened the audience on Alzheimer’s and its prognosis. “There are some serious legal referrals and laws for patients and caregivers of Alzheimer’s,’’ she said and elaborated for the audience.
Other distinguished guests from the city present at the event included Mr. Ravi Kalra, Founder- Earth Saviours Foundation and Mr Deepak, popularly known as Eco Warrior and Ms Sangeeta Mahajan a social activist amongst others.
Appreciating the event was Mr Sekhar Basu, Head Town Administration, DLF, “ I liked the event for its sensitive cause and I am happy that companies are coming forward in support of the elderly.’’
A Honda – CSR initiative
Heading the CSR division of the company, Mr Sharad Pradhan shared the other projects that the company is supporting- the cause of underprivileged, road safety, cataract operations for the poor and more. “Honda as a company is committed to community-driven sustained projects. The company’s project under Safe Driving initiative has helped in saving many lives. Under its Environment initiative, the company has planted many hundreds of fruit trees to support farmers and help them in earning their livelihood, and there is lot hat the company is doing and monitoring under its commitment to the society and greater causes to touch upon many lives,’’ shared Mr Pradhan.
Present on the occasion from Honda was Dr Manoj Kumar Handa, Division Head-Health & Wellness. He laid stress on “Sweating it out for thirty minutes, every day and play puzzles and crosswords to let your mind stay agile. Elaborating on the cause he explained that Alzheimer’s is a progressively degenerating disease of the brain and is emerging as a biggest global challenges in the world which already has impacted 4.4 million people in our country.’’
Though the occurrence of Alzheimer’s is associated with old age in recent times, cases of individuals in their late forties and early fifties have been found suffering from this problem.
“The sedentary lifestyle, high-stress levels, food that is consumed and genetics, all of these play a role in the early onset of Alzheimer’s. Early diagnosis helps in containing the disease, though there is no cure for it.’’ Dr Manoj K. Handa, Division Head-Health & Wellness – Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd
“Honda as a company is very concerned and supportive about the cause of the senior citizens and elderly hence we have come up in support of Alzheimer’s in a big way. We are sincerely looking at planning some initiatives for the senior citizens in our country.’’ Mr Harbhajan Singh, Director-General & Corporate Affairs – Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd.
This event coverage was first published in the Print version of SUBURB October 2018 issue.
