Personalities from the field of entertainment and sports came together for a digital concert which was held on May 3 to raise funds for the frontline workers, who are working round the clock to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Facebook has collaborated with some of the biggest names in Indian entertainment to put together a home-to-home fundraiser concert, I For India. All the proceeds from the fundraiser concert will go to the India COVID Response Fund managed by GiveIndia, to support on-ground relief efforts. The vision for the concert is three-pronged: to entertain those locked down in their homes, to pay tribute to those who are working on the frontlines and to raise funds for those who have no work and no home and do not know where their next meal is coming from.
The four-hour long concert went live globally on Facebook and featured performances and personal messages from over 85 Indian and global stars including Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chorpa Jonas, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vidya Balan, Shabana Azmi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Arjun Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherji, Madhui Dixit Nene, Akshay Kumar, Diljit Dosanjh, Dulquer Salmaan, Katrina Kaif, Vicky Kaushal, Anushka Sharma, Ayushmann Khurrana, Tiger Shroff and Sophie Turner.
The music fraternity saw the presence of AR Rahman, Bryan Adams, Mindy Kaling, Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, Jay Sean, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Jonas Brothers, Amaan Ali, Ayaan Ali, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Sonu Nigam, Anoushka Shankar, Arijit Singh, Badshah, Rekha Bharadwaj and others. Filmmakers such Farhan Akhtar, Farah Khan, Karan Johar, Kiran Rao, Zoya Akhtar and personalities from the field of sports such as Rohit Sharma, Saina Mirza and Virat Kohli were also a part of the event.
Anushka Sharma said, "While we may be social distancing and that's the requirement I don't think we've ever been more connected. People helping each other, spreading awareness just so that we can protect each other and that is the victory of human spirit.
Veteran actor Shabana Azmi said it's time to come "together in kinship and harmony."
"It's time we realised how interdependent we are on each other. Irrespective of caste, class, gender, religion or country. It's time for introspection. It's time to shed our prejudices," she added.
Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar said, "May we remember the lessons learnt and never forget we aren't above nature, we're just a small part of it."
While Rani Mukerji expressed her concern towards instances of child abuse, that has increased during lockdown.
"I urge you all to stay more vigilant. If you see or hear anything suspicious or odd please report it to the authorities immediately," she added.
Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India said, the social media platform is committed to being an ally for India as the country fights the coronavirus outbreak.
"Our efforts so far have been focused towards providing access to accurate health information and supporting communities around the country. We recently launched Facebook Fundraisers that allow people to leverage the full scale and power of the platform, and their passion, to direct resources to initiatives that can protect and save lives," Mohan said.
Mohan said they are grateful to the creators, celebrities and publishers participating in 'Social For Good' Live-athon to drive the fundraisers.
Atul Satija, CEO, GiveIndia, said, with the concert going live on the largest social media platform, it will help reach the millions of people who want to contribute.
"The 'I For India' fundraiser concert, backed by a fabulous line up of stars, really feels like a nation coming together - though we are isolated, we are united in our efforts to win this battle against COVID-19," Satija said.
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