Fundraising through art – help us help them

We ask for your support for a fundraising initiative through art - I, Rabindranath and She.

I, Rabindranath and She is an artistic endeavour to raise funds for a charity that looks after sex-workers and their children in a red-light area of Kolkata, India. Following the COVID-19 lockdown and the cyclone Amphan, the city is devastated. Those already struggling to make ends meet are now finding it even harder to carry on the fight for survival. The charity we are supporting is working extremely hard to extend a helping hand to as many people possible. Through this initiative, through our art, we wish to extend a helping hand to the charity.

Our plan:
Step 1: Create 8 music videos.
We will create 8 music videos as part of our fundraising initiative which will feature timeless compositions by the Nobel-laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Each video will feature two dancers performing various Indian classical dance forms. The 16 dancers who have come onboard are based worldwide, in widely different professions but each one passionate about their art. The project is headed by the vocalist, currently a music student who has also worked professionally in the Indian music industry.

Step 2: Create fundraising linked to the videos.
All videos will have a strong call-to-action for the fundraising campaign. They will be shared freely on YouTube (hopefully with subtitles in English) and advertised through Facebook, ensuring a wide reach. The timeless composition, original rendition and the collective efforts of the 22 artists involved in the project will ensure a strong network of donors. We will also reach out to donors individually inviting them to come onboard. We are keen to make an impact.

What your contribution will cover: Any contributions from this page will go towards covering the payments to three of the 22 people involved in creating the videos (Step 1 above). They have come onboard as music arranger, to provide recording and mixing facilities and as video editor. They have agreed to help us at a greatly reduced cost because they believe in the cause, or are hoping to find more work through this endeavour. But the COVID-19 lockdown has hit the artists hard. Freelancers are struggling to find work. One of the artists onboard this project is particularly struggling to make ends meet. With your support you will be ensuring someone's grocery for the month, enabling someone to pay their bills and possibly some worry-free nights.

Why we are doing this: We believe that all women deserve to be treated with dignity. Even sex-workers. And that all children deserve to play, nurture little dreams. They deserve an education and a fair chance at life. Even sex-workers' children. We know we are far from it as a society but this initiative is our collective first step towards that future. Will you help us reach our goal?


How we will acknowledge you: If we get 2-3 sponsors covering a significant fraction each, of the total cost we will be more than happy to name you or your company/brand in every video. If we have donations of small amounts from several people, we may not be able to include every name - in that case we will acknowledge this platform. However if you are not able to contribute much but you think your brand can benefit from this, do get in touch.