“Giving is not just about making a donation, it is about making a difference”
– Kathy Calvin.
As stated in the above quote, one has much more to give than materialistic or monetary contributions. At NGO Udant( A Sanskrit word, translating to “Correct Message”) aims to reach out to a class of society that has for long been pushed to the margins, though efforts continue to be made, Individuals suffering from HIV/ AIDS still have hurdles and mountains to pass through to be included into mainstream society. Udant aims to create a positive space for these individuals and has been doing so for the past eight years in Goa and started off 2019 with a Musical evening titled ‘Essence of Positive Living’. The aim of this program was to raise funds for children affected by HIV and to help these children find a meaning, purpose and motivation in life to educate themselves, find employment and live a positive, healthy and purposeful life and to promote harmony, healing and responsibility in our society through music, song and laughter; to hoping for an optimistic future and focusing on the positives in one’s own life.
For the evening the stage was set up by Rosario Decorators, and the sound was provided by Studio56 and thus began the performances with an acoustic duo “Mahogany” comprising of Lester D’souza and Carolyn Nunes who set the right tone for the evening with subtle, melodious tracks on the guitar, ukulele and the cajon. Jonny B Gud soon followed with his fun, lively and mesmerizing performance of ‘Viva La Goa” and his own composition for the evening for the NGO which was enjoyed and appreciated by all. Jeruel and the band took the stage to sing songs like “Love” and ‘Speak Life’ which was fitting to the message of this evening which was well received by the audience. Mr. Gracias Furtado graced the occasion as the MC and with the help of the organizations own President Mr. Vernon D’souza left the audience in laughs with their jokes and comedy. The evening also had Joanna Caterers on board with their delicious menu which was enjoyed by all. There were performances by Sagar and Shweta who created a sense of nostalgia with old Hindi- Bollywood songs; Mr. Rocky Tribhuvan all the way from Pune took the stage and tantalized everybody with his quirky, energetic and infectious dance moves to songs we all love which created an impression on all who were present there. Jolene and the Blue Ocean waves got the audience tapping their feet on some famous numbers such as Heal the world and musical performance such as “Molbailo dao” while Jolene herself along with Roque Lazarus and Nigel Mendonca rocked the stage with Konkani numbers such as Juliana and “ieo Baile ieo”. Amaan Sheikh brought to the stage some Bollywood twist with his own music along with some classics like “You Raise me Up”.
Goan Pop sensation Mr. O’luv got the audience dancing to numbers such as “Kor Kantar”, “Moga Mandolin” and others alongside his musicians, folk songs and Portuguese numbers leaving everyone catching their breath by the end of it. The evening ended with a performance by Prince Vishal who Left the audience grooving to contemporary Bollywood songs and his mimicry of famous bollywood personalities. Our partners for the evening were InGoa 24×7 TV Channel, Radio92.7 Big FM and The Neutral View, a fortnightly magazine. The evening ended with a vote of thanks by Mr. Gracias Furtado, as he signed off and wished everybody a goodnight.
The Udant team would like to appreciate and thank all those who played an important role in the planning, organizing and executing the event which include the performers, people behind the scene, and everybody who lend us a helping hand and a kind word of encouragement. We continue to be inspired and motivated by the generosity of these kind hearted, warm and charitable individuals we have come across throughout our journey. Words cannot express the gratitude and appreciation we and the children have towards you. With your continuing support, we hope that ‘Essence of Positive Living’ will be an annual event for us in the future.
