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Music, for ages, has had the ability to unite people and inspire social change. From John Lennon to Jimi Hendrix, to modern day rappers, music has empowered artists to get social messages across to the masses, and spur them into action against social inequities, injustice and many other causes that affect and impact their lives.
On Nov 29, India witnessed a musical movement of its own. For the first time, over a 100 of India’s leading music bands and artists performed live across 27 cities for #100Pipers100Gigs, a first of its kind musical event by ‘100 Pipers Play For A Cause’. The objective behind this mega event was to draw the attention and empathy of people towards 15 different social and environmental causes, from saving water, oceans and the hills to saving dying arts, educating the girl child and fighting hunger.
#100PipersPlayForACause not only managed to bring to fore some of the most pressing issues plaguing the world around us, but also treated fans to a musical evening that they will always remember.
We have all been dismayed with the polluted air in Delhi NCR or by the contaminated water in Bengaluru or with our water bodies being polluted in Mumbai. But never before has India united to raise awareness towards these issues and bring millions of voices together.
In Delhi and Gurugram, iconic bands like Indus Creed and Parikrama, while enthralling audiences with their live performance, encouraged people to stand up for their right to breathe clean air. The people that attended these gigs were not only left with a memorable evening filled with music, but also inspiring thoughts to do their bit and make the world a better place to live.
We attended the Ankur & The Ghalat Family gig in Mumbai where they championed the cause of saving our oceans that are choking on plastic waste.
For the people of Mumbai, who always boast of being a city surrounded by the sea, the message hit home and instantly connected with the audience at the gig.
The stories that we heard from the cities of Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Goa and even Amritsar, Manipal and Mysore, where similar music gigs were happening, were no different.
Never before has India seen such iconic artists come together across cities, on a single day to rally for so many causes.
Here’s to hoping that this story of how India united for a better future, inspired you too just like it inspired us. If you wish to stand for a cause that’s close to your heart, pledge your support here.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)