15 February 2005 New Delhi, India

Two evenings in a row. When music was presented in new light. By Magiktuch and its visually impaired talented singers and
musicians.

On Friday evening, the Stein Auditorium saw a unique congregation of music and musicians . Where the visually impaired artistes from Magiktuch sang on stage and performed with the Sami Sisters, Usha Uthup, Indira and Maya.
An evening of invigorating, feet tapping music that is a hallmark of Usha Uthup and admirably accompanied by the Magiktuch artistes.

Visually impaired performers displayed their talent on the keyboards, flute, mandolin, tabla, harmonium, violin and the drums. With lead female and male singers enthralling the audience with popular songs and ghazals. One of the high points of the evening was the peppy number ‘dum maro dum’ rendered in perfect harmony by Usha Uthup and the visually impaired singers from Magiktuch.

As Usha Uthup said, ” this is one of the most memorable occasion for my sisters and me to perform alongside such gifted artistes.“

The Saturday crowd at the Centre Stage Mall, Noida was enthralled. Shopping came to a standstill as the crowds gathered in hundreds to listen to the talented Magiktuch artistes. Song after song got an amazing response from an appreciative crowd. From Old classics to ” Bheege Hoth” the music kept the mall-crawlers spellbound. And encores were the flavour of the evening.

The concert organized by Magiktuch was co-hosted by Habitat World and presented by ING VYSYA Life Insurance and supported by LG , Reliance and Teacher’s.

Mr George Abraham, Director Magiktuch, said ” when we go to meet people with the Magiktuch concept everyone says they would love to be associated with it. People like Usha and her sisters have put their words into action”

The audiences at both functions were overawed by the performances. According to Mr V J Prakash, Executive Director , Moser Baer, who attended both the shows, “the effort by Magiktuch is very heart-warming. The performances by the artistes extremely inspiring.”

Mr Navroze Dhondy , Director- Magiktuch, was happy with the way corporate have come forward to support this idea. He said, ” Companies like ING VYSYA, LG, Reliance, Teacher’s, Old World Hospitality, etc who have whole heartedly supported this movement, show a new -wave of thinking and see it as a pioneering opportunity for their brands and companies.”

The first Magiktuch Concert was held at the Triveni Kala Sangam, on 24th November 2004 and the guests of honour who graced the evening were Raja Reddy and Kaushalya Reddy. The famous danseuse exclaimed , “I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. I loved the experience. How they overcome such a handicap and perform to such high standards is very inspiring” .

Gautam Sharma, VP – Marketing, ING Vysya Life Insurance, presenters of the Concert said ” ING Vysya Life Insurance has always been associated with bringing to life talent. This endeavour of Magiktuch and its talented artistes is just the kind we would be keen to continue supporting in the future. “

The Origins: It all started with an animated discussion during a bus ride from Islamabad to Lahore while returning from the final match of the India Pakistan Blind series played this year.

Two minds met to discover. Not just their own talents, skills and desires, but to dovetail all these and create a platform for talent and creations that have not had the opportunity so far.

George Abraham , Chairman ACBI and CEO Score Foundation, a visually impaired individual, an ex-advertising professional, who has re-defined the boundaries of human potential, has pioneered international blind cricket, and hosted two world cups for the blind in India.

Navroze Dhondy, CEO Creatigies Communications, an advertising, media and marketing professional with over two decades of experience with Lintas, JWT, ex Ceo-TBWA and ex CEO Percept, and actively involved with the deaf organisation in UP, as well as blind cricket in India.

Magiktuch attempts to facilitate potential talent, that remains undiscovered due to social, economic or disability reason.

It endeavours to recognize talent, providing insights to improve and develop it. Creating a platform for demonstrating it. Enabling national and international exposure. Taking this to a further level of managing talent and careers that convert into financial gains for self-reliance.

The Beneficiaries who would benefit from the Magiktuch endeavours are Individuals – who could become self reliance , and benefit organizations such as The ACBI – Association for Cricket for the Blind in India, The Score Foundation and other NGOs who also assist the visually impaired.

Magiktuch plans to undertake national and international events that would provide a platform for the visually impaired. Involve companies/brands/organizations and media who believe in supporting such a movement.

The journey so far: Magiktuch has conducted its first round of talent search. With auditions held in Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi. Over 75 artists from the various centers applied and went through a day-long process of evaluation. Ustad Sultan Khan, of Bollywood fame, Sukriti Sen, Annette Philip, Necia Majolly, Smita, Shibani Kashyap, and Roy Menezes were some of the well-known names in music who helped with the process. The final round was held in Delhi on the 24th morning, with the short-listed 16 artists being evaluated.

The finally selected artists will be provided with specialized training as well as opportunities to perform on national and
international stages.

Usha Utthup, the famous singer with her unique style, sums it up well. “Seeing is believing they say. But believing is seeing. The talent on display clearly proves that. I believe in music….so do these wonderfully talented performers.”

India Habitat Centre : New Delhi : 18th February, 2005,

Centre Stage Mall, Noida : February 19th, 2005

The list of performers is given below:

Singers

Dr. Dinkar Sharma — Panipat Ms. Manju Magoo — Mumbai Mr. Santosh Kuma — New Delhi Mr. Roshan Rajan — Bangalore Mstr. Kartik Sahani — New Delhi

Musicians

Mr. Augustin Chettiyar –Actopad/Drums –Mumbai Mr. Sarfraz Qureshi –Keyboard –Mumbai
Mr. Satish Singh –Violin –New Delhi
Mr. Kiran Vinkar –Flute –Mumbai
Mr. Manoj Jhadav –Mandolin –Mumbai Mr. Ashok Kumar –Tabla –New Delhi