Indian percussionists and musicians will stand up and make a noise, literally, to create awareness about the Millennium Development Goals ahead of a review meeting at the United Nations General Assembly Summit.
In a special concert at Purana Quila here on September 18, an ensemble of around 100 drummers and string musicians from across the country would let the crescendo of their music do the talking to highlight the urgent action needed to meet the MDGs.
"The event is part of a global campaign to create awareness about the MDGs that various governments had made a commitment at the UN in the year 2000 and has to be achieved by the 2015," Mandira Moddie, an UN official associated with the millennium campaign in India, told PTI.
Partnered by various civil society organisations such as Oxfam and Save the Children, the concert in Delhi as well as an ensuing photo exhibition, will be one of thousands of strategic "Stand Up, Take Action, Make Noise" events around the world from 17-19 September that seeks to advocate for more
urgent action by governments to meet the developmental goals by next five years.
"This year the UN is hosting a General Assembly to review what progress the various countries have made so far as well as to strategise to accelerate action to meet the goals.
Internally various civil society organisations in different countries are doing various activities to raise awareness.
"The Indian leg of the global campaign will be the concert through which we hope to create visibility for the MDGs," says Moddie.
Deliberately shorn of celebrated names, the concert, however, brings together composers Sharat Chandra Srivastava from Delhi, Mayanglambam Mangangsana from Imphal and Shri
Ganesh from Tamil Nadu to conduct the orchestra for solo pieces that merge together in a grand finale.
Sanjeev Bhargava, Director Seher, which is
organizing the concert, says, "We have not included any celebrities because the idea is to conceptualise an event that will move ordinary men to stand up and make a noise and prompt their government to achieve their goals set by the UN charter.
"Apart from Africa, India is perhaps the only country in the world which has such a diverse set of percussion instruments all over the country and we thought a percussion concert will also make the essence of India stand out."
The concert in Delhi scheduled to be telecast on Doordarshan and Zee TV will also be made into a film to be shown at different venues, he adds.
World leaders will meet for a three day summit at the UN headquarters in New York beginning September 21 to review the eight MDG goals set in 2000 aiming to be reached by 2015.
The goals include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDs,
malaria, and other diseases, ensure environmental
sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.