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Preeti's music night
What was your fundraising event?
It was a ‘Mehfil’ (music) night. There was a great band (who played for free), food, a raffle and lots of songs from Bollywood Films. People donated money in order to request a song of their choice. There were also raffles and an auction for which prizes were donated by friends, families, employers and businesses.
Who were you raising money for?
We were raising money to provide support to people in South India who were affected by the Tsunami.
Why did you decide to hold the event?
After I found out about the Tsunami, I was taking in what had happen, and started thinking about how I could make a contribution to the relief effort.
I had a personal connection with some of the places which were affected by the Tsunami. While I was at university, I did voluntary work in the South of India, starting from Madurai and moving out to some of the coastal areas such as Thiruvallur, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli. It was an amazing experience, and I was really touched by the hospitality of the people in the places that I stayed. Even after I left, some of the students which I worked with carried on writing to me, and I was invited to attend people’s weddings.
I think that the emotional connection which I had with the region was one of the things which made me want to arrange the event. The victims of the Tsunami were not just people I saw on TV, but people that I had met and was concerned about.
How did you publicise the event?
We told friends and family, and then news of the event spread through word-of-mouth. We also managed to get a small advert in our local paper – The Harrow Times.
How much money did you raise?
It was a fantastic evening and we managed to raise over £7000.
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