There was not a dry eye in the audience at St. Andrew’s auditorium in Mumbai last night as UDAAN, a group of fantastic singers and performers danced and sang their way into the hearts of the spectators. However, what made them special and set them apart from any other band was the fact that each one of them was visually impaired, physically disabled or both.
While some of the performers had to be carried onto stage by their guardians, others hobbled on crutches, rode in on wheelchairs or crawled into the spotlight to display their amazing talents which I’m sure, most of us perfectly abled people, would not be able to accomplish without much struggle.
One lady – Manisha – danced rather energetically on one leg and could have given the legendary Umraao Jaan cause for heartburn. Another, Vrushali, had everybody give her a standing ovation because of her soulful singing.
The performers were cheered on by a full-house which saw a number of celebrities also drop-by to support them. Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy joined them on stage and sang with them a bit while Milind Soman, Shahana Goswami, Suchitra Pillai, Siddharth Bhardwaj and Pallavi Symons clapped and whistled and cheered the loudest.
From singing popular Bollywood numbers to old songs by Lata Mangeshkar and Bappi Lahiri, the performers had the crowds entertained for almost two-and-a-half-hours.
Milind Soman said,“These people are absolutely amazing! I will do all I can to spread the word about their band and to help them become more main-stream!”
If you would like to book them for an event, please get in touch with Marzy Parakh (Founder & Managing Trustee – Faith Foundation) on +919820162307