“Blood is life, Pass it on”

Most of us, begin our daily routine by sharing messages. 

Now, that makes me wonder; 

Why not, should we share blood at least twice a year ? 

All it takes is 15 minutes to save a life, and the blood we donate shall keep on circulating forever... 

To mark the beginning of the new year 2019, our foundation supported the cause of giving hope & life; with a blood donation and eye testing camp organised by the ARR Fan Cub headed by Mr. Z.S. Rahman. 

The philanthropic event was inaugurated to felicitate the vision of Dr. A R Rahman and set an example of communal development on his birthday.

Over 200 people including over 50 voluntary blood donors turned up for the camp, making the inaugural event a huge success and the efforts were well appreciated by one and all. Over 60 pairs of spectacles were distributed free of cost to the needy which was sponsored by the foundation.

A good deed never goes in vain and so should our blood. A single pint, can save upto three lives, and this single gesture can create a million smiles.... 

Be the reason for a smile on someone’s face ! 
Do volunteer for the next blood donation drive... 

- Vidhi G Bhanushali

Manager - Sponsorship & Grant

School: A building with Future within its Four walls.

In continuation of our efforts to restore life to normalcy in the Gaja cyclone hit areas of Tamil Nadu.. And to ensure continued access of education for underprivileged children, of these districts, The A R Rahman Foundation has partnered with the Bhoomika Trust for the restoration of select schools. For long term rehabilitation two schools are identified in Ezhilur Village, Thiruvarur District, TN. 

The aftermath of the cyclone; has left the Panchayat union Primary school with the roof, tiles, doors, and windows of one of the buildings completely damaged. The enrolled student count of the primary school is 124 with 5 teachers.

In the Government High School, the damage was equally severe and the doors, windows and gates were left in dire need of repairs and replacement. The roof and flooring in the classrooms and toilet complex was also left damaged. The enrolled student count of the high school is 128  and 7 teachers.

As a part of our ongoing effort, the repair work in both the schools is already in progress. The teams have undertaken to repair all the broken doors and windows, toilets - with new flooring, storage water tanks and running water connections. The buildings have also been given a fresh coat of paint.

A School is indeed a building with our future change makers within its walls. All of us at the foundation are thankful for having this opportunity to restore these school complexes as a priority and ensure that 252 children could resume their classes. We also thank Bhoomika Trust and their teams for coordinating and disbursing the funds for the restoration of these affected government schools.

To ensure that our foundation can continue supporting such noble causes that shall help transform the future of our country and the world; kindly take a moment to check out our website and explore your options to support us.

- Vidhi G Bhanushali.

Manager - Sponsorship & Grant.

If you see a need; take the lead

Leading by example, the sole purpose of the A R Rahman Foundation is to serve the community, & stand with them in solidarity when they most need it while providing solace to the community with the disaster relief projects we undertake. This ideology is the motivation behind all the causes the foundation undertakes.

The Gaja Cyclone made a landfall in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the early hours of 16th November 2018 and did a catastrophic damage to several districts in the coastal areas surrounding Nagapattinam. With a recorded wind gust reaching at its highest of 180 km/hr in the district of Aadhirampattinam.

image courtesy: NewsTrack Live

The first responder team from the A R Rahman Foundation and The Bhoomika Trust visited the districts of Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Thanjavur during the months of November and December, 2018 to assess the damage and provide immediate relief.

Our first action was to provide relief and for that we put together a kit with essential supplies. These kits consisting of basic essentials were distributed in the cyclone hit areas of Tamil Nadu. A total of 762 families were provided relief through these kits. These families were spread across six villages that were most severely affected in the districts.

Image Courtesy: One India

We thank our team member Arokia Raj and the 'first-responder-team headed by Santosh Mathevan for helping the A R Rahman Foundation reach the initial life support to the devastated families. 

You can lead your society and community by example & with your constant support, our foundation can help those who are distressed. You can support our foundation and play your role to ensure the continuation of other disaster relief projects or support one of the many causes of the foundation by checking out this link.

- Vidhi G Bhanushali

Manager Sponsorship & Grant

'Milk means More'

This year, among the many causes our foundation supports, we most humbly added cattle donation to the ongoing and ever expanding list of causes we support.

Under this initiative, The A R Rahman Foundation decided to help the distressed select 5 families by donating cattle to help them sustain their daily lives. These families belong to Seerkazhi, Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu.

A thorough ground study and verification, by our volunteers Anurag and Vasudevan into the background of these families revealed that  the women and widows who run and manage the entire family & their households have meager means to support their day to day lives. 

While bearing the loss of their loved ones; these women also struggle to establish a stable income for the family and are completely dependent on the courtesy pension they receive from the government which is as little as Rs.1000

The cattle donated to these families now ensures that they have a fresh start to life with a ray of hope to ensuring a stable income for their respective families. They generate income from the sale of milk, dairy products and cow dung.

Today, on behalf of our entire foundation, I would like to urge you all to do your bit and help us support many such families. Your small contribution can change many lives.

- Vidhi G Bhanushali

Manager - Sponsorship & Grant.

Little, by Little, a Little becomes a LOT !!!

Most of us would have come across this famous Tanzanian proverb and that is how actually the change happens. In times of severe catastrophe caused by mother nature; we as a society need to come together & share the responsibility of helping the affected community.

The Chennai floods of December 2015, left around 150000 street vendors affected with an average loss of 10000 - 20000 Rs per vendor.

In this hour of need, a basic necessity like milk packet was being sold for rs 100, five times more than the average price of a packet. The citizens were not only suffering from the unending showers, but also had lost their homes, and access to food for a period of 5 days. Water, another basic necessity, didn't escape this high inflated prices and was being sold at rs 100 per bottle.

The transportation was at a standstill in the city, this further resulted in the cost of available and leftover grains and vegetables soaring high and with some citizens hoarding these basic commodities, the city further suffered.

Apart from basic necessities, numerous accounts of price gouging were reported throughout the city. Ranging from inflated fuel prices, for transportation to help relocate those affected. To Sky-High one way airfares; that was now upto 10 times the cost of a normal round trip ticket.

In continuation of our efforts to provide relief to the flood ridden city of Chennai. The A R Rahman Foundation sponsored provisions for the families of the Film Employees Federation of South India; that were donated by our trustee Ms Fatima Rafiq.

These donations were made as an effort by the foundation to support our ever growing family of musicians and to ensure that relief is provided to all the members of their families that can have access to food, while the city struggled to come back on its feet.

In times like this, showing solidarity with the community is of utmost importance to the foundation. To show your support for our relief programs; you can contribute today by clicking this link.

- Vidhi G Bhanushali

Manager - Sponsorship & Grant

Charity sees the need; Not the cause.

Chennai, a city that is in the grip of blistering heat almost throughout the year, has never let the bright sun or the heat ever stop its residents from leading a normal life.

image courtesy: Indian Air Force Relief Operation Tamil Nadu

The high spirited & culture loving Chennaites have accepted the heat as part of their life with open arms. Yet, when the first rain drop touches the heat ridden scorching earth, the smell of the soil makes everyone breathe a sigh of relief. 

With the onset of monsoon, the Chennaites, who are now in a celebratory mood enjoying a much deserved break from the heat; are yet unaware of the wrath mother nature is holding to unleash upon them. 

On the morning of 1st December 2015, the city began the day as any other normal day and the citizens resumed their daily routine. By afternoon half the city was submerged in water with the power supply and telephone lines out of function.

What seemed like just another routine day was slowly turning into a nightmare. Awaiting them were more 72 hours of rain showers and cloud bursts. 

The joy of welcoming the monsoon, had now undoubtedly turned into a disaster; and one of the worst floods the city had ever seen, over 500 people lost their lives with many more permanently injured.

Apart from the loss of human life, the impact of damage to property and loss of animals is unimaginable. The floods nearly left 1,80,000 citizens displaced and dislocated from their temporary settlements.

In the hour of need, the A R Rahman Foundation stood up to support the citizens and contributed Rs 25,00000/- towards the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

In case of a need, your contribution shall always matter. You can support our foundation and play your role to ensure the continuation of other disaster relief projects or support one of the many causes of the foundation.

Vidhi G Bhanushali
Manager - Sponsorship & Grant.