BY VEENA RAO
Atlanta, GA, November 14, 2025: Ekal Vidyalaya’s Atlanta chapter drew a full house on November 8 at Berkmar High School, where the popular Niche Entertainment group presented Maestros & Melodies, a narrated musical journey celebrating legendary Bollywood composers from the 1940s through the 2000s. The fundraiser supported more than 200 Ekal schools serving children in India’s rural and tribal regions.
The evening opened with welcoming remarks from emcee Neetu Singh Chauhan, who reminded the audience that even a modest contribution can change a child’s life. She shared the story of a village girl whose world opened after an Ekal teacher arrived at her doorstep with a chalkboard and a handful of books. “For just a dollar and a half a day, you can change the world for a child,” she said, urging continued support for Ekal’s grassroots education movement.
The event was graced by Consul General of India in Atlanta Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan, State Senator Shawn Still, Marketing Guru Padmashri Jagdish Sheth, and former diplomat C. M. Bhandari, all of whom praised Ekal’s reach into underserved villages where schools and healthcare services remain scarce.
Former diplomat C. M. Bhandari lauded Ekal’s mission and emphasized the power of individual action in driving social change.
Senator Still encouraged attendees to sponsor at least one school, calling it a personal commitment he has maintained for three years. “This is my third year personally sponsoring one school for one year. That’s the minimum everybody should hopefully do tonight,” he said. “We’re not here for politics. We’re here only for the good of the children of India. I hope each of you can join me.”
Dr. Sheth spoke about the transformative power of education and calling it “the true human capital of India.” “If you take a grain of wheat and turn it into a loaf of bread, you increase its value a few times,” he said. “If you take a rough diamond and polish it, the value multiplies fifty or a hundred times. But when you take a human being, mentor them, nurture them, educate them—the value becomes infinite.” Sharing his personal journey, he added, “I was born in Burma, and in 1941, before World War II, we fled. I struggled a lot in life. I never imagined I would become an academic professor. I come from a merchant community, but someone saw potential in me—my sister, my older brothers—and they nurtured me.” He said Ekal’s mission resonates deeply with him because it reflects the same belief in human potential that shaped his own life.
Consul General Lakshmanan noted that Ekal fills crucial gaps in rural development. “If a child cannot go to a school, the school must go to the village,” he said. “Ekal reaches places others don’t even imagine.”
Atlanta chapter president Shiv Aggarwal shared that Ekal has impacted 10 million children since its founding and now operates 239 integrated village development projects across India. He emphasized the organization’s expanded model, which goes beyond literacy to include women’s empowerment, digital education, vocational training, organic farming, and telemedicine.
Ajay Upadhyaya presented an overview of Ekal’s holistic village development progress, noting that the organization is now running 90,000 one-teacher, one-room schools across India—an extraordinary network bringing foundational education directly to remote communities.
Against this backdrop of purpose and inspiration, Niche Entertainment’s Maestros & Melodies took the audience on a nostalgic musical journey. Conceived and narrated by Milind Oak, the show celebrated six decades of Bollywood music with stories, trivia, and timeless melodies, performed by a trio of singers who brought each era’s magic to life.
The combination of music, storytelling, and mission-driven appeals made the fundraiser a resounding success, energizing the Atlanta community to continue supporting Ekal’s work in transforming lives across India’s most underserved regions.
‘Maestros & Melodies’ Takes Atlanta on a Bollywood Time-Travel
Against this backdrop of purpose and inspiration, Niche Entertainment’s Maestros & Melodies took the audience on a nostalgic musical journey. Conceived and narrated by Milind Oak, the show celebrated six decades of Bollywood music with stories, trivia, and timeless melodies, performed by a trio of singers who brought each era’s magic to life.
Oak opened the journey with Lata Mangeshkar’s stirring “Vande Mataram” from Anand Math (1951), setting a patriotic tone before handing the musical baton to the singers.
From there, Oak’s narration unfolded like a guided tour through Bollywood’s changing soundscape, while the trio of vocalists—Chaitanya Kulkarni, Abhilasha Chellam, and Swarada Godbole—brought each era alive on stage. When Oak spoke of Naushad, the industry’s first superstar composer, the singers followed with a vibrant rendition of “Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache Re.” His description of Salil Chowdhury’s East–West fusion was punctuated by “Ja Re Ja Re Ud Ja Re,” and C. Ramachandra’s early rock-and-roll flair came through in the lively “Shola Jo Bhadke.”
As Oak narrated the rise of Shankar–Jaikishan and their two-decade dominance, the singers eased into “Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi,” and later captured Shammi Kapoor’s breezy swagger with “Raat Ke Humsafar.” Madan Mohan’s unmatched sensitivity was honored with an emotionally rich “Lag Jaa Gale,” while O.P. Nayyar’s Punjabi folk-infused rhythms sparked energy through “Jind Meriye” and “Nakhrewali.”
Oak highlighted how Laxmikant–Pyarelal pushed Lata Mangeshkar into unexpected genres, leading into the playful cabaret-style “Aa Jaane Jaa.” Roshan’s mastery of the qawwali form flowed into “Na Toh Caravan Ki Talaash Hai,” and the rustic simplicity of S.D. Burman—Tripura’s musical prince—was brought to life through “Hoton Mein Aisi Baat.”
The shift into the 1970s arrived with R.D. Burman, whose revolutionary sound electrified the hall with “Dum Maro Dum.” The singers carried Oak’s narrative momentum through Kalyanji–Anandji’s long relevance (“Yeh Mera Dil”), Ravindra Jain’s melodious storytelling and the Yesudas era (“Kahin Deep Jale”), and Bappi Lahiri’s disco sparkle (“Jawaani Jaaneman”).
Oak then narrated the melodic revival of the 1990s, which the singers represented with “Saanson Ki Zaroorat Hai,” before moving to A.R. Rahman’s global breakthrough—captured through “Chhoti Si Asha” and an energetic “Chaiyya Chaiyya.” The 2000s arrived with Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy’s fresh musical identity (“Mitwa”) and culminated in Pritam’s contemporary mastery (“Mere Dholna Sun”).
The evening closed with the collective “Rang De Basanti,” stirring feelings of cultural pride in the audience.
Lead vocalist Chaitanya Kulkarni was the night’s standout, effortlessly modulating his voice from Mohammed Rafi’s purity to Sukhwinder Singh’s power, and seamlessly transitioning across eras and genres.
Female lead Abhilasha Chellam delivered her signature perfection, especially in the Lata–Asha repertoire. Swarada Godbole added freshness and energy, holding her own alongside veteran performers.
The live orchestra, as always, was impeccable– recreating everything from the soft tabla of the 50s to the synthesizers of the 80s to the layered arrangements of today’s Bollywood hits.
The group’s concerts are consistently sold out because they offer more than music—they offer memory. For the diaspora, songs from Barsaat, Albela, Chitchor, and Dil Se are not just melodies; they are emotional timelines. This year’s expanded range—from the 1940s to the 2000s struck a deep nostalgic chord in this writer, as it must have in the rest of the audience.
