BENGALURU: Dharavi, the biggest Indian slum in Mumbai, has the population around eight lakh residents in it. But most of the population is isolated from the contemporary world and underprivileged. Similarly, children of this slum lack basic education and cultural inheritance. But one music band from the same slum has proved it all wrong and below to go the detailed story, as reported by the Rediff
Abhijit Jejurikar, is the initiator and the prime person behind the band called Dharavi Rocks. Jejurikar is a marketing professional in Mumbai, but his heart always chanted a musical journey, hence he set up the music band by conglomerating the rag pickers and factory workers of the Dharavi.
It all began when Jejurikar met the Vinod Shetty, Director at Acorn Foundation, an NGO and Blue Frog music club. The NGO that is striving persistently to uplift lifestyle of the slum kids and to provide them basic nourishments. Consequently, Shetty was searching for a musician and found Jejurikar with the same interest and established the band. Shetty and Jejurikar met the slum kids at the at Xavier's Institute and were enthralled by their untreated talent.
Today, ‘Dharavi Rocks’ is one among the most talked about bands in India and has performed over 100 shows across the country. The band has shared stages with Indian music veterans like Agni, Karsh Kale, Indian Ocean and Papon. The journey of the band is also covered by American and European documentary makers.
Jejurikar said "I came to Bombay four years ago following my corporate career, but a more dominant side of me always wanted to stay a die-hard musician and contribute to making social change using the skills I had. My father, Pramod Jejurikar, is a veteran Rotarian and inculcated that quality in me early on. My music took me to BlueFROG very often, where I met a man through a common friend who was doing something spectacular."
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