WE Concert

WE an initiative with a big heart. Begun in 2013 by then seventh graders of Cathedral and John Connon School, funds raised put adolescents from Mumbai's slums through an intense three year long programme at the Salaam Bombay Academy of the Arts.

12-year-old Mrinalini Somani, the brainchild behind WE, was inspired by her voluntary stint at the Academy, where she danced alongside children from municipal/public schools. These children were part of the Salaam Bombay Dance Academy that uses dance as a tool of development. Through Dance, children develop confidence and self-esteem, they use the stage as a platform of self-expression; dance and other vocational skills such as set and costume design, choreography, etc., open up career options that otherwise do not exist for these children of limited means.

Says Mrinialini, "I quickly realised we are all of the same bent of mind artistically… talented, bright and full of dreams. The only difference is that I am fortunate to avail of formal training while their financial constraints cripple their creativity and dreams. That's when I decided to raise funds to provide scholarships to deserving children so that they could hone their talent at the Salaam Bombay Academy of the Arts."

What began with 26 students and an audience of 100 in 2013, has now grown into a movement. Six years later, WE took to the stage at the Royal Opera House, Mumbai's iconic centre for art and culture to an audience of almost 800. In 2019, WE performed at the prestigious National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, to an audience over 1000. From one private school to 17 schools in Mumbai and one from the UK, the number of artists have increased to 83 in 2019.

To date, WE has raised Rs.2.7 Cr (close to US$370k) and has benefitted 3,000 deserving youth from Mumbai's slums. Many have gone on to becoming voice artists, teachers, and choreographers.

WE through music has been the voice of hope and optimism for the past seven years and the global pandemic in 2020 couldn’t stop WE. In its eighth year, WE went global and virtual with 133 artists from 19 schools in Mumbai, one from the UK and two from the US.