News

News
30 January 2008: Olivia Newton-John writes to CHARINDAA

In a recent letter to CHARINDAA, Olivia Newton-John said, “On behalf of my appeal’s executive committee, we are delighted to be associated with CHARINDDA who provide a valuable vehicle for exposing Australian audiences to the richness of Indian culture while raising much needed funds for charity.”

The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre Appeal will be the recipient of “CHARINDAA’s Sensational Sonu Nigaam Tour of Australia, 2008”.

10 January 2008: Dominique Lapierre opens CHARINDAA Sishu Kalyani Kutir

CHARINDAA, through its Qantas-SigaramTV A. R. Rahman Tour of Australia, 2008 raised $120,000 for Udayan, the home for destitute children. Following that, Udayan has just completed construction of the “CHARINDAA Sishu Kalyan Kutir” in Kolkata. We received a touching letter from Father James Stevens. On 4th December, Udayan’s Patron, Dominique Lapierre (authour of “The City of Joy”) pre-inaugurated the building. The main inauguration will be performed by Sister Nirmala (Mother Teresa’s successor) later when she returns from her world tour. We at CHARINDAA are all pleased to see this development and all of us in Australia should take pride in this building that we all played a role in setting up. Photographs from the opening function are available here.

8 January 2008: CHARINDAA announces dates for the Sensational Sonu Nigaam Tour

Sonu Nigaam, one of the biggest Bollywood music singers will tour Australia in 2008 for a mega tour. CHARINDAA will present the “Sensational Sonu Nigaam Tour, 2008) ovre the ANZAC Day Long Weekend in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne. The tour will also feature Prashant Tamang, winner of Indian Idol, 2008. The dates for this tour are:
SYDNEY: Friday 25 April 2008
MELBOURNE: Saturday 26 April 2008
ADELAIDE: Sunday 27 April 2008

15 Deecmber 2007: CHARINDAA announces the Sensational Sonu Nigaam Tour

Sonu Nigaam, one of the biggest Bollywood music singers will tour Australia in 2008 for a mega tour. CHARINDAA will present the “Sensational Sonu Nigaam Tour, 2008) ovre the ANZAC Day Long Weekend in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne. The tour will also feature Prashant Tamang, winner of Indian Idol, 2008.

11 April 2007: Letter from Father James Stevens

The Reverend James Stevens writes from Udayan to inform us of progress in the construction of the CHARINDAA Sishu Kalyan Kutir. The building results from the donation that CHARINDAA made to Udayan on the conclusion of the Qantas-SigaramTV A. R. Rahman Tour of Australia, 2005. More information on the letter from Udayan can be read here.

29 Aug 2006: The Age reviews the Festival of Indian Music in Australia 2006 (FIMA 2006)

The Festival of Indian Music in Australia 2006 (FIMA 2006) in Melbourne was reviewed in The Age by Jessica Nicholas.

29 Aug 2006: CHARINDAA in the news

Read The Age review as well as other reviews and previews of FIMA 2006 in newspapers such as Indian Link, DNA India, Indus Age, South Asia Times and other media channels by following this link.

28 Aug 2006: FIMA 2006 held in Sydney and Melbourne

CHARINDAA successfully conducted 8 concerts (4 in Sydney and 4 in Melbourne) across two weekends as part of its SigaramTV-IndianLink-Honda Festival of Indian Music in Australia, 2006 (FIMA 2006). All 8 concerts were well attended and were appreciated by a wide cross section of Australian music-loving audiences. The series was marked by a hugely increased interest from ‘mainstream’ Australians.

26 Aug 2006: The Age previews the Festival of Indian Music in Australia 2006 (FIMA 2006)

The Festival of Indian Music in Australia 2006 (FIMA 2006) in Melbourne was previewed in The Age by Jessica Nicholas, who, in the preview, talked about the Colonial Cousins, Sanjay Subrahmanyan and Ghazal concerts.

28 June 2006: Honda Sponsorship of FIMA 2006

CHARINDAA is delighted to welcome Honda Pty Ltd as its third and final Platinum (tour-naming-rights) Sponsor for The Festival of Indian Music in Australia, 2006 (FIMA 2006). FIMA 2006 will, henceforth, be referred to as “CHARINDAA’s SigaramTV-IndianLink-Honda Festival of Indian Music in Australia, 2006 (FIMA 2006)”.
The Honda brand name came to Australia in the mid 1950s when independent firms imported Honda motorcycles. Today, Honda Australia has enjoyed record sales, with many vehicles winning awards.
Honda is a great institution with a long history of association with philanthropic activities. The company believes in the power of dreams. The pursuit of dreams was intrinsic to the success of Soichiro Honda, the man. And to this day it remains the driving inspiration of Honda, the company. The Honda philosophy is that “Everyone has a dream, some goal or activity that gives their life deeper meaning and sparks passion.”
CHARINDAA’s passion is two-fold: (a) Promting Indian arts to mainstream Australia, (b) Raising funds for important charities. We are happy therefore that Honda has decided to share this dream through its sponsorship of FIMA 2006. We hope that this will mark the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship between two organisations driven by the power of dreams.

22 June 2006: “CHARINDAA Sishu Kalyan Mandir”: Email from Father James Stevens

Father James Stevens from Udayan wrote to us to say how they will be using the $120,000 that we remitted to them after the “Qantas-SigaramTV A. R. Rahman Tour of Australia, 2005”. Father Stevens writes:
Greetings from Udayan!
All is well here in Udayan – we have taken in 18 new boys and girls. The Board Examination results (Class X and XII) have been satisfactory. One of our boys has been accepted in college for B.A.(Hons) course — three of our kids are following degree courses at present. The boys are full of the FIFA World Cup (Leonardo – former Brazil and AC Milan player is funding a mini sports centre in Udayan for Table Tennis, Carom, Chess, Badminton and Basket Ball etc (to be inaugurated after the World Cup is over).
[We have decided that we will use the funds that CHARINDAA provided us] to construct a centre in Udayan for the very young boys – 3 years to 5 years+. At the moment this department is very cramped. It will also facilitate giving more space to the older boys. The new building will be called the “CHARINDAA SISHU KALYAN MANDIR”.
Work will start after the monsoons (August/September). We will keep you updated with more on this later, once we have the architects plan etc.”

13 June 2006: Ticketing partnership with Pakistan Association of Australia

CHARINDAA is happy to announce a ticketing partnership with The Pakistan Australia Association, Inc., (PAA). PAA serves the Pakistan community in Australia. PAA will promote FIMA 2006 amongst its membership. PAA Members can now purchase FIMA 2006 tickets at a slightly discounted price. Good seats have been reserved for each of the above concerts for all PAA Patrons.

5 June 2006: Ticketing partnership with PALLAVI, Sydney

CHARINDAA is happy to announce a ticketing partnership with PALLAVI, Sydney. PALLAVI has been promoting Indian classical music and dance concerts in Sydney for over a decade and has a strong and vibrant client base in Sydney and Canberra. PALLAVI will promote FIMA 2006 amongst its membership. CHARINDAA is pleased to work with PALLAVI in this manner. PALLAVI Patrons can now purchase tickets at a slightly discounted price for all FIMA 2006 concerts from PALLAVI, Sydney; In particular, for the Ramani-Rajam Jugalbandhi concert (Friday 18 August 2006, 8pm at The Wesley Theatre) and the Sanjay Subrahmanyan Carnatic concert (Sunday 20 August 2006, 10am at The Greenhalgh Hall). Good seats have been reserved for each of the above concerts for PALLAVI Patrons.

1 June 2006: Ticketing partnership with Suzuki Music, Melbourne

CHARINDAA is happy to announce a ticketing partnership with SUZUKI Music, Melbourne. Suzuki Music will promote FIMA 2006 amongst its membership. Members of Suzuki Music, Melbourne can book their tickets through CHARINDAA. 5% of the value of each ticket will be passed on to Suzuki Music.

23 May 2006: Tickets Available through Ticketmaster

Colonial Cousins Tickets for FIMA 2006 are now available through Ticketmaster. Tickets for the remaining three Melbourne shows will be available from 24 May 2006. Season Passes and other tickets are now available through the CHARINDAA website.

20 May 2006: FIMA 2006 Tickets

Due to reasons beyond our control, Melbourne FIMA 2006 tickets will only be available from 23rd May 2006. Sydney FIMA 2006 tickets are available from Ticketmaster now. Note that Season Passes are only available through the CHARINDAA website.

20 May 2006: FIMA 2006 Sample Sounds available

CHARINDAA has now uploaded a few sample sounds of all FIMA 2006 artistes. Do listen to lovely songs like Funky Freedom, Never Know The Reason, tu hi re, krishna nee and Lady by Colonial Cousins and much much more. Let us know what you thought by sending mail to [email protected].

20 May 2006: Season Passes for FIMA 2006

Season Passes for FIMA 2006 will only be available through the CHARINDAA website. A (discounted price) Season Pass entitles patrons to attend all four FIMA 2006 events in a city (Sydney or Melbourne). Click here to order your Season Passes. Please note that Season Passes for FIMA 2006 will only be available through CHARINDAA. Note that Ticketmaster will not sell Season Passes through its outlets, its website or through their phone sales department. Note that CHARINDAA will continue to accept other bookings for tickets through its online ticket booking system.

19 May 2006: FIMA 2006 Presales commenced

CHARINDAA’s pre-sales campaign for FIMA 2006 ended on 16 May 2006 and tickets have gone on sale with Ticketmaster from Friday 19 May 2006. The response to CHARINDAA’s presales campaign for FIMA 2006 was strong. Some good seats have already gone and many patrons made use of the group discount offer.

23 Mar 2006: FIMA 2006 Presales Announced

CHARINDAA’s pre-sales campaign for FIMA 2006 will commence on Monday 3 April 2006. This campaign will end on Monday 15 May 2006 prior to tickets going on-sale on Friday 19 May 2006 with Ticketmaster7. Through the pre-sales campaign, patrons can get good seats early to any FIMA 2006 event. Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more in the pre-sales (group discounts are available for groups of 25 or more once tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster7). For the A. R. Rahman Tour, most Family tickets got sold out in the pre-sales process.
So, engage with the FIMA 2006 pre-sales process. It is easy. This year, FIMA 2006 pre-sales will be conducted via an online registration form. Place your orders. You will then be given three payment options. Your order is only confirmed on receiving payment. The tickets that you ordered and paid for will be blocked off prior to tickets going on sale through Ticketmaster7. These tickets will then be mailed to you approximately 3-4 weeks after tickets go on sale.

19 Feb 2006: FIMA 2006 Announcement

After the success of its “Qantas-SigaramTV A. R. Rahman 3rd Dimension Tour of Australia, 2005”, which raised $120,000 for Udayan, the destitute children’s home in Kolkata, India, CHARINDAA announced its 2006 event: A “Festival of Indian Music in Australia, 2006 (FIMA 2006)”. The Festival will feature 4 concerts over a weekend in Sydney followed by 4 concerts the following weekend in Melbourne. In FIMA 2006, CHARINDAA will present Colonial Cousins, Sanjay Subrahmanyan, a jugalbandhi event featuring Dr N. Ramani (flute) and Dr N. Rajam (violin) and Hariharan in a ghazal concert.

25 Oct 2005: Steve Waugh Mentions CHARINDAA in ABC Interview

Stave Waugh made a small mention of CHARINDAA in an interview with Margret Thorsby on ABC (look for the interview on Thursday 25 October) while talking about his new book (Out of My Comfort Zone). It is quite a long interview and you have to work your way to the 48 min mark to hear the mention of CHARINDAA. But it is there for sure! Steve Waugh also made mention of CHARINDAA on Jon Faine’s program on 774 ABC Melbourne on the same day. The link to the page for accessing past interviews by Margret Thorby is: http://www.abc.net.au/classic/throsby/

25 Sep 2005: Mail from Udayan
Mail from Udayan

12 Sep 2005: The Age reviews the A. R. Rahman Melbourne Concert
The A. R. Rahman concert in Melbourne was reviewed in The Age by Jessica Nicholas.

12 Sep 2005: CHARINDAA in SMH
The Sydney Morning Herald carried a preview of the A. R. Rahman concert in Sydney (“Indian Music Enters a New Dimension”).

01 Sep 2005: Shankar Mahadevan performs in Melbourne only
Due to unavoidable circumstances, Shankar Mahadevan cannot perform in Sydney. He will perform in Melbourne and return to India. His place in the Sydney concert will be taken by Unni Menon who will fly in specifically for the Sydney concert.

03 Aug 2005: Statement from Udayan
“The Qantas-SigarmTV A.R.Rahaman concert is the official fund raising event that UDAYAN recognises and is proudly supported by Steve Waugh. We at UDAYAN are extremely pleased to be associated with this mega event in Australia.”

The Reverend James G. Stevens, OBE, Founder/Chairman, UDAYAN

18 Jul 2005: Comment from Baz Luhrmann
“I had come to the music of AR Rahman through the emotional and haunting score of ‘Bombay’ and the wit and celebration of ‘Lagaan’. But the more of AR’s music I encountered the more I was to be amazed at the sheer diversity of styles: from swinging brass bands to triumphant anthems; from joyous pop to West-End musicals (‘Bombay Dreams’). Whatever the style, AR Rahman’s music always possesses a profound sense of humanity and spirit, qualities that inspire me the most.” Baz Luhrmann, noted Film Director, Sydney (Australia), 14-July-2005.

03 Jul 2005: SigaramTV are Platinum Sponsors of the A. R. Rahman Tour
CHARINDAA has secured its second Platinum Sponsor for the A.R. Rahman Concert Tour. SigaramTV is the premier Tamil television station, that focuses on broadcasting high-impact, memorable programmes particularly covering the news (local & worldwide), music, films, light entertainment and current affairs to the Tamil Community living in Australia and New Zealand.

Dino, the CEO of SigaramTV adds, “We are extremely glad with this association with CHARINDAA and A.R. Rahman. The A.R. Rahman brand is extremely pure, very exciting, highly intellectual and extremely innovative. These are values that SigaramTV associates itself with. In addition, CHARINDAA are promoting this tour as no Indian arts tour has been promoted before. This is going to be the biggest Bollywood show Australia has ever seen. So, we are happy to be associated with the tour as a tour-naming-rights sponsor.

The Tour will now be known as the ‘Qantas-SigaramTV A. R. Rahman 3rd Dimension Tour of Australia, 2005’.

30 Jun 2005: CHARINDAA in The Age

CHARINDAA in The Age

29 May 2005: Steve Waugh lends support to CHARINDAA

CHARINDAA is pleased to announce that Steve Waugh has agreed to lend support to the “Qantas-SigaramTV A. R. Rahman 3rd Dimension Tour of Australia, 2005”. Steve Waugh, former Captain of the Australian cricket team, is the Chief Patron of Udayan, the Child Leprosy Centre in Kolkata, India. Steve Waugh will attend at least one of the concerts on the Tour.

24 May 2005: Tickets for the A. R. Rahman Show

Tickets for the Qantas-SigaramTV A. R. Rahman 3D tour go on sale from 15 June 2005

29 April 2005: Dinner with the Stars

CHARINDAA will organise two ‘Dinner with the Stars’ Evenings (one in Melbourne and one in Sydney) as a part of its promotion of the Qantas-SigaramTV A. R. Rahman 3D Tour of Australia, 2005. Watch this website for further details on ‘Dinner with the Stars’.
Contact CHARINDAA
-If you would like more information on the sponsorship of one (or both) Dinner Event/s
-If you would like to attend one (or both) Dinner Evening/s

25 April 2005: CHARINDAA’s innaugural event announced

CHARINDAA unveils its inaugural event – the Qantas-SigaramTV A. R. Rahman 3D Tour of Australia 2005. This Tour is planned in aid of “Udayan”, the child leprosy centre in Kolkata, India. Steve Waugh is the Chief Patron of Udayan.