“Sights and Sounds of Music” features stunning renditions of Indian dances and songs.
By Raif Karerat
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RESTON, Virginia: “Sights and Sounds of Music,” a charity musical event organized by Indian American high school student Shreya Bhatia, raised $7,000 for the Insight Memory Care Center, a facility in Fairfax, Virginia, dedicated to providing care, support and education to individuals afflicted with the Alzheimer’s disease.
More than 250 attended the August 2 event, which featured artists from the Washington area who performed stunning renditions of Indian dances and songs. Bhatia herself was one of the star performers of the evening.
The event was held at The Waddell Theater at Northern Virginia Community College in Sterling, Virginia.
“I wanted to raise money for Insight Memory Care Center … and also to raise awareness of music therapy as a potential therapeutic option for neurodegenerative disorders,” Bhatia told The American Bazaar.
The 17-year-old, who is a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and technology, said she decided to be more proactive on behalf of Alzheimer’s patients after she started volunteering at Insight Memory Care Center a little more than a year ago.
“I think just going in there and realizing what a significant impact Alzheimer’s has on people’s lives inspired me to at least raise awareness for the disease,” she said. “Then, with my passion for music, I started researching and found the connection between music and memory. Insight and Memory Care Center actually has a program for music and memory and all of the proceeds are going to that program.”
In addition to the musical billing, the event featured an address from Dr. Mandira Nandani Mehra, a neurologist and pain management specialist who lauded music as potent weapon in the battle against Alzheimer’s.
Born in Fairfax to parents who immigrated from India, Bhatia has been training in Hindustani classical and Bollywood music for the past 10 years and am a current vocal student at the Shankar Mahadevan Academy.
The talented young songstress has shared the stage with acclaimed Indian performers including Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, and Shankar Mahadevan, at renowned venues such as DAR Constitution Hall and Patriot Center in the Washington D.C. area, as well as Max Fisher Hall in Detroit, Mich.
Her father, Rakesh Bhatia, is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is also the president of the Washington, DC, chapter of the nonprofit Pratham USA.