Facebook and Bollywood collaborate on ‘I FOR INDIA’ concert

Social media networking site Facebook has collaborated with some of the biggest names in Indian entertainment to put together a home-to-home fundraiser concert, ‘I For India’.

According to the company’s official release, 100 per cent proceeds from the fundraiser concert will go to the India COVID Response Fund managed by GiveIndia, to support on-ground relief efforts.

GiveIndia (www.giveindia.org) is India’s largest giving platform with reach across 23 states. It is associated with over 100 NGOs, working on-ground to support the required interventions with the prevention, healthcare infrastructure, livelihood support, and essentials for people in need, the company mentioned.

Goal of the concert

The vision for the concert by leaders from the entertainment industry is three-pronged: to entertain those locked down in their homes. To pay tribute to those who are working on the frontlines. And, to raise funds for those who have no work and no home and do not know where their next meal is coming from.

The four-hour-long concert will be live globally on Facebook on Sunday, 3rd May 2020 at 7:30 pm IST and will feature performances and personal messages from 85+ Indian and global stars including A R Rahman, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Alia Bhatt, Javed Akhtar, Anushka Sharma, Katrina Kaif, Nick Jonas, Priyanka Chopra, Lilly Singh, Virat Kohli, Ustad Zakhir Hussain, among others.

I for India’s Fundraiser is already active on Facebook and people can donate via fb.me/IforIndiaFundraiser. People will also be able to make a donation via the donate button next to the video while watching the concert.

Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India, stated in the official release: “As a company, Facebook is committed to being an ally for India as the country fights the coronavirus outbreak. Our efforts so far have been focused on providing access to accurate health information and supporting communities around the country. We recently launched Facebook Fundraisers, that allow people to leverage the full scale and power of the platform, and their passion, to direct resources to initiatives that can protect and save lives.”

He further added: “We’re grateful to the creators, celebrities, and publishers participating in the ‘Social For Good’ Live-athon to drive the fundraisers. The ‘I for India’ concert is the grand finale of these efforts, featuring well-known artists and influencers.”

Atul Satija, CEO, GiveIndia, said: "The I For India fundraiser concert, backed by a fabulous line up of stars, really feels like a nation coming together - though we are isolated, we are united in our efforts to win this battle against COVID-19. We have already received tremendous support for our missions to provide humanitarian aid to those most affected by this crisis, particularly migrant workers and daily wagers. But with the concert going live on the world's largest social media platform, it will help reach the millions of people who want to contribute to this war-like effort. We are extremely grateful to the organizers for putting their trust in us as the donations partner."