Jashn-e-Qawwali 2023 - Blog | Wishesandblessings

Jashn-e-Qawwali is a fundraising event organized by Wishes & Blessings for its Skill Development unit-Sahas on the 30th of April at the Siri Fort Auditorium. Dr Geetanjali Chopra along with her stellar team members organised a musical night of Qawwali featuring the band Nizami Bandhu in order to raise funds for Sahas and commemorate the organization’s 9th anniversary. The Qawwali group is renowned for songs like Kun Faya Kun, Chaap Tilak, and many others that are etched in our hearts. Keeping up with their reputation, the band enthralled the audience. The event was graced by Honourable Mayor of Delhi, Smt. Shelly Oberoi, as well as dignitaries from several Ministries.

The event also served as a platform for expressing gratitude to the sponsors and CSR partners who supported Wishes & Blessings during its nine-year journey of spreading smiles and making dreams come true. In addition to inviting generous donors and notable figures to the event, Dr. Geetanjali Chopra made sure that beneficiaries from the organization’s different projects had the opportunity to participate in the musical evening which is a unique and new experience for them. The beneficiaries from Sahas, the uncles and aunties of Mann ka Tilak (old-age home) and the kids from the day-care centers were delighted to be a part of the celebration.

Sahas, Wishes & Blessings’ project for skill development, had its official launch in January, 2023. As its literal definition suggests, Sahas is a platform where the organisation honours women who take the first step towards financial independence. The skill development programme for women and adolescent girls provides free tailoring training. The project’s location is in Maidangarhi, a neighbourhood south of Delhi near Chhatarpur. It is an urban village which is a relatively conservative neighbourhood. The community’s men predominate in terms of finances and decision-making. Women’s influence over their own life is negligible to non-existent.

Men are more likely than women to be wage earners in the area. The financial difficulties that families in this area endure are significant. The majority of them work as daily wage laborers, carpenters or rag pickers. Women are not allowed to pursue higher education due to both financial restrictions and the ingrained patriarchal mindset in the community. Girls and women in this community often face the brunt of the majority of social stigmas because they are only engaged in domestic work, unable to pursue higher education and are completely reliant on their male counterparts.

The Skill Development Programme initially began with 5 women, but in the span of just4 months, it has grown to 30 proud trainees who have bravely taken the first step toward achieving financial independence. A door-to-door survey was conducted with women from each family being asked about their daily routines, levels of education and occupations. To our surprise, we came across women who were merely taking care of their houses and kids but expressed a strong desire to learn something new and accomplish something on their own.

The real challenges came when the women expressed an interest in the programme but were denied permission by their families. The team visited the households and was successful in convincing a few families to send these women for training. Girls as young as 14 who are unable to attend school due to a lack of documentation as their families work as migrant laborers here have also been enrolled in Sahas. These women experience a variety of difficulties including sexual assault and domestic violence. Their stories might leave you with a gut-wrenching feeling that will keep you reeling for days.

The beneficiaries were thrilled to hear about the event. Team Wishes and Blessings decided to get the event’s felicitation stoles made by the beneficiaries to keep up their enthusiasm and support their journey. The beneficiaries showed a tremendous deal of interest in every step of the process, from sourcing the raw materials to designing the stoles, as it was the first time in their lives that they were a part of anything so significant.

Despite the short amount of time, the trainees worked hard and did a terrific job to complete their first assignment. The happiness and pride on each beneficiary’s face during the guests’ felicitation were gratifying for the entire Wishes and Blessings team. These women rarely get out of their homes and when they witnessed eminent personalities on stage acknowledging and appreciating them, they got teared up. Amidst their daily responsibilities, a few hours dedicated to these women not only inspired their desire to do something but also provided them with a sense of belonging.

This noble cause received overwhelming support from the audience. The Nizami Bandhu gave an incredible rendition of the Amir Khusro song ‘Rang’ to cap off the wonderful evening. After visiting Nizamuddin Auliya, Khusro penned this letter to his mother about how he found the ideal spiritual “guru” or teacher. The women of Sahas also exited the auditorium being inspired to do something for themselves. It was an evening filled with melody, magnanimity and motivation.