Music will strike a chord with the cause of water safety and awareness around drowning at this Delhi event
When words fall short, music steps in. That’s the spirit behind Advaitha – A Symphony, a campaign using melody to spark awareness about the often-overlooked issue of drowning. What began as a singing competition on World Drowning Prevention Day (July 25) now reaches its crescendo today, with 12 finalists, shortlisted from 78 entries across Delhi-NCR, vying for the top three honours.
One of the finalists who will be performing at the finale in Delhi on September 6.
After three intense rounds, the finalists, aged 13 to 19, will showcase their talent at the city’s grand finale. But this is a mission with heart. “This is not just a music award event, it’s a mission. Every day, there are incidents of accidental drowning, often involving youngsters,” says co-organiser Renu Kaul Verma, who lost her 18-year-old son, Advaitha, a gifted singer, to drowning at Pune’s Pawna Lake in June 2024.
Verma stresses that “most incidents are avoidable with proper safety measures — life jackets, signboards, awareness drives. Sadly, it’s hardly talked about until tragedy strikes. If even one life can be saved through awareness, that’s success”. By blending music with a message, she adds, the campaign hopes to “ignite awareness and inspire change”.
The event doubles as a tribute to Advaitha, in whose memory his parents set up the Hemant Bala Advaitha Foundation.
Alongside the competition, the evening will feature a short film on water safety and a performance by Nagpur-based rapper Vinod Waghade aka Garam Kalakar. He will perform Baarish aur Haadse, a rap that confronts the urgency of addressing accidental drowning: “As an artiste, I believe if you need to send across a message to Gen Z, there’s no better way than music.”
Catch It Live
What: Advaitha – A Symphony
Where: Auditorium, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Azad Bhawan, IP Estate, ITO
When: September 6
Timing: 3pm to 7pm
Nearest Metro Station: ITO on the Violet Line
