Music meets social impact: Sonam Kalra supports HBA Foundation’s drowning prevention initiative
Sonam Kalra, the world-renowned Sufi singer, demonstrated how powerful influencers can strengthen a cause. While she enthralled the audience at IIC with her Sufi songs, she supported the drowning prevention campaign spearheaded by Hemant Bala Advaita (HBA) Foundation.
It is painful for the family to lose the life of a younger member to drowning, and only parents can know what the pain is about. It never goes away. While stressing the need to create awareness that can prevent drowning, she also urged grieving parents not to weep over their beloved.
“Every soul that has passed remains with us in spirit,” she said. To capture this eternal connection, she beautifully recited the timeless verses of Mary Elizabeth Frye, leaving the audience with its comforting truth: ‘Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there, I do not sleep.’”
Among others who were present to strengthen the Drowning Prevention Mission were former Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar, India’s Waterman and Raman Magsaysay Award Winner Dr Rajendra Singh, eminent Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan, senior IAS officer Rashmi Singh, cultural visionary Sangeeta Gupta, strategic and defence expert Major General Karun Kumar Sinha (Retd.), veteran journalist Rakesh Sharma and Founder and Chairman of ANI Prem Prakash.
HBA convenor Santosh Verma stressed the need to create awareness about water safety measures, and he exhorted people to join this mission to multiply the efforts. There is a need for children to know what should be done when such emergencies, such as drowning is happening.
“By bringing together distinguished voices from governance, culture, media, environmental advocacy and civil society, we hope to encourage people to recognise their social responsibility and become active participants in preventing avoidable deaths,” he added.
Although the function was organised to mark Advaitha’s tragic death in Pawna Lake on June 23, 2024, it transcended the personal. The HBA reminded the audience about the tragic death of two young boys, Satyam (18) and Prashant (24), who drowned in the Bawana-Munak Canal in Delhi on Sunday after being swept away by strong currents while bathing. Their families waited in anguish late in the night, holding on to the faint hope that their sons would return.
