Moved by the havoc wreaked by the recent cyclones in Chennai, Rohit Hemdev, a young Bengaluru-based hotelier and his brother Amrit Hemdev, who prefers to stay out of the media glare, have joined forces to curate The Chennai Thambi Fundraiser, to ease the troubles of those affected. Born and brought up in Chennai, Rohit has lived in New York and London for over a decade and a half, but moved to Bengaluru earlier this year to join his brother in running the family business.
“I think the level of awareness in Bengaluru about the floods is shocking. Being the biggest city that’s so close to Chennai, we should have done more. While there was a lot of relief material that has been sent over the last few weeks, I doubt it was enough. Apart from Chennai, its neighbouring towns, like Cuddalore, have also borne the brunt of the rains,” begins Rohit.
While being ‘Chennai boys’, as Rohit puts it, has definitely steered the duo in this direction, the idea for the whole do comes from his exposure to similar events in New York and London where he worked as a banker. “There’d be many fundraisers for various causes and I thought we need to bring that culture to India. I’ve learnt that everyone wants to help but don’t have the means to do it and we’re hoping to be the channel that drives people to do their bit,” Rohit explains.
The moniker, Chennai Thambi Fundraiser, is inspired by the popular Chennai word that technically means ‘brother’, but loosely translates to ‘yaar’ or ‘dude’. The event to be held at their hotel, Escape Hotel and Spa, Indiranagar today, will see a stand-up comedy session by renowned artiste, Vamsi B and a jazz music performance by Blue Funk, a city-based blues outfit. Apart from the live shows, Rohit will also be auctioning unique experiences, like a trip to Chennai for a lunch with Roja actor, Aravind Swamy, and bespoke ensembles for men and women. They are also in talks with a prominent Hollywood actor for a friendly interaction over Skype and are figuring out a way to rope in popular Malayalam film star Salman Dulqer, though that’s yet to be confirmed.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
