Has coldplay left us in a fix?

If the soaring ticket prices of the upcoming Coldplay gig in India left you with cold feet, here’s a way that can fix you; as well as earn you a ticket to the gig. As the band confirmed that they would be headlining the Global Citizen Festival in India, over the weekend, it was also announced that tickets to the concert will be available for free, but with some terms and conditions!

A reported 90 per cent of these tickets will have to be earned through various acts of social work. From signing petitions to the Prime Minister of India to taking a full-fledged quiz on global goals and increasing awareness, the tasks seem fun, varied and easily accomplished. Each task earns the doer points, with more tasks added every two weeks. Those who gather a certain number of points will be able to reach a step closer to earning their tickets. This innovative method of social work that gets people actively involved is a new concept in India.

Actor Akshara Haasan, a die-hard fan of the band, says, “I am super thrilled with the fact that they are coming to India. When I heard they were coming to our country, the first person I thought was my sister.” She says that it’s Shruti Haasan who had first introduced her to the band. “I think it’s great for the Indian music scene, as there is a new trend of music where I feel some of the finest artists are getting lost in history,” she reveals, adding that she would try her best not to miss the concert.

The event, which is to be held in Mumbai on November 19, is a part of the inaugural celebration of Global Citizen Festival India, the Indian chapter of the social action platform, which was formed in New York in 2012. Along with Coldplay, it’s been confirmed that rapper Jay-Z will also be performing at the event, along with some of the top names from Bollywood.

However, it seems to have left a lot of the youth unimpressed. “This entire virtue-seeking behaviour is not my thing — it’s too pretentious and phoney,” says Andrew Peretti, a British expat from Yorkshire, who lives in Mumbai. “If I want to go for a music gig, I don’t need to have a social conscious — why not go for art for the sake of art instead of tying a social cause to it,” he adds. The 26-year-old investment banker prefers to buy the ticket instead of working half-heartedly towards it. “One has to pay a sort of premium for things like this in India. Considering the line-up has Jay-Z, I am sold for Rs 25k!”

The years I spent living and working in India as a teenager were a key catalyst of my passion for challenging the status quo of poverty alleviation,” says Hugh Evans, CEO, Global Citizen.

Several A-listers, including Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan have vouched their support to the cause.

Speaking about the social initiative, environmentalist Sumaira Abdulali, says, “According to me, any kind of initiative that brings people together is good because social work cannot happen without people. Even for students who want to go study abroad, they are supposed to show some social work. Many of these children are initially reluctant and do it just for the sake of doing, but many change their minds with time and they get sincerely involved. So as long as any incentive brings in more people I think it is a good thing.”

Sharin Bhatti, co founder of The Hive, a youth oriented community space in Mumbai says, “I am damn excited, even though I’m not completely sure if I will be able to do enough tasks to get the tickets for myself, as I am very busy at the moment with multiple projects.”

When asked the comedian Sorabh Pant, he replies, “I think this is a great initiative! Coldplay is known for doing charity work — they gave Sonam Kapoor a part in their video. This whole thing is almost like karma currency. Chris Martin is basically Santa Claus of this year saying, ‘you be good, children, and you can come to my concert!’ Although I do hope the government doesn’t eventually cancel the concert, but in the face of charity, that seems highly unlikely,”