Giving back through music

A group of youngsters who wanted to give back to society instead of just taking from it — this is the essence of 6MB Arambi. The talented bunch is a full-service organisation that provides complete planning, consulting, and supervision for both corporate and social events for a cause, and rally for it through music. Be it anti-smoking campaigns, or a fun-raiser for HIV+ victims, they grab attention from people by playing motivational songs in public places, thus directing attention towards the cause. The brain behind this initiative, founder Vagu Mazan, tells us how it all started.

“I’ve always wanted to be part of social causes, so I approached a group of friends and shared my idea of volunteering through music, with them,” starts Vagu, who’s also a singer and guitarist. Prabhu, who’s a cinematographer by profession, immediately jumped on board and agreed to be the creative head. So did bassist  and co-founder Brainard David, and  Alex Samuel (percussionist; now PR head for 6MB...) — and there they were! But how did the name 6MB Arambi come up? “Indha project arambikkanum, indha velai arambi kkanum, Facebook page arambikkanum — the word arambi (start) kept popping up during our discussion, so we decided to stick with that as our title since we were starting with something new!” she says.

They chose to use music as their main tool because it helps garner attention; for example, their very first rally at Elliot’s Beach in Besant Nagar was anti-smoking. “Around eight of us musicians and other volunteers, gathered at Bessi and started playing music. In between songs, we would distribute pamphlets or make speeches about the importance of quitting smoking,” says Vagu adding, “As they heard us play, more and more people started coming near us to see what was going on. Within minutes, nearly 100 people surrounded us and were cheering for the cause! This gave us the confidence to pursue our other campaigns.”

When asked what genre of music they play — “We have composed tunes to some of Bharathiyar’s poetry. Apart from that we also play songs like Heal the World by Michael Jackson, Thai Manne Vanakkam by AR Rahman and more, to motivate people to go good for society,” says Vagu. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback; this is great for a group of youngsters like us. We don’t earn very high salaries, yet we somehow manage to pool in money for noble causes. It’ll be even better if more people come forth to donate and help us raise funds,” she explains.

6MB Arambi also ties up with other corporate and NGOs, to play music for a valid cause, so if you wish to get in touch with them, visit www.facebook.com/6mbaarambi