BENGALURU: It was an evening of fun and camaraderie as top executives in the city sang classic Bollywood hits, old and new English numbers, medleys and enjoyed impromptu jam sessions. From soulful melodies, to energetic performances, the audience comprising fellow professionals tapped their feet to some peppy numbers. This, at the 23rd edition of ‘CEOs Sing’ which was held on Sunday at the Taj West End, where founders and CEOs across industries came together to raise funds for critically-ill children with heart disorders. The event by Genesis Foundation made a comeback in Bengaluru after a five-year break.
The line-up included Philipe Haydon, CEO, The Himalaya Drug Company; Arati Rao, founder, B Flat; Manoj and Usha Nair, president, Novel Office Space; Dr Thomas Chandy, CMD and chief of orthopaedics, Hosmat Hospitals; and BlessdBuy.com founder Akshai Sarin. The evening began with Sarin’s soft music, some of which was created using cutlery. Bollywood numbers followed thereafter by Balachandar Chidambaram, functional consultant, Oracle India, which then saw Dr Chandy take to stage with his jazz and rock revival band.
“I’ve been performing for this cause ever since its inception, and have also performed at similar programmes in Mumbai and Delhi,” said Dr Chandy, even as he was ensuring that the sound and light check were in place, just until before the start of the evening programme. On the other end, seasoned professionals and musicians Haydon and Rao, having met for a ‘practice’ session just on the same evening for the first time, were preparing for the performance. Haydon, who plays the guitar for his band, Ministry of Blues, spends at least an hour practising every day. “Earlier, I’d practise for eight hours.
Music has taught me discipline, which I apply in the professional space as well as working as a team,” said Haydon, who started out wanting to be a musician but took up a day job on the insistence of his father, who told him he needed to earn a living. Rao, who now curates music programmes for private gatherings, started off learning Carnatic classical music like all ‘good South Indian girls’. Now, having branched out to jazz performances, she points out that her understanding of rhythm and pitch comes from those early learnings.
For a cause
‘CEOs Sing’ made its debut in 2010, and saw 10 CEOs and senior delegates taking time off to raise funds for critically-ill, under-privileged children with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD). The last edition of the event took place in Gurugram in February 2019.