KOCHI: There are some people who voluntarily step in to alleviate the hardship of society even
if it’s remotely connected to them. Aaram Salam, a high school student based in the US with roots in Vypeen, is one such person. He decided to help his ancestral land struggling with the Covid crisis through music.“It’s been a routine for me to visit my grandparents’ home in Vypeen during summer holidays. Though I was born and brought up in the US, I always had a connection with Kerala since my childhood,” he said.
It all started with the death of Aaram’s distant relative. “Due to Covid, I couldn’t visit the family since last year. But I have been hearing about the rising number of Covid cases and the spread of black fungus. A family member, who was a retired physician and was helping out at a local hospital, died of coronavirus.
Later, a few members of my extended family also lost their lives to Covid. With the death toll on the rise, I decided to do my bit to help the families back in Kerala,” he said. The 16-year -old, a trained pianist, decided to organise a music concert, with the help of his classmates at Barstow School in Kansas City. Through an hour-long concert at his home on May 22, the boy raised $2,410.He donated the amount to the Ernakulam district administration’s initiatives to help affected families.
“When I explained the idea of online concert to my friends, all of them came on board. Though the online fundraiser initiative was set with a budget of $2,000, we managed to raise $2,410. The fund was then transferred to the Inner Wheel Club of Vypeen, who then distributed it to affected families,” he said.Aaram’s friends Gus Ketchell, Finnian Waldron, Lahna Groden, and Dylan Markey helped him with the cause. “Though our exams were happening at that time, we decided to stick to the plan. We even live-streamed the event on Facebook for all the donors to watch” said Aaram. With the success of his initiative, Aaram plans to organise similar ones in the future as well.