A file picture of lead singer Neeraj Sridhar

Aug. 3: After a serene night of soulful ghazals a few weeks ago, a bit of pop will surely do Guwahatians a world of good. But Bombay Vikings, the band hired to jazz up Saturday night, has a mission too — raising funds for the flood-hit.

The band’s maiden gig will be on the lawns of Hotel Brahmaputra. Neeraj Sridhar, the front man of the group, is already a familiar and household name across the country. His band’s unique brand of music, which primarily remixes old Hindi film songs, is a smash hit with teenyboppers and party-hoppers.

The Vikings will perform in the city, courtesy Aastha. The organisation was formed about four years back and is already known for its charity projects.

“Aastha was actually formed six or seven years back in Siliguri. The Guwahati chapter was formed about four years ago,” says Prateek, a member of the organisation. “We have been doing charity shows for several years now. We had a charity show for the earthquake victims as well as the drought-hit people. This is the first mega event that we have planned,” he said.

The event is not all about entertainment and fun as the objective of the show is to raise funds for the thousands of flood-affected victims, of the state, especially children. “When we planned this show a few months ago, floods were not wreaking havoc on Assam. We had initially thought of sponsoring a few talented kids from the Missionaries of Charity with money raised from the concert. But now that the scenario has changed, we also plan to donate for the flood victims,” Prateek said.

In fact, half of the show’s proceedings will go towards sponsoring talented students of the Missionaries of Charity. The funds will be used to sponsor their higher education.

Bombay Vikings, too, are no strangers to charity work. They have waived most of their fees for this show.

The group, which stormed the music scene in 1999 with its smash hit Kya Soorat Hai, is based in Sweden. After the amazing debut, its second album, Woh Chali, was also a bestseller. It was, however, with its third album, Hawa Mein Udati Jaaye, that it gained global recognition. The song by the same name was nominated for the prestigious MTV Music Awards held in Singapore. The group has released its last album just a few months back. It also has a greatest hits compilation and has collaborated with some of the best known names in the music industry in the past.

Guwahatians are looking forward to the live show, as is evident from their enthusiasm. Not only teen music buffs but housewives and corporate executives, too, are awaiting the performance. “It is great news that the Bombay Vikings are finally coming to the city. I will definitely go to the show with my friends,” said Tanaya, a high school student.

The show will also feature a traditional fashion show choreographed by Gladrags model Panchali Gupta. The event will showcase the various traditional and indigenous outfits and dressing styles of the Northeast.