Published 27 July 2022
A musical consultant is swapping the operating theatre for one with a stage for a charity concert in Canterbury.
Dr Rema Iyer, a consultant gynaecological oncologist for East Kent Hospitals, is organising a Bollywood music evening to raise money for East Kent Hospitals Charity.
Proceeds will go towards projects benefiting people with gynaecological cancer across east Kent.
Rema, who works at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate, said: “Music is very important to me and I always have it playing in the operating theatre when I am working.
“I am very excited about this event, which brings together my two passions of performing and health, and hope the audience will have as much fun watching as we will have playing.”
The event, on Friday, 12 August at the Malthouse Theatre in Canterbury, is a celebration of both old and contemporary Indian music performed by her band, Muzic India Ltd. It is made up of Rema and her friend Ganesh Kumble, who reunited after 20 years apart and are enjoying recreating the fun they had performing together as students in India.
Rema is trained in South Indian classical music, while Ganesh is a percussionist, and together they perform an eclectic blend of pop, rock and Indian tunes.
During the coronavirus lockdowns they ventured into creating their own songs, and their first song, Kanjyi, about rice porridge, featured lyrics penned by Rema’s mother Rohini Iyer.
They also released a charity single featuring hospital staff, celebrating the Indian festival of Onam.
The song, Oru London Sadya, raised £2,000 for a voluntary organisation delivering palliative and end-of-life are to terminally ill people in Kerala, India.
For the concert, the duo will be joined by Ayoub Khan on the violin, Mukesh Kannon and Sijo Chacko on keyboards, Cariappa on lead guitar, Ricki Singh on dholak, Muhammad Roshin on bass and rhythm guitar and Kaushik Shukla on vocals. Rema’s GP husband Dr Murali Dharan will also be joining the band on bass guitar and drums.
The Bollywood music event is sponsored by Lifeline Protect mortgage and insurance services, ICICI bank, Zishta, Aha! Bazaar, Sai Spice, Cactus Media, and HealthifyMe, to ensure all proceeds from ticket sales go directly to the charity.
For more information or to book tickets, visit https://malthousetheatre.co.uk/event/muzic-india-ltd-charity-bollywood-concert/
You can also donate online at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/rema-iyer-3?utm_term=yAwGze83d
