Shankar Mahadevan supports “Me For My City” initiative by CanH Life Insurance

Canara HSBC Life Insurance (Company) concludes Season 5 of its flagship initiative #MeForMyCity with legendary singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan’s energetic performance. The grand star-studded event saw some of the finest music performances by handpicked folk singers from across the country.

Through its #MeForMyCity initiative, Canara HSBC Life Insurance Company promises to conserve and protect the traditional diversity of our cities, whether it’s our culture, people, or music. Season 5 of #MeForMyCity by the Company brings alive the essence of protection, which also is at the core of Company’s culture. The campaign was launched in November 2022 and called for entries from fresh folk voices from around the country and gave them a platform to showcase their talent and love for folk music.

In line with the initiative, Canara HSBC Life Insurance is also supporting “Swar Dharohar” Foundation which empowers talented artists to showcase their best of the talents on the same platform of Me For My City held in Mumbai. During the event Mr. Anuj Mathur, MD & CEO, Canara HSBC Life Insurance presented a cheque of Rs. 2 Lakh to Swar Dharohar Foundation to work with the organisation and provide a platform to local artistes who are connected to the roots of Folk Music and can take forward the legendary art and culture of India.

Present at the event, Mr. Anuj Mathur, MD & CEO, Canara HSBC Life Insurance stated, “The #MeforMyCity initiative was conceptualized to bring positivity within the society in a way in which masses could relate with and are able to propagate the ideology in their lives ahead. With Season 5, all lights are on folk music of India, which empowers local communities to promote and protect their cultural heritage. Working alongside country’s finest singers like Shankar Mahadevan, together we strive in protecting the much-celebrated folk music of India. Our collaboration with the Swar Dharohar Foundation will help local artistes to showcase their talent and help them to create dedicated funds to support folk music projects. We want to express our deepest gratitude to all participants and the maestros for their time and a splendid evening of reviving Indian folk music.”

Ms. Tarannum Hasib, Chief Distribution Officer, Canara HSBC Life Insurance further added, “We are elated and honoured to provide a platform through #MeForMyCity in honing and protecting India’s lineage of folk music, which serves as a powerful reminder of Canara HSBC Life Insurance's brand philosophy of protecting and keeping promises made to our loved ones. With Season 5, we aspire to revive our traditional culture by bringing in fresh voices of folk music and in catalysing their much-deserved recognition. The campaign is intended to bring traditional folk music closer to the younger generation who rarely get to experience the the warmth of rich cultural music of India . We are also elated to announce that the Company has decided to release a limited edition set of NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) and present them to our 12 participants of the MeForMyCity finale. These NFTs are symbol of our gratitude for the contributions made by these super singers."

Shankar Mahadevan, renowned music composer and singer further added “Folk music has been a part of our society for centuries. The beauty and uniqueness of folk lie in its ability to connect people by bridging language barriers and bringing them together. Music reflects the emotions, beliefs and attitudes of its creators and performers. I am very pleased to be associated with Canara HSBC Life Insurance's initiative to strengthen folk music in India. By bringing back the spotlight on folk music, we can ensure that future generations continue to appreciate and enjoy these musical pieces - including their stories, meanings, values, and backgrounds. Not only would this strengthen our collective national identity, but it would also help strengthen our communities by providing more opportunities for collaboration between different cultures.”

The winners of the two months long #MeForMyCity musical entries which ran across the digital platforms of the Company were also announced during the glitzy event by none other than the musical maestros. The folk music entries portrayed a glimpse of our culture with the flavours of different folk songs from Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Patna, Guwahati, Shillong and many other genres of folk music beautifully highlighting the rich Indian heritage. Winners also got an exclusive chance to share the stage and sing along with none other than Shankar Mahadevan.

In a phenomenal response to Season 5 of #MeForMyCity, the Company received folk music entries from 29 states of India with over 1,827 participants between the age of 20 to 35. The North zone led the race with 1,132 submissions, followed by East (296), South (212) and West (187) zones respectively.  Uttar Pradesh along with Rajasthan topped the charts for entries followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Punjab, Jharkhand, Telangana, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya, Diu and Daman and Nagaland.