The “Concert in the Dark: IC3 Institute Benefit Concert”

IC3 Institute — a volunteer-based organisation providing support to high schools through guidance and training resources, is hosting a unique blindfolded music concert, The “Concert in the Dark: IC3 Institute Benefit Concert” on August 24, 2023, at HICC, Novotel, Hyderabad. This one-of-a-kind benefit concert brings together the exceptional talents of musical genius and piano virtuoso Kalaimamani Dr. Anil Srinivasan, renowned bassist Naveen Napier, percussionist Krishna Kishor, and award- winning vocalist Sai Vignesh, of "Varaha Roopam" fame, all of who will be playing the instruments blindfolded. The audience too will be blindfolded so they can immerse themselves fully in the experience.

Proceeds from the “Concert in the Dark: IC3 Institute Benefit Concert” will help advance the IC3 Institute's goal of training and empowering teachers across thousands of schools in India, equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to guide students on their career and college paths. The alarming rate of student suicides nationwide is a wake-up call towards the critical need for guidance and direction for students from an early age.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data reveals a distressing reality — more than 13,000 student suicides were reported in 2021 alone. To put things in perspective, the report claims that in 2021, student suicides constituted 8% of total suicides in India, as compared to 6.7% for ‘persons engaged in agriculture’.

The event ties-in to a larger IC3 Institute drive to research and identify sustainable actions to combat student suicides. As part of this initiative, the IC3 Institute has released a whitepaper that sheds light on the trends and statistics of student suicides in India and explores international best practices. The IC3 Institute has also constituted an “Averting Student Suicides: Research and Advocacy Task Force”, chaired by Harish Menon, a mission-driven, strategic leader in global education management and management consulting. The task force will leverage data and evidence - based approaches to craft and execute initiatives that underscore student mental health throughout the country.

“Young people are leaving high schools like airplanes without a navigation system with no sense of direction. This leads to unhappy lives and extreme levels of anxiety, disappointment, and frustration, which is bringing families and society to the brink. Systemic guidance at school level can help resolve many of these issues,” said Ganesh Kohli, Founder, IC3 Institute.

“I was appalled to hear that India has more student suicides than farmers. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard it. We have to do everything in our power to empower our little ones and give them choices to life, while teaching them not to succumb to anxiety and depression,” said Lakshmi Manchu, a long-time supporter of IC3 Institute’s approach to bringing well- being through counseling.

Telangana remains a priority among the many states IC3 Institute serves. In 2021, the IC3 Institute entered a partnership with the Government of Telangana's Social Welfare Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) to train 20 highly skilled schoolteachers through its one-year flagship program (Empower) with the hope of training schoolteachers and coordinators across 400 residential and marginalized schools over the next few years. Other than TSWREIS schools, the organization’s trained counselors in Telangana are working in schools catering to marginalized communities, such as Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Mahbubnagar; and Government Girls High School, Karimnagar, among others.

Also, several schools in the region are torchbearers of the mission and support the IC3 Institute's goal wholeheartedly, like Birla Open Minds International School — Kollur, CHIREC International School, Glendale Academy International, Manthan International School, Meluha International School Gandipet, Hyderabad, Meridian School, Banjara Hills, Meridian School, Madhapur Campus, Meru International School, Oakridge International School, Bachupally Campus, Oakridge International School, Gachibowli, P. Obul Reddy Public School, Sancta Maria International School, Silver Oaks International School, Bachupally Campus, The Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad, The Gaudium School, The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, The Premia Academy, The Shri Ram Universal School, Hyderabad, and Sister Nivedita School.