International Music Stars Gather for Project Ahimsa Earthquake Benefit Friday December 9th at DNA Lounge in San Francisco

BBC Radio 1 DJ Bobby Friction and Chicago’s Funkadesi Perform Live at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge at a Special Benefit for Project Ahimsa’s Shake4TheQuake on December 9, 2005

Nationally Recognized Youth Charity Celebrates its 4th Year Annivesary and Supports South Asian Earthquake Relief With Special Concert

(San Francisco) – Project Ahimsa, a global effort to empower youth through music, Masttones on Metro PCS, and Flavor Group, LLC, present Shake4TheQuake on Friday, December 9, from 8:00 pm to 4:00 am, at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco, California.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Developments in Literacy (DIL) organization to help those affected by the massive earthquake in South Asia in October 2005. This disaster left over 87,000 people dead, nearly 3 million homeless, and more than 50,000 children orphaned. DIL will use the funds to further their work in setting up schools for children evacuated from the earthquake torn areas. DIL, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, helps eradicate illiteracy by establishing primary and secondary schools for children in remote and neglected areas of Pakistan.

Project Ahimsa artists for the evening will include bands, dancers, and DJs representing traditions and blending cultures from around the world. UK-based DJ/artist and BBC 1 radio host Bobby Friction and San Francisco’s Cheb i Sabbah will be the featured DJs, keeping the crowd on its feet until late into the night. In their second show supporting Project Ahimsa, the live stage will showcase the unique band Funkadesi, a dynamic Chicago-based ensemble that integrates East Indian music with reggae, funk, and Afro-Caribbean grooves.

Additional performers on the live stage include Riffat Sultana & Party, blacKMahal (featuring Ustad Lal Singh Bhatti) and Feroshus Sizzle. In the DJ Lounge, DJs Nihal, Amar, Nader and Ranj will spin dance grooves all night long. Throughout the evening, Dholrhythms Dance Troupe and Yasmine and Anjali will provide electrifying dance performances spanning bhangra, Bollywood, breakdancing, and beyond.

“4 years, 4 continents, and always 4 kids. That has been the mantra since the beginning and we are just getting started,” said Sandeep Bhatt, Project Ahimsa’s Program Manager. In less than four years, Project Ahimsa has empowered nearly 10,000 children around the world through music education programs, instrument donation and cross-cultural activities. Project Ahimsa has also provided relief to hate-crime victims and communities affected by violence. Recent programs include Project Ahimsa’s involvement with the third annual “Tablas & Turntables: Re-imagining Sound” workshop at Colorado’s Eagle Rock School, an innovative residential high school for at-risk youth, and the creation of summer music programs for underprivileged children at the Renaissance Center for the Arts in Tampa, Florida.

The event is made possible through the generous support of Project Ahimsa sponsors and supporters. Gold event sponsors: ipsh!, Masttones/MetroPCS and VSC Public Relations. Silver event sponsor: SwipeUSA. Bronze event sponsors: the Chattha Family, the Eichbaum Family, FloraGarden Inc., Flavor Group LLC, Ian Berke Real Estate, Propane Studio and Rai & Associates.

In kind contributors and raffle donors include Freemark Abbey Winery, Acteva, Yelp.com, Badmash.org, The Clift Hotel, Hotel Monaco, KPFA Radio, Basic Instinct Fashions, The North Face, and Metreon.

Tickets are $19 in advance and $30 at the door. For ticket information, visit:

http://www.acteva.com/go/ahimsa

About Project Ahimsa

Project Ahimsa is a global effort to empower youth through music, with offices in San Francisco, CA and Tampa, FL.

The organization, inspired by the teachings of non-violence and cross-cultural understanding of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., creates and supports music education and empowerment projects around the world. Project Ahimsa is a cultural initiative of the Patel Foundation for Global Understanding (http://www.global-understanding.org), a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Get involved at http://www.projectahimsa.org

Contact Information

Vijay Chattha

PR Liason

VSC Consulting

Contact via E-mail