Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Salman Khan to help Bihar flood victims

September 05, 2008 20:06 IST

Salman Khan will perform in a charity show to help the victims of Bihar floods. The show will be held in October, and will be organised by Wizcraft event management company at Andheri Sports Complex in suburban Mumbai.

"Salman has agreed to be a part of show of this show," Congress politician Sanjay Nirupam said. "We will have the concert in Mumbai and the money collected from the concert will be donated to the flood victims of Bihar."

Nirupam made the annoucement at a press conference organised by Bihari Cine Artists, under the banner of Punarwaas Flood Relief Mission, an organisation to help the flood victims of Bihar.  The organisers also said that they will hold a rally in Mumbai on Sunday to support the cause of the flood victims.

Actors, who attended the press conference, were Shatrughan Sinha, Manoj Bajpai, Udit Narayan, Neetu Chandra, Shekhar Suman and director Prakash Jha. 

The Kosi river that flows in the northern parts of Bihar changed its course last month, and in the process uprooted

the lives of thousands in the state.

"The river has changed its course and extended 100 miles in some area. Thousands of villages have been submerged and more than 30 lakh people have been affected due to this tragedy," said Prakash Jha.

"Every year, Kosi floods damage harvest but this is the worst flood in the last 150 years," said Shekhar Suman, adding, "This is not Bihar's tragedy but a national tragedy."

Under the supervision of Prakash Jha, the actors have adopted a village called Kattaiya in the Basantpur Panchayat, which is about 40 kms from the district headquarters of Supaul. This camp will provide care for 5,000 people and give, food, clothing, healthcare, sanitation and even rehabilitation. 

"This is one of the biggest tragedies of India," Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha said. "We must not politicise the issue. All of us should come together and help the people of Bihar. At this moment, the people of Bihar need blankets, biscuits and mineral water. So if you can donate any of these, please donate generously according to your financial capacity. This tragedy is worse than the tsunami that hit some parts of India in 2004."

Syed Firdaus Ashraf