The energetic and enthusiastic participation of the Academy, students, their parents and teacher stood as a testament to the love and respect they all have for you.

As the musical afternoon unfolded, we witnessed so much talent and clearly age and genre of music was no barrier.

The highlight of the show was of course, thedeepa grand finale by Oorja Amplified which was absolutely electrifying and brought everyone to their feet.

Once again we were reminded of the power of music and how it brings people together for a cause.

The post Mumbai, 22 Mar 2026 appeared first on Chai for Cancer.

In the form of an elegant Baithak titled Raaz-e-Ulfat , this unique Adda featured Anu sharing a poignant tale of love and compassion in the face of a sudden cancer diagnosis beautifully punctuated with ghazals performed by Delhi’s well known Lawyer – Singer, Meghna Mital. Accompanying Meghna on the stage were two talented young musicians, Purav on the harmonium and Dhaivat Mehta on the tabla.

Listening to the magic they created one would never have believed the three of them were on stage together for the first time.

A special thank you to Anu’s circle of friends, well-wishers and peers from the Andheri–Versova Western Suburban neighborhood. Their energy and commitment truly matched hers. Every guest stayed on through the performance and then over delicious chai, samosa and kachori continued the heart felt interactions. Needless to say, everyone contributed generously to the cause.

A special shoutout to our Radio Partners Red FM and their RJ Jiya for being present and helping to amplify our voice.

The evening was about a deeply felt story set to haunting music, but most importantly it was about hope, courage, and that rare sense of community that a Chai for Cancer Adda always managed to bring together.

Here’s to more power to our host Anu and to this special Chai for Cancer community, which is growing stronger with each passing year.

Thank you Friends of Max Trustees and Mumbai Volunteers who added their energies to the evening.

The post Mumbai, 22 Feb 2026 appeared first on Chai for Cancer.

The Saturday night of 24^th January was truly something special. Paushali and Farrukh’s Musical Chai for Cancer Adda brought together over 140 people on X(formerly Twitter)and more than 1500 joining from outside X, all for their love of music and a common cause. 

Powered by the melodious voices of Paushali and Farrukh, both passionate singers, the evening was a blend of songs that touched every kind of music lover, each note carrying hope and compassion for patients who are living with cancer and on lifelong treatment.

Where did those two hours go? Honestly, don’t ask us. We were happily lost, listening to one beautiful song after another. And the generosity flowed just as freely, over 400 cups of chai raised, poured straight from the heart.

A heartfelt thank you to Manvendra Jha, Joylina Cecil Faroz, AK Singh, Aadil Desai, Tata Nagendra Mouli, Nimish Dubey, Kokee Sachdeva, Kanchan Singh, Srinath, Sameer Nai, Kausar J Hilaly, Ishi, Vivek Gupta, AK Sinha, Jabin, Aishwarya Kumari and Mukesh Marda for standing by and supporting the cause so generously.

And a special note of gratitude to Paushali and Farrukh, thank you for lending not just your voice but your hearts too, to Chai for Cancer and patients living with cancer.

The post Musical Adda, 24 Jan 2026 appeared first on Chai for Cancer.

And oh, what magic! Being a Music Adda, it was music that ruled the evening. A trained Carnatic vocalist, Vidya set the tone with her soulful invocation and the evening only grew brighter as the powerhouse band of young musicians Anirudh Iyer- Vocal, Bhushan Chavan- Guitar, Bharat Sundar Rajan- Keyboards, Prajeeth Nair – Tabla and handsonic joined her to transform the room to an eclectic mix of Hindi film favorites, Tamil chartbusters and stirring Sufi melodies.

Foot-tapping? Absolutely. Heart-warming? Without a doubt. Unforgettable? 100%.

From all of us at Friends of Max, a huge thank you for a meaningful evening filled with chai, delicious samosas, shared stories and heartfelt cancer conversations.

A special shoutout to everyone who contributed to the cause with such generosity, who made the evening more special.

Thank you for joining us to #raiseyourcup and #DrinkToACause bringing #hopeanddignity to patients living with cancer and on lifelong treatment.

And Thank You Vidya Harikrishna for all the efforts you put in. We will always remain grateful.

The post Mumbai, 23 Nov 2025 appeared first on Chai for Cancer.

On Sunday, 16th November the almost annual Chai for Cancer Adda held at the iconic Victoria Memorial came alive once again, as we raised our collective voice for patients living with cancer and their families.

From 6:30 am onwards, in a truly magical morning setting, morning walkers, young roller skaters with their trainers and parents, Friends of Max City Chapter Leaders, members from The Max Foundation India team, and our ever-energetic partners from Red FM RJ Anup Anyaman Majumdar RJ Neil – Red FM every one of you made this Adda special.

Thank you for showing up, for giving, for caring, and for owning the cause.

The Cup of Hope stands tall only because you stand with us.

The post Kolkata, 16 Nov 2025 appeared first on Chai for Cancer.

Guests, doctors, staff, volunteers, patient advocates and even people waiting in the OPD Hall stepped forward, raised a cup and supported the cause with quiet strength and genuine compassion.

Over steaming kullads of chai, physicians, patients, caregivers and families came together — talking, sharing, listening and discovering how one simple cup of chai can bring hope into the lives of those touched by cancer.

Our heartfelt thanks to the Tata Medical Center team, our dedicated Friends of Max volunteers, The Max Foundation India team, Red FM’s RJ Anup and every single person who joined us and held the cause close to their heart.

The post Kolkata, 14 Nov 2025 appeared first on Chai for Cancer.

Wood blocks to banquet tables  

The ongoing festival – Celebrating 100 Years of Art Deco: Mumbai and Miami Beach (with creative director Tinaz Nooshian so wonderfully executing fest founder Smiti Kanodia’s dream project Art Deco Alive) – brings to mind the lasting Kamdar legacy.

It all started in the 1930s. “Quit India”, the freedom stalwarts urged. And Bhagwandas Morarji Kamdar quit his job. The bright young civil engineer’s conscience stung, aware that the plum government post he enjoyed was British-controlled.

The 1930s heaved in political ferment, with Bombay the pulsing core of the Independence struggle. Bhagwandas got a personal jolt when his father’s second wife Ramaben, patriot and close ally of Kasturba Gandhi, was jailed. Fond of woodwork, which he had chosen as an ancillary course at Pune’s College of Engineering, he began moulding fine-finished Montessori blocks, waxed and hand-painted to distribute in schools. Until his Nepean Sea Road neighbour, Rameshwar Das Birla, asked to make him a dining table. Bhagwandas did, sawing away in his garage. That was his foray into furniture.          

Bhagwandas’ son Vikram Kamdar has engaging anecdotes to share in the Churchgate showroom the family has occupied since 1940. Located at Industrial Assurance Building, in the heart of a resplendent Art Deco haven, the Kamdar presence rose as if in spirited response to this vintage ambience. Across the road from Eros Cinema, the company hub is ringed by Deco-dressed residences. Sleek, confident, clean of line and curve, this genre of architecture and furniture – where striking geometrics and metallic finishes met dramatic accents and sweeping curves – first wowed the world at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs (therefore Art Deco) in 1925 Paris.

Moving from promise to prosperity, Bhagwandas founded Kamdar Karyalaya in 1934 at the Churchgate address. This workshop shifted to Kalachowki in six years. At the Churchgate premises Bhagwandas and his team advised clients on colour, lighting, composition and accessories. “I’m proud of the association Kamdar’s had with iconic Art Deco establishments like Markel lights from way back a century ago,” says Vikram.

In the absence of interior design schools then, Kamdar recruits had an applied arts background. Master craftsmen pooled their carpentry, upholstery, polishing and metalwork talents for furniture everyone aspired to. They outfitted hotspots like the Rendezvous at the Taj, the Napoli and Volga cafes, the Swissair reception office and James Finlay showroom.

Bhagwandas Kamdar steadily won customers across India, Europe and the Middle East. With trademark easy chairs, sofas, nursery suites, tapestries and carpets came innovations too. One being the popular “kamette”, a settee reclining flat at the touch of a light spring – used as an additional bed in homes or in offices by top brass grabbing a siesta in private cabins.

To meet mounting business volume, the artist Ernst Messerschmidt was invited to join the design department. The assignment bringing him to India by 1930 had been the Holkars’ Manik Bagh Palace in Indore. “Messer stayed in Bombay on losing his East Germany home,” Vikram explains. “He refined our entire studio culture. Watching him run the company with my father taught me manufacturing and production. I learnt about factory machinery, the timber trade, sawmill processes, wood seasoning and storing.”   

Vikram’s wife Nandini laughs, saying, “Before knowing Vikram, I grew up with four brothers whose rough ways my family’s Kamdar range withstood for years. Hearing our parents boast – that no iron could burn Messerschmidt’s imported upholstery – they decided to test that! Luckily it wasn’t a false claim. I later discovered Kamdar always honoured its tagline: ‘A tradition of trust’.”    

The post Wood blocks to banquet tables appeared first on Chai for Cancer.

Hosted by Sunita & Amarjeet Kudle and Sunil Prakash, the Chai for Cancer Adda at Devdar Woods, in Landour, Mussoorie on Sunday, 9 November 2025, brought together a warm community of like-minded people — all braving the weekend traffic to share in the cause amidst the beautiful deodars and snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas.

Over chai, samosas, and cake, conversations about cancer flowed freely — that’s what this Chai for Cancer Adda on a cold November evening in Landour was all about.

As one guest said to Viji while leaving, “A Sunday evening well spent.”

A heartfelt thank you to Sunita & Amarjeet Kudle and Sunil Prakash for all they did to put together such a lovely evening — your warmth, generosity, and effort made this Adda truly special.

Thank you also to everyone who joined — your presence validated the cause and filled the Adda with meaning and hope.

Here’s to many more Addas, many more cups raised, and many more lives touched. 

The post Landour, 9 Nov 2025 appeared first on Chai for Cancer.

Together we raised over 180 cups of chai for the cause!

Grateful to everyone who joined, contributed, and raised their cups to make a difference.

The post Gurugram, 17 Oct 2025 appeared first on Chai for Cancer.

The Chai for Cancer Adda hosted by Friends of Max City Chapter Leader Sandeep Mahil and his friend Karanjeet Singh on 28 September 2025 in Chandigarh, was everything an Adda is meant to be — warm, welcoming and filled with conversations that truly matter.

Co-host Ravi Sharma set the tone just right when he described an Adda as “that space where one can normalize talk about cancer.” And that’s exactly what happened — surrounded by family and friends the evening flowed with laughter, love and heartfelt sharing.

A big thank you to Gurmit Kaur, Daman Mangat, and Jasleen Chopra for being there — and to Dr. Pankaj Malhotra, who came straight from a full day at the patient meeting to join the Adda.

And to Kunwar and Puneet, who made the evening even more special with their songs. What a gift you gave us!

Thank you to everyone who raised a cup (well over 800 cups!) — in memory, in honour or in hope — of loved ones and patients and families living with cancer.

A special shoutout to our Radio Partner, Red FM, for amplifying the voice of Chai for Cancer

The post Chandigarh, 28 Sep 2025 appeared first on Chai for Cancer.