‘Only Compassion Can Heal’ – Bikram Dasgupta Foundation (BDG Foundation) believes in these golden words, and hence, whenever and wherever they get an opportunity to help the needy, the talented, the downtrodden, the elderly, the specially-abled, they do so through a sustainable model under the able guidance and leadership of Global IT leader Bikram Dasgupta.
Dasgupta has created this unique philanthropic platform. After years of being in the corporate world, driving several first-of-its-kind innovations in India and then building the Globsyn Empire, he knew his next mission – to give back to society.
Through a decade of dedicated philanthropy, BDG Foundation has helped Save, Serve and Support Human Lives by creating multiple wings – Calcutta Broadway, Kalyani Foundation and BDG Angels.
The Foundation is always beside those in need – making houses for Amphan cyclone hit bauls (folk singers), giving rations to migrant laborers across India, empowering and developing skills of specially-abled children and adults, donating COVID kits and medical supplies to old age homes, bringing the marginalized elderly people to enjoy mainstream festivities and feel belonged, giving free health cards to needy performing artists, funding operations of children with Congenital Heart Disorder, launching Calcutta Broadway Youth Scholarship to fund education of young talented students who have no money to support them, funding promising start-ups to help young entrepreneurs – BDG Foundation has taught everyone that compassion can really heal. Bikram Dasgupta truly is on a mission to train young minds, and build a bright future for the nation.
Naseeruddin Shah, Aparna Sen and Bikram Dasgupta in the stage
BDG Foundation’s recent collaboration with Koushik Sen’s Swapnasandhani and funding their upcoming production Hamlet, is probably the ‘first-of-its kind’ collaboration in Indian theatre. Not just funding the production to create jobs for the jobless backstage technicians, light boys, sound technicians, stage artists, most of whom were worst hit by the COVID Pandemic and Lockdown, BDG Foundation is also giving them Free Health Cards. The Calcutta Broadway Health Card launched by BDG Foundation a few years ago is not just free, but it also covers every medical expense that one can think of, from doctor’s fees to medicines to hospitalization even for a minor ailment. The beneficiary and his or her family members are covered by this Health Card.
The card was previously given to many artists of the Tanushree Shankar Dance Academy. This time around, it is being given to technicians of theatre personality Koushik Sen’s group Swapnasandhani. At a special programme, the cards will be handed over to the beneficiaries by well-known film and stage personalities like Aparna Sen, Srijit Mukherji, Bibhas Chakraborty, and Sujan Mukherjee.
The manner in which BDG Foundation is financially collaborating with Swapnasandhani is indeed a unique model, and can be replicated in the Indian theatre circuit, especially as theatre is fast vanishing from India due to lack of funding and onslaught of OTT platforms. In a similar venture last year during the Pandemic hit Durga Puja in Kolkata, BDG Foundation came up with a wonderful dance-drama-music collaboration called ‘Maa Ashbei’ that had earned laurels worldwide. It was streamed online across the world, and the entire money that was received from ticket sales went directly as cheques to the bank accounts of needy performing artistes and backstage technicians. ‘Maa Ashbei’ became a special brand of philanthropy in the field of performing arts.
The same can be said about the recently launched Calcutta Broadway Youth Scholarship, which is funding the education of deserving medical students, students of Microbiology and related science faculties, young talented students of performing arts, amongst others, who do not have the money to continue their dreams. Given particularly to meritorious girl students, this scholarship is also aimed at women empowerment – a motto that Bikram Dasgupta learned from his mother, Kalyani, after whom Kalyani Foundation has been named.
BDG Foundation has also recently extended its philanthropy to the health sector by financially supporting operations of children with Congenital Heart Disorders (CHD). BDG Foundation has tied up with Heart to Heart Foundation, whose Chairman is the famous cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, and is paying lakhs of rupees towards operation costs to save young children from dying.
In line with the words of Dasgupta, “My story is all about you,” BDG Foundation is continuing on its mission to touch the lives of the needy, the talented, the downtrodden, the elderly and the specially-abled through its projects. You can also be a part of Calcutta Broadway and BDG Foundation’s philanthropic mission by visiting the website: https://bdgfoundation.org.
The article has been published in association with Bikram Dasgupta Foundation.
