L – R – Ms. Monica Dhawan, Director, India Vision Foundation; Mr. Neeraj Vyas Sr. EVP & Business Head (Music Cluster, Sony SAB, Sony PAL and Hindi Movies Cluster, Sony Pictures Networks); Dr. Kiran Bedi, Founder – India Vision Foundation and Ms. Smriti K. Singh, CHRO, Sony Pictures Networks at the Sony Music Room at Bhondsi Jail, Gurugram
L – R – Ms. Monica Dhawan, Director, India Vision Foundation; Mr. Neeraj Vyas Sr. EVP & Business Head (Music Cluster, Sony SAB, Sony PAL and Hindi Movies Cluster, Sony Pictures Networks); Dr. Kiran Bedi, Founder – India Vision Foundation; Mr. Jai Kishan Chhillar, Superintendent of Prison (Gurgaon) and Ms. Smriti K. Singh, CHRO, Sony Pictures Networks with the inmates who painted the murals at Bhondsi Jail
L – R – Ms. Monica Dhawan, Director, India Vision Foundation; Mr. Jai Kishan Chhillar, Superintendent of Prison (Gurgaon); Mr. Neeraj Vyas Sr. EVP & Business Head (Music Cluster, Sony SAB, Sony PAL and Hindi Movies Cluster, Sony Pictures Networks); Ms. Smriti K. Singh, CHRO, Sony Pictures Networks and Dr. Kiran Bedi, Founder – India Vision Foundation at Sony Music Room
This will be first of the five centres to be set up in the second year of The Dhun Project
Staying true to its CSR commitment of Ek India Happywala, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) has partnered with India Vision Foundation to launch its first music training room at the Bhondsi jail in Gurugram. SPN’s CSR programme focusses on creating a positive impact in our ecosystem and is built around 3 pillars; empowerment, education and environment. The Dhun Project falls under the pillar of empowerment through music that was initiated in 2016, to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Sony MIX.
In the second year, ‘The Dhun Project’aims to use the powerful medium of music for the rehabilitation of prison inmates, thus preparing them for a successful reintegration into society post their prison term. By believing that music can bring about harmony, SPN along with the India Vision Foundation is working towards inducing change in the mind-set of prison inmates, by helping them discover their talent and hone their music skills.
Through ‘The Dhun Project’, SPN will also be setting up training centres in four additional prisons across the nation – Rothak&Sonipat of Haryana Prison and Dasna&Kasna prison in Uttar Pradesh. Furthermore, the network along with India Vision Foundation have appointed special trainers (vocal and instrumental) who will visit the music centre on a regular basis to train the prison inmates. The training centre is well-equipped with instruments such as a drum set and pad, tabla, dholak, harmonium, guitar and electric keyboards.
Comments:
Smriti K. Singh, CHRO, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN):
“At Sony Pictures Networks India, we aim to contribute to India’s social development agenda by focusing on education, environment and empowerment to create, ‘Ek India Happywala’The Dhun Project is about empowerment through music and aims to give back to society through our partnership with India Vision Foundation. We believe that the power of music will help motivate and inspire the prison inmates and the music training will help them with a valuable source of livelihood later.”
Neeraj Vyas, Sr. EVP & Business Head: Sony SAB, MAX and Music clusters, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN):
“The Dhun Project is an empowering initiative to reshape the lives of prison inmates and give them a new ray of hope through music. Music is an empowering tool of social integration and interaction . We are glad to associate with India Vision Foundation and give prison inmates a chance to reap the myriad of benefits that music has to offer.”
Dr. Kiran Bedi, Founder, India Vision Foundation:
“This Dhun will reform & shall spread. This is a transformative & soul stirring dhun that will touch the soul.”
About Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN)
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation which owns and operates the Sony Entertainment network of television channels.
SPN comprises 31 channels including Sony Entertainment Television (SET and SET HD), one of India’s leading Hindi general entertainment television channels; MAX, India’s premium Hindi movies and special events channel; MAX 2, another Hindi movie channel showcasing great India Cinema; MAX HD, a high definition Hindi movie channel airing premium quality films; WAH, the FTA channel for Hindi movies; SAB and SAB HD the family-oriented Hindi comedy entertainment channels; PAL, a genre leader in rural Hindi speaking markets (HSM) showcasing the best of Hindi general entertainment and Hindi movies from SPN’s content library; PIX and PIX HD, the English movie channels; LePlex HD showing critically-acclaimed Hollywood films; AXN and AXN HD, the action and adventure-oriented English entertainment channels; Sony BBC Earth and Sony BBC Earth HD, the premium factual entertainment channels, Sony AATH, the Bangla entertainment channel; MIX a refreshing Hindi music channel; ROX HD, a channel for contemporary Hindi music; YAY!, the kids entertainment channel; Sports Network comprising 11 sports entertainment channels –SONY SIX, SONY SIX HD, SONY ESPN, SONY ESPN HD, SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 1 HD, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 2 HD, SONY TEN 3, SONY TEN 3 HD, SONY TEN GOLF HD; SonyLIV – the digital entertainment VOD platform, SPN Productions, the networks’film production arm and Sony Pictures Networks Distribution Pvt Ltd. (SPND) that distributes the networks television channels across different genres and languages through multiple content delivery platforms. SPN reaches out to over 700 million viewers in India and is available in 167 countries.
The network is recognized as an employer of choice within and outside the media industry. SPN is a recipient of several awards, including the ‘Aon Best Employers India’Award in the 2017 edition in recognition of SPN’s unique workplace culture and exceptional people practices, consistently ranking amongst India’s Top 10 Companies with Best Health & Wellness Practices by SHRM & CGP Partners, listed by Working Mother & AVTAR as one of the 100 Best Companies for Women in India in 2017 and adjudged one of India’s Great Mid-Size Workplaces for its distribution business by the Great Place To Work®Institute in the 2017 edition.
Sony Pictures Networks India Private Limited is in its 23rd year of operations in India. Its subsidiaries include Sony Pictures Networks Distribution India Private Limited, MSM-Worldwide Factual Media Private Limited, MSM Discovery Private Limited, Taj Television (India) Private Limited, Aqua Holding Investments [Pvt.] Ltd., and Bangla Entertainment Private Limited.
About India Vision Foundation:
India Vision Foundation(IVF) was born in 1994 out of the Ramon Magsaysay Award (equivalent to Asian Nobel Prize). The award was conferred to Dr. Kiran Bedi, the first lady IPS (Indian Police Services) of India. The mission of foundation is to “Save the next victim’.
The main focus of the foundation is on prison reforms, Education of Children of Inmates and Training programs. Presently the foundation is working in Delhi, Haryana & Uttar Pradesh prisons. Today, IVF is touching more than 3000 lives every day and is striving to give a new hope in the lives of prison inmates and their children.
The foundation has successfully reached out to more than 1, 50,000 beneficiaries under its Prison Reforms and other projects of the foundation.
