In January 2015, The Dharavi Project a one of its kind CSR initiative was launched by leading record label Universal Music India along with Qyuki, a Multi-Platform Network co-founded by Shekhar Kapur, A.R. Rahman and Samir Bangara.

Since its launch, the venture has set up a music and dance school in Dharavi which has been funded from its CSR budget with the aim of identifying and grooming homegrown talent and providing them a platform to showcase their potential. Universal Music has periodically brought in prominent singers, musicians, choreographers and producers to the school to identify and mentor young talent.

Now The Dharavi Project is proud to launch its first release Saamne Yeh Kaun Aaaya, a pop / dance / hip hop recreation of one of Bollywood’s hits from the film ’Jawani Diwani’. The song features SLUM GODS - India's First Collective of talented Hip Hop artists from the heart of Mumbai, Dharavi. By using Hip Hop to bridge the gap between chaos to creativity, Slum Gods is an initiative to tackle the vicious circle of poverty, crime etc. The song also has vocals by Thompson Andrews and is remixed by the immensely popular DJ Suketu.

Devraj Sanyal Managing Director and CEO, Universal Music Group, South Asia said “The Dharavi Project is not just a CSR initiative but it’s something that’s close to our heart. When we launched it in January 2015, we were determined to tap into the talent that exists in Asia’s largest slum and provide them with a platform to showcase the same to the outside world.  Along with our partners Qyuki we put a plan in place to go about this process. Setting up the music and dance school at Dharavi made us proud and what followed were visits by our friends in the business - singers, musicians, choreographers and producers to identify and mentor young talent. The release of “Saamne Yah Kaun Aaya” is the result of the hard work put in by all involved to make this CSR project count!  We will continue to work this project and hopefully make a difference in the lives of many more such talented individuals living in Dharavi.”

Samir Bangara, Co-founder and MD of Qyuki said “The seed of this idea "The Dharavi Project" was sown from our very own vision at Qyuki to create and provide a digital platform to the young creators in India to showcase their Talent. The project was launched to discover creators from the nook & corners of Asia's largest slum - Dharavi and help them leverage their Talent through our digital platform by means of collaboration, mentorship and technology across the world. We are proud to have Universal Music Group partnered with us in this initiative and help us set the stage right by launching our 1st HipHop music and dance school in one of the by-lanes of Dharavi.The release of “Saamne Yah Kaun Aaya” is just the beginning and we look forward to impacting the lives of many such talented hidden gems/creators not just in the Dharavi of India but many such Dharavi's across the globe.”

The single “Saamne Yah Kaun Aaya” is available across all digital platforms exclusively on Universal Music.

You can view the video for the song here:

https://youtu.be/JNuDHmHCED8