HUM - LANXESS National Scholarship Program for the Specially Abled children launched in the capital

New Delhi, April 18, 2013 - In a novel beginning in the area of education, HUM, a non profit trust founded by the two times Grammy nominated tabla maestro Sandeep Das and LANXESS, a global specialty chemicals company headquartered in Germany, forged a co-operation as a part of which, a scholarship has been awarded to the specially abled children for training in vocal music and tabla. Three visually impaired students will get this HUM - LANXESS National Scholarship for a period of 5 years which will be sponsored by LANXESS. The scholarship was presented to these students at an event held at Civil Services Officers' Institute (CSOI), Chanakyapuri, New Delhi on April 18. The event saw over 100 guests including corporate partners, members of the musical fraternity and other dignitaries. A short musical presentation of HUM Ensemble led by Sandeep Das, Founder and Creative Director, was made with the young musicians that HUM has worked with in the past.  It was a nice blend of traditional Indian folk and music from Spain and the USA incorporating new and traditional elements brilliantly.

Speaking on the occasion, Das said, “I believe that music has the potential to be a great social enabler and we at HUM recognize this. We are already working with 3 visually impaired children and out of which two have even performed with the visiting International stars in our World Premiere shows held in Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai in the past few years. To sustain this endeavor and to turn it into a more successful model, HUM is glad to join hands with a like minded corporate entity like LANXESS”.

Dr. Joerg Strassburger, Managing Director and Country Representative, LANXESS India said, “As a good corporate citizen, LANXESS has always made efforts to support the communities wherever it operates. To us, education is the area of focus while carrying out CSR activities. In today’s era of globalization, we believe that preserving cultural heritage and transferring this knowledge through training is essential for young children. The HUM – LANXESS initiative facilitates exactly that and we are proud to be a part of it.”

As the world passes through a turbulent phase with rising intolerance and divisions among human beings, the one unifying force that can heal the world is music.  Sandeep’s collaboration with the iconic Cellist Yo-Yo Ma of the famed ‘Silk Road Ensemble’ for the last 15 years spurred him to create HUM. Thus was born HUM – an organization that strives for Harmony and Universality through the idiom of Music. HUM’s three basic initiatives are this Scholarship for the Specially Abled children, providing health insurance to the famous aged musicians of yesteryears and holding Musical Residencies where students of an educational institution can have first-hand experience of seeing the music being created and interact with the musicians. Through its numerous concerts, HUM has been bringing together international and upcoming Indian artistes under one platform to share and exchange traditional music of different countries. In the past too HUM has supported visually impaired children in Delhi and Mumbai.

LANXESS believes that to be a long term player and achieve leading market positions, it is essential to nurture talent and to facilitate the transmission of hard-won knowledge. Therefore, the company feels that for sustainable business, inclusivity and social participation is crucial. One of the effective ways of achieving this, we believe, is to transfer cultural education in different countries. Music is a language that connects people like no other, so LANXESS is actively partnering programs that help grow young musicians. In the past, LANXESS has also initiated and co-organized cultural projects with prestigious cultural institutions such as the Cologne Philharmonic Hall, the Pittsburgh Public Theatre, the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO).

In India, LANXESS has carried out several projects in the area of education and skills training near its sites in Jhagadia, Gujarat and Nagda, Madhya Pradesh and also around its head office in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

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About LANXESS
LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 9.1 billion in 2012 and roughly 17,200 employees in 31 countries. The company is currently represented at 50 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. LANXESS is a member of the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World and FTSE4Good as well as the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI).

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This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by LANXESS AG management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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