Celebrities have a social responsibility: Kailash Kher

Singer Kailash Kher, who is set to sing at a concert to raise awareness about childhood cancer, says celebrities have a responsibility towards society.

"God has given us this opportunity to become public figure to do good and to meet out our responsibility towards the society. We are here to encourage people to fight their problems or disease and spread betterment in the society," Kher told PTI in an interview.

The concert "Aman - Tu Mera Hero" scheduled on April 4 is dedicated to the fighting spirit of Aman, a 20-year-old student of Delhi University who lost his battle with cancer and died on March 18.

It has been organised by CanKids, a support group for children with cancer and their families across India.

"I got to know through my agents about a kid who is my fan and was suffering from cancer. His wish was to spend spend a day with me. When I met Aman I was floored and in awe of his zeal towards music. He sang and played the guitar for me," Kher recalls of his meeting with Aman.

"After hearing that he passed away I decided to dedicate the concert to him. He was looking forward to attend the concert and hear me sing," said the singer, who is known for hits like 'Teri Deewani', 'Tauba Tauba' and 'Ya Rabba'.

According to official estimates, there are about 50,000 new cases of cancer every year and out of that only 20,000 cases make it to a cancer centre, says Poonam Bagai, founder director of CanKids. Bagai says she wants to create awareness about the fact that cancer can be treated.

"Lack of awareness, stigma and cost of treatment are the various factors which prevent people from getting hospitalised for treatment. We want more patients to get treatment and raise awareness and Kailash Kher very graciously volunteered," Bagai said.

The concert is set to be held at the Thyagaraj Stadium here and seeks to raise funds for treatment, supportive care, education and other support for children with cancer and their families.