The village of Alsisar opened its doors and homes to us in 2013, and their unhesitating and warm hospitality is one of the reasons Magnetic Fields has become a must-attend festival for artists and attendees around the world.

While the festival has helped put the sleepy and dusty village of Alsisar on the map, we wanted to do something that would support the local ecosystem. We turned to the dance music community and asked our guestlist for a compulsory but small amount of Rs 3,000 as a donation for a charitable cause - that would go towards the welfare of the village.

We let the village community decide what they needed the most, and in 2019, medical infrastructure was deemed to be the most pressing need. Keeping in mind the dire situation of the current health scenario of the general population in India, we took a two-pronged approach in Alsisar: utilising the funds raised to purchase and install essential and quality health care equipment at the local primary healthcare centre, and conducting camps for healthcare awareness and hygiene education. Equipment purchased and donated included: a labour table, patient beds, an ENT set, digital BP apparatuses, stethoscopes, stretchers, patient waiting chairs, nebulizers, a wheelchair, an A/c For the labour room, inverter sets, and more.

The following year, as COVID lockdowns were enforced around the country, people in rural villages felt especially vulnerable with less access to healthcare and support. In response to the anxiety and fear felt by the village, we allocated our guestlist funds to create multiple rounds of ration packs that were distributed to families below the poverty line and widows in the village. However, ration packs were distributed freely to anyone who came to the palace asking for help. Each ration pack contained 10 kg wheat aata, 5 kg potatos, 5 kg onions, 1 kg sugar, 1 liter oil, chilis, coriander, tea, soap, rice and dal.

Feedback from the community indicated that we were the only organisation who didn't get into politics and distributed support packs indiscriminately. There was no embarrassment in asking for help, no posturing, no photos and no favouritism. The community appreciated that we didn't take photos and exhibit or embarrass the ones who had to ask for help in times of need.

Moving forward, we are working on utilising these funds on implementing a long-term strategy to support the students and teachers at Shree JK Govt. School Alsisar, which is attended by students from low-income households from a 12-km radius of Alsisar. As part of this plan, we’re building new furniture for the school, providing annual stationary supplies to all of the students, supporting technological infrastructure, and implementing a creative residency programme with the school, where we will collaborate with creative practitioners and organisations to explore the most effective, fun and relevant ways to inspire, empower and support the students and teachers at the school.

We’re happy to be kickstarting the creative residency at the school early next year with music workshops in collaboration with an NGO, and plan to host several such creative workshops for the students over the coming years.

*Our mandatory guest list donation is Rs 3,000 for the 2023 edition.