Raise the Raga: Bringing Music Education to 10,000 Children

Music changed lives of the founder of Manzil Mystics (like Anurag) long before they understood its power.

I (Anurag) grew up in a low-income community in Delhi where opportunities were rare, spaces were crowded, and joy was something we borrowed in moments. I found my refuge in music. A borrowed guitar, a few songs, and a community of dreamers helped me imagine a life beyond the constraints of my circumstances.

Years later, a scholarship took me from the streets of Delhi to Seattle, WA, where I experienced something for the first time: A joyful, safe, creative space built for every child no matter their background.

It transformed me.
It showed me who I could become.
And it made me ask a question that shaped my life:

If music could open the world for me, why shouldn’t every child in India have the same chance?

Why This Fundraiser Matters:

India has millions of talented children, yet 80% of the 4.4 million schoolchildren in Delhi alone have no access to music education. Not a single weekly class. No choir. No instruments. No joyful space where they can belong, express, and thrive.

This is not just an artistic gap; it is a well-being gap.
A confidence gap.
A hope gap.

Manzil Mystics was created to change that.

Our Model: Music Education + Leadership + Joy

Manzil Mystics was founded by musicians who, like me, come from low-income communities. We know firsthand that talent exists everywhere; opportunity does not.

To close this gap, we built the Learning Through Music Fellowship; India’s first music-based education and livelihood fellowship for young musicians from underserved backgrounds.

Here’s what happens in our model:

1. A young musician joins the Fellowship.

They receive training in music, leadership, facilitation, and youth development.

2. They begin working in schools across low-income communities.

Each Fellow teaches 400 children every week, creating joyful, safe classrooms rooted in music, expression, and confidence.

3. Children experience music not as a hobby, but as a tool for learning, belonging, and emotional well-being.

For many, it becomes the first time a teacher says:
“You matter. Your voice matters.”

4. Both children and Fellows transform.

Children gain confidence, teamwork, joy, and emotional safety.
Fellows build leadership, livelihood, identity, and purpose.

Why We’re Raising $120,000 (₹1 Crore)

Your support will help us:

• Bring weekly music education to 10,000 children
• Support 44 young leaders from low-income backgrounds to become trained Music Fellows
• Expand our joyful music spaces across Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Bihar
• Build India’s first scalable model of arts-based education in government and low-income schools

Every $1,200 sponsors music education for one entire classroom for a full year.
Every $2,500 supports Music Fellow’s training and livelihood.
Every $10,000 transforms 3 schools into a joyful, music-centered learning environment.

Who Benefits?

• Children who grow up with stress, scarcity, and limited opportunities, now experiencing joy, confidence, and community through music.
• Young musicians who come from the same communities, gaining dignified work, training, and leadership development.
• Families who see their children flourish emotionally and creatively.
• Schools that realize music is not a luxury, it is foundational to well-being and learning.

Why Support This Movement?

Because music is not just an art.
It is a pathway to dignity.
A language of possibility.
A bridge between who we are and who we can become.

I am living proof of what music can unlock. All the founders and staff members of Manzil Mystics are the living proof of the power of music.
Thousands of children in India are waiting for that same chance.

With your support, we can build a joyful space for every child; one school, one classroom, one raga at a time.

Join us in building the largest music-for-education movement in India.
Let’s Raise the Raga for 10,000 children.

Donate now. Your generosity can change an entire childhood.