prasanna Archives - Thermal and a Quarter (TAAQ)

One Small Love – Bruce Lee Mani draws the line

Birthdays, believes Bruce Lee Mani, guitar player and vocalist for Thermal And A Quarter, are to celebrate happiness.

“But we’ll save that for tomorrow,” he says on his 33rd.

Every day should be a happy birthday for love. As artists, that should be the mission fuelling our activism — to spread the message of love and peace in the world to everyone, to bring estranged people together, to shape the change that lies trapped inside our hearts. And not lose ourselves in cynicism.

If need be, we must cross one line to draw another.

Last year, Bruce wrote the lyrics of ‘One Small Love’ and put it to music with his band, Thermal And A Quarter. Join him and Thermal And A Quarter with other artists, speakers and thinkers on the song’s first anniversary.

‘One Small Love – Bangalore for Mangalore’, an assertion of liberty, love and happiness, celebrates the birthday of love.

Feb 14, Opus in the Creek, Whitefield Road, Bangalore.

Be there to draw the line. And spread the love.

One Small Love – Bangalore for Mangalore

Last year, February 14 was Violentine’s Day.

With the world in turmoil and India licking the wounds of 26/11, the last thing we needed was for churches to be desecrated and women to be attacked in pubs and on the streets of our cities.

Thermal And A Quarter responded to this climate of hate and suspicion with One Small Love, a song that persuaded you to perform a small act of kindness to make a difference in a tired world. The music video, broadcast on YouTube, continues to be very popular.

This year, One Small Love is echoed by the collective voice of Bangalore’s concerned citizens.

On February 14, 2010, join us for ‘One Small Love – Bangalore for Mangalore’, a convention of concerned and like-minded Bangaloreans, to celebrate the spirit of freedom and tolerance with free speech, food and music.

The event will see performances by Konarak Reddy, Allwyn Fernandes, Gaurav Vaz, Ravi Kulur, Gerard Machado, Karan Joseph, Swarathma and Thermal And A Quarter.

‘One Small Love – Bangalore for Mangalore’ begins at 7 pm at Opus in the Creek, Brookefields, Bangalore, on February 14, 2010. Entry is free. Come in peace.

If you are not in Bangalore, show your solidarity by becoming a fan of the ‘One Small Love’ Facebook page.

Draw the line. Spread the love.

And watch this space for updates over the week.

Special thanks to Merwyn Rodrigues for the poster. And, eternally, to the incredible folks at Happy for dreaming up the music video that started it all.