Senior Center crowd finds Hidden Gems Singing group debuts at tsunami relief concert BY MELISSA CIFELLI Staff Writer PHOTOS BY SCOTT PILLING staff Above, Chitra Kumar, of the Hidden Gems, says a prayer to bless Saturday’s tsunami relief concert at the South Brunswick Senior Center. At left, Mahendra Solanki, of the Hidden Gems, performs at Saturday’s concert. SOUTH BRUNSWICK — The Hidden Gems performed before a packed Senior Center at Saturday’s tsunami relief concert. The South Brunswick-based singing group performed two shows that helped raise $10,500 for various tsunami charities, an amount that exceeded expectations. With a desire to help victims, members of the Hidden Gems, along with volunteers and families, worked quickly throughout January to organize Saturday’s concert, which also marked the first time the singers performed together as a group. The large community response to the charitable concert prompted the Hidden Gems to schedule an additional show to accommodate residents. “This gratification will stay with us for the rest of our lives and will always motivate us,” said Mahendra Solanki, one of the singers who performed and helped organize the event. The Hidden Gems consists of 11 singers, some as young as 8-year-old Aditya Patwardhan, who performed a solo. Saturday’s event began with a prayer and ended with a song that reminded attendees not to forget their roots and identity. Because of the event’s close date with Valentine’s Day, members, who sang both solo and in groups, played nostalgic Hindi movie love songs. According to Solanki, the group has already received positive feedback from the community, something he said was important for preparing for future programs. And according to Solanki, additional checks are still arriving. The group’s first performance has left its members tired, but extremely happy with their effort, Solanki said. “I’m extremely proud of and thankful to all the Hidden Gem members, singers and volunteers for everything they did for the success of the event and for their passion for the cause,” he said.