“The hardest part about moving to Hyderabad wasn’t finding a job. It was realizing I had nobody to talk to.

I grew up in a town near Jangaon in Telangana, where people never needed a reason to come together. During festivals and special occasions, we’d gather with everyone, sit together for hours, laugh, share stories, and enjoy each other’s company. That sense of togetherness shaped me more than I realised.

In 2020, I moved to Hyderabad to pursue my B.Tech at Anurag University. After graduating in 2024, I stepped into the corporate world as a Developer Analyst. I had the degree and the job I’d worked towards, but once college ended and my friends moved away, life became unexpectedly quiet.

I lived with two flatmates, yet our lives barely crossed paths. One had his own circle, while the other worked permanent night shifts. Outside wasn’t much different. On buses and trains, people sat with earphones in, scrolling through their phones. Even festivals that once brought people together now felt confined within four walls. Somewhere between 2024 and 2025, that loneliness turned into deep internal frustration.

Then I realised I wasn’t alone. Millions silently carry the same loneliness. At the same time, even a simple outing had become expensive. A middle-class family can spend ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 for just a few hours of entertainment. We kept asking ourselves, why should escaping loneliness be a luxury?

That question became Gaana Bajaana.

Seven of us from different backgrounds, professions, and college batches came together as strangers and became family. All of us were part of AUISC, the Anurag University IUCEE Student Chapter, even though we came from different years, departments, and domains. Together, we created Gaana Bajaana, a community music jamming initiative that offers a low-cost, high-experience space where people reconnect through music.

Our first edition took place on March 7 at Narapalli with McDonald’s as our venue partner. Around 100 people, including students, IT professionals, homemakers, entrepreneurs, artists, and many others, showed up. They didn’t just listen to music. They laughed, sang, forgot about work for a few hours, and went home with new friendships.

We thoughtfully kept the first event ticket at just ₹79 because we wanted everyone to feel welcome. Everyone sits together on the floor in one large circle. The only chairs are for the musicians’ instruments and equipment, while the vocalists and instrumentalists sit among the audience. If someone doesn’t have the lyrics, they naturally lean towards the stranger beside them. That’s often how the first conversation begins.

As the community grew, we realised music alone wasn’t enough. That’s how Mata Muchata was born, a support community where anyone feeling lonely can send a message and always find someone willing to listen. On weekends, we meet for cricket, badminton, café meet-ups, and jam sessions.

Even during college, I served as the PR and Marketing Head of AUISC and as the President of Kriya, Anurag University’s event management club, where I learnt leadership and management skills. Today, I’m also part of the CSR Summit and volunteer with the Don’t Waste Food NGO.

Behind every event is our team: Akhil Davula, Anji Reddy Boda, Shivasai Balbari, Agrati Sheela, Abhiram Beemari, and me. I handle sponsorships and logistics, while the team manages design, social media, web development, and operations. We even built our own ticketing platform and use AI to simplify our work.

We’ve now completed six editions, giving student startups, independent musicians, clothing brands, gifting partners, and our core band, Project Therapy, a platform to grow. We’ve also introduced NFC-enabled resume cards through lucky draws to help students network. Every Gaana Bajaana is about more than music. It’s where strangers from different backgrounds meet, collaborate, and build lasting relationships.

Our dream is to take Gaana Bajaana to towns and cities across India. We’re also building Satvikam, inspired by rural Telangana, bringing back traditions like Oggu Katha, Dappu, community cooking, and the warmth of people gathering together.

Balancing a full-time job with these initiatives isn’t easy. But every time someone tells us our events helped them get through a lonely night shift because there was always someone to talk to, or I see a room full of strangers singing together like old friends, I’m reminded why we started.

We’re not just organising music events. We’re rebuilding human connections. Because at the end of the day, your network is your net worth.”

• Sainandhan Jilla, Founder, Gaana Bajaana