Runa Laila: Taking a stand for the underprivileged

Runa Laila

Besides her commitment to the women's cause, Runa Laila is convinced of the need for public figures like herself to do whatever they can for the less privileged. As she says, " I have tried to do my little bit for the underprivileged. I have done six concerts and donated the money to the Bangladesh Shishu Hospital in Dhaka. They have built a ward in the name of my late sister Dina Laila for the treatment of terminally ill children. Apart from that I have taken part in a lot of benefit concerts in both Bangladesh and abroad, as in Pakistan, India, USA, UK and the Middle East."

Wherever there is a noble cause, Runa has been at hand. She had even gone to Kashmir for a hospital that the then Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah wanted to build in Srinagar. He had sent her a personal letter requesting her to come, offering to bear her expenses. She replied back that she wanted to donate the money and would love to do whatever she could for the people there. With the money of two concerts, a hospital was built there. Recently, she visited a school for the mentally and physically challenged children and she was very moved. She says, "This experience was humbling and moving. It was inspiring to see what the children could do despite their drawbacks--things that we take for granted. I'm trying to help the children in whatever little way I can. People in the limelight, who have a voice, should always help."