India, Feb. 27 -- With K-pop boy band BTS gearing up for their comeback album ARIRANG on March 20, Indian fans are planning celebrations of their own. Across cities, ARMYs, as BTS fans are called, are organising album streaming parties and special screenings of The Comeback Live. A concert the group will perform following the album's release. What makes it even more special is that the events will also double up as birthday celebrations for Suga (March 9) and J-Hope, who celebrated his birthday on February 18. Filmmaker Ayushre Tari, founder of Mumbai BTS, a K-pop community, is spearheading multi-city celebrations through February and March. "We are having the event in seven cities across India, because of the seven members: in Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad," she says. The line-up is packed: album listening sessions, concert screenings, a BTS flea market, stalls selling K-pop merchandise, DIY stations for fan creativity, a make-up zone, photo card corners, live performances and themed birthday celebrations. Ayushre believes streaming together is more than just fun, it's impact: "Streaming songs is the biggest way to send our support to the artistes." Meanwhile, another fan-led celebration is brewing in Mumbai's Mira Road. Riya Goon, co-producer at Hally Kore, a community for India's Korean Pop Culture Press, is hosting a screening at Bangtan Lounge on March 21. "We are doing the Arirang screening of the comeback live performance on a massive LED screen. We will also have Korean food for fans, so they can maybe feel like they are actually attending the concert," Riya explains. The event will feature face painting and a K-pop dance play. "The idea is to get all the ARMYs together and make it an immersive experience," she says. Beyond music and festivities, the Mira Road event is also tying in a charitable cause. "We plan to have of about Rs.50,000 as a way to celebrate the February-March BTS members in a unique way and create a greater impact," Riya shares. The amount will be divided between NGOs Zahra Hope Animal and Human Foundation and Sai Darshan Old Age Home. She adds, "There are always donations in the world given out by fans as well as the artists. We thought we should gather the Mumbai ARMY to make a great impact of kindness in any way possible."...