As part of the 150th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi, artists from over 124 countries paid musical tribute to the 'Father of The Nation' by singing his favourite bhajan 'Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye'.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a medley version of the famous bhajan by artists from over 40 countries, during the Closing ceremony of the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Conference in the presence of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti and other prominent personalities.
The famous Gujarati hymn was penned by the 15th-century poet Narsimha Mehta and was one of the favourites of Mahatma Gandhi who included it into the roster of daily prayers sung before his meetings.
All Indian Missions abroad identified a local artists/group to record the bhajan in the run-up to Gandhi Jayanti. The result is an eclectic, colourful and rich rendition of the hymn infused with the local flavor of the region.
From Armenia to Angola, Sri Lanka to Serbia, Iraq to Iceland, prominent local singers/groups have showcased their talent to Mahatma's favourite hymn. 1-2 videos from different regions of the world were then put together in a fusion video of about 5 minutes to give a global flavour of the bhajan as recorded by different artists. It is expected to have a contribution from all the countries recognised by the United Nations.
Amongst the star performers is President Baron Divavesi Waqa of Nauru. President Waqa’s gesture was not just a special tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th Birth Anniversary but was also a personal gift from him to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The medley version, as well as the individual country contributions, are available on the External Affairs Ministry’s Youtube page.
(Video Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India)