On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, artistes from over 40 countries came together to record Bapu’s favourite bhajan – Vaishnav Jan To. The video was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the closing ceremony of the Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Conference.
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Gutierrez, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti, and other prominent personalities were present at the event.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted the video, stating that ahead of Gandhi Jayanthi, all the Indian Missions across the world had identified local artistes to record the bhajan. The famous Gujarati hymn was penned by the 15th century poet Narsinh Mehta and was one of the favourite bhajans of Mahatma Gandhi, who included it into the roster of prayers routinely sung before his meetings.
“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 or groups have showcased their talent to this favourite hymn of the Mahatma,” the MEA said in a statement.
The videos received from different regions of the world were then put together in a fusion video of about 5 minutes to give a flavour of the bhajan as recorded by different artists.
“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 MEA said in a statement.
The medley version, as well as the individual country contributions, are available on the External Affairs Ministry’s YouTube page.
Watch the video here: