In tune with Gandhi

I learnt Vaishnav jana toh in the Gandhi ashram-style in Ahmedabad and was told that this is how it was sung for Gandhiji. That particular melody is quite endearing and comes with a nice folk feel. I remember seeing a television show where they were asking young people about the familiar bhajans and this came up, which I thought was curious. So I thought of using the same melody and giving it a contemporary interpretation.

[related-post]

It is an iconic tune, which has been sung by many Indian musicians and is synonymous with Mahatma Gandhi. When one touches something iconic, there is fear of it going wrong.

There are so many iconic people who have sung this song, so it’s obviously a very celebrated piece. I have reinterpreted an old composition. It is a bhajan and is sung like a bhajan. I have just lifted that context and put it into my context. I did not want to do too much with the tune because it has its own sanctity. I didn’t feel the necessity to recompose it.

Haku Shah’s painting forms the backdrop of the video.

You’ve used Haku Shah’s paintings as the backdrop for the video.

He’s a Gandhian and has lived by the Mahatma’s ideals and principles all his life. It was also his creative burst that inspired me. He had done an exhibition called ‘Nitya Gandhi’ that was inaugurated at the Gandhi ashram in Ahmedabad last year on October 2. So I thought it would be befitting to usethese images.

What, according to you, is the significance of Vaishnav jana toh in today’s context?

The song is very much in the sagun idiom. It is actually referring to the Vaishnava, the bhakt of Vishnu. It’s a context that is defined. But it’s interesting how a variety of forums discuss it. Somebody has given it a sociological context and related it to what’s happening to the farmers. The journeys it can make are so interesting. It’s heartening to see that it’s open to so many interpretations despite being located in a Vaishnav context.

How do you plan to take this project to the people?

I will show it in schools across the country. It will be released online and be available for people to watch.