Miscellaneous
Mahatma Gandhi is supposed to have said, “I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.” It should perhaps not come as a surprise that his ancient message resonated deeply with India’s oldest and most endured culture, that of our Adivasis. India’s tribal communities have for many millennia lived the Gandhian ideals of respect for all creation, a harmonious, sustainable co-existence with the Universe, a nurturing rather than exploitative worldview and a society based upon consensual participation rather than domination and subjugation. It is no wonder therefore that the Mahatma finds a place in the songs and culture of the Adivasis. We celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary with a presentation of songs that show the influence of the Mahatma’s life and struggles on the lives of tribal communities from Jharkhand. The songs presented in five native languages, will be interspersed with commentary in Hindi and English, providing translations of the songs and drawing out the commonalities between the wisdom of the Adivasi and the quest of the Mahatma. Vishwanath Sachdev is a poet and writer who served as the Editor in Chief for Navbharat Times & Dharmyug. The body of his work includes collection of Hindi poems, thought provoking articles and edited volumes on Gandhi and Nehru. Rajni Bakshi is a Mumbai based journalist and author of several books, including ‘Bapu Kuti: Journeys in Rediscovery of Gandhi’ and ‘Bazaars, Conversations and Freedom: for a market culture beyond greed and fear’. Megha Dalton is a well-known playback singer and composer with a deep commitment to the promotion of folk music of Jharkhand.