1620. Suno Suno & Raghupati -- A tribute to Mahatma Gandhi

My wife and I have just been to the Gandhi Smriti in New Delhi, a Memorial to the great Indian leader who was assassinated on that spot. I have decided to pair footage of this exhibition with two Indian songs I have uploaded previously on UA-cam. The first is a song about the life of Gandhi and the second was one of his favourite songs.
1. Suno Suno Ai Duniya Walo (Husnlal and Bhagatram)
Husnlal and Bhagatram (sons of composer Pandit Amarnath) were the most sought after Bollywood composers of the 1940s. In particular they popularised Punjabi folk music and had great success with films like Pyar Ki Jeet and Badi Bahen. Husnlal died in 1968 and Bhagatram in 1973.
Their most famous song is "Suno Suno Ai Duniya Walo, Bapu Ki Yeh Amar Kahani", to lyrics by Rajendra Krishan. It was composed after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and tells of his life and achievements. This song, sung by the legendary Mohd. Rafi, became very popular all over India.
I first heard a recording of the song from a Gujarati friend in Australia in the 1970s. My friend painstakingly wrote out all the words for me, but they were misplaced when we moved overseas. Now, thanks to the kindness of UA-cam viewer, deepakcoolz, I have the lyrics to the short version of the song, which is enough for me. When sung in full, the song is about four times as long, Apologies for my errors in pronunciation, as I do not speak Hindi.
The following is a loose translation based on a line by line translation provided by "deepakcoolz", which can be seen on my website.
[Note - "Bapu" is an informal word for father.]
Listen, listen, people of the world, to the immortal story of Bapu.
The Bapu is as respected as the holy water of our mother, "Ganges"
A Saint was born in Porbandar, in the state of Gujarat
Named by his parents "Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi."
After a childhood spent playing games he completed his education in London.
He became a barrister in South Africa and achieved fame,
But those who come into the world to become immortal
Do not waste their time on glamour and adulation.
Listen, listen, people of the world, to the immortal story of Bapu.
He found the Indians were treated badly in South Africa,
And fought against the white government with the light of Truth,
Then returned to India to serve his own country,
Established an ashram for non-violent resistance in Sabarmati,
And became Chairman of the "Resistance Conference."
He also fought for the rights of Islam
For Hindu and Muslim were both dear to him.
All the religions of the world were beloved by Bapu.
Listen, listen, people of the world, to the immortal story of Bapu.
He had great success with the Indian National Congress.
The public united under the National Flag.
He introduced Khadi to every household
And Gandhi burnt all foreign clothing.
When "Charkha" was shouted, the factories closed down,
The machines went cold
And the Indian tricolor flag waved gracefully.
Listen, listen, people of the world, to the immortal story of Bapu.
The Bapu is as respected as the holy water of our mother, "Ganges"
Listen, listen, people of the world, to the immortal story of Bapu.
2. Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram
A Hindu devotional song (Bhajan), very popular in India, especially as it was Mahatma Gandhi's favorite hymn.
It is believed to be based on a mantra by the 17th century Marathi holy poet Ramdas.
I first heard this song sung by The Weavers, but learnt this version from a Gujarati family. I have had the pleasure of singing this with a number of Indian friends. I don't think you would find an Indian anywhere who does not know this song.
This song is on my third CD, "Gospel Ship".
Lyrics and chords:
.. D ............................ C
Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram
............D ........ C ..... D
Patita paban, seeta Ram
.................................. C
Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram
............D ........ C ..... D
Patita paban, seeta Ram
Seeta Ramjai, seeta Ram
Bhaja pyareh tun seeta Ram.
Seeta Ramjai, seeta Ram
Bhaja pyareh tun seeta Ram.
Ishwara Allah tieru nam
Sabako san mati de bhagawan.
Ishwara Allah tieru nam
Sabako san mati de bhagawan.
You can see a playlist of my songs from Asia, Africa and the Middle East here:
www.youtube.com...
Lyrics and chords of many of my songs are no longer available, as my website has expired. I am currently posting lyrics to the information panels on all my videos and those that are too long to post in full will be found on my new website: raymondsfolkpa...

[@raymondcrooke]

Thanks, Virginia. Enjoying our stay in New Delhi very much.

[@JustClaude13]

A very moving presentation.

[@raymondcrooke]

It was a very moving museum.

[@pmadamson]

Great job Raymond, your talents know no bounds.I will have to look up your other world folk songs in due course.
I understand now what people meant when they said retirement made you wonder how you found time to go to work. So much to do and it's very demanding enjoying myself listening and making music all day.....oh yes and cleaning the patio (new machine just arrived). There's always something that brings us back down to earth. Keep up your great work preserving Folk Music.

[@raymondcrooke]

Thanks for your kind words, Peter. Retirement allowed us to make a very enjoyable trip to India last year, where I filmed the footage for this video.