Watch: Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and sons’ soulful rendition of 'Raghupati Raghav’ on Gandhi Jayanati

As Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated all across India with cleanliness drives and memorials, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Aman Ali and Ayaan Ali have paid a musical tribute to the Father of the Nation. [caption id=“attachment_2452974” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A screengrab from the video.[/caption] On the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 146th birth anniversary, the trio has released an instrumental rendition of Gandhi’s favourite bhajan, Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram. The soulful sarod melody coupled with the voices of the three makes it a delightful video to mark the Mahatma’s birthday. The video, uploaded by Saregama GenY, is in collaboration with the NGO Ek Tara, and features several people holding signs with Gandhi’s messages. The two-minute video is shot in the heritage compound of Qutub Minar in Delhi which adds to the visual appeal of the video.

Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, also known as Ram Dhun, was immortalised by Gandhi when satyagrahis sang it during the Dandi March. The lyrics are from original Hindu text ‘Shri Nama Ramayanam’ and were written by Lakshmanacharya. The most popular version of this bhajan was set to tune by the visionary Hindustani classical musician, Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar but a recording of that isn’t available, but a recording by one of his son’s is available, reports  DNA.

The bhajan has undergone several renditions by prominent singers and musicians. Here are some other versions: This version is considered to be one of the earliest versions of the bhajan by folk singer Gohar collected in a Saregama compilation of Gujrati bhajans.

This instrumental version was played by the combined band of Indian Navy and Indian Air force at Beating Retreat in 2014.

Renowned classical singer MS Subbulakshmi also performed the bhajan

The bhajan has been taken and remixed by Bollywood as well, with Kuck Kuch Hota Hai’s upbeat version providing a sharp contrast to the Satyagraha’s intense one.