1 Oct 1947, Gandhi requested M.S. Subbulakshmi for a bhajan she didn't know. He'd rather hear her recite it than anyone else sing.
She learnt & recorded in Madras overnight:
हरि तुम हरो जन की पीर
By 2 am it was done, flown to Delhi, and played on his 78th birthday.
His last.
On 30 Jan 1948, AIR announced his assassination... then played the same recording.
A Meera bhajan recorded overnight for Mahatma Gandhi's birthday returned, four months later, as a prayer for a grieving nation.
हरि तुम हरो जन की पीर...
Remembering the Mahatma on his 157th birth anniversary. And missing him every day.
#MahatmaGandhi #GandhiJayanti #MSSubbulakshmi #AllIndiaRadio #Akashvani #Chennai #Madras #GandhiSmriti #GandhiDarshan #GandhiHeritagePortal #NationalGandhiMuseum #MinistryOfCulture