AHMEDABAD: When one thinks of Germany and music, the symphony of thoughts usually leads to Beethoven, but many Germans have found their ode to joy in famous Gujarati songs.
The highpoint of a new cultural flourish was heard by a gathering at Stadtkirche Sankt Michael, or St Michael church, in the German city of Jena. These were the ragas of romanticism composed by the revered Gujarati poet Zaverchand Meghani. The songs played that day included “Ho raj mane laagyo kasumbi no rang” and “Man mor bani thangaat kare”. These are timeless classics in Gujarat. On October 15 last year, Hardik Chauhan, originally from Ahmedabad’s Asarwa, sung them at the Jena church. And the chorus that swelled to the rafters was provided by German singers.
The renditions of Chauhan and his German friends have orchestrated a social media rage. They are dancing across messaging platforms and have registered 1 lakh hits on YouTube.
Chauhan is now singing paeans to his German choir called Collegium Vocale, Jena. “They believe in real inclusivity and helped me learn German and understand their culture,” he said. “They gave me an opportunity to perform at theatres in Germany and at concerts.” Chauhan, 29, is a biomedical engineer.
Chauhan inherited his love for music from his father, Kamlesh. Chauhan honed his talent by singing with several music groups in Ahmedabad. He said when he was a student at Gandhinagar’s Government Engineering College, he started working with theatre artists such as Pravin Pandya, Nisarg Trivedi, Mallika Sarabhai, and Raju Barot.
By the time Chauhan landed in Germany in 2016 to pursue higher education he was already a proficient vocalist.
“I was learning German for my master’s and studied at Ernst Abbe Hochschule in Jena,” Chauhan said. “I also joined the troupe of German National Theatre, Weimar. I learnt German not only for my academic course but also to become better assimilated.”
Chauhan said he was part of musicals and later joined the Collegium Vocale student choir of Friedrich Schiller University, Jena. “I have been singing with them for more than four years,” he said.
On singing Meghani’s doha at St Michael’s, Chauhan said: “My choir asked me to perform at a concert, which was scheduled the very next day on October 15, 2021.” He added: “I told them that I could perform only in my mother tongue. During rehearsals, I sang solo with the Germans humming in the background.” Chauhan then requested his friends to learn a few Gujarati words.
“They went a step farther,” Chauhan said. “They were willing to learn Gujarati compositions. I gave them a thematic translation of ‘Man mor bani thangaat kare’ and the beauty of the work moved them.” He said his German friends learnt to sing the chorus part and caught all the notes perfectly in just 20 minutes.
Since then, Chauhan and his fellow singers have rendered Gujarati compositions at several concerts.
“My friends’ musical sharpness and their eagerness to sing in another language is both astounding and touching,” Chauhan said. “Their commitment was 100% so they were able to do justice to Gujarati compositions.” He said he cherishes the opportunity he was given. “My fellow musicians gave me full creative freedom,” he said. “All the credit for the performances goes to them. They went out of their comfort zone and delivered their best with full zest.”
As for the audience’s response to the first event, Chauhan said: “We had sung ‘Kasumbi no rang’ and Saumya Joshi’s ‘Sapna vinani raat’. A gentleman approached me and said that the performance had given him goosebumps.”
Chauhan said that local audiences want to hear more music from other countries. “It shows how open they are to new cultural experiences,” he said.
