GANDHI—MANTRAS OF COMPASSION
Ricky Kej, Tina Guo, Masa Takumi and featuring Kailash Satyarthi, New York Youth Symphony, Tonality
Independent
The Critical Perspective
‘Music has the power to transcend boundaries, just as Gandhi’s message did…’
Excerpts from review by Bhavan P posted at New India Abroad, 09 September 2025
A collective of Grammy-winning artists from around the world has released a global musical tribute to Mahatma Gandhi celebrating the Indian leader’s legacy of peace and nonviolence. The Gandhi: Mantras of Compassion project featuring original compositions, traditional hymns, and spoken word passages was spearheaded by three-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who developed the concept during a four-city India tour last year. They were joined by Grammy-nominated cellist Tina Guo, Grammy winning shamisen player Masa Takumi, and more than 230 musicians from 40 countries. The year-long production spanned 31 studios worldwide.
“Mahatma Gandhi inspired generations of changemakers, from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Nelson Mandela. This album is our humble offering to keep that flame alive. Music has the power to transcend boundaries, just as Gandhi’s message did,” said Kej, a trailblazing Indian music composer and environmentalist, whose individual honors include India’s Padma Shri Award, the UN’s Global Humanitarian Award, and GQ’s Man of the Year.
The album blends new-age and world music with Gandhi’s favorite hymns and mantras, reinterpreted to reflect themes of unity, compassion, and coexistence. Highlights include a Sanskrit version of the Lord’s Prayer sung by 100 priests and nuns, later blended with a Los Angeles orchestra and blessed by Pope Francis, and “We Are One,” uniting 40 singers from 40 countries.
‘Be The Change (Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya)’ from Gandhi–Mantras of Compassion features the New York Youth Symphony, a 75-member orchestra comprising talented musicians aged 12 to 22. This esteemed orchestra won the Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance in 2023 (Nominees were John Williams, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Berlin Philharmoniker). The song also features a powerful Indian choir singing Sanskrit verses, Stewart Copeland on tympani and Grammy Award nominated opera singer Stephen Powell. Vilas Nayak is the featured painter. Orchestra Conductor: Michael Repper. Choral Vocals, Choral Arranger: Seay. Vocals (Sanskrit): Shivaraj Natraj, Nandini Samanta. Indian Vocal Arranger, Vocal Percussion: Shivaraj Natraj. Solo Vocals (Indian): Nishant Shekar, Shivaraj Natraj, Nandini Samanta, Abby V. Orchestral Arranger: Don Hart.
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‘The Logical Culmination’
In an age of polarized politics and daily headlines of conflict, three-time Grammy winner Ricky Kej believes the world is crying out for a different kind of soundtrack. His answer arrives in the form of Gandhi–Mantras of Compassion: a sweeping, 11-track meditation on the Mahatma’s message of peace, tolerance and environmental stewardship. Conceived as a collaborative labor of love, the album unites more than 200 musicians from five continents, among them Grammy nominee Tina Guo, Japanese composer-producer Masa Takumi and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, to breathe new life into the hymns and ideals that shaped India’s greatest apostle of non-violent resistance: MK Gandhi.
“I’ve always wanted to devote an entire record to the Mahatma,” Ricky says. “He pops up all over my catalogue–there’s Mahatma on Winds of Samsara and Gandhi on Divine Tides–but a full album felt like the logical culmination.” The spark came last year, when Ricky joined Kailash on a tour championing child rights. “Kailash has a beautifully simple definition of compassion: selfless problem-solving. Gandhi is his lifelong hero, so we kept circling back to the idea of setting the Mahatma’s favorite prayers to contemporary music. That was the birth of Mantras of Compassion.”
Those favorite prayers songs and verses form the beating heart of the record. Timeless bhajans such as Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, Vaishnava Jan To and Mirabai’s devotional Payo Ji Maine sit alongside “Abide With Me”–Gandhi’s cherished Christian hymn–and “The Lord’s Prayer.” To complement the five reworked hymns, Kej penned six original compositions that expand Gandhi’s teachings into 21st‑century concerns. Tracks weave recordings with flutes from Ravichandra Kulur and the nimble sitar of Purbayan Chatterjee. While Tina, Masa and Kailash form the core partnership, Ricky also collaborated with Police drumming icon Stewart Copeland; the late folk troubadour Peter Yarrow; and songwriter Philip Lawrence, best known for his work with Bruno Mars, among many others. —excerpt from a review by Ramal Laisram, Indulge Express, 20 June 2025
A collaboration between three-time Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej, Grammy and Brit Award nominee Tina Guo, Grammy Award winner Masa Takumi and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi, the album Gandhi–Mantras of Compassion is a soul-stirring musical tribute to the life and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian leader who championed compassion and inspired some of the greatest leaders of our time, including Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela. This inspiring project brings together over 200 artists from across the globe to celebrate Gandhi’s enduring ideals of peace, tolerance, and environmental consciousness.
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Ricky Kej in His Own Words
Excerpts from an interview by Sanjana Ray, 6 August 2025, posted at GQ India
If Ricky Kej had been my environmental science teacher in school, I might have actually paid attention. The three-time Grammy Award-winner’s passion for the planet is nothing short of infectious. His mission is clear: to use the universal language of music to educate and inspire the masses on pivotal issues like climate change and sustainability. It’s a lyrical message–and one that truly strikes a chord.
How did the idea for Gandhi–Mantras of Compassion come about?
Gandhi has always been a hero to me, and that’s been evident in my earlier Grammy Award-winning albums, Divine Tides and Winds of Samsara, both of which feature tracks dedicated to him. I also created a Kannada song titled Nee Badalaadare, which was about “being the change”–the essence of Gandhi’s philosophy.
Cut to 2024, when I met another personal hero, Kailash Satyarthi (an Indian social reformer)… We spent a lot of time together — travelling, staying at his Baal Ashram in Jaipur, and having many conversations about Gandhi, who has been the foundation of Kailashji’s life and work. That’s when the idea truly took root. We both said, “Hey, let’s make an album on Gandhi.”
‘Compassion (Karuna),’ from Gandhi—Mantras of Compassion, featuring Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi: This powerful tribute to Gandhi’s timeless principles, featuring the Grammy-winning choir Tonality and Grammy-nominated flautist Ron Korb. combines sweeping orchestral arrangements with a poignant piano melody, evoking raw emotion and depth. More than 200 artists from across the globe participated in the album.
Your grandfather, Jankidas Mehra, had a special connection with Mahatma Gandhi?
Jankidas Mehra
My grandfather, Jankidas Mehra, was an Olympic cyclist and had won multiple medals at the British Empire Games–all pre-Independence. Before heading to what would be his final competition, he met Gandhi, who asked him which flag he planned to hoist at the event. He said, naturally, the Union Jack.
Gandhi then asked, “Why don’t you hoist the Indian flag instead? You’ll be the first person to ever hoist it on foreign soil.” My grandfather told him that doing so might cost him his life. Then Gandhi asked him a question that changed everything: “Do you want to live for a few years, or do you want to live forever?”
Gandhi then gifted him a signed flag, the one with the spinning wheel, and my grandfather went to Australia and hoisted it instead of the British flag. He was immediately deported, banned from competitive sports for life. But Gandhi sent him a telegram congratulating him for his courage. That very flag now rests at the Gandhi National Museum in Delhi.
‘We Are One (Raghupati Raghava)’, featuring Ricky Kej, Tina Guo, Masa Takumi, Kailash Satyarthi, from Gandhi—Mantras of Compassion: The spirit of unity and devotion animates ‘We Are One (Raghupati Raghava),’ a soulful rendition of Gandhi’s beloved hymn. This poignant song transcends boundaries, celebrating the oneness of humanity and the divine. Featuring a stellar Hollywood string section conducted by Esin Aydingoz, Pandit Ranu Majumdar’s flute and an Indian choir, ‘We Are One’ is a mesmerizing blend of cultures and traditions. Based on the traditional song ‘Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram’ by Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, ‘We Are One’ is featured on Gandhi—Mantras of Compassion.
Beyond music, what projects are you associated with?
I serve as the Global Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations and work closely with the UNCCD on land restoration, with a focus on how it disproportionately impacts women. With UNICEF, I lead educational initiatives teaching children about sustainability. One project, My Earth Songs, features 30 original songs for grades one to eight, each carrying a positive message on environmental conservation.
I also collaborate with the WHO on air pollution awareness campaigns. I’ve done concerts on the issue–one in Cartagena, Colombia, and another at the UN Headquarters in Geneva in 2018. I work with UNHCR as well, supporting refugees, particularly musicians who were forced to flee their countries, and help them rebuild their careers in India.
Note: In addition to traditional promotion, Ricky Kej is sending this album to prisons and schools worldwide in hopes of spreading its messages of compassion and understanding.
