Program Details 

Soundtrack will include music (mixed Hindi and English verses), sound effects, and narration. The theme song during the performance will be ‘Vaishnav Jan” and will link the various sequences.    Actual film footage of Gandhi will be incorporated, as well as reenactments for both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

 Sequence 1

The performance will open with the artists performing in silhouette to the tune of ‘Vaishnav Jan ” The artists will be under the glow of village lanterns.

 Sequence 2

The world is introduced as a ball game. The children stand in a circle, each playing with the ball, representing the sharing of the world for all.  The dramatic sequence deals with the introduction of greed and the concept of ‘I’ in ownership of the world and the results that follow.

Sequence 3

An audio/visual sequence of an episode of Gandhi’s life, being thrown out of a train in South Africa will be shown. As Gandhi is thrown out of the train on film, an actor portraying Gandhi will fall onto the stage, introducing his character.  A series of folk dances will occur symbolizing Gandhi’s life and message being carried across India.

Sequence 4

Performance will illustrate the life of an Untouchable through a dance/drama of a Tagore poem.  The scene is set in a village and introduces the issue of caste and class in society. A video reenactment of Martin Luther King’s trip to Kerela will follow, thus transforming the Indian problem to that of equality and opening a bridge to America.

 Sequence 5

This scene will deal with the idea of the oppressed in society, (women, children, and the poor) The piece will be conveyed in theatrical form of tableau’s. The children will move across the stage in a series of frozen images.

 Sequence 6

A humorous short story will introduce the importance of education.  An illiterate villager learns a lot from a pair of glasses.  The piece will be mimed with voice over track following the actions.  Education is the key to overcome oppression.

Sequence 7

Puppetry will be introduced in the story of Unity, a story from a famous Indian folk tale.  It is a story told from the animals, and in this case, from the point of view of a group of birds. Both King and Gandhi were powerful at uniting the masses.

Sequence 8

Non Violence and Non Cooperation were the weapons in successful freedom movements in both India and the United States.  A series of freedom songs will introduce these concepts, with a focus on the theme of marching.  Gandhi’s Great Salt March and King’s March on Washington are symbolized.  A gospel element will appear in the soundtrack.

Sequence 9

This performance will deal with basic human values and will be told through a sequence of short stories.  Included in this will be a story shared from Arun Gandhi about life and the lessons learned with his grandfather. “Viashnav Jan” is a song that symbolizes complete human development based on values. Gandhi and King lived by these principles.

Sequence 10

The show will end with the reintroduction of the world and the ideal of global unity and the bridge between India and the United States through these great leaders.  Children will dance and play against the backdrop of images and famous quotations.