As the 150th anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth begin – he was born in 1869 – the Indian government has pulled off something of a global cultural coup by having musicians from as many as 124 countries round the world to perform Gandhi’s favourite bhajan, Vaishnav Jana To.

With the shooting and recording by coordinated by Indian embassies around the world, the video above features 41 of these musicians. A statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said that local artistes were identified by Indian missions Abroad and asked to record their version of the hymn by 15th century poet Narsimha Mehta.

Among the surprise performers is a head of state – Baron Divavesi Waqa, the President of Nauru.