New age Gandhi buffs would now be able enjoy a digitised rendition of Gandhi Katha — a narration of Mahatma’s life and times by veteran Gandhian Narain Desai, son of Mahatma’s close aide, Mahadev Desai — thanks to a hi-tech effort by students of an institution the Father of the Nation set up in 1920.While Desai has been conducting the Katha for the past couple of years, mixing the narration of episodes from the Mahatma’s life with songs eulogising the persona, girls and boys of the Mass Communication course at the Gujarat Vidyapith are recording an ongoing special session at their campus to make it available in DVD format.Their Khadi attire no obstruction to their confidence when it comes to handling the hi-tech lab, the students take charge of cameras and online editing as Desai performs inside a newly-created studio. Prashant Kuhikar and Mamta Patel, two of the 15 students working on the project, say the new lab and the project have bolstered their confidence, as they explain the multi-tasking that goes on behind the online recording. While a team takes care of the cameras, another edits the material online, even as a third takes care of the final audio-visual aspects before beaming it on to television sets in the campus. The lab and the studio have cost the Gandhian institution close to Rs 1 crore, but the administration hopes it would only help their cause better. “The students here have the special motive of propagating Gandhian thought. And if it is backed with a cutting edge technological awareness, it would make them more confident,” says Alap Brahmbhatt, who heads the audio-visual team at the faculty.“Gandhi was a strong believer of thoughtful use of technology. His is an idea that would last through the times. As an institution set up by him, it is our tribute to him if we can assist its mass propagation. While public rendition has its limitation, the set of DVDs would make it permanent,” says Vidyapith Vice-Chancellor Sudarshan Iyengar.Being conducted in two sessions of two hours each day, the five-day Katha would translate into a set of 10 DVDs with 20 hours of programming. The Vidyapith plans to bring the set into the market by mid-March.And for those who think Mahatma was against technology, the answer came in Tuesday’s rendition of an episode by Desai. While attending the first Round Table conference in 1930-31, Mahadev Desai used all available technological resources at his command to send details of the proceedings to be published in the Indian Opinion every week.
