Digitally altered audio of “Mahangai Dayan” song misrepresents PM Modi’s Mauritius welcome video

Siddharth Urmil March 18, 2025

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Claim

A widely shared video of Indian Prime Narendra showcasing his visit to Mauritius is being shared with the claim that he was welcomed in Mauritius with the popular satirical song ‘Mahangai Dayan Khaaye Jaat Hai’ about inflation and rising costs.

A Facebook post by Sanjay Yadav dated March 11 features a video of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed in Mauritius. The video shows a traditional Geet Gawai performance, a cultural folk music practice among the Bhojpuri-speaking Indian diaspora. The song includes the phrase "Mahangai Dayan Khaye Jaat Hai," which translates to "Inflation is a demon consuming everything," leading to satirical interpretations on social media. The post, featuring women in traditional attire singing and clapping while musicians play instruments, sparked political discussions and debates regarding its intent and context.

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Fact Check

Upon investigation, we found the claim to be misleading. First, we cross-referred with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official YouTube channel. A video titled “Heritage in Harmony! Mauritius Welcomes PM Modi with Bhojpuri Folk Music,” uploaded on March 11, 2025, shows a group of singers performing a welcome song for PM Modi upon his arrival in Mauritius.

A YouTube video screenshot from Narendra Modi’s official channel shows PM Modi being welcomed in Mauritius with a traditional Bhojpuri folk music performance. The video, titled "Heritage in harmony! Mauritius welcomes PM Modi with Bhojpuri folk music," features a Geet Gawai ensemble, a cultural tradition brought by the Indian diaspora. Women dressed in traditional sarees are seen singing and clapping, accompanied by male musicians playing drums. The serene outdoor setting includes greenery and a wooden staircase.

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Instead, in the original footage, the singers can be heard performing the Bhojpuri folk song Geet-Gawai, a traditional song commonly sung by the Indian-origin community in Mauritius as part of their cultural heritage.

A screenshot of the UNESCO website highlights the Bhojpuri folk tradition, Geet-Gawai, in Mauritius. The webpage, titled "Bhojpuri folk songs in Mauritius, Geet-Gawai," explains that this pre-wedding ceremony, inscribed in 2016 on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, combines rituals, prayer, music, and dance. The text mentions its significance for the Indian Bhojpuri-speaking community in Mauritius. A small embedded image shows women singing in a traditional setup. The webpage layout has a blue UNESCO header and a white content section, with a DFRAC watermark in the top right corner.

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Furthermore, our research on Geet-Gawai revealed that it is inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is primarily a pre-wedding ceremony that blends rituals, prayers, songs, music, and dance, performed by the Bhojpuri-speaking communities of Mauritius, who are of Indian descent.

Conclusion

Thus, the fact check shows that the viral video is digitally altered. The modified version played a song that criticizes inflation, Mahangai Dayan. However, in the original video, there is no mention of inflation and is a traditional Bhojpuri Geet Gawai Performance. This traditional recitation of Geet Gawai was given as a welcome song for PM Narendra Modi’s arrival in Mauritius.