Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo
"Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" | |
---|---|
National Stadium, New Delhi | |
Genre | Patriotic song |
Label | Saregama |
Composer(s) | C. Ramchandra |
Lyricist(s) | Kavi Pradeep |
"Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" (lit. "O' people of my country") is a patriotic song written in Hindi by Kavi Pradeep, composed by C. Ramchandra, and sung by singer Lata Mangeshkar. The song commemorates Indian soldiers who were killed in action during the Sino-Indian War in 1962.
The song was first performed live two months after the war by Mangeshkar on
The song is often performed at public events and gatherings in India and is considered to be one of the most popular patriotic songs alongside "
Writing and composition
"Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" was written by Kavi Pradeep to commemorate the Indian soldiers who died during the Sino-Indian War. Pradeep was deeply moved by the casualties of war. In late 1962, while taking a walk along Mahim beach in Mumbai, Pradeep became inspired. He borrowed a pen from another walker and wrote the opening stanza of the song on a piece of foil that he ripped out from his cigarette pack. A few weeks later, Pradeep was approached by producer Mehboob Khan to write a song for a fundraiser scheduled to be held at the National Stadium in New Delhi. Pradeep accepted the offer but did not reveal any details of the song he planned to write. He recruited music director C. Ramchandra to write the music and asked Lata Mangeshkar to sing the song. According to Pradeep's daughter, Mitul, due to some misunderstanding between Ramchandra and Lata, Asha Bhosle was chosen as the singer by the music director. However, Pradeep felt no one other than Mangeshkar could do justice to it and so he personally convinced her to sing it. Mangeshkar agreed on the condition that Pradeep was present during rehearsals.[1]
Mangeshkar suggested converting the song's format from solo to a duet with herself and Asha as singers. While Pradeep preferred for it to remain a solo piece. Asha rehearsed for the song but shortly before they were to fly to Delhi, Asha decided to pull out of the event. Lata Mangeshkar tried to convince her otherwise, as her name was already associated with the event, the details of which were printed in newspapers. The great Composer-singer Hemant Kumar who managed the whole project also tried hard to convince Asha, but couldn't. So, Lata Mangeshkar had to sing it alone.[2]
First performance
In January 2013, Lata Mangeshkar said in an interview that she had initially refused the opportunity to sing this song, as she didn't have enough rehearsal time. "It was Pradeepji, (Kavi Pradeep) the poet, who wrote the immortal lyrics, who came to me and asked me to sing the song. I declined because there was no time to rehearse. You see, at that time I was working round-the-clock. To give special attention to one song seemed impossible. But Pradeepji insisted, Lata said, admitting that she was very nervous before the performance. My regret is that Pradeepji had not been called for the Republic Day function where I sang the song. If he had been there, he would have seen with his own eyes what impact 'Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo' had," Lata said.[2][3][4]
The first live performance by Lata Mangeshkar of the song was on 26 January 1963 and was held at an event at the
The event raised ₹2 lakh (equivalent to ₹1.7 crore or US$210,000 in 2023) for the Army Welfare Fund.[11] The song's lyricist, Pradeep, was not invited to the performance. Pradeep performed the song for Nehru on 21 March 1963 at a function at R.M. High School in Mumbai. He also presented Nehru with the original handwritten lyrics of the song.[1][6]
The song received rave appreciation from across the country.[2]
Reception and legacy
All of the artists and technicians involved with the song including singers, musicians, music director, lyricist, recording studio, sound recordist pledged the royalties from the song in perpetuity to the War Widows Fund.
Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant, who served in the Sino-Indian War,[14] stated that the song inspired soldiers to withstand the difficult situations they were in.[3]
Recalling the song in 2013, Mangeshkar stated that she never expected the song to be so successful, saying, "Since it was not part of a film, I thought it would have a limited impact. Ae mere watan ke logo became my signature tune. No show of mine, no concert or event is complete until I sing it."[8] She also stated that Pradeep was always sure of the song's success saying, "Only Pradeepji had faith in the song. He had prophesied to me, 'Lata, tum dekhna yeh gaana bahot chalega. Log hamesha ke liye issey yaad rakhenge (You'll see this song will endure. People will always remember it)'".[2]
References
- ^ a b c d "Patriotic song 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon' turns 50". NDTV.com. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d "'Didn't know Ae mere watan ke logon would become a rage'". Rediff. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ a b c "Aye mere watan ke logo: India's most favourite patriotic song turns 51". One India. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ "Lata Mangeshkar: I had declined 'Ae mere watan ke logon'". News18. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ "Unforgettable songs of national fervour". Hindustan Times. 14 August 2008. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ a b "Patriotic song Aye mere watan ke logon turns 50". Hindustan Times. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ "Prime Ministers of India Loved Lata Mangeshkar". Anandabazar Patrika. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022.
- ^ a b c "E R Ramachandran's Blog : Khans' 'intolerance' & Bollywood's contribution over the years to India's unity". News18. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ Aijazuddin, F.S. "Pigeons need not fly across the Indo-Pak border !". The Tribune. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- YouTube
- ^ "Special Programme - Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon". Youtube.com. Rajya Sabha TV. 27 January 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ ‘Aye mere watan...’ legal battle ends[permanent dead link] Screen, September 16, 2005. [dead link]
- ^ "Aye Mere Watan ... no longer sweet for HMV!". The Times of India. 13 January 2005. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ "Meet the man who added life to I-Day parades with his golden voice for over 30 yrs". dna. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2016.