Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo
"Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" (ऐ मेरे वतन के लोगों; "O! the people of my country!") is a Hindi patriotic song written by Kavi Pradeep, composed by C. Ramchandra, and sung by Lata Mangeshkar commemorating Indian soldiers who died during the Sino-Indian War. Kavi Pradeep was reportedly moved to compose the song by accounts of casualties of the war.
The song was famously performed live on January 27, 1963, by Lata Mangeshkar at the National Stadium in the presence of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in New Delhi, on account of Republic Day (26 January) 1963, which was just two months after the end of the war.[1] A copy of the soundtrack spool was also later gifted to Nehru on the occasion. The song is said to have moved Nehru to tears.[2]
"Those who don't feel inspired by 'Aye mere watan ke logo' don't deserve to be called a Hindustani", said Nehru, who was visibly moved by the song. The song received rave appreciation from across the country.
In 2013, Lata Mangeshkar told a TV channel that initially she had declined to sing the song as she had not enough time to rehearse it. "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. Kavi Pradeep, the man who penned lyrics of the song, couldn't witness the event. "My regret is that Pradeepji had not been called for the Republic Day function where I sang the song. If he was there, he would have seen with his own eyes what impact 'Ae mere watan ke logo' had," Lata told. [3]
All of the artists and technicians involved with the song — including singers, musicians, music director, lyricist, recording studio, sound recordist — and later, lyricist Kavi Pradeep pledged the royalty of the song in perpetuity to the War Widows Fund.[4] In 2005, the Bombay High Court asked the music company HMV to indicate a lump sum payable to the Army Welfare Fund from the song's royalty proceeds.[5]
Lyrics
Ae mere watan ke logon, tum khub lagaa lo naara Yeh shubh din hai hum sab kaa, lehra lo tiranga pyara Par mat bhulo seema par, viron ne hai praan ganvaye Kuchh yaad unhe bhi kar lo - (2) Jo laut ke ghar naa aaye - (2) Ae mere watan ke logon, zara aankh me bhar lo paani, Jo shaheed huye hain unki, zara yaad karo qurbaani - 2
Tum bhool naa jao unko, isliye suno ye kahaani Jo shaheed huye hain unki, zara yaad karo qurbaani
Jab ghayal huwa himalaya, khatre me padi azaadi Jab tak thi saans lade woh - (2), phir apni jaan gawaa di, Jo khoon gira parvat par, woh khoon tha hindustani, Jo shaheed huye hain unki, zara yaad karo qurbaani
Jab desh me thi diwali, woh khel rahe the holi Jab hum baithe the gharo me - (2), woh jhel rahe the goli Sangeen pe dhar kar maatha, so gaye amar balidaani The dhanya jawan woh aapane, thee dhanya woh unaki jawani Jo shaheed huye hain unaki, zara yaad karo qurbaani
Koi sikh koi jaath maratha - 2, koi gurkha koyi madrasi - 2 Sarhad par marnewala - 2, har veer tha bharatvasi Jo khoon gira parvat par, woh khoon tha hindustani Thi khun se lat-pat kaya, phir bhi banduk uthaakar Das das ko ek ne maara, phir gir gaye hosh gawakar Jab anth samay aaya toh - 2, keh gaye ke ab marte hain Khush rehna desh ke pyaro - 2, ab hum toh safar karte hain - 2 Kya log the woh diwaane, kya log the woh abhimani Jo shaheed huye hain unaki, zara yaad karo qurbaani Tum bhul naa jaao unko, iss liye kahi yeh kahani Jo shaheed huye hain unaki, zara yaad karo qurbaani Jay hind, jay hind ki sena - (2) Jay hind, jay hind, jay hind
Translation
O' people of my country! Let us shout slogans! This auspicious day belongs to all of us, so hoist our beloved flag! And let us not forget our brave warriors, who lost their lives on the border. Give a thought to them (x2) Those who did not return home. (x2) || O' people of my country! Fill your eyes with tears! Remember the sacrifice, Of those who became martyrs! || (x2)
And lest you forget them, listen to this story: Remember the sacrifice, Of those who became martyrs!
When the Himalayas were injured and our freedom was threatened, They fought right to the end (x2), and then they laid down their bodies. With their faces on their bayonets, the eternal martyrs went to sleep. Remember the sacrifice, Of [....]
When our country was celebrating Diwali, they sacrificed themselves in the fire of Holi. While we sat safely in our homes, they were dodging bullets. Blessed were those young men, blessed was their youth! Remember the sacrifice, Of [....]
Sikhs, Jaats, or Marathis, (x2), Gurkhas or Madrasis (x2)! All those who died at the front (x2), each one of them was Indian! (x2) The blood shed on the mountains, that blood was Indian. Remember the sacrifice, Of [....]
Their bodies were drenched in blood, yet, they picked up their guns. And each killed ten, then they fell unconscious. And in their final moments (x2), they said: "We are dying now. || Be happy, beloved countrymen! We're going on our journey! ||" (x2) How wonderful were those warriors! How great were those people! Remember the sacrifice, Of [...] And so I told you this story, for you must not forget them. Remember the sacrifice, Of [...] Glory to the Hind! Glory to the armies of the Hind! (x2) Glory to the Hind! (x3)
References
- ↑ Unforgettable songs of national fervour Hindustan Times, August 14, 2008.
- ↑ 'Ai mere vatan ke logon' turns 50
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ ‘Aye mere watan...’ legal battle ends Screen, September 16, 2005.[dead link]
- ↑ Aye Mere Watan ... no longer sweet for HMV!
