Independence Day Special - My best 10 patriotic songs Music is considered as nature’s gift and listening to good music is a privilege. It is a not only a source of good entertainment but a medium which can takes you into a different kind of plane altogether. If the poetry, composition, and rendition are good, you are magically taken straight into a seventh heaven. Music soothes you, puts you at peace and gets you into a kind of a hypnotic trance. Indeed, what would life be without music!
There’s nothing like good music to get your day moving. The songs which you tend to play depend on the kind of mood that you are in or would like to be in. On days of National importance like the Independence Day or the Republic Day, one often gets into the mood of playing out patriotic tracks. Now, with channels like whatsapp, Facebook and Youtube, many share songs and videos with ease. Today, on the occasion of Independence Day, I must have received loads of music videos and tracks from friends to put me in a good patriotic mood and fervour. That's good. I’m not complaining. I have always been fond of good songs and have grown up listening to good patriotic songs on patriotic days. Who hasn't? I presume, and am pretty sure, that many must have done the same.Over the years, there have been many good songs which have been composed and have created a lasting impression. Everyone will have their own list of favourites to play. I have mine as well. Here, I will make an attempt to choose my ten best. 1. Nanha munna rahi hoon – An excellent track which always used to play on Doordarshan during my school days. Beautifully composed by Naushad with lyrics penned by Shakeel Badayuni, this was a song for the children which became hugely popular. It was sung by Shanti Mathur. The image of a small boy hopping, marching and humming this song on the empty streets along with his pet dog still comes to mind. Not many from the previous era can ever forget this. 2. Vande Mataram – Bankim Chandra’s song has various versions. The earliest one which featured was in a 1952 feature Film, Anadmath. There was one version sung by Hemant Kumar and another one sung by India’s nightingale, Lata Mangeshkar. Lata’s rendition stands out. Later, A.R. Rahman came out with “Maa Tujhe Salaam”, a modernised version of the song in his album which became a kind of an anthem for the youth. 3. Bharat humko jaan se pyara hai – Roja was a beautiful film on National integration. It won three national awards and gained International fame also. The Director, Mani Ratnam, and A.R. Rahman, who composed its music, became National icons. Roja had some of the most amazing music. Among one such tracks is “Bharat humko jaan se pyara hai”, in the soulful voice of Hariharan. 4. Jahan daal daal par sone ki chidiya karti hai basera – Mohammad Rafi had the ability to sing any kind of song and give it that extra special touch. Be it, romantic or quawwali, emotional or masti, classical or patriotic, in the Hindi Film Industry there would be none better than the maestro to sing even difficult songs with extreme ease. Listen to the opening lines of the song and you’ll know what I mean. 53 years after it was composed, this song is still hummed and remembered. 5. Jana Gana Mana – The Jana Gana Mana video sung by over 35 top Indian artists is probably one which has been shared the most. Bharat Bala and A.R. Rahman came together to create this historic album in 2000 which we have been listening to ever since. Many of India’s greatest musicians have contributed to this video. If you haven’t heard this one yet, then you have missed quite a lot. Catch it on Youtube and experience the musical charm it has on offer. You will be amazed. 6. Yeh jo desh hai tera – Once again, who else but Rahman. From the movie “Swades”, which starred Bollywood Superstar Sharukh Khan in an offbeat role, this song has been sung by the genius Rahman himself. The Shehnai instrument has been used in the song to great effect which makes it even more special. 7. Sagara Pran Talmalala – It is a Marathi patriotic song penned by Vinayak Veer Sawarkar, composed by Hridaynath and sung by Lata. While Savarkar’s politics may be questioned, the literary genius that he was will never be. Savarkar is said to have composed and written various poems on prison walls with charcoal and chalk while he was in Cellular jail. This one will really touch your heart and make you dream about your beautiful motherland. 8. Aao Baccho tumhe dikhayen jhanki Hindustan ki– Another of the songs which used to play ever so often on Doordarshan. This song is from the movie Jagriti, a very old but hugely successful films from the 50s. The movie features some classic patriotic tracks. Kavi Pradeep was an extremely famous lyricist who is popularly known for writing the lyrics of “Ae mere watan ke logon”. He has written as well as sung this song which is set to a simple and yet beautiful tune and music by Hemant Kumar. 9. Jis desh mein ganga behti – Mukesh has his place in history as a singer with a unique voice which has very few parallels. Along with Rafi and Kishore, Mukesh formed the trinity of Hindi playback singing. He was one of the most popular singers of his generation and a musical legend. The gifted artist with a golden voice sang for many actors and was best known as the voice of Raj Kapoor. The title song of the movie which went by the same name was sung by this evergreen singer. Mukesh’s songs are popular even today. His voice is so special that you won’t ever get bored of listening. Fans of Mukesh must surely have heard this one numerous times. 10. Mile Sur mera tumhara to sur bane hamara – The song trended today on twitter and why not? It is easily one of the best songs made on national integration. The video which shows so many different States, their traditions and cultures in a span of a few minutes will move you beyond words and imagination. When videos nowadays have a shelf life of a few months, even a few days, this one is 30 years old and still trending. Speaks a lot about its creativity and longevity. The song was composed by Ashok Patki and arranged by Louis Banks, with lyrics by Piyush Pandey. It has captivated the imagination of the Nation ever since. Well, so that then is my list. There have been so many beautiful songs over the years that it is extremely difficult to select a top ten. I have not rated my ten in any particular order. Maybe on a different day, I might select a few different tracks other than these ones. But then, maybe not. These songs are special as well and extremely close to my heart. Phew, that was difficult! - Warm regards Sandeep Heble