That Tricolour tribute
Hindustan Times, 26 Jan, 2008
Aye mere pyare watan (Kabuliwalla) Salilda (music director Salil Chowdhury)
gave a nice Middle-Eastern touch to a song that expresses a longing to be a
part of this great country .
Even if you haven't seen the film you know that the singer loves India but
doesn't stay here. Whenever I've been abroad, in the U S, U K or Australia, at
get-togethers I've heard someone singing Aye mere pyare watan.
Manna Dey's voice is not that of a ‘hero' but of a common man. You can smell
Mother Earth in it.
On the surface Aye mere pyaare watan is a simple song. It's only when I see
singers on reality shows grapple with a particularly intricate rhythm that I
realise how difficult the song really is and salute Manna Dey's genius.
Jahan daal daal pe (Sikander-E-Azam) I remember as a young boy watching the
song wide-eyed on Chitrahaar. The kings, horses and elephants left a lasting
impression. It was the first time that I'd seen a desh bhakti song shot on such
a lavish scale.
I liked the juxtaposition of images the words conveyed.. a sone ki chhidiya
sitting on a branch.. though I didn't understand their true meaning then.
And the refrain Jai Bharat, Jai Bharat still has my chest swelling up with
pride.
Vande Mataram (Anand Math) It's the classic patriotic song guaranteed to give
you gooseflesh. Hemant Kumar's voice resonating among the male chorus and Lata
Mangeshkar's nightingale notes riding through it all is amazing stuff ! Vande
Mataram has been sung many times by many singers. A R Rahman's done a wonderful
job but for me Hemant Kumar's Vande Mataram works best because you don't expect
him to sing and compose a song like this.
Aye watan aye watan (Shaheed) It's such a simple melody, almost like a nursery
rhyme. Yet the song evokes a strong sense of camaraderie and a need to protect
our borders.
I have a lot of family members who're serving in the army And I . know that
when soldiers gather around a bonfire at night, no matter where they are, they
invariably raise a toast to Aye watan.
I love the words. It's interesting to see how often the word ‘watan' turns up
when you run down the list of patriotic songs. It has a nice ring to it.
Sarfaroshi ki tamanna (Shaheed) When I was in school, every Tuesday one of us
had to go up on stage and sing in front of an assembled audience. It was an
exercise in confidence building.
One day, a young boy went up and sang Sarfaroshi ki tamanna. I didn't
understand the words at the time but they touched a chord within me.
The boy later became a friend and I learnt that the same year that he'd sung
the song, his father had died on the border. Sarfaroshi ki tamanna was his
dad's favourite song and he'd picked it up from him. Ever since, it's had a
special place in my heart.
It's a song Bhagat Singh and his cronies sang going to the gallows. The words
are hard-hitting but the tune is soft.. and Mohd. Rafi's rendition so gentle..
the contrast adds to the impact of the evergreen desh bhakti vandana.
Sarfaroshi ki tamanna one of our most important post-Independence songs. Every
time I hear it I wonder if the sacrifices of the martyrs went waste..
Ab tumhare hawale watan sathiyon (Haqeeqat) There's so much pain and pride in
the song.. a strange mix of sorrow, happiness and nostalgia. Today when most
songs res onate with one clear-cut emotion, Ab tumahre hawale.. is a rarity.
But it's gems like these that tread the grey areas that live on in public
memory .
I call it the passing-the-baton song. You can visualise a dying soldier
transferring his responsibility to another, ensuring that the country's border
is protected. Such a beautiful thought! Zindagi maut na ban jaye (Sarfarosh) I
heard the song for the first time out of context and thought it was a revamped
classic. Then, to my utter delight, I discovered that it was an original
composition by Anu Malik.
Zindagi maut na ban jaye beautifully expresses what desh and desh bhakti are
all about. Javed Akhtar's words touch your heart. Roop Kumar Rathod and Sonu
Niigaam's voices blend so beautifully that it's hard to say when one ends and
the other takes over.
Bharat humko jaan se pyaara hai (Roja) This was the first time anyone was
hearing A R Rahman and the song completely broke the traditional concept of a
patriotic song with its words, sounds and Hariharan's voice.
The high-end, electronic, almost sparse arrangement with the exception of the
heavy-duty chorus, was something no one had heard before. The mix of modernity
and tradition was path-breaking and perfectly complemented by Mani Ratnam's
visuals.
It didn't surprise me when Rahman won the Indira Gandhi Award that year. It's a
song that represents the country best.
Yeh jo des hai tera (Swades) The words are almost simplistic, the call isn't.
Javed Akhtar's lyrics talk about comings and goings. The message is subtle. And
Rahman's voice resonates beautifully .
Yeh jo des hai tera is not an inyour-face patriotic song, yet there is a
timelessness about it. Fifty years down the road people will still hum it.
Rang de basanti (Rang de Basanti) The first time I heard the song, I knew
immediately that Prasoon Joshi had written it. Having worked with him in Ab ke
Saawan and Man ke Manjeere, I knew that only Prasoon could describe the colours
of India so succulently Daler Mehdi's voice . adds to its charm.
Rang de basanti is a wonderful track.. folkish, colourful, celebratory. It
reiterates that a patriotic song need not be serious or sombre.
I know that whenever there's a celebration anywhere in the country, it could be
Independence Day, Republic Day, Holi, Diwali or Durga Puja, this song is played.
