Yeh mera India, I love my India
By O. P. Bhagat

Apni azadi ko hum
hargiz mitta sakte nahin,
sar kata sakte hain lekin
sar jhuka sakte nahin.

THESE are lines of a song from the film Leader. The film dates back to 1964. But he song is an fresh and stirring today as when it was first heard.

Many Hindi movies contain patriotic songs. Door hato ai duniya valo from the Ashok Kumar-starrer Kismet (1943) is one of the oldest songs in the genre.

After the 1962 conflict with China the film industry pre-sented several patriotic songs off the screen. Among them was Ai mere waten ke logo, sung by Lata Mangeshkar. It is moving tribute to the Indian soliders who laid down their lives while defending the Himalayas. Bapu ki amar kahani which Mohd Rafi recorded after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination is the longest non-film song of its kind.

A double-cassette album released as a part of the HMV All Times Greats series has a good selection of patriotic songs.

Jahan daal daal pe sone ke chidyan karti hain basera, Woh Bharat desh hai mera.

The song, from Sikander-e-Azam, in which Dara Singh plays the title role, is a blend of sound and colour.

Sare Jahan se achha... this is the opening line of a well known poem by Iqbal. the poem was made into a song for the film Bhai Behen.

Mere desh ki dharti sona ugle, ugle here moti...

This song from the film Upkar has many scenes of the lush Punjab countryside. Manoj Kumar made the film and also starred in it. Many movies in which he has starred are famous for their patritoc songs.

The album also contains his poignant song from the film Shaheed, Sarfiroshi ki tamanna. The film also has another patriotic number — Mere rang de basanti chola". But this song is not in the album.

The story of a dacoit, Mujhe jeene do opens with a fervent patriotic plea: ab koi gulshan na ujde, ab watan azad hai. Also touching is the sentiment voiced in the theme song of the movie, Jis desh mein ganga behti hai (not in these two cassettes.)

Ai mere pyare vatan,
ai mere bichhde chaman,
tujh pe dil qurban.

This song, from Kabuliwala, is addressed by the Pathan hero to his country at a moment of home-sickness when he is in Calcutta. Naturally it has a Afghan tone. But it is song a which impressed the sentiments of anyone who loves his land.

Insaf ki dagar pe bachcho,
dikhayo chal ke
Yeh desh hai tumhara,
neta tum hi ho kal ke.

This song from Ganga Jamuna is a teacher’s advice to his pupils. He asks them to follow the path or righteousmess. Also aimed at young people is song from the film Jagriti which urges them to guard the country’s freedom:

Hum laye hain toofan se
kishti nikal ke,
Is desh ko rakhna
mere bachcho sambhal ke

The film has another such song that tells of the unique way Mahatma Gandhi rid India of the foreign yoke:

Le di hamen azadi
bina khadak bina dhaal,
Sabharmati ke sant tune
kar diya kamaal.

Immortality is the reward of dying for one’s motherland. This is the message conveyed through a song in Phool Bane Angare.

Watan pe jo fida hoga,
amar vo naujawan hoga

One of the most moving songs is from Haqeeqat in which wounded soldiers, while breathing their last tell their daring fellow jawans to take over the guarding of the Himalayas from them:

Ab tumhare hawale watan, sathiyo.

The theme of patriotism is vast. No single selection can do justice to it. But the the 18 songs in the double cassette album are representative. However, one wishes that the song from the Dilip Kumar-starrer Shaheed, Watan ki rah mein watan ke naujawan, was also included.