->Frietjes at 17:29, 30 November 2021

2021-11-30T17:29:37Z

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{{Use Indian English|date=December 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo
| cover =
| alt =
| type = Song
| artist = Lata Mangeshkar
| album =
| EP =
| language = [[Hindi]]
| English_title = O' people of my country
| written = Pradeep
| published =
| released = {{Start date|df=yes|1963|01|26}}
| format =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue = [[Dhyan Chand National Stadium|National Stadium]], New Delhi
| genre = Patriotic song
| length =
| label = [[Saregama]]
| writer =
| composer = [[C. Ramchandra]]
| lyricist = [[Kavi Pradeep]]
| producer =
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| title =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}

'''"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 [[India]]n soldiers who died during the [[Sino-Indian War]] in 1962.

The song was first performed live two months after the war by Mangeshkar on [[Republic Day (India)|Republic Day]] (26 January) 1963 at the [[Dhyan Chand National Stadium|National Stadium]] in [[New Delhi]] in the presence of [[President of India|President]] [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]] and Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]].

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 "[[Jana Gana Mana]]" (the national anthem), "[[Vande Mataram]]" (the national song), and "[[Sare Jahan Se Accha]]".<ref name = "NDTV"/>

==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.<ref name = "NDTV"/>

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.<ref name = "rediff"/>

==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 was there, he would have seen with his own eyes what impact 'Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo' had," Lata said.<ref name = "rediff">{{cite web|title='Didn't know Ae mere watan ke logon would become a rage'|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/didnt-know-ae-mere-watan-ke-logon-would-become-a-rage/20130128.htm|website=Rediff|access-date=4 December 2016}}</ref><ref name = "OneIndia"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Lata Mangeshkar: I had declined 'Ae mere watan ke logon'|url=http://www.news18.com/news/india/lata-mangeshkar-i-had-declined-ae-mere-watan-ke-logon-587615.html|website=News18|access-date=4 December 2016|date=29 January 2013}}</ref>

The first live performance by Lata Mangeshkar of the song was on 26 January 1963 and was held at an event at the [[Dhyan Chand National Stadium|National Stadium]] in [[New Delhi]]. President S. Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] attended the performance because [[Republic Day]] (26 January) 1963, which was just two months after the end of the war.<ref>{{cite web|title=Unforgettable songs of national fervour|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/unforgettable-songs-of-national-fervour/story-EbARkcRsxPX29cYwGN1O4J.html|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=4 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425012617/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Entertainment/Unforgettable-songs-of-national-fervour/Article1-331189.aspx|archive-date=25 April 2013|date=14 August 2008}}</ref> The performance of the song moved Nehru to tears.<ref name = "NDTV">{{cite web|title=Patriotic song 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon' turns 50|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/patriotic-song-ae-mere-watan-ke-logon-turns-50-511378|website=NDTV.com|access-date=4 December 2016}}</ref><ref name = "HT">{{cite web|title=Patriotic song Aye mere watan ke logon turns 50|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/music/patriotic-song-aye-mere-watan-ke-logon-turns-50/story-opY6YFGwEgxMqPwq1COB0J.html|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=4 December 2016|date=26 January 2013}}</ref> "Those who don't feel inspired by ''Aye mere watan ke logo'' don't deserve to be called a [[Indian people|Hindustani]]", said Nehru, who was visibly moved by the song.<ref name = "OneIndia">{{cite web|title=Aye mere watan ke logo: India's most favourite patriotic song turns 51|url=http://www.oneindia.com/india/aye-mere-watan-ke-logo-india-s-favourite-patriotic-song-turns-51-1383639.html|website=One India|access-date=4 December 2016}}</ref><ref name = "News18">{{cite web|title=E R Ramachandran's Blog : Khans' 'intolerance' & Bollywood's contribution over the years to India's unity|url=http://www.news18.com/blogs/movies/e-r-ramachandran/khans-intolerance-bollywoods-contribution-over-the-years-to-indias-unity-14040-1168482.html|website=News18|access-date=4 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Aijazuddin|first1=F.S|title=Pigeons need not fly across the Indo-Pak border !|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/pigeons-need-not-fly-across-the-indo-pak-border/91293.html|website=The Tribune|access-date=4 December 2016}}</ref>

The event raised {{INRConvert|2|l|year=1963}} for the Army Welfare Fund.<ref>{{cite web|title=Special Programme - Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJyeqA4JEJM|website=Youtube.com|publisher=Rajya Sabha TV|access-date=4 December 2016|date=27 January 2013}}</ref> 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.<ref name = "NDTV"/><ref name = "HT"/>

The song received rave appreciation from across the country.<ref name = "rediff"/>

==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.<ref>[http://www.screenindia.com/old/fullstory.php?content_id=11163 ‘Aye mere watan...’ legal battle ends]{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''[[Screen (magazine)|Screen]]'', September 16, 2005. {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Per Pradeep's last wishes, royalties for sale of records of the song were to be donated to war widows. In 2005, the [[Bombay High Court]] asked the music company [[Sa Re Ga Ma|HMV]] to indicate a lump sum payable to the Army Welfare Fund for the disabled and war widows from the song's royalty proceeds.<ref name = "News18"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Aye Mere Watan ... no longer sweet for HMV!|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Aye-Mere-Watan-no-longer-sweet-for-HMV/articleshow/988959.cms|website=The Times of India|access-date=4 December 2016}}</ref>

Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant, who served in the Sino-Indian War,<ref>{{cite web|title=Meet the man who added life to I-Day parades with his golden voice for over 30 yrs|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/locality/gautam-buddha-nagar/meet-man-who-added-life-i-day-parades-his-golden-voice-over-30-yrs-67099|website=dna|access-date=4 December 2016|date=15 August 2015}}</ref> stated that the song inspired soldiers to withstand the difficult situations they were in.<ref name = "OneIndia"/>

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. ''[https://www.saregama.com/song/aye-mere-watan-ke-logon-live_10368 Ae mere watan ke logon]'' became my signature tune. No show of mine, no concert or event is complete until I sing it."<ref name = "News18"/> 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, ''<nowiki/>'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)'".<ref name = "rediff"/>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://www.lyricsveer.in/2021/11/aye-watan-tere-liye-lyrics-in-hindi.html Aye Watan Tere Liye Full Song Lyrics] on [https://www.lyricsveer.in lyricsveer]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJyeqA4JEJM Rajya Sabha TV program on the 50th anniversary of the song]

{{Lata Mangeshkar}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Lata Mangeshkar songs]]
[[Category:Indian patriotic songs]]
[[Category:Hindi songs]]
[[Category:1963 songs]]
[[Category:Sino-Indian War]]

Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo - Revision history

->Frietjes at 17:29, 30 November 2021