From Saare Jahan se Accha to Vande Mataram: Songs that continue to define spirit of I-Day

“Saare Jahan se Accha, Hindostan Hamara. Hum Bulbule Hain Iski, ye Gulsitan Hamara...” The early morning breeze across cities carried strains of music, echoing the idea of freedom that India’s founding fathers envisioned for a nation proud of its syncretic culture, pluralism and diversity.

Songs, including those written long before India attained freedom on this day in 1947, have continued to rekindle the emotions that fuelled the nation’s freedom struggle and, in the years since, have come to embody its pride in memorable melodies that are still sung in harmony.      

One of the most memorable songs of these remains “Saare Jahan se Accha”, written by Muhammad Iqbal in 1904, which has remained popular for more than a century across generations.

Apart from being played by the Indian armed forces on different occasions, the verses achieved a more popular status as patriotic songs in school assemblies. The words have been adapted to different tunes by filmmakers in “Bhai Bahen” (1959), “Yeh Gulistan Hamara” (1972), and “Lover Boy” (1985).

Another song that tugs at the deepest emotions of Indian hearts is “Vande Mataram”, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and rendered to different tunes over the years as well as made part of films such as “Anand Math” (1954) and “Leader” (1964). The national song of India has been sung by some of the most noted singers, including Lata Mangeshkar and K S Chithra. A R Rahman’s eponymous studio album included two arrangements of the poem in songs “Revival” and “Missing”.

The national song, with a full six stanzas, was rendered at the Red Fort complex on the occasion of Independence Day on Saturday, followed by the recitation of the national anthem.

The 1954 Hindi movie “Jagriti” has continued to resonate for over seven decades through its most popular song “Aao Bacchon Tumhe Dikhayein Jhanki Hindustan Ki”.

The song, written and sung by Kavi Pradeep, introduced children to India’s history of brave leaders, including Maharana Pratap and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, as well as invoked the sacrifices of Jallianwala Bagh.

“Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna”, originally written in 1921 by poet and freedom fighter Bismil Azimabadi, was later adapted by Prem Dhawan to the voices of Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey, and Rajendra Mehta for “Shaheed” in 1965.

The film, based on the life of Bhagat Singh, gave timeless patriotic songs such as “Ae Watan, Ae Watan, Humko Teri Kasam”, “O Mera Rang De Basanti Chola”, and “Pagadi Sambhal Jatta”.

The poem, written in response to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, was immortalised by freedom fighters, including Bhagat Singh, Ram Prasad Bismil, and Chandrashekhar Azad.

“Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon”, a more soulful song against Bismil’s passionate war cry that is sung and played on Independence Day, was originally written by Kavi Pradeep in 1963 to commemorate the Indian soldiers who died during the India-China war of 1962.

The song was first sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Delhi on January 26, 1963, in the presence of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who was reportedly moved to tears by the heart-rending poem.

There are few songs that stir emotions like A R Rahman’s “Maa Tujhe Salaam” from his album “Vande Mataram”.

Written by Mehboob and sung by Rahman, the song addresses India as a mother and, unlike traditional patriotic songs, is both intimate and monumental in its soaring melody and repeated invocation of “Maa Tujhe Salaam” (Mother, I salute you).

Few songs have managed to evoke the sense of India’s diversity and pluralism like “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara”.

Released on August 15, 1988, the song was written by Piyush Pandey and composed by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. The song, with an accompanying video, highlights India’s different linguistic communities, its various traditions, cultures, and heritage.

The song had 14 languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Punjabi, Odia, Tamil, Malayalam, Bangla, and Assamese, and was sung by some of the most popular singers of the time, such as Lata Mangeshkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Suchitra Mitra, Ananda Shankar, and M Balamuralikrishna.

Monumental in scale, the song was shot at locations across India and featured celebrities from cinema, sports, dance, and literature, including Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Waheeda Rahman, Hema Malini, Tanuja, Mithun Chakraborty, Kamal Haasan, Prakash Padukone, Javed Akhtar, Arun Lal, and Mrinal Sen.