Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo
| "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Lata Mangeshkar | |
| English title | O' people of my country |
| Released | 27 January 1963 |
| Venue | National Stadium, New Delhi |
| Genre | Patriotic song |
| Label | Saregama |
| Composer(s) | C. Ramchandra |
| Lyricist(s) | Kavi Pradeep |
| Language | Hindi |
"Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" (Hindi: ऐ मेरे वतन के लोगों; "O' people of my country") is a Hindi patriotic song written by Kavi Pradeep, composed by C. Ramchandra, and performed by Lata Mangeshkar. The song commemorates Indian soldiers who died during the Sino-Indian War in 1962. The song was first performed live by Mangeshkar on 27 January 1963 at the National Stadium in New Delhi in the presence of President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on account of Republic Day (26 January) 1963, which was just two months after the end of the war.
The song is often rendered at patriotic occasions in India, and is one of the most prominent patriotic songs along side Jana Gana Mana (the national anthem), Vande Mataram (the national song), and Sare Jahan se Accha.
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 accounts of casualties of the war. In late 1962, while taking a walk along Mahim beach in Mumbai, Pradeep received a sudden bout of inspiration. He borrowed a pen from a fellow walker, and wrote the opening stanza of the song on a 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 fund-raiser scheduled to be held the National Stadium in New Delhi. Pradeep accepted the offer, but did not reveal any details about the song he intended to write. He recruited music director C. Ramchandra to write the music, and Lata Mangeshkar to perform the song. According to Pradeep's daughter, Mitul, "Due to some misunderstanding between Ramchandra and Lata-didi, it was to be sung by Asha Bhosale. However, my father felt nobody except Lata-didi could do justice to it. He even personally convinced her and she agreed to sing it. But with a rider - Mr Pradeep must be present at the rehearsals!"
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