64th Independence Day: Bollywood Songs

Indo-Asian News Service Mumbai, August 14, 2010First Published: 18:54 IST(14/8/2010)

Bollywood songs have always stirred patriotic sentiments among listeners. Come Sunday and India's 64th Independence Day, and one may soak in the national fervour with IANS's list of 20 evergreen patriotic songs from Bollywood.

Aao bachchon tumhe dikhaye: Composed in the year 1954 by Hemant Kumar, the song tries to inculcate patriotism among children. The fast-paced number was crooned by Pradeep in the film Jagriti.

Hum laayein hain toofan se: This track also belonged Jagriti and was equally popular. The slow-paced track was sung by legendary Mohammad Rafi.

Yeh desh hai veer jawanon ka: This energetic and upbeat song is one of the most popular patriotic songs, owing to its tempo and fervour. Composed by O.P. Nayyar and voiced by Rafi, the song was from the film Naya Daur that released in 1957. The Punjabi tone and the beats in the song lend a very rural setting.

Chhodo kal ki baatein: From the 1960 film Hum Hindustani, this track was composed by Usha Khanna. It depicted a feeling of patriotism, optimism and free thinking. It was sung by Mukesh.

Aye mere pyare watan: This track from the film Kabuliwala (1961) had all the ingredients of a legendary song. It was composed by Salil Choudhury, with Manna Dey behind the mike.

Nanha munna rahi hun: This song from the 1962 film Son Of India brings forth love for the country through a child. Crooned by Shanti Mathur, the simple and endearing composition was made by Naushad Ali.

Apni azadi ko hum: This song gave the message of toughness and a strong will. It brought forward the sentiments of people who were not ready to bow down under any circumstances. From the film Leader (1964), it had brilliant vocals by Lata Mangeshkar and Rafi.

Ab tumhare hawale watan saathiyon: This beautiful and soul-stirring track from 1964 film Haqeeqat, depicted the feelings of the soldiers of the country. The song, synonymous with patriotism in India, was sung by Rafi with Madan Mohan as the music director.

Jahan daal daal par: From the film Sikandar-e-Azam, this Rafi sung and Hans Raj Bahal composed song talks about the beauty of our country. It sings praises in honour of the country and makes the listener proud of India.

Mera rang de basanti chola: The song depicts the life of freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh. From the film Shaheed (1965), it was sung by Rafi and Mahendra Kapoor and was composed by Prem Dhawan.

Aye watan aye watan: The song, again from Shaheed, talks about the secularity of our nation and the patriotic feelings of the people towards our mother land. It instils a sense of pride among the countrymen. Like most patriotic songs of that period, this too has been crooned by Rafi while the composition is of Prem Dhawan.

Mere desh ki dharti: No Independence Day celebrations are complete without this iconic number. The song, from the film Upkar, featured Manoj Kumar. This melodious track talking about the fertility of the Indian land was composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and was sung by Mahendra Kapoor.

Dil diya hai: Music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Karma released in 1986 and belted out this melodious patriotic song. Sung by Kavitha Krishnamurthy, it was a big hit.

Bharat humko jaan se pyara hai: Composed by Oscar winning composer A.R Rahman, this song from the 1992 film Roja was sung by Hariharan. It advocates the feeling of brotherhood between people and its sudden change of tempo gives it an edge.

It happens only in India: This song was sung in a lighter vein by Anand Raj Anand for the film Pardesi Babu that released in 1998. It talks about the various traditions and cultures of the country.

Zindagi maut na ban jaaye: This is one of the new age patriotic songs. Featured in 1999 film Sarfarosh, this song that urges people to stand against terrorism and other issues was sung by Sonu Niigaam and Roop Kumar Rathod and composed by music director duo Jatin-Lalit. The song in the genre of a qawwalli is quite impressive.

Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani: This song from the film of the same name that released in 2002 is a fun song. It brings forth the positives and negatives of the country in an amusing manner. It has a hummable melody created by Jatin-Lalit and has been sung by Udit Narayan.

Desh mere desh mere: The Legend of Bhagat Singh, yet another film on Bhagat Singh, offered this song which was passionate yet hard-hitting. It brought forward the sentiments of people who were ready to do anything for the country. It was composed by A.R. Rahman and was voiced by Sukhwinder Singh and the composer himself.

Yeh jo desh hai tera: Swades, that released in the year 2004, boasted of this track that was meant for Indians who live away from their country. The song reminds them about their association with their homeland. It is sung and composed by A.R. Rahman.

Khandon se milte hain khande: From the Hrithik Roshan starrer Lakshya, the song brought forward the sentiments of our soldiers. It was composed by music director trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and was sung by a host of singers like Sonu Niigam, Shankar Mahadevan, and Hariharan.
64th Independence Day: Bollywood Songs