When Lata Mangeshkar lent her voice to the Kavi Pradeep written patriotic anthem, ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logo’, she infused a sense of nationalism in a country that was freshly dealing with the loss of lives after a cross-border war with China.
It was the year 1963, when the song created waves after the then 33 year old songbird, graced the stage at Delhi’s Ramleela Maidan for a historic, spell-binding performance that brought then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru to tears.
Written as a tribute to the lives lost during the Sino-Indian war in 1962, the song’s moving compositions by C. Ramchandra with Pradeep’s piercing words, instantly turned it into one of the greatest patriotic songs in history.
“At first I was nervous, thinking I have committed some mistake. But when I met Panditji (Nehru), I saw tears in his eyes.” “Lata, tumne aaj mujhe rula diya,” the diva was quoted telling the press after the ceremony ended.
Watch the legendary performance below:
Lata Mangeshkar has had a vast number of unforgettable classics to her name.
In a career spanning over 7 decades, the various tunes sung by the first songbird of India have acquired legendary status, largely due to her sublime and exquisite vocal gift.
But ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logo’ is one classic whose cult status comes as much from its cultural influence as the songstress’ golden voice, making it one of her own signature tunes.
A salute to this iconic moment in Indian music and popular culture history.