It is a true-blue classic any which way you look at it or listen to it. Watch the original rendition of the song in the video below.
The song was famously performed live on January 27, 1963, by Lata Mangeshkar in the presence of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on the occasion of Republic Day celebrations held just two months after the end of the war. A copy of the soundtrack spool was also later gifted to Nehru on the occasion.
"Those who don't feel inspired by 'Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon' don't deserve to be called a Hindustani", said Nehru, who was apparently moved to tears by the song.
The song received rave reviews; it was accorded ample appreciation from across the country, and rightly so. For emotive feel and patriotic zeal nonpareil is packed into the lyrics. Apparently, Kavi Pradeep, deeply moved by accounts of casualties in that war, composed this song which is very touching and heartrending.
Unfortunately, when such classics are translated to a different language, not only do they loose poetic construct, but also the creative soul and emotive essence. "Translation Losses" shall we call it?
Aye Mere Watan Ke Long is no exception. Most translations available on the Web read like poorly penned prose. Indeed, I was so unhappy about these mediocre translations that I decided to take a crack at it. I have tried my amateurish best to retain some semblance of poetic appeal without deviating too much from the literal meanings of the lines.
I have tried my best to retain the feel, fervor; the tone, tenor and theme of the original poetry. Hope you like the output! If it can be improved, please do drop in a comment or two. Both bouquets or brickbats are welcome for the effort.
