A HERO’S SONG

Shubha Mudgal on the ghazal that still haunts her
As a student of music,it is difficult for me to choose one song. But a song that has remained unforgettable for me is Jo samar mein ho gaye amar,mein unki yaad mein hokar,ga rahi hoon aaj shraddha geet,dhanyavaad mein,a ghazal penned by lyricist Pandit Narender Sharma and sung by melody queen Lata Mangeshkar.

I heard it first on the radio over 25 years ago,in the days when an afternoon show of gair-filmi nagme,or non-film melodies,was broadcast regularly on Vividh Bharati. I was in my early 20s and the song has remained with me. Not based on any particular raga,the tune composed by legendary composer Jaidevji is wonderful. The melody is simple and subtle but extremely difficult when it comes to singing. Yet Mangeshkar has done justice to it.

There is so much being churned out by way of romantic songs that we tend to forget songs about real heroes—our armed forces. Patriotic songs are left for January 26 and August 15. The manner,the technique of this song is so faultless that the impact is as melodious and as beautiful as it was when I first heard it. The song says it beautifully:…laut kar na aaenge vijay dilaane vaale veer,mere geet anjali mein unke liye nayan neer. It is more then just a deshbhakti geet and glorifies self-sacrifice in a beautiful way.