Lata Mangeshkar to sing ‘Aye Mere Vatan Ke Logon’ with 100,000 people

Mumbai: A staggering 100,000 people are expected to sing the patriotic song Aye Mere Vatan Ke Logon here to mark the end of its golden jubilee celebrations on January 27, an organiser said on Thursday.

The function, to be held at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Race Course, has been organised by the Shahid Gaurav Samiti (SGS). Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award) Lata Mangeshkar — who first rendered the song on January 27, 1963 as a tribute to the heroes of the 1962 India-China war — will be present.

“Over a lakh people will sing the song in the presence of Lata Mangeshkar and she may also join them. She will be felicitated by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi along with other war heroes and their families,” SGS spokesperson Vaibhav Lodha said.

He added that over 100 Param Vir Chakra, Mahaveer Chakra and other gallantry awardees, families of martyrs and other dignitaries shall be present and felicitated.

“The golden jubilee of this song was celebrated [for] the ethos of nationalism and patriotism among Indians and to inspire future generations,” SGS convenor and Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Mumbai, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, said.

When it was first sung

Aye Mere Vatan Ke Logon, penned by the late Kavi Pradeep, was first sung by Mangeshkar after the 1962 war at a function in Delhi where India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and other dignitaries were present.

SGS has also declared January 27 as ‘Shreshtha Bharat Divas’ in memory of martyrs who lost their lives defending the country’s borders during various wars, the spokesperson said.

The event will see the presence of soldiers and officers from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.