January 26 is not just a day for pageantry and flag hoisting, but also a time for reaffirmation of the foundational principles of the Republic – equality, equity and solidarity. It is a time for a solemn commitment to the constitution and to reflect on India’s diversity and social harmony. These values have to be guarded and protected, now more than ever.
In the face of assaults on these republican values, Indians have risen as one to fight back, joining hands across caste, class and religion. The protests are not to demand narrow, parochial interests but to resist any attempts to alter and damage the essence of what India has always been – a land that is welcoming, where everyone can live as an equal citizen and which does not discriminate on grounds of a person’s background.
Hindi cinema, itself a reflection of India’s glorious mix of communities, has over the years spread that message far and wide. In Nehruvian India, and the early days of the Republic, many films and songs spoke of brotherhood and love among all. There was none of the jingoistic, ersatz muscular nationalism that is in vogue today among filmmakers; rather, there was pride and real hope in building an India that would be prosperous but also equal.
1. ‘Humne suna tha‘ (Didi, 1959)
A rarely heard gem by Sahir Ludhianvi about India’s diverse cultures, languages and religions, and how this reflects strength rather than weakness. The children ask, “Why, when all the great books say the same thing, there is so much conflict”; the teacher talks about the power structures have fomented this disharmony.
2. ‘Saathi haat badhana‘ (Naya Daur, 1957)
It was a time for working together to build a new India with the sweat of one’s brow and with a spirit of co-operation. The film had a socialist message, evocative of the times, and the song by Sahir Ludhianvi reflected this. The story was told through the eyes of a village that comes together to face the challenge of mindless, profiteering mechanisation.
3. ‘Insaan ka insaan se‘ (Paigham, 1959)
A song, by Pradeep, reminding everyone that the old ways of ‘unch neech’ discrimination should be shed in the new world. It talks about getting along with each other, a message that has never been more crucial.
4. ‘Chhodho kal ki baatein‘ (Hum Hindustani, 1961)
A year after the Republic was formed, there was a new fervour in the air, about leaving the past behind and building a new nation. Nehru’s ‘new temples of modern India’ was a message that everyone in the country took to heart and the visuals in this song show not just the symbols of a glorious past but the creation of the future, with dams and industries coming up. Lyrics are by Prem Dhawan.
5. ‘Nanha munna rahi hoon’ (Son of India, 1962)
Mehboob Khan was a great and unabashed admirer of Jawaharlal Nehru and, in fact, died on May 28, 1964, the day after his hero died. This song, by Shakeel Badayuni, is about the Nehruvian vision – “naya hai zamana meri nayi hai dagar, desh to banuaanga machinon ka nagar”.
6. ‘Apni azaadi ko hum‘ (Leader, 1964)
A song, by Shakil Badayuni, that sounds apt as protestors in places such as Shaheen Bagh, young and old, are reaffirming their faith in the Indian constitution and refusing to budge no matter the pressures and the heavy handedness of the state.
7. ‘Insaaf Ki Dagar Pe’ (Ganga Jamuna, 1961)
This endearing song is sung by an avuncular and idealist village school teacher in front of an open-air class of children who join him enthusiastically. “Walk on the path of justice for all, dear children, for you will be the nation’s leaders tomorrow,” Shakeel Badayuni’s lyrics go.
8. ‘Itne bazu itne sar, gin le dushman dhyan se’ (Main Aazad Hoon, 1989)
This song is an an anthem to the solidarity and collective protest needed to lead India out of the dead-end to which its leaders had taken it.