Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

Mile sur mera tumhara... to sur bane hamara.

These are the opening lines of the Unity in Diversity song that was played on DoorDarshan in the 80s. The video depicts the diversity in the Indian cultures and languages. The lines "Mile sur mera tumhara..." is sung in various languages and tunes by people of different states and statuses. The video has legendary singers Bhimsen Joshi, Balamurali Krishna and Lata Mangeshkar. It also features prominent actors like Kamal Haasan, Amitabh Bachhan, Hema Malini and Revathi to name a few. But the real beauty of the video is in the way people from various walks of life are portrayed. A mahout singing "Ende swaramu...", a group of punjabi men and women travelling in a tractor and the vibrant people from Goa. Not to forget the people from north east India.

This song captured millions of Indian hearts. I think it is because of the way the song has beeen composed and picturised. The music is so heart tugging, especially the pads in the small interludes. The aerial shot of Taj Mahal, the train running along a curved track, the boatman on the Howrah river are some of the scenes which I meant. The music is mostly classical and specific to the region and language portayed. The song increases in tempo towards the end as the music becomes more westernized and every one sings in unison. This is place where I start getting goose bumps. This is quite symbolic. I see this as representation of our transition to the westernized world and still retaining our cultural base. The song ends with last lines of the National Anthem.

Watching it on YouTube evoked a sense of nostagia in me. I had grown up listening to the song. When I was young, I would come running to the hall the moment I heard this song playing on TV. Today I felt I was reliving my childhood. I was amazed that I was able to recollect the lyrics and hum the tunes of the instruments along with video the first time itself. It must have been more than 15 years since I last heard this song. But it was fresh in my memory. For six minutes I felt like I had travelled back in time.

A few clicks on the internet, I found that the song was composed by Louis Banks, a great Jazz artist. Thanks to him for such an unforgettable and a great song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0WYbcpyeeg