Insaan ka insaan se ho bhaichara

Insaan ka insaan se ho bhaichara
Yehi paigam hamara
Yehi paigam hamara

Naye jagat mein hua puraana
Oonch neech ka kissa
Sabko miley mehnat ke mutabik
Apna apna hissa
Sabke liye sukh ka barabar ho batwara
Yehi paigam hamara
Yehi paigam hamara

Har ek mahal se kaho ki jhopdiyo mein diye jalaye
Chhoto aur bado mein ab koi farak nahin reh jaaye
Iss dharti par ho pyar ka
Ghar ghar ujiyara
Yehi paigam hamara
Yehi paigam hamara

Insaan ka insaan se ho bhaichara
Yehi paigam hamara
Yehi paigam hamara

Movie: Paigham (1959)
Director: S S Vasan
Singer: Manna Dey
Lyricist: Kavi Pradeep
Music Composer: C Ramchandra

If you are like me, saying that we were commemorating the death anniversary of Ramchandra Narayanji Dwivedi on 11 December, might mean nothing to you. But if I mentioned Kavi Pradeep, you would immediately hear ‘Aye mere watan ke logo’ in Lata Mangeshkar’s voice. India’s poet laureate or rashtrakavi, Kavi Pradeep was born Ramchandra Narayanji Dwivedi. A deeply patriotic man, he is known mostly for his songs that celebrate a national sentiment that probably had its place in the years when he was writing. For me, though, these songs now, in our current climate of rabid nationalism, are a little difficult to listen to.

It is evident that Kavi Pradeep loved the idea of India passionately. In searching for an alternative to his patriotic numbers, I found ‘Aaj ke insaan ko yeh kya ho gaya’ from the movie Amar Rahe Ye Pyaar. Listen to it if you can but be warned, it is depressingly relevant to our current situation. Sung by the poet himself, it feels eerily current. I thought of featuring it but couldn’t handle the despair, so here’s a slightly more positive and hopeful number instead that features Raaj Kumar, Dilip Kumar, and Vyjayantimala all looking lovely and Manna Dey sounding great. ~ R