Tuesday 15 June 2010
Tune of the Day: Saare Jahan Se Achcha
Indian patriotic song
This is one of the most enduring patriotic poems of the Urdu language. Written originally for children by Pakistani poet Muhammad Iqbal, the poem was first published in 1904. Recited by Iqbal the following year at Government College, Lahore, it quickly became an anthem of opposition to the British rule in India. The song is an ode to Hindustan, the land comprising present-day Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.
“Saare Jahan Se Achcha” has remained popular in India for over a century. Mahatma Gandhi is said to have sung it over a hundred times when he was imprisoned in the 1930s. The song has become an unofficial national anthem in India, and some of its stanzas were also turned into the official quick march of the Indian Armed Forces.