The one song rendered by Lata Mangeshkar which made then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru teary-eyed was “Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon” (O People of My Land), which was written by the poet Kavi Pradeep in 1962 to honor Indian soldiers who died amidst the Sino-Indian War.

According to the story behind the song – the aluminum foil – While walking on Mahim Beach in Mumbai, Kavi Pradeep was deeply moved by the loss of life and, inspired by the phrase “Ae mere watan ke logon,” he borrowed a pen, ripped the aluminum foil from his cigarette pack, and wrote the initial lines of the song on it. The song was first performed live by Lata Mangeshkar on January 27, 1963, at the National Stadium in New Delhi. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was so moved by the performance that he was seen in tears.The song was a massive hit, and later, when Kavi Pradeep was in Mumbai for a school function, he presented the original, handwritten lyrics (on the foil) to Nehru.Lata Mangeshkar, in an interview, recalled that Nehru told her afterwards, “Mere aankhon mein paani aa gaya” (You made me weep today/you brought tears to my eyes).

News Edit KV Raman