REVISITING MILE SUR MERA TUMHARA

It would be a real challenge to come across an Indian who has not resonated with India's unofficial anthem, 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, To Sur Bane Hamara ' that was first promoted on Doordarshan in 1988. 22 years later, the same iconic song that had the entire nation humming to its tunes was revived as ‘Phir Mile Sur…The Song of India.’ Both of them focuses on reconstructing the cultural fabric (in an environment dominated by chauvinism and parochialism) and sends across a positive message of patriotism and unified India.

Gyanendra Kumar Kashyap

Circa August 15, 1988; for the first time ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara…” was aired on the then only available channel, viz Doordarshan; and since then for the last two decades the audio visuals of Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (reciting ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara) and Dr. M Balamuralikrishna at Kovalam beach, Chennai (erstwhile Madras, reciting ‘Isaindhal namm iruvarin suramum namadhakum…) has never failed to mesmerise the listeners. Without an iota of doubt, the song captivated and enthralled the entire generation by showcasing the diversity of India and established the message of unity. It goes beyond saying that the second song of “The Trilogy” (consisting of Freedom Torch- The Spirit of Freedom, Mile Sur and Raag Desh) became the unofficial national anthem of India. Cut the picture to 26 January 2010; the simple eight line stanza (translated into 16 languages) was once again aired in almost all the available channels, albeit in a slightly different format. For once, those who could vividly recall the opening lines sung by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and M Balamuralikrishna must have been surprised. Surely the legends were missing; but nonetheless the present rendition by none other than Amrita Surendranath and Kailash Surendranath (who had earlier worked along with the legendry Suresh Mullick of O&M Advertising) too deals with the concept of national integration. ‘Phir Mile Sur’ has in it the freshness  that reflects the enthusiasm of modern India, a tune and lyrics that every Indian today can relate to and which would further ignite the passion for India and its diversity. Like its predecessor which used a combination of music and images to instill in feeling of pride in Indians from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Phir Mile Sur too speaks a common and universal language - that of love for the motherland and its people.

Bhairavi, the raga that is common to both Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, is apparently the common theme in both the versions. While there are many who believe that the original ever beautiful song ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ replete with the spirit of unity in diversity version was better but nonetheless it is a sheer delight to see the Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his two sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash play the same raga (in the backdrop of the Charminar) spreading the same message of love and harmony. Times have changed, it is true (howsoever sour it may sound) that the generation of today may not be able to recognise the maestros of 80’s and early 90’s; and this perhaps necessitated the idea to reinvent the best patriotic ad till date. In other words the current version is but a rediscovery for today’s younger demographic against the backdrop of the events which have rocked and shocked the nation (26/11 et al). Set amidst the backdrop of the hotel Taj (the centre of 26/11 episode), Big B’s baritone voice serves the purpose well. Commenting on the initiative, Kailash Surendranath, the brain behind Phir Mile Sur, said, “It has been an incredible journey creating ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ which was a mosaic of so many different personalities from various walks of life and regions in India. Today, we feel the same emotions gushing, after a span of two decades. So many things have changed in India - growth, prosperity, the economic scenario, however, as citizens of this wonderfully diverse country, our feelings for India have only grown stronger and we hope that Phir Mile Sur will further strengthen this bond. ”

The locations, the people, the costumes et al have been successful in reliving the nostalgia. Consider Ustad Zakir Hussain; Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Rahul Sharma playing the santoor (in the backdrop of Qutab Minar), Anoushka Shankar, the ever improving Siva Mani drumming away on water – leaves one and all mesmerized . However, there have been few changes here and there (for matter – the lyrics) which have not gone down well with admirers of the 1988 version. “There is no new patch in terms of contents and execution. If they really wanted to create that nostalgia then they should have kept the lyrics intact and shot it with kids as they represent the future of the nation,” says an ad veteran. The veteran is not alone; a Brand Guru and Director of an ad agency shared similar concern. He said, “The ‘Indian’ feel which binds billions of people through a smartly executed “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" campaign around two decades back is completely missing in the present “avatar” Phir Mile Sur.” It is indeed true that the present version is heavy on the Bollywood front with 22 of India’s biggest superstars (out of 68 of India’s icons who have lent their support to this initiative) and lacks the participation of stalwarts from the filed of business, science & technology et al. A quick realization that India today is no longer juts about Bollywood and sports, it has got a whole new dimension to it. It does make sense that the new team should have used a new metaphor to represent India. One who has seen the new version would agree that the length of the commercial is bit too long and fails to captivate the viewers.

Once again, one is bound to question whether or not the present version evokes the same nostalgia. Let’s not mince words: To some extent the nostalgia related to 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara is evoked… it gives an opportunity to revive the old memories through Phir Mile Sur. The lyrics, according to a few, are the positive linkage in the current version. Despite few shortcomings what is worth acknowledging is the fact that each artist speaks of a cause. Phir Mile Sur captures the true spirit of contemporary India and will hopefully also resonate with new generations. The present version, in a way reflects the enthusiasm of modern India, a tune and lyrics that every Indian today can relate to and which would further ignite the passion for India and its diversity... “Mile sur mera tumhara to sur bane hamara…” and this is the essence of both the versions in letter and spirit.