Jingle Bells, Soap Bubbles and other such (IV)

For the love of my country…

This is another in the series that talks about Shafqat Amanat  Ali’s patriotic songs

Our hearts where they rocked our cradle, Our love where we spent our toil,

And our faith, and our hope, and our honor, We pledge to our native soil.

God gave all men all earth to love, But since our hearts are small,

Ordained for each one spot should prove, Beloved over all.

~Rudyard Kipling

It is that time of the year, where the entire UAE, my current country of residence, gets into a celebratory mood. The national day is around the corner and the festivities are on. The red, green, white and black colors are everywhere- as merchandise in shops, as flags, big and small- adorning houses and official buildings, as the bright lights twinkling and lighting up all prominent landmarks across the country… and all this warms my heart and fills it with pride for the country that I have called home for the last 7 years.

I have always been quite emotional when it comes to patriotism. I still set an alarm to wake up on the morning of 15th August to see the Prime Minister unfurl the tricolor at the Red fort. I still love to sit through the entire telecast of the Republic Day parade on the morning of 26th January, if I get a chance. Give me a sports team singing their national anthem along with their supporters in a packed stadium, or an athlete who just won a medal for his country looking with tremendous pride at the flag of the country being hoisted…or even the soppiest patriotic Bollywood movie scene (remember the Jan Gan Man singing one from KJo’s K3G?) and you will find me with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye..

In an interview,interestingly to a Pakistani TV channel, Lata Mangeshkar while remembering Noor Jehan mentions the beautiful patriotic songs that the latter has sung. When asked further on how an artist feels when they sing a song for their country, she says that it is a matter both of duty and pride…

Pride and passion both certainly reflect in his voice as Shafqat Amanat Ali sings these tributes for armed forces of his country…

Pasbaan

Jazba

Ever wondered how Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shafqat would sound if they sang together? You can find out right here on this video where they get together to sing about the challenges of fighting terror in their country

And here is another where he teams up with Najam Shiraz

A peppy, motivational one with Fariha Parvez 

But saving the best for the last- one of the best patriotic songs, ever, in my opinion- And it gives me goose bumps to listen to its live, and heartfelt rendition by Shafqat, here

Another live rendition

The song was rendered originally by Shafqat’s father, the great Ustad Amanat Ali and this is the video, a tribute to the late Ustad,  that features the original song in his voice. It is also features Shafqat and his son and represents beautifully the handing down of music, culture, and values like patriotism from one generation to another.

“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him,” said Abraham Lincoln. His songs definitely reflect his love for his country and I am sure his country feels proud to have a son like Shafqat Amanat Ali.