Nikhil Kuruganti: Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

Ek Sur (One Tune) (Hindi and other languages of India). This Indian national integration video was created in 1988 by Lok Seva Sanchar Parishad, promoted by Doordarshan (then India's sole TV broadcaster) and India's Ministry of Information. It quickly captivated millions in India, gaining near anthem status.

The objective of the video was to instill a sense of pride and promote unity amongst Indians, highlighting the different linguistic communities and societies that live in India. The video featured people from different walks of life, big and small, singing in their own language or miming to someone's voice, but all saying the same thing, 'mile sur mera tumhara' meaning 'if you and I sing the same tune, then the tune becomes ours, making it indistinguishable'.

The song ends by fading into the final notes of the Indian National Anthem.

It featured some prominent figures, like singers Bhimsen Joshi, Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, Lata Mangeshkar; sports - Narendra Hirwani, Venkataraghavan, Prakash Padukone, Arun Lal; film stars - Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Hassan, Mithun Chakraborty, Jitendra, Waheeda Rehman, Sharmila Tagore, Shabana Azmi, Hema Malini, Tanuja; tv stars - the entire cast of "tamas"; movie makers - Mrinal Sen and others, artist Mario Miranda etc.

Mile Sur was telecast for the first time during the Independence Day Prime Minister's speech telecast from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

Even today, this video brings nostalgia to the young and middle aged Indian public, who have grown up listening to it. With the advent of cable TV, and numerous channels, Doordarshan channel gradually lost large part of its viewership, and the video gradually faded into oblivion, no longer to be broadcast. But on occasions like the 26th of January i.e India's Republic Day, the song is played many a times. It is even played on the 15th of August.

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