Song of the day/month

Title: Bhale Thatha Mana Bapuji
Movie: Donga Ramudu (Gult movie from 1955)
Lyricist: Samudrala


Lyrics in this song are amazing. These lines struck me at many levels. They go -

[Gandhi] readied himself and got up
He stepped forward with determination
Marching with him, the whole country moved,
The [British] Empire shivered, and we got our freedom!

These lyrics refer to the Dandi March, which to me is quite a moving incident in the freedom struggle. Especially due to the brutal suppression that followed.

This song is for kids. It refers to Gandhi as Thatha. So we definitely can pardon some simplification of history for the sake of easy comprehension.

But I wonder if this innocent song also contributed to our coloured view of history. Obviously, a lot happened between Dandi March in 1930 and 1947. And Dandi March was not the final step in our struggle. Not even Quit India in 1942.

I also do not believe that the lyricist (respected Samudrala) had political intentions behind penning this song. The lyrics probably should be viewed as a part of the cultural ethos of India to respect and idolise historic personalities.

Sooo, I conclude that this song should be used as research material for studies in Indian historiography.