Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon moved the then PM Pandit Nehru to tears when it was rendered before a packed National  Stadium in the capital on a cold January 27 evening exactly 50 years ago ( 1963 ) by Lata Mangeshkar. It was penned by Kavi Pradeep shortly after the China War ( 1962 ). Pradeep presented a handwritten poem to Nehru when he visited Mumbai on March 21, 1963.

Pradeep was walking on the Mahim beach when the words of this poem occurred to him. He borrowed a pen from a fellow walker, ripped out the foil from his cigarette packet and penned the first stanza. Mehboob Khan organised a fund raising concert at National Stadium and wanted an opening song from Pradeep. Pradeep roped in C. Ramchandra and Lata Mangeshkar, and the rest is history.