On this I-Day listen and hum to some patriotic tracks

As India celebrates its 74th Independence Day on Saturday, here's a list of patriotic songs to remember the contributions made by our freedom fighters.

Mumbai: India celebrates its 74th Independence Day on Saturday. Our brave freedom fighters fought against the colonial power to give us Independence. This day is celebrated with numerous special events in our country consisting of the parade, hoisting of Indian flag, dance performances on patriotic songs, speeches, etc. Let's reminisce some of the popular patriotic songs which routs the spirit of freedom.

'Mere Desh Ki Dharti' is one of the oldest patriotic songs that talks of the greatness of our agriculture-dominated economy. The song is featured in Manoj Kumar’s famous flick Upkar (1967).

Featured in the 1961 film Kaabuliwala, the song 'Aye Mere Pyaare Watan' by Manna Dey talks of a citizen's eagerness to sacrifice his life for the benefit of his motherland even as the hero is away from home. It was picturised on Balraj Sahni.

'Maa Tujhe Salaam' is one of the most popular patriotic songs by A.R. Rahman from the music album Vande Mataram in 1997. This song fills our heart with love and devotion to the mother nation.

The song 'Des Rangila' from the 2006 film Fanaa and was sung by Mahalakshmi Iyer. Des Rangila gives a vivid and exquisite description of our country.

A song from the film Raazi, 'Ae Watan' was sung by Sunidhi Chauhan. This song defines nationalism and it speaks about our sentiments for the nation.

The popular patriotic song 'Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo' by the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar tells about the suffering of the martyrs. This song was created in the memory of soldiers who lost their lives during the Indo-Sino war in 1963.

Daler Mehndi's voice added jazz to the energetic song 'Rang De Basanti' inspired by the classic Mera Rang De Basanti Chola (Shaheed). Featuring Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi and R Madhavan, the film had music by AR Rahman.

'Bharat Humko Jaan Se Pyara Hai' from the film Roja was released in 1992 and it was composed by A.R. Rahman. It’s a great patriotic song to perform on Independence day.

Akshay Kumar’s recent patriotic film, Kesari (2019) also had a touching song titled 'Teri Mitti' that invokes love for the motherland.