Mumbai, June 29, 2026
The upcoming episode of ‘Tum Ho Naa — Ghar ki Superstar’, hosted by Rajeev Khandelwal will witness an emotional moment, as renowned lyricist, poet Manoj Muntashir opens up about the making of and the thought process behind his famous song ‘Teri Mitti’ from the film ‘Kesari’.
Dedicating the song to the soldiers of our country Manoj said, “Aap zindagi roz jeete hain, tajurbe roz collect karte hain, aur jab woh situation aati hai, mujhe aaj bhi yaad hai, jab woh situation thi. Humare 21 jabaaz Sikh fauji jo ek qile ko bachate hue balidaan ho gaye, woh visual maine dekha. Aur woh visual dekhne ke baad mere dimaag mein sirf ek cheez aayi, when he takes the bullet to his chest, apne desh ke liye, and when he is bleeding to death, uske badan se khoon nikal raha hai, aakhri ke kuch lamhe bache hain, chetna shoonya hoti ja rahi hai, sab kuch doobta ja raha hai, toh aakhri ke kuch seconds mein sochta kya hoga woh?”
“Kya uske mann mein yeh hota hoga ki fauj ki naukri kyun kar li, kuch aur kar lete? Kya uske mann mein yeh hoga ki 25,000 ke paycheck ke liye jaan dene ki kya zaroorat thi? Aur main pata nahi kitne faujiyon ke parivaar se mila hoon, woh zindagi ke aakhri lamhon mein itna proud hote hain ki yaar, marta toh har koi hai, jaan toh sabki jaani hai, meri mere desh ke liye jaa rahi hai.”
(Every day, you live life and gather experiences. Then there comes a moment that stays with you forever. I still remember when that moment came for me. I saw the visual of our 21 brave Sikh soldiers sacrificing their lives while protecting a fort. After seeing that, only one thought came to my mind, when a soldier takes a bullet to his chest for his country, when he is bleeding to death, with only a few moments left and his consciousness slowly fading away, what is he thinking in those final seconds?”
“Does he regret joining the Army? Does he wonder if he should have chosen another profession? Does he think giving his life was not worth a ₹25,000 paycheck? I’ve met so many soldiers’ families, and what I’ve learned is that in those final moments, a soldier feels immense pride. After all, everyone has to die one day, but if my life is being given for my country, there can be no greater honour)
Further continuing Manoj added, “Toh yeh poora gaana iss thought process se likha gaya tha, ki woh aakhri ke jo kuch seconds hain, unmein humara fauji kya soch raha hai. Aur woh bas ek baat sochta hai, ‘Ae meri zameen, afsos nahi, jo tere liye sau dard sahe. Mehfooz rahe teri aan sada, chaahe jaan meri yeh rahe na rahe.'”
(The entire song was written around this thought process, what our soldier is thinking in those final few moments. And in the end, there’s only one thought on his mind: ‘My beloved land, I have no regrets for enduring a hundred hardships for you. May your honor always remain protected, even if I do not survive)
Applauding the thought, Rajeev responded, “Har baar mere aansu aaye hain, woh panktiyan jab maa wali line thi usmein…” (Every single time I’ve heard that song, it has brought tears to my eyes, especially the lines about the mother)
Rajeev added, “Abhi bhi sunta hoon toh rongte khade ho jaate hain iss line pe.” (Even now, whenever I hear that line, it gives me goosebumps)
Talking about the iconic song, it was sung by B Prakash and featured on Akshay Kumar during the heartbreaking scene of the war.(Agency)
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