79. The Flag of Israel

Galia Hacco, Simcha Yosef. Recorded at NSA studio, June 9, 2002. CD Track 41;  I-34.

Chorus:

Isṟāěl patākě, janma nāṭṭin patākě
Vāniluyaru, vegaṃ vāniluyaru, vegaṃ vāniluyaru

O flag of Israel, flag of our native land!   
Rise up to the sky.
Quickly rise to the sky. Quickly rise to the sky!

[Repeat chorus two more times]

Dhīrarām yūtakkaḷ nāṭṭiya kŏḍiyě nī   (x2)
Sajjīva patākayě isṟāěl āśa nī   (x2)

1. Courageous warriors raised you high, O flag of our land.   (x2)
O living flag of ours, Israel’s hope is in our hand.   (x2)

[Chorus]

2. O flag that leads a crore^[1] of people, flag rising to the sky,   (x2)
Steady the Jews upon this earth; make us firm and raise us high.   (x2)

[Chorus]

This Zionist song from the early 1950s, performed in Parur and Chendamangalam, reflects the popularity in Kerala of Jewish flag-raising celebrations for both Israeli Independence Day and Indian Independence Day.  

As identified by members of the Nirit Singers, the tune is an adaptation of the popular Hindi cinema song “Jiya Beqaraar Hai,”^[1] which was composed by Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal for the 1949 film Barsaat. They told me that the tune was also adapted for a song in a Malayalam drama about alcoholism—a drama that was performed during the same period by Jewish actors in Kochi.

More than fifty years later in Israel “The Flag of Israel” became a particular favorite of the Nirit Singers, who performed it during their concerts with one of the singers enthusiastically waving an Israeli flag. On one happy occasion, the group was invited to perform at the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv for a celebration of Indian Independence Day. That day they adapted the lyrics of this song to praise another beloved flag—the flag of India:

                        O flag of India, flag of our native land!
                        Rise up to the sky.
                        Quickly rise to the sky. Quickly rise to the sky!

____________________________

^[1] In the South Asian numerical system, a crore (koṭi in Malayalam) equals ten million, sometimes used figuratively to refer to a very large number.
^[2] See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITcUo3yDLd8, accessed May 29, 2003.