This mash-up of India and Pakistan's national anthems is a tribute to 70 years of independence

When Ahmad G Chagla composed the music for the Pakistani national anthem in 1949 and the Constituent Assembly of India adopted Rabindranath Tagore's masterpiece as ours in 1950, little did anyone know that 70 years after independence, the two hymns would unite. A new song that has been curated by a pro-peace Facebook group, 'Voice of Ram', is now out on social media, receiving much-deserved love.

A series of artists featured in the video sing Pakistan's 'Pāk Sarzamīn' (also known as the 'Qaumi Taranah') and Indian anthem 'Jana Gana Mana'. The video begins with the words, "When we open our borders to art, peace comes along" and closes with the words, "Let's stand together for peace," reported BBC.

The medley of Indian and Pakistani national anthems has become a social media hit, bringing together thousands of people from the two countries who saw the mash-up as a message of love and peace amidst heightened acrimony between the two nations. The video has been widely appreciated, with over 15,000 shares and 7,15,000 views on Facebook alone. The video has also invited young artists to come up with covers of the same. A crowdfunding campaign on social media is seeking to raise funds for future videos.

Filmmaker and activist Ram Subramanian, who heads Voice of Ram, told Indian site Catch News that,

I made the videos because a lot of people are afraid to speak about peace, and it's an illogical fear. To me, these videos mean a new beginning, another small step towards peace.

Since Pakistan and India celebrate their independence on August 14 and 15 respectively, Ram had put together two videos to send across this powerful message. The first video, released recently, showcased Indian acapella group VoxChord wishing Pakistan a happy birthday.

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