"Sare Jahan Se Achha" — "Better than all the world is our Hindustan" — was written in Urdu by the poet Muhammad Iqbal in 1904 as "Tarana-e-Hind", the anthem of the people of Hindustan. It became one of the most loved patriotic songs of the freedom struggle and is still played by the armed forces and sung in schools across India.
The song
सारे जहाँ से अच्छा हिन्दोस्ताँ हमारा
हम बुलबुलें हैं इसकी, यह गुलसिताँ हमारा
sāre jahā̃ se acchā hindostā̃ hamārā
ham bulbuleṃ haiṃ iskī, yah gulsitā̃ hamārā
Better than all the world is our Hindustan; we are its nightingales, and it is our garden.
ग़ुरबत में हों अगर हम, रहता है दिल वतन में
समझो वहीं हमें भी, दिल हो जहाँ हमारा
ġurbat meṃ hoṃ agar ham, rahtā hai dil vatan meṃ
samjho vahīṃ hameṃ bhī, dil ho jahā̃ hamārā
Even if we are in a foreign land, our heart stays in our homeland — think of us as being there, where our heart is.
पर्वत वो सबसे ऊँचा, हमसाया आसमाँ का
वो संतरी हमारा, वो पासबाँ हमारा
parvat vo sabse ū̃cā, hamsāyā āsmā̃ kā
vo santarī hamārā, vo pāsbā̃ hamārā
That mountain, the highest of all, neighbour of the sky — it is our sentry, it is our guardian.
गोदी में खेलती हैं इसकी हज़ारों नदियाँ
गुलशन है जिनके दम से रश्क-ए-जनाँ हमारा
godī meṃ kheltī haiṃ iskī hazāroṃ nadiyā̃
gulśan hai jinke dam se raśk-e-janā̃ hamārā
Thousands of rivers play in its lap; because of them our garden is the envy of paradise.
ऐ आब-ए-रूद-ए-गंगा! वो दिन है याद तुझको?
उतरा तिरे किनारे जब कारवाँ हमारा
ai āb-e-rūd-e-gaṅgā! vo din hai yād tujhko?
utrā tire kināre jab kārvā̃ hamārā
O waters of the river Ganga, do you remember the day our caravan first came down to your banks?
मज़हब नहीं सिखाता आपस में बैर रखना
हिन्दी हैं हम, वतन है हिन्दोस्ताँ हमारा
mazhab nahīṃ sikhātā āpas meṃ bair rakhnā
hindī haiṃ ham, vatan hai hindostā̃ hamārā
Religion does not teach us to bear ill will towards one another; we are Indians, and our homeland is Hindustan.
यूनान-ओ-मिस्र-ओ-रूमा सब मिट गए जहाँ से
अब तक मगर है बाक़ी नाम-ओ-निशाँ हमारा
yūnān-o-misr-o-rūmā sab miṭ gae jahā̃ se
ab tak magar hai bāqī nām-o-niśā̃ hamārā
Greece, Egypt and Rome have all vanished from the world, yet our name and mark endure to this day.
कुछ बात है कि हस्ती मिटती नहीं हमारी
सदियों रहा है दुश्मन दौर-ए-ज़माँ हमारा
kuch bāt hai ki hastī miṭtī nahīṃ hamārī
sadiyoṃ rahā hai duśman daur-e-zamā̃ hamārā
There is something in us that our existence is never erased, though for centuries the turning of the ages has been our enemy.
इक़बाल! कोई महरम अपना नहीं जहाँ में
मालूम क्या किसी को दर्द-ए-निहाँ हमारा
iqbāl! koī mahram apnā nahīṃ jahā̃ meṃ
mālūm kyā kisī ko dard-e-nihā̃ hamārā
Iqbal, we have no confidant in this world — who can know our hidden pain?
History
Iqbal wrote the poem in 1904 while teaching at Government College, Lahore, and it was published in the journal Ittehad. Its celebration of Hindustan's mountains, rivers and ancient endurance, and its line that religion does not teach enmity, made it a favourite of the national movement; Gandhi is said to have sung it many times while in prison.
Iqbal's own views later changed: in 1910 he wrote "Tarana-e-Milli", addressed to the worldwide Muslim community, and in 1930 he proposed a separate Muslim state in north-west India, for which he is honoured as a founding thinker of Pakistan. In India his earlier song remains beloved; its tune, set by Pandit Ravi Shankar, is played at the Beating Retreat ceremony.
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Frequently asked questions
Who wrote Sare Jahan Se Achha?
The poet Muhammad Iqbal, in 1904; it is also called "Tarana-e-Hind".
Is Sare Jahan Se Achha the national song?
No. India's National Song is Vande Mataram and the National Anthem is Jana Gana Mana; Sare Jahan Se Achha is a much-loved patriotic song.
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Read nextOther Patriotic Songs — and Why Some Lyrics Are Not HereSources & copyright status
- Muhammad Iqbal, "Tarana-e-Hind", Ittehad (1904); in Bang-e-Dara (1924) — public domain
- Historical facts: not subject to copyright.
- Commentary and translations on this page: original to The Hindu Book. © The Hindu Book, all rights reserved.
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