Mumbai, Aug 9 - Actor-filmmaker Manoj Kumar remembers Gulshan Bawra as a true friend and says he is alive in every word of the song 'Mere desh ki dharti', which the late lyricist wrote for his film 'Upkar'.

'We knew each other before we both came into the cinema. He was almost a family member. Gulshan was a jolly good fellow. I came to know about his illness two-and-a-half-months back. He told me he was undergoing the last radiation and was okay otherwise,' Manoj Kumar said of Gulshan Bawra, who died Friday at the age of 72.

'We met at Shakti Samanta's 'Chautha' and he told me he was absolutely fine. He was very excited because he had purchased a new car after 27 years. He was proud to have paid so much money for a new car. I was thankful to god that my friend was okay. But.....(trails off)...He's alive in every word of 'Mere desh ki dharti'....

'That song is imperishable. When Mahendra Kapoor-ji, who sang 'Mere desh ki dharti', expired our prime minister Manmohan Singh said he would always be remembered for 'Mere desh ki dharti'. It hurts to know so many people connected with that song - Kalyanji, Mahendra Kapoor and Gulshan Bawra - are no more,' Manoj Kumar told IANS.

The veteran actor remembers how the song 'Meri desh ki dharti' was conceived.

''Meri desh ki dharti' ('Upkar') happened when we had gone to a shrine to pay our respects. When we returned from the shrine in the car, he was singing 'Mere desh ki dharti sona ugley... jawanon bhar bhar lo jholiyan... khushi se bolo boliyan.... I kept quiet as he hummed these lyrics.

'Two-three years later when I made 'Upkar', I went to music composer Kalyanji and narrated the script. I called Gulshan home and told him the situation. I recalled the lyrics I had heard him hum near the shrine.... It had stayed in my mind.