MUMBAI: Daughters of legendary poet Kavi Pradeep, who penned the lyrics Ai Mere Watan Ke Logon, are fighting a legal battle to protect their father’s legacy.
The poet’s daughters, Mitul Pradeep and Sargam Thaker, who own the copyright of their father’s literary works, have filed a suit in the Bombay High Court seeking to restrain Malwa Rang Manch from exploiting their father’s name and works. Justice DY Chandrachud recently passed an order restraining Keshav Rai, president of the manch, from organising a programme in the name of Kavi Pradeep on February 6 at Ujjain.
Pradeep’s daughters have alleged that Rai, a freelance public relations agent was organising an unauthorised programme in the late poet’s name, collecting donations and publishing brochures with his poems. While the programme is being held for several years, Mitul and Sargam, became aware of it in 2006 after cheques handed by the manch to persons honoured at the function were dishonoured.
This is not the first time that the sisters have gone to court to protect their father’s legacy. In August 2005, Mitul got music company Saregama India to agree to pay Rs10 lakh to the Army Wives’ Welfare Association (AWWA) as arrears on past royalty for the sale of the song.
