Qadam Qadam Badhaye Ja

"Qadam Qadam Badhaye Ja"
March by Ram Singh Thakuri
Written	1942
Text	Vanshidhar Shukla
Language	Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu)

"Qadam Qadam Badhaye Ja", also spelled "Qadam Qadam Barhaye Ja", was the regimental quick march of Indian National Army under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose. The lyrics were written by Vanshidhar Shukla and the melody was composed by Ram Singh Thakuri.

Immediately after World War II, the song was banned by the British in India as seditious. The ban was lifted in August 1947 during the partition of India, and the song has since become a patriotic anthem in India.

It has been re-interpreted by various Indian musicians including C. Ramachandra, A. R. Rahman, and by Indraadip Dasgupta for the 2019 film Gumnaami by Srijit Mukherji.

The song is currently the regimental quick march of the Indian Army.

Lyrics

Hindi (Devanagari)	Urdu (Nastaliq)	Romanized Hindustani	English translation
कोरस: क़दम क़दम बढ़ाये जा, ख़ुशी के गीत गाये जा! ये ज़िंदगी है क़ौम की, तू क़ौम पे लुटाये जा! तू शेर-ए-हिन्द आगे बढ़, मरने से तू कभी न डर। उड़ा के दुश्मनों का सर, जोश-ए-वतन बढ़ाये जा! कोरस हिम्मत तेरी बढ़ती रहे, ख़ुदा तेरी सुनता रहे। जो सामने तेरे खड़े, तू ख़ाक में मिलाये जा! कोरस चलो दिल्ली पुकार के, क़ौमी-निशाँ संभाल के। लाल क़िले पे गाड़ के, लहराये जा लहराये जा! कोरस	:کورس ،قدم قدم بڑھائے جا !خوشی کے گیت گائے جا ،یہ زندگی ہے قوم کی !تو قوم پے لٹائے جا ،تو شیر ہند آگے بڑھ .مرنے سے تو کبھی نہ ڈر ،اڑا کے دشمنوں کا سر !جوش وطن بڑھائے جا کورس ،ہمت تیری بڑھتی رہے .خدا تیری سنتا رہے ،جو سامنے تیرے کھڑے !تو خاک میں ملائے جا کورس ،چلو دلی پکار کے .قومی نشاں سمبھال کے ،لال قلعے پے گاڑ کے !لہرائے جا لہرائے جا کورس	Koras: Qadam qadam baṛhāye jā, khushī ke gīt gāye jā! Ye zindagī hai qaum kī, tū qaum pe lutāye jā! Tū sher-e-hind āge baṛh, marne se tū kabhī na dar. Uṛā ke dushmanoñ kā sar, josh-e-vatan baṛhāye jā! Koras Himmat terī baṛhtī rahe, khudā terī suntā rahe. Jo sāmne tere khaṛe, tū khāk meñ milāye jā! Koras Calo Dillī pukār ke, qaumī-nishān sambhāl ke. Lāl qile pe gāṛ ke, lahrāye jā lahrāye jā! Koras	Chorus: Keep stepping, stepping forward, keep singing songs of happiness! Your life belongs to the people, spend it in their servitude! Move forward, ye lion of India, never be afraid of death. By blowing off the enemy's head, raise the spirits of your nation! Chorus May your courage keep growing, may God keep listening to you. Whoever stands in your way, may they turn into ash! Chorus Shout "to Delhi", holding the banner of your people. Plant it on the Red Fort, let it fly, let it fly! Chorus

External links

• A tribute to the legendary composer of National Anthem
• Rahman's tunes bring Bose back
• (Qadam Qadam Badhaye Ja .. (Every Step, Forward..)) Band of INA
• Songwriter: http://bigsurmise.com/India_Songs/Indian_Songs.php?val=39 Archived 7 September 2025 at the Wayback Machine