MUMBAI: Bollywood music is now recognised worldwide as a genre in itself. Known for its “dinchak” beats and catchy dance moves, the Hindi film industry has managed to portray that Indians love Bhangra and Garba. We have explored love, life, loss and all kinds of emotions. But once every few years, there comes along a song revolving around 'Mothers'. Here is a list of our favourites that we feel do justice to the theme and manage to leave listeners teary eyed.

Luka Chuppi: A dialogue between a mother and her son, 'Luka Chuppi' is a metaphoric song about a child playing hide and seek with his mother, and she not being able to find him. In the film, the song is sung by a mother who has lost her son but wants him to return. The son sings back to her about the lovely place he is in (heaven) and how, despite everything being perfect, he is lonely without her. Written by Prasoon Joshi and composed by AR Rahman for the 2006 film 'Rang De Basanti', the track is sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Rahman.

Maa: Sung my Shankar Mahadevan and written by Prasoon Joshi, the song explores the point of view of a young boy who is being sent away from his mother. The lyrics speak about how much he values her and how he admits taking her for granted. The verse takes the listener through his relationship with his father and how it results in bringing his mother closer to him. The soulful track is composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy for the 2007 film 'Taare Zameen Par'.

Mumma: Penned and sung by Indian folk-rock singer Kailash Kher, 'Mumma' is sung by a man to his mother, when he realises he has very little time to live. With a cheery air, he sings about how she means the world to him and how she makes him feel. The track was composed by Kher for the 2008 film 'Dasvidaniya'.

Maa Tujhe Salaam: Part of AR Rahman's 1997 studio album, 'Vande Mataram', the song personifies India as a mother. Rahman sings of how he has been around the world but nothing is as beautiful as her and how he always comes back to her. 'Vande Mataram' in Sanskrit, interestingly, means 'I bow to thee, Mother'. The iconic track, written by Mehboob Alam Kotwal, celebrates the true spirit of India.