Better known as Pradeep, a Hindi poetry master, Dwivedi patriotic ballad “O my countrymen”, written as an emotional response to the 1962 Chinese attack on the country, brought tears to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s eyes.
He also wrote more than 1,500 songs, often for films, and was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the country’s highest honor, for his lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. He died December 11 of bronchitis at age 83.