'Jana Gana Mana', the National Anthem of India

The Song of 'Jana Gana Mana'

‘Jana Gana Mana’

‘Jana Gana Mana’ was officially accepted by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of Indian Republic on 24^th January in 1950. It is extracted from a Brahmo Hymn written by a Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore. It was falsely campaigned by the British force that the song was written to pay respect and honour to King Fifth George and Queen Mary.

The Song Written in Bengali

The song was written in Bengali language, an Indian language spoken in the states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam of India and Bangladesh.The song is as follows:

‘Jônogônomôno-odhinayoko joyo he bharatobhaggobidhata!
Ponjabo shindhu gujôraṭo môraṭha drabiṛo utkôlo bôngo
binddho himacôlo jomuna gôngo ucchôlojôlodhitôroṅgo
tôbo shubho name jage, tôbo shubho ashish mage,
gahe tôbo joyogatha.
Jônogônomôngolodayôko jôyo he bharatobhaggobidhata!
Jôyo he, jôyo he, jôyo hē, jôyo jôyo jôyo jôyo he.’

-Rabindra Nath Tagore

English translation

‘Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
Dispenser of India's destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind,
Gujarat and Maratha,
Of the Dravida and Odisha and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganges and is
chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
Thou dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee.’

-Rabindra Nath Tagore

Composition of the Song

Tagore himself wrote the English of this song with the help of Margaret Cousins, an expert in European Music and wife of James Cousins, the Irish poet. He compose it to music at Madanapalle in the district of Chittoor in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. The song  became the assembly song of the Theosophical Society at Madanpalle.

Rabindranath Tagore, the Creator the National Anthem

Source: citehr

The Song befor 1947 and the Debate

‘Jana gana mana’ before 1947

The song had been written on 11^thDecember in 1911. But only the readers of the Tava Bodha Prakashika, the Brahmo Samaj Journal .

The 26^th Annual Assembly for the Indian National Congress was held on and from 26^th December to 28^thDecember in 1911 in Kolkata.On 27^thDecember, ‘jana gana mana’ was sung in chorus in this programme. The rehearsal had been performed at the house of Nilratan Sarkar near Harison Road. The rehearsal had been led by Dinendranath Tagore. It was published on the nextday in the Bengali Patrika with English translation of the song.

In 1919 Rabindranath Tagore went to Madanpally in South India. There the principal of Theosophical Society and a friend of Tagore, Mr James H. Cousins organized a function to pay honour to Rabindra nath Tagore. The Tagore sang this song and named the song, ‘The morning song of India’.

Tagore went to Soviet Russia from Geneva in 1930. The orphans welcomed him in Pioneers Commune’. At last of that programme, the boys and girls requested him to sing. He sang ‘jana gana man’.

Debate and Tagore’s Own Statement on the Occasion of the National Anthem:-

Debate came in existence for the cause of origin of the song. The British government tried to propagate that the song had been composed for the coming of King George V. Besides the opposition of Tagore tried to campaign the same notion.Once Pulin Bihari Sen , an ex-student of Viswa Bharati sent Tagore a letter asking him the occasion of the song, ‘jana gana mana adhi nayaka.’ Tagore replied on 20^th November in 1937, ‘There was going on the preparation for the coming of Indian emperor in that year. A friend established in the British government requested specially to me to compose the victory song for him. Being heard I became surprise, heat also extended. To that collision by immense reaction, I have declared the victory of the destiny of Indian fortune (Bharata Bhagya Bidhata) in ‘ jana gana mana adhinayaka’ song. He cannot be the Fifth or the Sixth George at any cost who is eternal driver of the passersby in their ways of fall-rise-horrid, who is indweller and guide of the people, the driver of the chariot of fortunes of human beings for ages after ages, was comprehended by British government devoted my friend.’ The proposal to make ‘jana gana mana’ India’s national anthem was raised to have obtained criticism by the opposition of Rabindra Nath Tagore. But the letter as a reply to Pulin Bihari’s quest is enough to break the wrong ideas about the song.

Who Is the Bharata Bhagya Bidhata

Source: swadheen.blogspot

Code of Conduct

The duration of this song is 52 seconds. Not joining will not be considered disrespectful to the song if one stands at his position respectfully with certain ritual.