Our National Anthem is 100 years old.
Jana Gana Mana- India’s national Anthem,written and composed by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore ,was first sung publicly at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on 27th December,1911 and later adopted as our National Anthem on 24th January 1950 by the Constituent Assembly.
The year 2011 marks the centenary year of our prestigious National Anthem. Jana Gana Mana is the
national anthem of India. Written in Bengali, it is the first of five stanzas of an ode composed and scored by Nobel laureate
Rabindranath Tagore. This was first sung on 27 December 1911, at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress, Jana Gana Mana was officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the Indian national anthem in January 24, 1950. A formal rendition of the national anthem takes
fifty two seconds. A shortened version consisting of the first and last lines (and taking about 20 seconds to play) is also staged occasionally. The music for the current version is derived from a composition for the song by
Ram Singh Thakur.
No other Indian song is said to capture the poignancy of a do-or-die moment, be it in the sporting field or at the frontiers, the way Jana Gana Mana can.
Jana Gana Mana, composed by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and sung for the first time at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress on December 27, 1911, has fired a nation's patriotism and united it in crisis and triumph for 100 years.
In its 100-year-old history, the Indian national anthem has played a key role in unifying a country torn apart by a bloody partition, nationalist movement and popular uprisings. It has moved a country to tears during sporting victories, unfurling of the national flag and cultural and public occasions.
Netaji Bose's
Indian National Army adopted Jana Gana Mana as the National Anthem and Mahatma Gandhi in 1946 said the "the song has found a place in our national life." But the song's popularity is not without its share of controversies.
Hindi Lyrics Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka, Jaya He
Bharata Bhagya Vidhata
Punjab Sindhu Gujarata Maratha
Dravida Utkala Banga (places in India)
Vindhya Himachala Yamuna Ganga
Uchchhala Jaladhi Taranga
Tava Shubha Name Jage
Tava Shubha Ashisha Mage
Gahe Tava Jaya Gaatha
Jana Gana Mangaladayaka Jaya He
Bharata Bhaagya Vidhata
Jaya He ! Jaya He ! Jaya He !
Jaya, Jaya, Jaya, Jaya He English translation You rule the minds of all people
and control India's future.
Your name brings joy to Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha;
and Dravida and Orissa and Bengal. (regions in India)
It echoes in the Vindhya and Himalayan hills,
and mixes with the music of the Yamuna and Ganga rivers.
It is also sung by waves of the sea.
We pray for your blessings
and sing your praise.
We look forward to your best wishes.
And we wish Victory, victory, victory for you. The Story Behind TranslationJana Gana Mana was translated, from Sanskrit to English, by Rabindranath Tagore and the music on this English Translation was set in
Madanapalle, a small town in Andhra Pradesh. As to the story behind this translation, in 1918 Tagore was invited, by controversial Irish poet
James H. Cousins, to spend a few days at the
Besant Theosophical College (BTC). James was serving as the principal of the college, at that time.
On February 28, while attending a gathering of students at BTC, Rabindranath sang the Jana Gana Mana in Bengali. Suddenly, he thought of translating the song in English. A few days later, in Madanapalle, Tagore wrote down the English translation of the song. Cousins' wife, Margaret, who was an expert in Western music, set down the music for this English version. The framed original English translation is still displayed in the library of Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalle.
Let us salute the great'Tagore' for his contribution on this memerable day.
Love India.
JAI HIND
