JANA GANA MANA TURNS 100 YEAR

JANA GANA MANA TURNS 100 YEAR

An ode to India's unity in diversity, our national anthem turns hundred on December 27, 2011. First sung at the Kolkata session of Indian National Congress in 1911, its patriotic lines still continue to inspire Indians as they stand listening to it, in reverence.It is the first of five stanzas of the hymn that was composed and scored by the great Rabindranath Tagore, under the title 'Bharatha Vidhadh,' that later got adopted as our national anthem. The formal rendition of the national anthem takes fifty-two seconds. First published in 'Tathvabodha Prakashaka,' the inspiring lyrics was officially adopted as our national anthem on 24 January, 1950, ie, two days before India became a republic.Though the patriotic song 'Vande Matharam', which had played a historic role in the struggle for Indian independence, was also considered, the Constituent Assembly chose 'Jana gana mana' as our national anthem.

However, Dr. Rajendra Prasad  who made the official declaration in this regard stated that 'Vande Matharam' should be conferred an equal status.Tagore himself wrote the English translation of 'Jana gana mana' under the name 'Morning Song of India'. Interestingly, another poem by Tagore titled Amar Shonar Bangla is the national anthem of Bangladesh.

                                                            Prof. John Kurakar