Tsuktiben Jamir
It is common knowledge for all Indians that our beloved National Anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was composed by the great Rabindranath Tagore (7th May 1861- 7th August 1941). However, not many know the origin and history of our National Anthem. A five-stanza Brahmo hymn in the Bengali language, Bhārat Bhāgya Vidhātā (Bengali: ভারতভাগ্যবিধাতা, Dispenser of the destiny of India), is dedicated to the Supreme Divine God or Parabrahman, who is the dispenser of the destiny of India. It was written and orchestrated in 1911 by Nobel winner Rabindranath Tagore in a very Sanskritized form of Bengali, and the song’s opening verse in the Hindi rendition was chosen as India’s National Anthem on January 24, 1950 by the Constituent Assembly.
Another exciting fact about our National Anthem is that the prodigy and genius Rabindranath Tagore had also translated the song into English. On the eve of his 162nd birthday, the Nobel Prize official Facebook page posted a photo of the English version of our National Anthem as translated by Rabindranath Tagore himself, and needless to say, it is as beautiful as any other version.
Courtesy: TOI
Many poets of the period wrote revolutionary poetry. As seen by his well-known poem “Where the Mind is Without Fear,” Tagore took care not to write anything overly revolutionary while yet discussing freedom from ignorance, freedom of the mind, and unfettered thinking. Tagore was chosen to compose and perform a song in the king’s honour when King George V visited India. Tagore consented to perform but instead opted to write a poem or song that praised India. This showed the extent of his resistance.
While others thought that the song was written in praise of King George V as it was composed on the occasion of his arrival, Tagore himself clarified it on a letter to Pulin Behari Sen on 26th November 1937 saying, “That Lord of Destiny, that Reader of the Collective Mind of India, that Perennial Guide, could never be George V, George VI, or any other George.”
Pradip Kumar Dutta of Delhi University also addressed the confusion by saying, “The reports were based on understandable ignorance since the Anglo-Indian press had neither the linguistic abilities nor the interest to be accurate. Actually, two songs were sung that day – ‘Jana Gana Mana’ had been followed by a Hindi song composed specially for George V by Rambhuj Chaudhary. There was no real connection between the composition of Jana Gana Mana and George V, except that the song was sung — not written – at an event which also felicitated the king.”
Nevertheless, the National Anthem will always be close to every Indian’s heart, and so will the composer Rabindranath Tagore, and the song will always be the one thing holding us together, reminding us of the brotherhood we share with each and every one.
Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta, India. He devoted his entire life to poetry, art, and music, even going on to write the National Anthems for Bangladesh and India. He started writing poems when he was eight years old. Tagore received the Nobel prize for Literature in 1913, becoming the first non-European to win a Nobel Prize.
