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Those who say Jana Gana Mana was composed in veneration of King George V are parroting bogus allegations
What is now the National Anthem of the Republic of India is the first stanza of a five-stanza Brahmo Sangeet or psalm.
It was composed by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on December 11, 1911, in adulation of Param Brahma -- He who is the True, the Good, the Infinite; the Eternal Lord of the Universe; the Omniscient, the Omnipresent, the Omnipotent; the Formless, Changeless, Selfcontained and Perfect Almighty.
For the Brahmo Samaj, whose members adhere to Adhi Dharma, anchored in the dazzling enlightenment of the Upanishads, Param Brahma is the only Ishwar, the One Supreme Spirit, the Author and Preserver of our existence, the Eternal Light that guides us when darkness descends, the Lighthouse that guides us through the stormy sea of life. He presides over the destiny of our wondrous universe, hence also the destiny of Bharat.
This brief background is necessary to understand the context of the song composed by Tagore, its spirit and its lofty ideals. In veneration of Him, the splendours of Bharat are celebrated. The message transcends region and border; it unites us in a universal psalm in praise of He who bestows us with life and everything that is Righteous, Virtuous and Illuminating in life. The indiminishable principles of Equality, Fraternity and Justice, the three pillars on which the majestic Republic of India stands today, flow from the core of the song composed by Tagore.
The first time 'Jana Gana Mana' was sung before an audience was in Calcutta on December 28, 1911, during the 27th session of the Indian National Congress which had a tradition of beginning its proceedings with a song. (Tagore sang Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's 'Vande Mataram' at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.) Subsequently, 'Jana Gana Mana' became one of the anthems of the freedom movement, the other being 'Vande Mataram' which was both a soul-stirring call and song.
Next year 'Jana Gana Mana' was sung during Maghotsab. There are records which tell us it was the opening hymn at the Foundation Day of Adi Brahma Samaj of which Tagore was the mentor and guiding spirit. Such was the response to the song that it was formally included in the list of Brahmo Sangeet sung as part of Brahmo liturgy.
In 1919 Tagore went on a tour of the southern provinces of Bharat. He spent some days at Theosophical College in Madanapalle as a guest of its principal James Cousins. Tagore sung 'Jana Gana Mana' at the college Assembly and explained its philosophical meaning to the students and teachers. An ecstatic Cousins adopted it as the college prayer.
Tagore knew the limitations of a liturgical psalm composed in Classical Sanskitised Bengali in a land as linguistically diverse as Bharat. He spent the next few days translating 'Jana Gana Mana' and writing down the notations of its tune, a task in which he was helped by Margaret, wife of James Cousins, trained in Western classical music. He called the translated version in English 'The Morning Song Of India'.
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| Tagore's translation of Jana Gana Mana |
What weighed in favour of 'Jana Gana Mana' is that it had already been set to a martial tune by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose who had used a Hindustani version of Tagore's song, 'Subh Sukh Chain' as the Anthem of his Provisional Government and INA. On august 15, 1947, when Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the Tricolour on the ramparts of the Red Fort, Capt Ram Singh Thakur and his orchestra played 'Subh Sukh Chain' to the INA's tune.
'Vande Mataram', on the other hand, was, and continues to be sung, as a hymn to the Motherland. Setting it to a martial tune would rob it off its spirit and denude its soul.
On January 24, 1950, President Babu Rajendra Prasad made the following statement in the Constituent Assembly:
"There is one matter which has been pending for discussion, namely the question of the National Anthem. At one time it was thought that the matter might be brought up before the House and a decision taken by the House by way of a resolution. But it has been felt that, instead of taking a formal decision by means of a resolution, it is better if I make a statement with regard to the National Anthem. Accordingly I make this statement. The composition consisting of the words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations in the words as the Government may authorise as occasion arises; and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it."
Thus did Tagore's 'Jana Gana Mana' become the National Anthem and Bankim's 'Vande Mataram' the National Song of the Republic of India.
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Apart from some minor elaboration of the guiding faith of Brahmos to make the language more contemporary and comprehensible, all of this is based on published material available in the public domain. I have merely put it together to present a comprehensive and brief comment. I wish stalwarts of Bharat's politics and commentariat, the intelligentsia and the naive who are easily persuaded by bunk like 'Jana Gana Mana was composed in veneration of King George V', would care to check facts before parroting bogus allegations. Google Guru is always there to teach them in a few minutes what should have been a lifetime lesson taught in schools.
Unfortunately, when children are taught to venerate the Nehru Dynasty and worship dynasts as the custodians of Bharat's destiny, it is not surprising that little or no popular knowledge exists of all that is sacred, among them the National Anthem and National Song of the glorious Republic of India.
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*Excerpts. Courtesy: https://www.facebook.com/Coffee.Break
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