National anthem of India: 'Jana Jana Jana'

                      National Anthem

"Jana Gana Mana" is the national anthem of India. Originally written in Bengali, it is the first of five stanzas of a poem written and later set to notations by Rabindranath Tagore. It was first sung in the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on December 27, 1911. It was officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the Indian national anthem on January 24, 1950.

Though written in Bengali, the language used was sadhu Bengali or tatsama Bengali which was heavily sanskritised. Many of the words exist with the same meaning in different Indian languages and thus, all Indian people understand the words and meaning of the national anthem. A formal rendition of the same takes 52 seconds. A shortened version consisting of the first and last lines takes bout 20 seconds to play.

The words:
 Jana gana mana adhinayaka jaya he   

 Bharata bhagya vidhat

 Punjab Sindhu Gujarata Maratha

  Dravida Utkala Banga

  Vindhya Himachala Yamuna Ganga

  Uchhala jaladhi taranga

 Tava subha name jage

  Tava subha ashisha mage

   Gahe tava jaya gatha

   Jana gana mangala dayaka jaya he
  
   Bharata bhagya vidhata

    Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he
  
    Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he
.               
some people said Tagore had penned the words to welcome King George V who arrived in India the day the song was first sung i.e. December 27, 1911.

Tagore's own statement however refutes the belief that the song was written in praise of George V: In a letter to Pulin Behari Sen, Tagore later wrote, "A certain high official in His Majesty's service, who was also my friend, had requested that I write a song of felicitation towards the Emperor. The request simply amazed me. It caused a great stir in my heart. In response to that great mental turmoil, I pronounced the victory in Jana Gana Mana of that Bhagya Vidhata [ed. God of Destiny] of India who has from age after age held steadfast the reins of India's chariot through rise and fall, through the straight path and the curved. 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. Even my official friend understood this about the song. After all, even if his admiration for the crown was excessive, he was not lacking in simple common sense."

                     National Anthem of India

Jana Gana Mana
National Anthem of India is a song sung by the people of India on various national occasions to pay respect to the nation. National Anthem of India starts from “Jana Gana Mana” and ends at “Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, jaya jaya jaya jaya he”. It was written in highly Sanskritised Tatsama Bengali language.

The original national anthem was written by Rabindranath Tagore which was then translated into Hindi and Urdu by Abid Ali. The conversion of original song into the Hindi version by Ali was little different. The full version of the national anthem takes fifty-two seconds to sing whereas the shortened version (having first and last lines) takes 20 seconds to sing.


It was again translated into English version by Tagore. The full version of National Anthem is sung using the orchestral/choral adaptation (made by English composer, Herbert Murrill on request of Nehru). Another song (Amar Sonar Bangla) written by Tagore has been selected as the national anthem of Bangladesh.

History of National Anthem of India
National anthem (Jana-gana-mana) was originally composed by Rabindranath Tagore in Bengali. The Hindi version of the national anthem was adopted in 1950 on 24th of January by the Constituent Assembly. The lyrics and music of the national anthem was given by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911. It was first sung in Calcutta in the meeting of Indian National Congress on 27th of December in 1911.

Full version of national anthem was translated to English from Bengali and music was set in Madanapalle (a city in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh state).

Importance of National Anthem
National Anthem of a country is the pride of nation and induces a sense of patriotism, courage and nationalism amongst its citizens. It is a way to show respect towards the country and spread the message of unity and harmony. It is also a symbol of freedom, sovereignty and the rich cultural history of the nation. National Anthem in schools helps to nurture the children with the positive vibes of patriotism since childhood and inculcate the feeling of respect and pride towards their country.

Singing of National Anthem is also a way to pay tribute to our great freedom fighters who fought for the country, and it also binds the whole nation with a single thread of unity and nationalism. The National Anthem of India is the praise of our motherland which helps us to feel proud and hopeful about our country. It showcases a distinct identity of our country’s history, culture, tradition, its people and regions.


Lyrics of National Anthem of India
The text of the national anthem written in Bengali is highly sanskritised language (also called as Sadhu Bhasa). It is written completely using nouns which are also used as verbs. The translated version is easily understandable by everyone; however its pronunciation varies in various regions and sung on various national occasions in India. The words and music to the national anthem was given by Late Rabindranath Tagore. Full version of National Anthem consists of five stanzas and takes 52 seconds to sing.
Meaning of National Anthem of India
The original version of the national anthem was translated to the English language and edited in 1950 to make some changes. ‘Sindh’ was replaced by ‘Sindhu’ as ‘Sindh’ was allocated to Pakistan after partition. The English meaning of the national anthem is as follows.

What is Code of Conduct of National Anthem
The code of conduct is the set of rules and regulations which should be followed while singing or playing the national anthem. There are some instructions which are issued from time to time by the government of India regarding the correct version of the anthem. The set timing of the national anthem to be sung is 52 seconds. Some of the rules and regulations have been made in order to pay respect and honour to the national anthem.

A law (The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971) has been implemented by the Indian government to prevent the intentional singing of National Anthem or insulting in any way shall be punished with the imprisonment of term (may be extended to three years) including fine. Following are the rules and regulations which shall be followed while playing or singing full version of the anthem:

It can be sung when National Salute, parade etc is performed at some ceremonial occasions and formal State functions (organized by the government or public) in the presence of President, Governor, Lieutenant Governor etc.
It can be sung before and after President’s addresses to the Nation and arrival of Governor or Lieutenant Governor.
When presentation of regimental colours and hoisting of colors in Navy takes place.
When special orders are issued by Indian Government on any occasion. Generally it is not played for Prime Minister however at some special occasions it may be played.
When it is played by band, it should be preceded by roll of drums or when played to perform National Salute by a guard the drum roll duration must be 7 paces in slow march. First drum roll should be started slowly and go as loud as possible and again decrease to normal.
When National Flag hoisting takes place on any cultural occasions.
It can be sung in the schools in the morning before starting the day’s work by the students but proper manners should be maintained by the school authorities.
All the audience must stand up and give attention while national anthem is sung or played.
Why theatres stopped playing the National Anthem in 1975
Earlier to 1975, there was a custom to play the national anthem in the theatres after the film. However, it was later removed because of the disrespect of National Anthem by the people as they were not standing up and giving proper attention. Again Supreme Court of India, on 30th November 2016 made it mandatory to play National Anthem in movie theatres before the screening of movies to instill the sense of patriotism among people. However due to many controversies and violent incidents arising after the order, Supreme Court, on 09th January 2018, reversed the order of making it mandatory to play National Anthem in movie theaters.
Related Information:

Independence Day

Republic Day

National Song of India



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1. The false myth that Jana Gana Mana was written and composed by Tagore to praise George the Fourth, who visited India in 1911.


Rabindranath Tagore Photo - Reuters
In a letter dated 19th March 1939, Tagore wrote - "I should only insult myself if I cared to answer those who consider me capable of such unbounded stupidity as to sing in praise of George the Fourth or George the Fifth as the Eternal Charioteer leading the pilgrims on their journey through countless ages of the timeless history of mankind. That pretty much explains it."
2. A hoax message spread like wild fire across e-mail, Whatsapp and social media, that UNESCO announced our anthem as the 'Best National Anthem' in the world. UNESCO intervened and denied any such declaration from their end.

3. The first rendition of the song was during a convention of the Indian National Congress on December 16th, 1911. 'Jana Gana Mana' was performed for the first time in Hamburg on 11th September, 1942. It was only on 24th January 1950 that this song was officially declared as India's national anthem.

4. The musical notations for the English translation of our national anthem were set by Margaret, wife of poet James H. Cousins, who was the principal of Besant Theosophical College.

5. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose commissioned a free translation of the national anthem from Sanskritized Bengali to Urdu-Hindi. The translation was written by Captain Abid Ali, composed by Captain Ram Singh Thakur and was called Subah Sukh Chain.

6. There is no provision of law which compels anyone to sing the national anthem. It is not considered disrespectful to the nation or to the anthem if a person chooses only to stand up in respectful silence.

7. Formal rendition of the anthem should take 52 seconds by law, and not 54 seconds.

8. Interestingly, Rabindranath Tagore has written the national anthem of Bangladesh as well.

9. In 2005, many protested and called for deleting the word Sindh and to replace it with the word Kashmir. Argument was that Sindh is now a part of Kashmir.