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devendramalik
August 23rd, 2005, 06:15 PM
Some stuff on our National Anthem ............ would like to know your comments on the same:


Some facts about "Jana Gana Mana" - Our National* Anthem

* Just a thought for the National Anthem!* How well do you know about it?

* I have always wondered who is the "adhinayak" and
* "bharat bhagya* vidhata",* whose praise we are singing. I thought
* might be Motherland -* India! Our current National Anthem "Jana Gana Mana"
is sung* throughout the country.

Did* you know the* following about our* national anthem, I didn't.

* To begin with, India's national anthem, Jana Gana* Mana Adhinayaka, was written by Rabindranath Tagore in honor of King* George V and the Queen of England when they visited India in 1919. To honor their visit Pandit Motilal Nehru had the five stanzas included, which are in praise of the King and Queen. (And most of us think it is in the praise of our great
motherland!!!)


* In the original Bengali verses only those provinces* that were under British rule, i.e. Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat,Maratha* etc. were mentioned. None of the princely states were recognized which are integral parts of India now -Kashmir, Rajasthan, Andhra, Mysore or Kerala. Neither the Indian Ocean nor the Arabian Sea was included, since they were directly under Portuguese rule at that time.

The Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka implies that King
* George V is the lord of the masses and Bharata Bhagya Vidhata is "the bestower of* good fortune". Following is a translation of the five stanzas that glorify the King:
* First stanza: (Indian) People wake up remembering your good name and ask for your blessings and they sing your glories. (Tava shubha naame jaage; tava shubha aashish maage, gaaye tava jaya gaatha)


* Second stanza: Around your throne people of all* religions come and give their love and anxiously wait to hear your kind words.

* Third stanza: Praise to the King for being the* charioteer, for leading the ancient travelers beyond misery.

* Fourth stanza: Drowned in the deep ignorance and* suffering poverty-stricken, unconscious country? Waiting for* the wink of your eye and your mother's (the Queen's) true protection.

* Fifth stanza: In your compassionate plans, the sleeping Bharat (India) will wake up. We bow down to your feet O' Queen, and glory to Rajeshwara (the King).

* This whole poem does not indicate any love for the Motherland but depicts a bleak picture. When you sing Jana Gana Mana* Adhinayaka, whom are you glorifying?
Certainly not the Motherland. Is it God? The poem does not indicate that.


* It is time now to understand the original purpose and the implication of this, rather than blindly sing as has been done the past fifty years.
* Nehru chose the present national anthem as opposed to Vande Mataram because he thought that it would be easier for the band to* play!!! It was an absurd reason but today for that matter bands have advanced* and they can very well play any music. So they can as well play Vande Mataram, which is a far better composition in praise of our dear Motherland* -India.

anujdahiya
August 23rd, 2005, 09:48 PM
Hi

Well as per my knowledge the Jana Gana Mana was first sung at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress on December 27th, 1911. Pandit Motilal Nehru requested tagore to write the poem , but that was not to honor the visitors but to show the identity and greatness of india , this wasn't a welcome song but was a song of protest against them praising the glory of india. The adhinayak and bhagya vidhata here is GOD, the real lord of the country.

Also andhra and mysore were for sure under the british rule and not under portugese . Who else did tipu Sultan fight against ? :confused:

Anuj Dahiya
IIM Lucknow

achalsingh
August 24th, 2005, 04:22 PM
You are right our national anthem was written by Rabindranath Tagore in praise of King and Queen of our rulers. After independence interpreted as adhinayak and bhagya vidhata here is GOD, the real lord of the country.
If we are going to press this demand of changing the anthem to Vande Mataram we will be labelled as RSS members .It is Ironical that our great leaders were very much influenced by Britishers.
Regards-Achal Singh