The Story behind Indian National Anthem | The OpenBook

Jana Gana Mana- The story behind it
Everyone is aware that our national anthem written by none other than Rabindranath Tagore fondly referred to as Gurudev has over the 69years of the Indian republic been a source of inspiration for young and old alike.
What then is the story behind the writing of this anthem? When was it written? Was it actually a song written to praise the King of England of that time? So many questions enter our head as controversy has raged time and again.
Here we make an attempt to answer some of these questions and also put to rest the controversy.
The song is said to have been composed on 11th December 1911 and sung at the end of the same month at the session of the Indian National Congress by a group headed by Sarala Devi and her students.. The actual date of the composition is not confirmed. The original manuscript was not found and that is the reason for the actual date not being known.
According to Tagore his friend asked him to write a welcome song praising the King George V as India’s destiny. Tagore felt thoroughly insulted and decided to write Jana Gana Mana to praise the motherland. This song though did not have appeal to his friend and the others to whom it was supposedly required but it caught the attention of the Congress leaders and they sang it as a prayer in the Calcutta session the same year. The song is very deep in meaning and not many could fathom the thoughts behind it.
Why then did the controversy arise and who was responsible? The media was responsible as there was another song sung as a welcome to the King. Since the meaning was not clear they thought it was in praise of the king. The controversy could have been laid to rest then itself if the proceedings of the meeting were carefully read. It said that a patriotic song was sung followed by another song for the king expressing their loyalty to him. But that was not to be and the controversy continued.
In 1918-19 Tagore sang the song himself in front of students at Madanpalle. They could not understand the meaning and then he decided to translate it into English.
In 1930 the song went global as Tagore who visited Moscow was asked by the students there to sing a song and he promptly sang the Jana Gana Mana.
In 1937 Nethaji proposed the song as our national anthem and the controversy started all over again leading Tagore to clarify in the following words. : “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 [. 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."
All the above should clearly put to rest the thoughts of Tagore having written Jana Gana Mana in praise of the King of England and so it remains our national anthem that stirs our patriotic fervor everytime it is rendered. #theopenbook #Education #Educationalvideos #Studyiq #learn #Cbse #icse #ssc #generalknowledge