"UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) announces INDIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM as the BEST National Anthem in the World" was the subject of a mail that was recently circulated. There is also information on the Internet that it is a hoax email. Check the link http://teck.in/indian-national-anthem-is-the-best-national-anthem.html
The following are the wordings of the national anthem:
Jaana Gaana Maana Adhinayaka Jayehe
Bharata bhagya vidhata;
Punjaba Sindhu Gujarata Maratha,
Dravida Utkala Banga,
Vindhya, Himachala, Jamuna, Ganga,
Ucchhala Jaladhitaranga;
Taba Shubha Naame Jaage
Taba Shubha Ashish Maage
Gaye taba jaya gaatha.
Jana gana mangala dayaka jaya he
Bharata bhagya vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,
Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!
The following is the english translation of the National Anathem:
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, the Maratha country,
in the Dravida country, Utkala and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
it mingles in the rhapsodies of the pure waters of Yamuna and the Ganges.
They chant only thy name.
They seek only thy auspicious blessings.
They sing only the glory of thy victory.
The salvation of all people waits in thy hands,
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people
Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee,
Victory, Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!
There was controversy regarding making "Jana Gana Mana" as the national anthem of India. Tagore wrote the poem in December 1911 at the time of coronation of George v. Some people considered the poem written in praise of the king. They argued Tagore was calling the king, "the overlord of India's destiny".
Tagore said he wrote the poem in honour of God. In a letter to Pulin Behari Sen,Tagore 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 [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."
Vande Mataram was rejected as national anthem of India on the grounds that Muslims felt offended by the song's depiction of the nation as "Mother Durga", a Hindu goddess.
If I was in a position of power when "Jana Gana Mana" was considered for the national anthem, being a rationalist, I would have protested and tried my best to choose a poem with a theme that was not religious but patriotic.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
INDIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM - The BEST National Anthem in the World?
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7 comments:
Every adult is in a "position of power" within a democracy.
Nice post. However, I am not aware of UNESCO engaging in handing out such citations. It would be very interesting to understand on what basis a national anthem is deemed to be better than others. And who were the reviewers?
And if this indeed is the case, then it would have been all over the newspapers, which hasn't happened. I think this merits more inspection; I'll let you know if I find something to substantiate this.
Checked the UNESCO website and did not find anything to substantiate the award of this citation.
I did find that only blogs have been reporting this piece of news. I also found some articles that mentioned the news is a hoax/rumour - see, for example, http://teck.in/indian-national-anthem-is-the-best-national-anthem.html.
It might be wise to modify/remove this post.
Hi Anonymous, Hmmm.... will modify the post a bit .... Thanks.....
Either in the original wordings or in your English translation, I do not see anything that makes our national anthem specific to a religion. Am I missing something?
It is not specific to a religion.
According to Tagore, he wrote it in honour of God.
But there is a minority of people in our country like myself who does not believe in God.
Hi Dolly! I loved your write-ups in the blog. They are worth reading. Not to mention that they are mind provoking as well :).
We certainly need people like "Dolly" who can be termed as Think Tanks of the nation. I really felt happy that someone is still serious about such national matters.
My belief of God is bit different. In all the Hindu books (and I think in the books of almost all the reliegions world over), it is mentioned that believing in God is actually believing in yourself. Whatever is there...tangible...out in Space is actually what you inherently possess inside you. So, whatever we do is a part of our reliegion. I know this was not the main topic which you wanted to highlight but I thought it good to express my views on the matter. But, believe me, this is not an attempt to critisize you in any way. I literally enjoyed going through your post, and would love to scroll down your "I am, so am I". Cheers.
Hi Market Observer (I went through your blogs but could not get your name), I agree with you that "whatever we do is a part of our reliegion". If not 100% atleast 90% of our actions are based on our religious beliefs.
But I disagree with "believing in God is actually believing in yourself". I do not believe in God but I believe in myself.
As you said "Whatever is there...tangible...out in Space is actually what you inherently possess inside you" is what Sri Narayana Guru also wanted to convey. He used to take people into a room on the pretext of showing them god and made them stand in front of the mirror.
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