23 Jan 2005

JANA GANA MANA

Posted by D unique in General | 3:41am

Some facts about "Jana Gana Mana" - 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 PanditMotilalNehru 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 greatmotherland!!!)

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, uncons! cious 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.Wake
up, it's high time!Shouldn't Vande Mataram be our National Anthem.



Current Mood: Patriotic
Current Music: jana gana mana .....

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