Jana-Gana-Mana
Jana-Gana-Mana (Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People) is the national anthem of India. It is the first of five stanzas of a poem by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, written in the Bengali language.
A formal rendition of the national anthem takes approximately 52 seconds. A short version consisting only the first and last lines (playing time approximately 20 seconds) is also played on certain occasions.
There is some controversy surrounding the appropriateness of this poem to be the national anthem of independent India. This poem was sung during a convening of the Indian National Congress in 1911. Rabindranath Tagore had submitted the poem and it was sung on the first day of the convening. The day after, a welcome was given to King George V on his visit to India.
However, Tagore is said to have written the poem in honour of God. In particular, given the great patriotism of Tagore, and his involvement in the freedom struggle, people are skeptical that the "protector" refers to the British monarch. But most definitive is Tagore's own statement about this, showing this allegation to be myth:
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."
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Transliterated text:
Jana Gana Mana
Adhinayaka jaya hey,
Bharata bhagyavidhata.
Punjaba, Sindhu, Gujarata, Maratha,
Dravida, Utkala, Banga,
Vindhya, Himachala, Yamuna, Ganga,
Uchchala jaladhi taranga
Tava shubha naamey jaagey,
Tava shubha aashis maagey,
Gahe tava jayagatha.
Jana gana mangaladhayak jaya hey
Bharat bhagyavidhata.
Jaya hey, Jaya hey, Jaya hey,
Jaya jaya jaya jaya hey!
English translation:
Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, dispenser of India's destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha, of the Dravida and Orissa (Utkala) and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganges and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. The saving of all people waits in thy hand, thou dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee.