Maybe Arjun Singh was right
A friend of mine sent me this piece below. Was Arjun Singh thinking of this when he raked up the controversy about ‘Vande Mataram’? read on…
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 honour of King George V and the Queen of England when they visited India in 1919.
To honour 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. Isit 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.
Comments and thoughts welcome! Thanx Josh!
Vande Mataram, the song of our freedom struggle is struggling to retain its existence. Extremists like Syed Imam Bukhari are out to label it anti-Islamic. It is astonishing and deplorable to see how our national song, commanding the highest honour, renders itself to the polarised views of different political parties and communities.
Vande Mataram, our national song authored by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, does not allude to any religious sentiments. The song held sway during the freedom movement and was the motivating fulcrum around which the selfless citizens and leaders fought against the British. It inspired millions and brought under its spell nationalist leaders to sacrifice their lives and work for the liberation of India.
Then why our politicians are taking national song as an ego? If our political leaders have scant regard to the prized possessions and symbols of India, let its citizenry not remain blindfolded by religious dogmas. It is high time; all communities realise and rise in unison to sing honour and respect to the motherland. Will this remain a pipedream?
If you like to read more about this controversial topic, I have to suggest a very good article written by Veeresha B.M.>> http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=123368&catID=2&category=Nation&rtFlg=rtFlg
Vishnu
August 29, 2006 at 8:12 am
it sounds like a hate campaign against the national anthem and tagore. anyone who had understood the life and works of Tagore can never agree to this
Would be good to read the article in couter currents in this linek
http://www.countercurrents.org/comm-chatterjee310803.htm
sarojitha
August 29, 2006 at 9:21 am