Do u know that our national anthem is actually in praise of King George and not our country?

Question

It was composed as a welcome song for King George hailing him as the 'Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka' (the ruler of people's hearts and minds). Isn't it a shame to have such a song as a national anthem? Vande Mataram on the other hand is truely patriotic and evoked immense patriotism during our freedom struggle. Should it not be accepted as the national anthem?

Answer 1

Why to put it right here in the US section of Yahoo answers.

Answer 2

The reason: the songt was composed by Tagore on the occasion of King George V's visit to the Indian National Congress in 1911. Tagore was famously ambivalent about the commission, and wrote the song as he did as an act -- he thought -- of subversion. But I suppose it's also possible to say that the song, written to celebrate the visit of the English king, loses some autonomy through that history. Still, the details are worth pursuing, and we can have access to the original coverage of the event in the English-language press of the day:


The confusion about the song was stirred up by the ineptness of the pro-British Anglo-Indian press. Their inefficiency was not surprising (The Sunday Times once ascribed the authorship of Bande Mataram to Tagore and described Jana Gana Mana as a Hindi song!) On this occasion the Anglo-Indian press -- led by The Englishman - almost uniformly reported that a Tagore song had been sung to commemorate George V's visit to India. The reports were based on understandable ignorance since the Anglo-Indian press had neither the linguistic abilities nor the interest to be accurate. Actually, two songs that had been sung that day. The Jana Gana Mana had been followed by a Hindi song composed specially for George V by Rambhuj Chaudhary. There was no real connection between the composition of the Jana Gana Mana and George V, except that the song was sung -- not written - at an event which also felicitated the king. The Anglo-Indian press [luckily for Hindutva enthusiasts and unfortunately for secularists!] heard Indian songs much in the way they looked at foreign faces: they were all the same!

In short, the English press was clueless, but that cluelessness might have actually slowed the adaptation of the song amongst Indian nationalists. Whatever the case, eventually the song would become strongly identified with the nationalist movement. It was even eventually adapted by Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army. You can't get more nationalist than that.
The critics of "Jana Gana Mana" would prefer to see it replaced by "Bande Mataram," also sometimes spelled "Vande Mataram") composed by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, also sometimes spelled as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. "Bande Mataram" (see the song here, with translation by the poet Sri Aurobindo) treats India as a Goddess to be worshipped. It was demoted from official anthem status, Datta says, because orthodox Indian Muslims (probably also Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, and Christians) would have had a hard time worshipping a "Goddess" of any form, even if, in the song, the "Mataram" isn't named as specifically Hindu.

[Finally, there is a great point about the differences in the image of India in the two anthems:

But there is also an underlying reason that is really responsible for the controversy popping up at regular intervals. The words of Bande Mataram feature India as a homogeneous Hindu nation. Jana Gana Mana evokes the country as composed of a multiplicity of regions and communities united in a prayer to a universal lord. After all, Bande Mataram was composed by a colonial administrator who could only visualize the nation in Hindu terms: religious identity was the only available idiom for conceptualizing the nation then. In contrast, Tagore had seen the riots that broke up the Swadeshi movement and had divined the obvious: religious nationalism easily divided anti-colonial struggles. Jana Gana Mana can be seen as one of the fruits of Tagore's search to find an alternate inclusivist definition for the nation. Incidentally, it was one of the harbingers of a decade that was to see Hindu and Muslim politicians draw together. In short, the two songs embody different ideas, histories and aspirations of the country.

Answer 3

It is true and in Kerala there was a private school where "Jana Gana Mana" was never sung as the School Manager was aware that it was composed in praise of King George.
That's history and more than that the song mentions all the South Indian states as Dravida only as if they have no individual identity.
Vande Mataram would have been a better choice

Answer 4

That is interesting and totally believable. It is a shame to have such a song as a national anthem but then again our country has been behaving pretty shamefully lately and our president could be considered a modern day King George.( Anyone out there know what a "signing statement" is?)

Answer 5

Yes. Jana mana gana is the praise for KING GEORGE 5. It is shameful, no doubt. Rabindranath Tagore wrote this song it hurts me a lot.

Answer 6

Rabindranath TAGORE was BISWAKABI.i.e.his creation reflects entire mankind.Most of his poets had several meaning.He rejected NIGHTHOOD in the protest against JALIANWALABAG massacre by british.His philosophy couldnt be measured by cheap sentiments.Needs literary and philosophical depth and higher perception which lacks in you and most of the indians.But the entire world saluted him by awarding noble prize.In JANA GANA MON, where did he mention the name of king george?It is all about India.Rabindranath was the founder of the concept of patriotism in his contemporary period as a result india was liberated, even Bangladesh in 1971.Stop kidding.

Answer 7

90% of Indians can not understand both. It is impossible to have a national anthem everyone can understand either. Above all we have caste and religious problems. The British are the one who brought this entire land under one rule. I think, Tagore was just thankful for their efforts.

Answer 8

It was a favorite British drinking songs before the words were changed. I do not think that it lessens the value of the song.

Answer 9

It would be nice if you specified the country you are from in your question, so the rest of the world knows what you're talking about. Yahoo!Answers is a worldwide source you know.

Answer 10

well if it's true lets be ashamed and why not take vandemataram as national song