Strange ..... Our National Anthem....How much u know--- A Must Read

Aruna,
i don't know anything about these facts mentioned here..
I am also waiting for other ilites...who can clear our doubts...
Hope this message to be a hoax..

sriniketan

 

Hi Arunarc,
This is news to me too did not hear of it before.Looking forward to see if this is real but it sounds authentic enough!!
Who would have thought singing praises that don't matter today.
nice of you to post it and start a discussion.

bestwishes
preethi

 

Hi Arunarc,
Nice to stop by and get to meet you to. Howz it in Egypt? The title really intrigued me and i just had to come and check it out. Really nice and interesting reading thru it .Can't wait to see how all the other IL's will respond to it. Really literally head turning.

take care
preethi

 

I was eager in knowing more after reading the title of this. Would like to share a few more on this from wikipedia..

Jana Gana Mana


Translation into English

O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference">[5]</sup>
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!.

Controversies


Rabindranath Tagore


Controversy exists regarding the appropriateness of Jana Gana Mana as the national anthem of an independent India. The poem was composed in December 1911, precisely at the time of the Coronation Durbar of George V, and is considered by some to be a paean in praise of "the overlord of India's destiny". The composition was first sung during a convention of the then loyalist Indian National Congress in Calcutta on Dec. 27, 1911.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference">[6]</sup> It was sung on the second day of the convention, and the agenda of that day devoted itself to a loyal welcome of George V on his visit to India. The event was reported thus in the Indian press:

"The Bengali poet Babu Rabindranath Tagore sang a song composed by him specially to welcome the Emperor." (Statesman, Dec. 28, 1911)
"The proceedings began with the singing by Babu Rabindranath Tagore of a song specially composed by him in honour of the Emperor." (Englishman, Dec. 28, 1911)
"When the proceedings of the Indian National Congress began on Wednesday 27th December 1911, a Bengali song in welcome of the Emperor was sung. A resolution welcoming the Emperor and Empress was also adopted unanimously." (Indian, Dec. 29, 1911)
​

The belief gained ground that the poem had been written in honour of the visiting monarch. Others aver that the newspaper reports cited above were misguided, the confusion arising since a different song, written in Hindi by Rambhuj Chaudhary, was sung <sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference">[7]</sup> on the same occasion in praise of the monarch. However, the two poems were written in different languages; Tagore already enjoyed much fame in India, and newspaper reports are both consistent and categorical on the point of Tagore having himself sung his composition on the occasion.
Other explanations for the motivations that informed the creation of the poem have been proposed. On a visit to India, the poet Yeats received a visit from an Indian admirer who was also, in Yeats' words, "an Indian devotee" of Tagore. In a letter to a lady friend, Yeats quoted this unnamed devotee as giving him a 'strictly off the records' version of events dealing with the writing of Jana Gana Mana. That version, as presented in 1968 by the Indian Express newspaper, was this:

"He (Tagore) got up very early in the morning and wrote a very beautiful poem.... When he came down, he said to one of us, 'Here is a poem which I have written. It is addressed to God, but give it to Congress people. It will please them." <sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference">[8]</sup>
​

Thus, Tagore is said to have written the poem in honour of God. In a letter to Pulin Behari Sen, Tagore himself wrote: <sup id="cite_ref-chatterjy_8-0" class="reference">[9]</sup>

"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."
​

In 2005, there were calls to delete the word "Sindh" and substitute it with the word Kashmir. The argument was that Sindh was no longer a part of India, having become part of Pakistan as a result of the Partition of 1947. Opponents of this proposal hold that the word "Sindh" refers to the Indus and to Sindhi culture and people which are an integral part of India's cultural fabric. The Supreme Court of India refused to tamper with the national anthem and the wording remains unchanged.
In July 1985 in the state of Kerala, some of the Jehovah's Witnesses' children were expelled from school under the instructions of Deputy Inspector of Schools for having refused to sing the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. A parent, V. J. Emmanuel, appealed to the Supreme Court of India for legal remedy. On August 11, 1986, the Supreme Court overruled the Kerala High Court, and directed the respondent authorities to re-admit the children into the school. The decision went on to add: "Our tradition teaches tolerance, our philosophy teaches tolerance, our Constitution practices tolerance, let us not dilute it". <sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference">[10]</sup>



Vande Mataram


Controversy

Jana Gana Mana was chosen as the National Anthem of independent India. Vande Mataram was rejected on the grounds that Muslims felt offended by its depiction of the nation as "Mother Durga"—a Hindu goddess— thus equating the nation with the Hindu conception of shakti, divine feminine dynamic force; and by its origin as part of Anandamatha, a novel they felt had an anti-Muslim message (see External links below).
In 1937 the Indian National Congress discussed at length the status of the song. It was pointed out then that though the first two stanzas began with an unexceptionable evocation of the beauty of the motherland, in later stanzas there are references where the motherland is likened to the Hindu goddess Durga. Therefore, the Congress decided to adopt only the first two stanzas as the national song.

Rabindranath Tagore on Vande Mataram

"Vande Mataram! These are the magic words which will open the door of his iron safe, break through the walls of his strong room, and confound the hearts of those who are disloyal to its call to say Vande Mataram." (Rabindranath Tagore in Glorious Thoughts of Tagore, p.165)
The controversy becomes more complex in the light of Rabindranath Tagore's rejection of the song as one that would unite all communities in India. In his letter to Subhash Chandra Bose (1937) Rabindranath wrote,

"The core of Vande Mataram is a hymn to goddess Durga: this is so plain that there can be no debate about it. Of course Bankimchandra does show Durga to be inseparably united with Bengal in the end, but no Mussulman [Muslim] can be expected patriotically to worship the ten-handed deity as 'Swadesh' [the nation]. This year many of the special [Durga] Puja numbers of our magazines have quoted verses from Vande Mataram - proof that the editors take the song to be a hymn to Durga. The novel Anandamath is a work of literature, and so the song is appropriate in it. But Parliament is a place of union for all religious groups, and there the song cannot be appropriate. When Bengali Mussalmans show signs of stubborn fanaticism, we regard these as intolerable. When we too copy them and make unreasonable demands, it will be self-defeating."
​

In a postscript to this same letter Rabindranath says,

"Bengali Hindus have become agitated over this matter, but it does not concern only Hindus. Since there are strong feelings on both sides, a balanced judgment is essential. In pursuit of our political aims we want peace, unity and good will - we do not want the endless tug of war that comes from supporting the demands of one faction over the other." <sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference">[6]</sup>
​

In the last decade Vande Mataram has been used as a rallying cry by Hindu nationalists in India, who have challenged the status of the current national anthem by Rabindranath.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad on Vande Mataram

Dr. Rajendra Prasad, who was presiding the Constituent Assembly on January 24, 1950, made the following statement which was also adopted as the final decision on the issue:
<dl><dd>The composition consisting of words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations as the Government may authorise as occasion arises, and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honored equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it. (Applause) I hope this will satisfy members. (Constituent Assembly of India, Vol. XII, 24-1-1950)</dd></dl>
Controversy in 2006

On August 22, 2006, there was a row in the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament over whether singing of Vande Mataram in schools should be made mandatory. The ruling coalition (UPA) and Opposition members debated over the Government's stance that singing the National Song Vande Mataram on September 7, 2006 to mark the 125th year celebration of its creation should be voluntary. This led to the House to be adjourned twice. Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh noted that it was not binding on citizens to sing the song. Arjun Singh had earlier asked all state governments to ensure that the first two stanzas of the song were sung in all schools on that day. BJP Deputy Leader V K Malhotra wanted the Government to clarify whether singing the national song on September 7 in schools was mandatory or not. On August 28, targeting the BJP, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said that in 1998 when Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee of the BJP was the Prime Minister, the BJP supported a similar circular issued by the Uttar Pradesh government to make the recitation compulsory. But Mr Vajpayee had then clarified that it was not necessary to make it compulsory.<sup id="cite_ref-asian_age-08-28_6-0" class="reference">[7]</sup>
On September 7, 2006, the nation celebrated the National Song. Television channels showed school children singing the song at the notified time.<sup id="cite_ref-bbc_7-0" class="reference">[8]</sup> Some Muslim groups had discouraged parents from sending their wards to school on the grounds, after the BJP had repeatedly insisted that the National Song must be sung. However, many Muslims did participate in the celebrations<sup id="cite_ref-bbc_7-1" class="reference">[8]</sup>.

Muslim institutions and Vande Mataram

Though a number of Muslim organizations and individuals have opposed Vande Mataram being used as a "national song" of India, citing many religious reasons, some Muslim personalities have admired and even praised Vande Mataram as the "National Song of India" . Arif Mohammed Khan, a former member of parliament for the Bharatiya Janata Party wrote an Urdu translation of Vande Mataram which starts as Tasleemat, maan tasleemat.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference">[9]</sup> In 2006, amidst the controversy of whether singing of the song in schools should be mandatory or optional, some Indian Muslims did show support for singing the song.<sup id="cite_ref-bbc_7-2" class="reference">[8]</sup>
All India Sunni Ulema Board on Sept 6, 2006 issued a fatwa that the Muslims can sing the first two verses of the song. The Board president Moulana Mufti Syed Shah Badruddin Qadri Aljeelani said that "If you bow at the feet of your mother with respect, it is not shirk but only respect."<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference">[10]</sup> Shia scholar and All India Muslim Personal Law Board vice-president Maulana Kalbe Sadiq stated on Sept 5, 2006 that scholars need to examine the term "vande". He asked, "Does it mean salutation or worship?"<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference">[11]</sup>

Sikh Institutions and Vande Mataram

Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee or SGPC, the paramount representative body in the Sikh Panth, stated through its media department that all its 100 schools and colleges had been ordered to say `No' to the song. In a subsequent interview their chief Jathedar Avtar Singh Makkar stated that "The Sikh children would sing Vande Mataram and Deh Shiva Var Mohe, the song scripted by tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh in the morning prayers". He also said "What is wrong with the Vande Mataram? It is a national song and speaks of patriotism. We are part of the Indian nation and Sikhs have greatly contributed for its independence."<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference">[12]</sup> However Dal Khalsa, Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee and other International Sikh organisations supporting Khalistan have criticized the SGPC chief.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference">[13]</sup>

Christian institutions and Vande Mataram

Fr Cyprian Kullu, from Jharkhand in an interview with AsiaNews: "The song is a part of our history and national festivity and religion should not be dragged into such mundane things. The Vande Mataram is simply a national song without any connotation that could violate the tenets of any religion."<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference">[14]</sup> However some Christian institutions such as Our Lady of Fatima Convent School in Patiala did not sing the song on its 100th anniversary as mandated by the state. Some Christians themselves might be misinformed about the intention and content of the song. After all Christians make a distinction between "veneration" and "worship" and the song falls in neither categories and they should not be worried. If the song generates a feeling of "Indian-ness" among all Indians it should be sung. But the state need not make it mandatory. <sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference">[15]</sup>

Miscellany

1. The fact that Vande Mataram is still popular today can be attested to by the fact that in 2002 it was the voted the second most requested song by listeners on the BBC's World Service radio. However, in the final ranking details, the origin was miscredited to a 1950's film.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference">[19]</sup>
2. Throughout its history there have been numerous remakes, recreations, and interpretations of this song. Notable is music composer A. R. Rahman's Vande Mataram released to commemorate fifty years of India's Independence in 1997 produced by Bharat Bala Productions.
3. The controversy surrounding Vande Mataram is not unique. There has also been some controversy around Jana Gana Mana as the national anthem.

 

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Interesting, But I would like a double check on this by somebody

Santosh