There is a controversy as to whether the Indian national
anthem "Jana Gana Mana" was written by Rabindra Nath Tagore in praise of
God, or as sycophancy in praise of the British King George the fifth.
In my opinion the evidence is strongly in favour of the second view.
To explain, let me first quote the Engish translation of the song:
- "Victory to thee,
- O ruler of the minds of the people,
- O Dispenser of India's destiny.
- Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh,Gujarat and Maratha,Of the Dravida, Odisha and Bengal;
- It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
- mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganges and ischanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
- We get up with your blessed name on our lips,
- We pray for your auspicious blessings,
- Thou dispenser of India's destiny.
- Victory, victory, victory to thee."
Now a few things must be noted about this song:
1.The song was composed at precisely the time of the visit
of the British King George the fifth and Queen Mary in December, 1911.
2.The poem does not indicate any love for the motherland.
3. The "Adhinayak" (Lord or Ruler) is being hailed. Who was
the ruler of India in 1911? It was the British, headed by their
King-Emperor.
4. Who was the "Bharat Bhagya Vidhata" (dispenser of India's
destiny) at that time ? It was none but the British, since they were
ruling India in 1911.
5.The song was sung for the first time in India on the
second day of the Calcutta Conference of the Congress party in December
1911. This conference was held specially to give a loyal welcome to King
George the fifth, and to thank him for annulling the Partition of
Bengal in 1905.
6. The agenda of the second day of the Calcutta Conference,
in which the song was sung, was specially reserved for giving a loyal
welcome to George the fifth, and a resolution was adopted unanimously
that day welcoming and expressing loyalty to the emperor and empress.
7. It was only as late as in 1937, when he wanted to show
himself as a patriot, that Tagore denied that he had written the song to
honour the British king.
The above facts almost conclusively prove that
"Jana Gana Mana" was composed and sung as an act of sycophancy to the
British king.
And we have proudly adopted this song as our national anthem?
Jai ho!
Source- Justice Markandey Katju's blog
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