Jana Gana Mana English Translation By Rabindranath Tagore In Own Handwriting Has Netizens In Awe

Pochishe Boishakh: Rabindranath Tagore wrote 'Jana Gana Mana' in Bengali in 1911. Nobel Committee shared an English version of the full poem, translated and handwritten by the poet himself.

Pochishe Boishakh 2024: Jana Gana Mana, the national anthem of India, was written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore. The song was originally written in Bangla, titled 'Bharata Bhagya Bidhata', on December 11, 1911, and had five verses. The first verse was later adopted as the national anthem of India. Tagore, who won the coveted Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for the English translations of his Gitanjali poems, had translated 'Jana Gana Mana' also into English, calling it 'The Morning Song Of India'. 

The Nobel Committee shared an image on its social media handles that has the English version of Jana Gana Mana, translated by Tagore himself. The image is on a piece of paper on which Tagore scribbled the translated poem. 'The Morning Song Of India', written in the polymath's own handwriting has left the people in awe as they poured their hearts out in reverence of the Nobel laureate on his birthday.

The Nobel handle shared the image on May 6, a day before Tagore's official birthday as per the Gregorian calendar. Bengalis celebrate the day on Pochishe Boishakh (the 25th day of the Bengali month of Baisakh) as per the Bengali calendar, which falls on May 8 this year.

Jana Gana Mana History

'Jana Gana Mana', the first stanza carved out of the 'Bharata Bhagya Bidhata' poem, was declared India's national anthem on January 24, 1950, by the Constituent Assembly of India. Its first version was earlier sung at an Indian National Congress convention in 1911 in erstwhile Calcutta. According to a document in the National Archives' private collections, the chamber orchestra of Hamburg Radio Station played the tune of 'Jana Gana Mana' in 1942, in front of a gathering that included Subhash Chandra Bose. The audience had gathered at Hotel Atlantic for the first meeting of the then Deutsch-Indische Gesellschaft, or Indo-German Society, as per reports.

The playing or singing of the official version of the national anthem should take, by law, 52 seconds to complete.

The handwritten note of the English version of Jana Gana Mana left social media users impressed. Taking to the comment section underneath the post on different social media accounts, many users shared their thoughts.

"Man is mortal but art is immortal," wrote a user on Twitter. Another said: "Most beautiful piece of music that I have ever heard. Gives me goosebumps every time."

On LinkedIn, a user posted: "'Jana Gana Mana' is indeed a profound and significant piece of India's cultural heritage. This national anthem holds a special place in the hearts of millions. This anthem continues to evoke feelings of patriotism and unity, making it a symbol of India's rich cultural tapestry."