India’s National Anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was first sung on this day in 1911 | Know more

The National Anthem was first sung at the Calcutta session of the Congress on this day, i.e., December 27, in 1911. ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is the first stanza of the Bengali hymn ‘Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata’ and it was written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Sarala Devi Chowdhurani, Tagore’s niece, intoned the song, along with a few school students, in front of the gathering of the then INC president Bishan Narayan Dhar and other leaders such as Bhupendra Nath Bose and Ambika Charan Mazumder. 

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In 1919, Tagore had set down the notation which is being followed till today. A slightly different version of the song was later adopted by Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army in 1941 as the national anthem, called ‘Shubh Sukh Chain’ which also became popular in India since. On August 15, 1947, after India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the Tricolour on the ramparts of the Red Fort and addressed the nation, Capt. Thankuri of the INA was invited to play with the members of his orchestra group. 

On January 24, 1950, the Hindi version was finally adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India. The song defines the nation as the union of all provinces, languages and religion. The same day, Dr Rajendra Prasad, the President of the assembly and former President of India, had also declared ‘Vande Mataram’ as the National Song. 

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Fundamental duty in India 

The formal rendition of the national anthem takes approximately 52-seconds. Before it officially became the national anthem, it was heard in the 1945 film ‘Hamrahi’ and it was also adopted as a school song of The Doon School, Dehradun, in 1935. ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is sung in the raga Gaud Sarang. 

The Indian anthem is sung on various occasions and instructions have been issued from time to time about the correct versions of the Anthem, the occasions on which these are to be played or sung, and about the need for paying respect to the anthem by observance of proper decorum on such occasions. Reverence to the National Anthem is a Fundamental duty in India. According to Article 51A (a) of the constitution, the anthem shall be the duty of every citizen of India to abide by the constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem. 

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