8 Interesting Facts About Indian National Anthem

Sanjit Bakshi
3 min readJul 7, 2021

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The national anthem of India

Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore wrote “Jana Gana Mana”, the national anthem of India. It was proclaimed as the national anthem of India in 1950, January 24. Makes one of the national symbols of India. Knowing the facts about the National Anthem of India is helpful for IAS exam candidates. This article will give you some interesting facts about “Jana Gana Mana…”

National Anthem — Jana Gana Mana

National Anthem of India

“Jana gana mana adhi naayaka jaya hai!
Bhaarat bhaagya vidhaata
Punjab Sindh Gujarat Maraatha,
Dravid Utkala Bangaa.
Vindhya Himachala Yamuna Ganga,
Uchhala jaladhi taranga.
Tava shubh naame jaage,
Tava shubh aashish maage,
Gahe tava jaya-gaatha.
Jana-gana-mangaladayaka jaya hai!
Bharat bhagya vidhata.
Jaya hai! Jaya hai! Jaya hai!
Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya hai!”

National Anthem of India: 8 Interesting Facts

The national anthem of India was written by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. He also wrote the national anthem of Bangladesh.

The lines of the national anthem of India were originally laid down in Raga Alhaiya Bilawal, but it is sung with minor variations on the classical form of the raga.

The first version of “Jana Gana Mana” was sung at a 1911 Indian National Congress convention in Calcutta.

In 1942 “Jana Gana Mana” was first performed (not sung) in Hamburg.
The Jana Gana Mana was declared the national anthem of India on January 24, 1950.

The official version of India’s national anthem is supposed to be 52 seconds, not 54 seconds, by law.

In 2015, the governor of Rajasthan demanded to replace the word “Adhinayaka” with the word “Mangal”, building his argument on the myth that Tagore himself crushed in 1939.

Subhas Chandra Bose had authorized a free translation of the Indian national anthem from Bengali Sanskrit in a well-known form into Hindustani. Captain Abid Ali of the Indian National Army (INA) had made the version named “Cadena Subh Sukh”.

Why read about the national anthem of India?

It is an impulse in every Indian to get up as soon as you hear the pride that the words of our national anthem bring, and leave whatever one is doing. The poignant composition and evocative lyrics are sure to take you into the realm of patriotism for a moment. Hearing the words “Jana Gana Mana…” at the school meeting fills our hearts with the essence of patriotism and nationalism. We all feel delighted and honored as Indians to sing the national anthem with all the feelings in our hearts for the country. But most of them don’t know interesting facts about the national anthem of India.

In most of the competitive questions about our national flag, national anthem, language, etc.

Q 1. When was “Jana Gana Mana” chosen as the national anthem of India?

Ant. The national anthem of India is the first stanza of a Bengali hymn “Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata” written by Rabindra Nath Tagore. It was adopted as the national anthem of India by the Constituent Assembly of India on January 24, 1950.

Q 2. Who wrote the national anthem of India?

Anthem Rabindranath Tagore had written the national anthem of India on December 11, 1911 and it was first sung on December 28, 1911 at the Congressional session in Calcutta.

Q 3. What is the importance of the national anthem in India?

ans. Article 51A(a) of the Constitution of India states, “It is the duty of every citizen of India to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the national flag and the anthem.”

Q 4. What is the difference between the national song and the national anthem?

Ant. The national anthem is a patriotic musical composition that defines the history, tradition and struggle of a country. On the other hand, A National Song is a patriotic anthem adopted by the government of a country to be sung on public or state occasions. Visit the linked article for detailed information about the difference between the national anthem and the anthem.

Q 5. According to the law, how long should it take to sing the national anthem of India?

Ant. The full Indian national anthem is required by law to be sung in 52 seconds while the shorter version can be sung in 20 seconds.

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Sanjit Bakshi
Sanjit Bakshi

Written by Sanjit Bakshi

Master’s in Business Administration with majors in finance from the Columbia Business School.

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