History and Significance of Vande Mataram ....
History and Significance of Vande Mataram ....
History and Significance of Vande Mataram ....
[edit] 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.
"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,
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.
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.[5]
On September 7, 2006, the nation celebrated the National Song.
Television channels showed school children singing the song at the
notified time.[6] 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[6].
In Bengali script
In Devanagari script
वनदे मातरम् বেে মাতরম
सुजला सुफला मलयजशीतलाम् সুজলাং সুফলাং মলযজশীতলাম
शसयशयामला मातरम् | শসয শযামলাং মাতরম |
शुभ जयोतसना पुलिित यािमनीम् শভ োজযাতস পুলিিত যািমনীম
फुलल िुसुिमत दमुदलशोििनीम् , ফুল িুসুিমত দমদলেশািিনীম,
सुहािसनी सुमधुर िाििणीम् সুহািসনীং সুমধুর িািিণীম
सुखदा वरदा मातरम् || সুখদাং বরদাং মাতরম ||
Devanagari transliteration Bengali Romanization
vande mātaram bônde matorom
sujalāṃ suphalāṃ shujolang shufolang
malayajaśītalām
môloeôjoshitolam
sasya śyāmalāṃ mātaram
shoshsho shêmolang matorom
śubhra jyotsnā pulakita
shubhro jotsna pulokito jaminim
yāminīm
fullo kushumito
phulla kusumita
drumodôloshobhinim
drumadalaśobhinīm
shuhashining shumodhuro
suhāsinīṃ sumadhura
bhashinim
bhāṣiṇīm
shukhodang bôrodang matorom
sukhadāṃ varadāṃ mātaram
In Bengali script
সুজলাং সুফলাং মলয়জশীতলাম
In Devanagari script
सुजला सुफला मलयजशीतलाम् শসযশযামলাং মাতরম॥
शसयशयामला मातरम् . শভেজযাতসা পুলিিতযািমনীম
शुभ-जयोतसनाम् पुलिितयािमनीम् পুলিুসুিমত দমদলেশািিনীম
फुललिुसुिमत दमुदलशोििनीम् , সুহািসনীং সুমধুর িািিণীম
सुहािसनी सुमधुर िाििणीम् . সুখদাং বরদাং মাতরম॥
सुखदा वरदा मातरम् ॥
োিািি োিািি িণ িলিলিননাদ িরােল
सपतिोिि िणठ िलिल िननाद िराले োিািি োিািি িুৈজধৃৃতখরিরবােল
ििसपत िोिि िुजैधधत खरिरवाले
िे बोले मा तुमी अबले
োি বেল মা তুিম অবেল
बहबुल धािरणीम् नमािम तािरणीम् বহবলধািরণীং নমািম তািরণীম
िरपुदलवािरणीम् मातरम् ॥ িরপুদলবািরণীং মাতরম॥
तुिम िवदा तुिम धमध, तुिम हिद तुिम ममध তুিম িবদযা তুিম ধমৃ, তুিম হিদ তুিম মমৃ
तव ि ं ह पाणाःशरीरे তং িহ পাণ শরীের
बाहतु े तुिम मा शिित, বাহেত তুিম মা শিি
हृदये तुिम मा ििित, হদেয় তুিম মা িিি
तोमारै पितमा गिि मिनदरे-मिनदरे ॥
োতামাৈর পিতমা গিি় মিেের মিেের॥
तव ि ं ह दगुादशपहरणधािरणी
िमला िमलदल िवहािरणी তং িহ দগৃা দশপহরণধািরণী
वाणी िवदादाियनी, नमािम तवाम् িমলা িমলদল িবহািরণী
नमािम िमला अमला अतुलाम् বাণী িবদযাদািয়নী তাম
सुजला सुफला मातरम् ॥ নমািম িমলাং অমলাং অতুলাম
সুজলাং সুফলাং মাতরম॥
शयामला सरला सुिसमता िूििताम्
धरणी िरणी मातरम् ॥
শযামলাং সরলাং সুিিতাং িূিিতাম
ধরণীং িরণীং মাতরম॥
[edit] Translation
Mother, I salute thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Green fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.
Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.
Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When swords flash out in seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Thou who saves, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foe drove
Back from plain and sea
And shook herself free.
Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nerves the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine.
Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair
In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Loveliest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,
Mother great and free!
translated by Sri Aurobindo
[edit] 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.[16]
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.
4. This is not the only song/verse with Vande Mataram as a start. There is a Sanskrit
verse that has been quoted since time immemorial; and is very popular as a
felicitation/sloka singing in south Indian carnatic music. The verses are as
follows:
[edit] References
1. ^ a b c d e f g http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/mataram.htm
2. ^ Chakrabarty, Bidyut (1997). Local Politics and Indian Nationalism: Midnapur (1919-
1944). New Delhi: Manohar, 167.
3. ^ http://rajyasabha.nic.in/photo/pm/p2.html
4. ^ (Letter #314, Selected Letters of Rabindranath Tagore, edited by K. Datta and A.
Robinson, Cambridge University Press)
5. ^ "BJP vs Congress: It’s Vande vs Kandahar", Asian Age, 2006-08-28.
6. ^ a b c http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5324398.stm
7. ^
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20060906&fname=vandematarm&sid=1
8. ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1964371.cms
9. ^ http://www.ibnlive.com/news/if-vande-means-salutation-muslims-to-sing-along/20762-
3.html
10. ^ http://indiamonitor.com/news/readNews.jsp?ni=564
11. ^ http://www.sikhsangat.org/publish/article_1327.shtml
12. ^ http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=7158
13. ^ http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/1477/38/
14. ^
http://www.hindilyrix.com/songs/get_song_Aao%20Bachhon%20Tumhen%20Dikhaaye.
html
15. ^ http://www.lagerahomunnabhai.com/a5.htm
16. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/us/features/topten/profiles/index.shtml#vande
[edit] Notes
1. Much Ado About A Song By Sumit Sarkar The Times of India, Bangalore, August
31, 2006.
• 1 Lyrics
o 1.1 Translation into English
• 2 Controversies
• 3 English composition in Madanapalle
• 4 Media
• 5 See also
• 6 Notes
• 7 References
• 8 External links
[edit] Lyrics
Although written in Bengali, the pronunciation of the anthem varies
considerably across India due to the country's extensive linguistic
diversity. The transcription below reflects the original Bengali
pronunciation, in both the Bengali script and Romanization. Many of
the silent letters found in the lyrics are pronounced by speakers of
other Indian languages, reflecting a spelling pronunciation of the
Bengali text, and often matching the pronunciation of the cognate
words in the speaker's native language.
[edit] 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 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.[7] 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 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 [8] 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:
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.
[edit] Media
• Jana Gana Mana Instrumental (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o Instrumental version of Jana Gana Mana, performed by the US Navy Band
• Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] Notes
1. ^ Jana Gana Mana Highly Sanskrit. Education Department of India. National Informatics
Centre (NIC). Retrieved on 2007-07-16. “The national Anthem of India, Jana-Gana-
Mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore, is 90% Sanskrit and 10% Sanskritic, and
hence is understood all over India.”
2. ^ Jana Gana Mana (India's National Anthem) - An Inferential Linguistic Analysis
(HTML). Hamilton Institute. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
3. ^ a b National Anthem - Know India. Nation Portal of India. Government of India.
4. ^ (1999) in Bhatt, P.C.: Constituent Assembly Debates. Lok Sabha Secretariat.
5. ^ Volume XII. Tuesday, the 24th January 1950. Online Transcript, Constituent Assembly
Debates
6. ^ A tribute to the legendary composer of National Anthem The Tribune
7. ^ Rabindranath Tagore
8. ^ India: Are we still singing for the Empire? by Pradip Kumar Datta
9. ^ Genesis of Jana Gana Mana
10. ^ Tagore and Jana Gana Mana, Monish R. Chatterjee, University of Dayton.
11. ^ Vani Doraisamy. India beats: A Song for the Nation (HTML) (English). The Hindu.
Retrieved on 2007-07-25.
[edit] References
• Dutta, K & A Robinson (1995), Rabindranath Tagore: The Myriad-Minded Man,
St. Martin's Press, ISBN 0-312-14030-4.
2.