Independence Day 2023: National Anthem Of India 'Jana Gana Mana' Song Lyrics and Meaning in English

The national anthem of India, 'Jana Gana Mana' is a patriotic song that evokes vicarious emotions about the nation's history, traditions, and sacrifices that brought India to the brink of freedom. The original song was written in Bengali, but in a Sanskritized dialect known as Sadhu Bhasha. Written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore on 11 December 1911, it was first sung by him on 27 December 1911 and accorded the grand status as the National Anthem on 24 January 1950 by the Constituent Assembly. It was translated into Hindi by Abid Ali.

'Jana Gana Mana': Lyrics in Bangla

জনগণমন-অধিনায়ক জয় হে ভারতভাগ্যবিধাতা!
পঞ্জাব সিন্ধু গুজরাট মরাঠা দ্রাবিড় উত্‍‌কল বঙ্গ
বিন্ধ্য হিমাচল যমুনা গঙ্গা উচ্ছলজলধিতরঙ্গ
তব শুভ নামে জাগে, তব শুভ আশিস মাগে,
গাহে তব জয়গাথা।
জনগণমঙ্গলদায়ক জয় হে ভারতভাগ্যবিধাতা!
জয় হে, জয় হে, জয় হে, জয় জয় জয়, জয় হে॥

The 52-second song defines the beauty of Bharat (India) and has an underlying message of unity in diversity. In Tatwabodhini Patrika, this song was published under the title 'Bharat Bidhata' in 1912 and was the official publication of Brahmo Samaj and of which World Poet Rabindranath Tagore was the editor. At the Besant Theosophical College in Madanpalle, Andhra Pradesh, Tagore himself first sang this song on 28 February 1919.

#OnThisDay, 27 Dec,1911, "#JanaGanaMana", the national anthem of #India, is first sung in the #Calcutta Session of the #IndianNationalCongress.
It was originally composed as Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata in #Bengali by poet #RabindranathTagore. pic.twitter.com/QNrRj3L61L

— | On This Day in History | (@On_ThisDay_) December 27, 2018

On 27 December 1911 in Calcutta, the song 'Bharat Bhagya Bidhata' was first sung on Day 2 of the annual session of the Indian National Congress and was sung by Sarala Devi Chowdhurani, who is Tagore's niece along with a group of school children.

'Jana Gana Mana': Lyrics in English and Meaning

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-Maratha
Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage,
Tava shubha asisa mage,
Gahe tava jaya gatha,
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

When India got freedom after 200 years of struggle, the Indian Constituent Assembly assembled for the first time as a sovereign body on the midnight of 14 August 1947 and the session was closed with a unanimous performance of Jana Gana Mana.

Before 'Jana Gana Mana' was officially declared as the National Anthem of India, it was used in the 1945 film 'Hamrahi' and it was adopted as a school song of The Doon School, Dehradun, in 1935. This song is sung in the raga Gaud Sarang.

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.