vande mataram
TRANSCRIPT
Vande Mataram
Typical depiction of Bharat Mata by Abanindranath Tagore
Vande Mataram (Sanskrit: वन्दे� मा�तरमा Vande Mātaram, Bengali: বন্দে� মা�তরমা Bônde Matorom; English translation: Bow to thee, Mother ) is the national song of India [1] , distinct from the national anthem of India "Jana Gana Mana". The song was composed by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay in a mixture of Bengali and Sanskrit.[2] and the first political occasion where it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress [1] .
In 2003, BBC World Service conducted an international poll to choose ten most famous songs of all time. Around 7000 songs were selected from all over the world. According to BBC, people from 155 countries/island voted.
Vande Mataram was second in top 10 songs.[3]
Contents
1 History and significance 2 Controversy
o 2.1 Rabindranath Tagore on Vande Mataram
o 2.2 Dr. Rajendra Prasad on Vande Mataram
o 2.3 Controversy in 2006
3 Support for Vande Mataram
o 3.1 Muslim institutions and Vande Mataram
o 3.2 Sikh institutions and Vande Mataram
o 3.3 Christian institutions and Vande
Mataram
4 Text of Vande Mataram
o 4.1 Version adopted by Congress, 1905
o 4.2 Translation
History and significance
It is generally believed that the concept of Vande Mataram came to Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay when he was still a government official under the British Raj. Around 1870, the British rulers of India had declared that singing of God Save the Queen would be mandatory.
He wrote it in a spontaneous session using words from two languages he was expert in, Sanskrit and Bengali.
However, the song was initially highly criticized for the difficulty in pronunciation of some of the words. The song first appeared in Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay's book Anandamatha (pronounced Anondomôţh in Bengali), published in 1882 amid fears of a ban by British Raj. However, the song itself was actually written in 1876.[2] Jadunath Bhattacharya set the tune for this song just after it was written.[2]
The flag raised by Bhikaiji Cama in 1907
"Vande Mataram" was the national cry for freedom from British rule during the freedom movement. Large rallies, fermenting initially in Bengal, in the
major metropolis of Calcutta, would work themselves up into a patriotic fervour by shouting the slogan "Vande Mataram", or "Hail to the Mother(land)!".
The British, fearful of the potential danger of an incited Indian populace, at one point banned the utterance of the motto in public forums, and imprisoned many freedom fighters for disobeying the proscription. Rabindranath Tagore sang Vande Mataram in 1896 at the Calcutta Congress Session held at Beadon Square. Dakhina Charan Sen sang it five years later in 1901 at another session of the Congress at Calcutta. Poet Sarala Devi Chaudurani sang the song in the Benares Congress Session in 1905. Lala Lajpat Rai started a journal called Vande Mataram from Lahore.
Hiralal Sen made India's first political film in 1905 which ended with the chant. Matangini Hazra's last words as she was shot to death by the Crown police were Vande Mataram[4]
In 1907, Bhikaiji Cama (1861-1936) created the first version of India's national flag (the Tiranga) in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1907. It had Vande Mataram written on it in the middle band.[5]
A number of lyrical and musical experiments have been carried out, and many versions of the song were created and released throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century. Many of these versions have employed traditional South Asian classical ragas. Versions of the song have been visualized on celluloid in
a number of films, including Leader, Amar Asha, and Anandamath.
It is widely believed that the tune set for All India Radio station version was composed by Ravi Shankar.
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
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.
Rabindranath Tagore on Vande Mataram
"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:
"The core of Vande Mataram is a hymn to goddess Durga: this is so plain that there can be no debate about it. Of course Bankimchandra does show Durga to be inseparably united with Bengal in the end, but no Mussulman [Muslim] can be expected patriotically to worship the ten-handed deity as 'Swadesh' [the nation]. This year many of the special [Durga] Puja numbers of our magazines have quoted verses from Vande Mataram - proof that the editors take the song to be a hymn to Durga. The novel Anandamath is a work of literature, and so the song is appropriate in it. But Parliament is a place of union for all religious groups, and there the song cannot be appropriate. When Bengali Mussulmans show signs of stubborn fanaticism, we
regard these as intolerable. When we too copy them and make unreasonable demands, it will be self-defeating."
In a postscript to this same letter, Rabindranath says:
"Bengali Hindus have become agitated over this matter, but it does not concern only Hindus. Since there are strong feelings on both sides, a balanced judgment is essential. In pursuit of our political aims we want peace, unity and good will - we do not want the endless tug of war that comes from supporting the demands of one faction over the other."
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.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad on Vande Mataram
Dr.Rajendra Prasad, who was presiding the Constituent Assembly on January 24, 1950, made the following statement which was also adopted as the final decision on the issue:
The composition consisting of words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations as the Government may authorise as occasion arises, and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honored equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it. (Applause) I hope this will satisfy members. (Constituent Assembly of India, Vol. XII, 24-1-1950)
Controversy in 2006
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 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 being 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 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 Vajpayee had then clarified that it was not necessary to make it compulsory. On September 7, 2006, the nation celebrated the national song. Television channels showed school children singing the song at the notified time. 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[8].
Support for Vande Mataram
Muslim institutions and Vande Mataram
Though a number of Muslim organizations and individuals have opposed Vande Mataram being used as a "national song" of India, citing many religious reasons, some Muslim personalities have admired and even praised Vande Mataram as the "National Song of India" . Arif Mohammed Khan, a former member of parliament for the Bharatiya Janata Party, wrote an Urdu translation of Vande Mataram which starts as Tasleemat, maan tasleemat.
In 2006, amidst the controversy of whether singing of the song in schools should be mandatory or optional, some Indian Muslims did show support for singing the song.[8]
All India Sunni Ulema Board on Sept 6, 2006, issued a fatwa that the Muslims can sing the first two verses of the song. The Board president Moulana Mufti Syed Shah Badruddin Qadri Aljeelani said that "If you bow at the feet of your mother with respect, it is not shirk but only respect."
Shia scholar and All India Muslim Personal Law Board vice-president Maulana Kalbe Sadiq stated on Sept 5, 2006 that scholars need to examine the term "vande." He asked, "Does it mean salutation or worship?"
Sikh institutions and Vande Mataram
Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee or SGPC, the paramount representative body in the Sikh Panth, stated through its media department that all its 100 schools and colleges had been
ordered to say `Yes' to the song. In a subsequent interview, their chief Jathedar Avtar Singh Makkar stated that "The Sikh children would sing Vande Mataram and Deh Shiva Var Mohe, the song scripted by tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, in the morning prayers". He also said "What is wrong with the Vande Mataram? It is a national song and speaks of patriotism.
We are part of the Indian nation and Sikhs have greatly contributed for its independence." However, fringe pro-Khalistan organizations such as Dal Khalsa (International) and Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee have criticized the SGPC chief for his statements. Christian institutions and Vande Mataram
Fr. Cyprian Kullu from Jharkhand stated in an interview with AsiaNews:
"The song is a part of our history and national festivity and religion should not be dragged into such mundane things.
The Vande Mataram is simply a national song without any connotation that could violate the tenets of any religion."[14] However, some Christian institutions such as Our Lady of Fatima Convent School in Patiala did not sing the song on its 100th anniversary as mandated by the state. Christians make a distinction between "veneration" and "worship," and even though the song falls into neither of these categories, some Christians may have declined to sing the national song because of their understanding of its intention and content.
Text of Vande MataramVersion adopted by Congress, 1905
In Devanagari script वन्दे� मा�तरमा
सु�जलां�� सु�फलां��मालांयजशी�तलां�मा
शीस्यश्य�मालां�� मा�तरमा | शी�भ्र ज्य�त्स्ना� पु�लांकि�त
य�मिमाना�मा फ� ल्लां �� सु�मिमात
द्रुमादेलांशी�भि!ना�मा, सु�हा�सिसुना$ सु�माधु�र
!�कि&णी�मा सु�खदे�� वरदे�� मा�तरमा ||
In Bengali scriptবন্দে� মা�তরমা�সুজলাং� সুফলাং� মালাংযজশী�তলাং�মা�শীসু� শী��মালাং� মা�তরমা� |শুভ্র জ্যোজ��ত�স্ন পুলাংকি�ত য�কিমানী�মা�ফ ল্ল � সুকিমাত দ্রুমাদলাংন্দেশী�কি�নী�মা�,সুহা�কিসুনী� সুমাধুর ��কি!ণী�মা�সুখদ� বরদ� মা�তরমা� ||
Devanagari transliterationvande mātaramsujalāṃ suphalāṃ malayajaśītalām
Bengali Romanizationbônde matoromshujolang shufolang môloeôjoshitolamshoshsho shêmolang
śasya śyāmalāṃ mātaramśubhra jyotsnā pulakita yāminīmphulla kusumita drumadalaśobhinīmsuhāsinīṃ sumadhura bhāṣiṇīmsukhadāṃ varadāṃ mātaram
matoromshubhro jotsna pulokito jaminimfullo kushumito drumodôloshobhinimshuhashining shumodhuro bhashinimshukhodang bôrodang matorom
Translation
Several English translations of Vande Mataram have been made. Here is a translationof the part that has been adopted as India's National song:
Vande Mataramsujalaam
My obeisance to Mother India!
suphalaammalayaja sheethalamshashya shyamalaamMaataram, vande maataramShubhra jothsana pulakitha yaminimPhulla kusumitat drumah dala shobhinimSuhasinim, Sumadhura bhAshinimsukhadaam varadhaam, maataramVande mataraam
With flowing beneficial watersFilled with choicest fruitsWith Sandal scented windsGreen with the harvestO mother! My obeisance to you!Ecstatic moonlit nightsThe plants blooming with flowersSweet speaker of sweet languagesFount of blessings,Mother, I salute you!
Following is Sri Aurobindo's translation of the original Vande Mataram (verses 1, 3, 4, 6):
Vande MataramSujalam SuphalamMalayaja SeetalamSasya Shamalaam MataramVande Mataram
Mother, I bow to thee!Rich with thy hurrying streams,bright with orchard gleams,Cool with thy winds of delight,Dark fields waving Mother of might,Mother free.
Shubra JyotsnaaPulakita YaminimPullakusumitaDrumadala ShobhinimSubhashinimSumadhura Bhashinim
Glory of moonlight dreams,Over thy branches and lordly streams,Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Sukhadaam VaradaamMataramVande Mataram
Mother, giver of easeLaughing low and sweet!Mother I kiss thy feet,Speaker sweet and low!Mother, to thee I bow.
Sapta Ko Ti Kan ThaKalakalaninaadaKarale Dwisapta Ko Ti BhujaiRdhr^Itakhara KaravaaleAbalaa Keno Maa Eto BaleBahubhaladharinimNamaami TaarinimRipudala Varinim
Who hath said thou art weak in thy landsWhen the sword flesh out in the seventy million handsAnd seventy million voices roarThy dreadful name from shore to shore?With many strengths
MataramVande Mataram
who art mighty and stored,To thee I call Mother and Lord!Thou who savest, arise and save!To her I cry who ever her foeman droveBack from plain and SeaAnd shook herself free.
Tumi Vidyaa, Tumi DharmaaTumi Hridi, Tumi MarmaTum Hi Pranaah ShariireBahute Tumi Maa
Thou art wisdom, thou art law,Thou art heart, our soul, our breathThou art love divine, the aweIn our hearts that
ShaktiHridaya Tumi Maa BhaktiTomaraa I Pratimaa GadiMandire Mandire
conquers death.Thine the strength that nerves the arm,Thine the beauty, thine the charm.Every image made divineIn our temples is but thine.
Tvam Hi DurgaaDasha Prahara NadhaariniKamala Kamaladala VihariniVani Vidhyadayini Namaami TvamNamaami Kamalaam,Amalaam, AtulaamSujalaam Suphalaam Mataram
Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,With her hands that strike and herswords of sheen,Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,And the Muse a hundred-toned,Pure and perfect without peer,
Vande Mataram
Mother lend thine ear,Rich with thy hurrying streams,Bright with thy orchard gleams,Dark of hue O candid-fair
Shyamalaam SaralaamSusmitaam BhuushitaamDharanim BharanimMataramVande Mataram
In thy soul, with jeweled hairAnd 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!
Jana Gana Mana
জন গণ
English: Jana Gana Mana (Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People)
Jôno Gôno Mono
Sheet music for Jana Gana Mana
National India
anthem of
Lyrics Rabindranath Tagore
Music Rabindranath Tagore
Adopted 1950
Jana Gana Mana (Bengali: জনী গণী মানী Jôno Gôno Mono) is the national anthem of India. Written in highly Sanskritized Bengali, it is the first of five stanzas of a Brahmo hymn composed and scored by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. It was first sung at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on 27 December 1911 .Jana Gana Mana was
officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the Indian national anthem on January 24, 1950.[1][2][3] [4][5][6][7]
A formal rendition of the national anthem takes fifty-two seconds. A shortened version consisting of the first and last lines (and taking about 20 seconds to play) is also staged occasionally.
Contents
1 Lyrics o 1.1 Translation into English
2 Controversies
3 English composition in Madanapalle
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.
Bengali
script
Devanagari script
Bengali transcrip
tion
NLK transliter
ation
জনী গণী মানী অকিধুনী�য়� জয় জ্যোহা.��রত ��গ� কিবধু�ত�পুঞ্জা�ব কিসুন্ধু গুজর�ট
जनागणीमानाअमिधु ना�य� जय हा�
!�रत!�ग्यकिवधु�त�
पु�ज�ब सिंसु.धु ग�जर�त मार�ठा�
द्रा�किवड उत्�लांव�ग
विंव.ध्य किहामा�चलां यमा�ना� ग�ग� उच्छलां
जलांमिधुतर�ग तव शी�!ना�मा�
ज�ग�, तव शी�! आसिशी& मा�ग�
ग�हा� तवजयग�था�जनागणीमा�गलांदे�य
� जय हा�
Jôno gôno mono odhinaeoko jôeô heBharoto bhaggo bidhataPônjabo Shindhu Gujoraţo MôraţhaDrabiŗo Utkôlo BônggoBindho Himachôlo Jomuna
Jana gana mana adhinayaka jaya heBharata bhagya VidhataPanjaba Sindh Gujarata MarathaDravida Utkala VangaVindhya Himachala
মার�ঠা�দ্রা�কিবড় উৎ �লাং বঙ্গকিবন্ধু� কিহামা�চলাং যমানী� গঙ্গ�উচ্ছলাং জলাংকিধু তরঙ্গ
!�रत!�ग्यकिवधु�त�
जय हा�, जय हा�, जय हा� जय जय जय जय हा�!
GônggaUchchhôlo jôlodhi toronggoTôbo shubho name jageTôbo shubho ashish mageGahe tôbo jôeogathaJôno gôno monggolo daeoko
Yamuna GangaUcchala jaladhi tarangaTava shubha name jageTava shubha ashisha mageGaye tava jaya gathaJana gana
তব শু� নী�ন্দেমা জ�ন্দেগতব শু� আকিশীসু মা�ন্দেগগ�ন্দেহা তব জয়গ�থা�জনী গণী মাঙ্গলাং
jôeô heBharoto bhaggo bidhataJôeo he, jôeo he, jôeo he,jôeo jôeo jôeo, jôeo he
mangala daayaka jaya heBharat bhagya VidhataJaya he jaya he jaya heJaya jaya jaya jaya he!
দ�য়� জয় জ্যোহা��রত ��গ� কিবধু�ত�জয় জ্যোহা, জয় জ্যোহা, জয় জ্যোহা,জয় জয় জয়,
জয় জ্যোহা॥
Translation into English
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people[8]
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, the Maratha country,in the Dravida, Utkala and Bengal;It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,it mingles in the rhapsodies of the pure waters of Yamuna and GangaThey chant only thy name.They seek only thy auspicious blessings.They sing only the glory of thy victory.The salvation of all people waits in thy hands,O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art
the ruler of the minds of all peopleVictory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee,Victory, Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!
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 considered by some to be 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. 16, 1911.
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 Bengali poet Babu Rabindranath Tagore sang a song composed by him specially to
welcome the Emperor." (Statesman, Dec. 28, 1911)
"The proceedings began with the singing by Babu Rabindranath Tagore of a song specially composed by him in honour of the Emperor." (Englishman, Dec. 28, 1911)
"When the proceedings of the Indian National Congress began on Wednesday 27th December 1911, a Bengali song in welcome of the Emperor was sung. A resolution welcoming the Emperor and Empress was also adopted unanimously." (Indian, Dec. 29, 1911)
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[10] 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.
Thus, Tagore is said to have written the poem in honour of God. In a letter to Pulin Behari Sen, Tagore himself wrote: "A certain high official in His Majesty's service, who was also my friend, had requested that I write a song of felicitation towards the Emperor.
The request simply amazed me. It caused a great stir in my heart. In response to that great mental turmoil,
I pronounced the victory in Jana Gana Mana of that Bhagya Vidhata [ed. God of Destiny] of India who has from age after age held steadfast the reins of India's chariot through rise and fall, through the straight path and the curved.
That Lord of Destiny, that Reader of the Collective Mind of India, that Perennial Guide, could never be George V, George VI, or any other George.
Even my official friend understood this about the song. After all, even if his admiration for the crown was excessive, he was not lacking in simple common sense."
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.
In July 1985 in the state of Kerala, some of the Jehovah's Witnesses' children were expelled from school under the instructions of Deputy
Inspector of Schools for having refused to sing the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. A parent, V. J. Emmanuel, appealed to the Supreme Court of India for legal remedy.
On August 11, 1986, the Supreme Court overruled the Kerala High Court, and directed the respondent authorities to re-admit the children into the school. The decision went on to add: "Our tradition teaches tolerance, our philosophy teaches tolerance, our Constitution practices tolerance, let us not dilute it".
English composition in Madanapalle
Rabindranath Tagore translated Jana Gana Mana from Sanskrit[DevNagari] to English and
also set it to music in Madanapalle, a town in Andhra Pradesh.
Though the Bengali song had been written in 1911 itself, it had remained largely confined to the pages of the Brahmo Samaj journal, "Tatva Bodha Prakasika", of which Tagore was the editor.
During 1918-19, Tagore accepted an invitation from friend and controversial Irish poet James H. Cousins to spend a few days at the Besant Theosophical College, of which Cousins was the principal. On the evening of February 28, he joined a gathering of students and upon Cousins' request, sang the Jana Gana Mana in Bengali.
In the days that followed, enchanted by the dreamy hills of Madanapalle, Tagore wrote down the English translation of the song and along with Cousins' wife, Margaret (an expert in Western music), set down the notation which is followed till this day.
Today, in the library of Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalle, the framed original English translation is displayed.