The National Anthem of India

The National Anthem of India

The national anthem of India is sung on many occasions, mainly on two national holidays - Independence Day (August 15) and Republic Day (January 26). The song comprises the lyrics and music of the first stanza of the Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore's "Jana Gana Mana" written in praise of India. Below are the words of India's national anthem:

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!
Download India's National Anthem (MP3)

This full version of the anthem is about 52 seconds long. There is also a shorter version that includes only the first and last lines of the full version. The short version of India's national anthem, which is 20 seconds long, comprises the following quartet:

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,
Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

Tagore himself translated Jana-gana-mana into English which reads as follows:

Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
Dispenser of India's destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind,
Gujarat and Maratha,
Of the Dravida and Orissa and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganges and is
chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
Thou dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee.

By rule, whenever the anthem is sung or played live, the audience should stand in attention position. It cannot be indiscriminately sung or played randomly. The full version should be played accompanied by mass singing on the unfurling of the National Flag, on cultural occasions or ceremonial functions, and on arrival of the President of India at any government or public function and also immediately before his departure from such functions. For detailed instructions visit the National Portal of India.

The National Song of India

Equal in status with national anthem or Jana-gana-mana is the national song of India, called "Vande Mataram". Composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, it inspired the people of the nation in their struggle for freedom from British Rule. This song was first sung in the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress, and consists of the following words:
Vande Mataram!
Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam,
Shasyashyamalam, Mataram!
Vande Mataram!
Shubhrajyotsna pulakitayaminim,
Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,
Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim,
Sukhadam varadam, Mataram!
Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram!
The great Hindu guru, patriot and litteratteur Sri Aurobindo translated the above stanza into English prose:
I bow to thee, Mother,
richly-watered, richly-fruited,
cool with the winds of the south,
dark with the crops of the harvests,
The Mother!
Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,
her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,
sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,
The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss.
source:about.com