Was 'Jana Gana Mana' written in praise of the British?
The controversy arose due to reports by pro-British newspapers of the time.
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore did not sing the national anthem "Jana Gana Mana" in praise of George V. This is an established historical fact. Yet, the RSS and BJP people always unnecessarily fuel controversy over this. I have explained everything in detail through a video on The Credible History YouTube channel, and this video has been viewed by over 37 lakh people.
Now, as BJP and RSS are once again trying to spread false narratives about the national anthem "Jana Gana Mana," it has become more important to present this in detail through an article, so that their lies and propaganda can be exposed.
In fact, this entire controversy arose due to the reporting of pro-British newspapers of that time. The pro-British newspapers deliberately reported in such a way that it seemed Gurudev had sung this song in praise of George V. Not only today, but even in the past, newspapers did not refrain from mischievous reporting.
To understand the root of this controversy and how valid it is, it is important to know what time it was and what events occurred during that period. Two major events happened at that time, and both were actually interconnected.
The first event was the death of Britain's King Edward VII and the ascension of George V as the new emperor of Britain. The second event was the decision to shift India's capital from Calcutta to Delhi and the reversal of the partition of Bengal. During that time, the Congress session was being held in Calcutta. As was the tradition then, a program was organized at the Calcutta session to welcome George V. When the session was ongoing, based on the reporting of newspapers of that time, a noise and controversy arose that Gurudev Rabindranath had sung a eulogy in praise of George V.
These allegations were fueled by the reporting of an Anglo-Indian press newspaper that published a mixed-up account of the entire event. A newspaper called The Englishman reported that the Congress session began with a song composed by Rabindranath Tagore in honor of George V. Taking it a step further, The Statesman wrote that the Bengali poet Rabindranath sang a self-composed song to welcome the emperor.
However, another detailed report of the same Congress session was published in an English newspaper called Bengali, which people do not quote. This report revealed the whole truth. When you read this report in the archives in detail, the mischief and lies of the pro-British newspapers are completely exposed.
The Bengali newspaper wrote - The Congress session began with a self-composed song by Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Then the newspaper writes - A resolution was passed expressing loyalty to George V, and then a group of children sang a song expressing reverence for George V. The song sung by the children was not included in the reporting of the pro-British newspapers.
These newspapers mixed everything up. In fact, the song sung by the children expressing reverence for George V was a Hindi song written by Rambhuj Chaudhary in honor of George V. Now, there is no discussion about Rambhuj Chaudhary's song. The truth is that the Congress session began with Gurudev's self-composed song "Jana Gana Mana." Then, a resolution expressing loyalty to George V was passed, and then a Hindi song composed by Rambhuj Chaudhary in praise of George V was sung by a group of children.
The official report of the 1911 Congress states:
The proceedings of the first day of the 28th annual session of Congress began with the singing of "Vande Mataram." On the second day, the proceedings began with the singing of a patriotic song by Babu Rabindranath Tagore. Messages from well-wishers were read, and a resolution of loyalty to Emperor George V was passed. After this, a song written in honor of George V and Queen Mary was sung.
In reality, if you look at the first stanza of Gurudev's national anthem "Jana Gana Mana," you might not understand the context. But I present two stanzas of the song before you, which will make it as clear as water what 'Jana Gana Mana' meant. The stanzas are:
Aharava tab ahvan pracharit suni uski udar vaani
Hindu, Bauddha-Sikh-Jain-Parsi-Muslim-Christiani
Poorab-Paschim aate tumhare singhasan ke paas prem haar hai banta
Jan Gan ekya hai vidhayak, Jai hai Bharat bhagya vidhata
Patan-abhyuday-vandhur-pantha, yug-yug se dhavit yatri
He chir sarathi tumhare rath chakra se mukharit hai din-raatri
Bheeshan kranti ke beech sunai deti hai tumhari tumhari shankhdhwani
Sankat-dukh-trata jan-gan-path-parichayak Jai he Bharat bhagya vidhata.
Reading these two stanzas, you must have understood what 'Jana Gana Mana' meant. Rabindranath himself, in response to the allegations of a young Pulind Bihari Sen, wrote a letter explaining in detail,
The Congress session was being organized. A friend of mine, who was influential in the government, specifically requested me to sing a eulogy for George V. I was surprised and angry. In strong reaction to this, I declared the victory of the Bharat Bhagya Vidhata in the song "Jana Gana Mana" - the eternal charioteer of the travelers who have been running for ages, who is the inner guide of the people. My royalist friend also understood that the eternal human charioteer of ages could not be the fifth or sixth George in any case.
The song "Jana Gana Mana" was dedicated to the people who have been struggling for ages. This song was dedicated to the heroes of this struggle, those who fought for the rights of the people. It is important to understand that this song was sung in praise of those who played the role of heroes in the struggle of mankind for centuries.
