Day 31: The Jana Gana Mana revolution on YouTube - OneWayTicket
Home
Strategy Muse
Mint Water Cooler
Play Things
OneWayTicket
Pinch Hitter
Mappings
Down South
Lab Rats
A Big Write Off
Incubator

Day 31: The Jana Gana Mana revolution on YouTube

Priya Ramani - Wednesday, May 14, 2008 1:34 AM

Today I discovered there are zillions of kiddie versions of the Indan National Anthem on YouTube. All NRIs who have to stay connected to their desh I guess. I know my brother Gyan, who's our host in Vancouver, is one of them. All his children can sing Jana Gana Mana and Sa Re Jahan Se Achcha. Here's his contribution to the revolution, a video of his youngest daughter Gitanjali singing the anthem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pAU-WKVdi8 

Share this post: email it! | del.icio.us! | digg it! | newsVine!
4 Comment
Tagged in: , ,

From S. Mitra Kalita

May 15, 2008 12:21 AM
Hey my kid can sing the anthem too! But she learned it in India, thanks to the 60th anniversary release in movie theatres with Chak De India... (even had an Assamese guy, as she pointed out to the whole theater!)... Remember Kajol's kid sang it in K3G. Miss you guys.

From Dr Leo Rebello

May 15, 2008 8:38 PM
Jana Gana Mana is a slave song since it refers to Adhinayak (a ruler, not God). It was written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911 as requested by the Congress Party and a British monarchy official. It was for thanking King George V, for annulling partition of Bengal in 1911. It was sung at the Congress session in 1911 as a welcome song and picturises, colonial India of 1911. The song is a symbol of slavery, colonialism, since it sings paean to Adhinayak (the ruler). Initially, self-respecting Tagore was unhappy on being asked to compose a song in praise of a foreign monarch. Later, he relented and was amply rewarded with a Nobel in Literature in 1913, for writing this song, even though the book selected was Geetanjali. Tagore was also knighted in 1915, which title he renounced in 1919 as a protest against British atrocities in Punjab (Jalianwala Bagh massacre). 61 years after Independence, we still sing that slave song, stand to attention and thus perpetuate the slave memory willy-nilly. Will we ever become Independent if we continue singing that song in praise of the long dead King and also take pride in saying I belonged to this caste or that tribe or other backward class, before becoming a Buddhist? Even 'Dalit' Christians and Muslims wish to have the SC/ST benefits. At this rate how can we grow? Bina Ramani, Jana, Gana Mana cannot be equated to Vande Mataram or Sare Jehan Se Achcha Hindustan Hamara... You better educate your brother's children to grow up Reproduced from Free, Fair and Fearless book published in December 2005.

From NV

May 16, 2008 11:17 PM
Thanks Leo for the history lesson, but it would be nice if you too would pay a little more attention to detail and realise that the blog is being written by Priya Ramani and not Bina Ramani! And yes, you could lighten up too.

From kalyangupta

May 25, 2008 8:34 PM
Dear Dr rebel But have you noticed that your name and surname both are from colonial rulers it is sorry state that u have to bear that burden like slave through out your life....So what are u talking about???

POST YOUR COMMENT

:
(required)
 
Email Address
(required)
   
(optional)
(HTML not allowed)