India

Context

Written by Rabindranath Tagore in highly Sanskritized Bengali in 1911. There is a persistent myth that it was composed to welcome King George V to India, but Tagore himself firmly denied this, stating the song was addressed to the 'dispenser of human destiny' and not any earthly king. Tagore remains the only person to have written the national anthems of two different countries.

Lyrics

Interesting facts

• • Rabindranath Tagore also wrote Bangladesh's national anthem 'Amar Shonar Bangla,' making him the only person to author the anthems of two nations
• • The anthem mentions the region of Sindh, which is now part of Pakistan, preserving a geographical vision of undivided India
• • At exactly 52 seconds, the Indian government specifies a precise duration for performing the full version of the anthem

Related anthems