National Pride

The Inviolable Sanctity of National Pride-Address Basic Issues First

We take for granted that most Indians, if not all, can sing and understand the contents of our National Anthem. Thanks to electronic media and cable TV, those who did not have the opportunity to learn the National Anthem at  school or through audio-visual shows, have crossed the first threshold of merely singing it. Next, what about contents and meaning of the anthem; written in highly sanskritised Bengali and later translated into Hindi.

 Sanskrit itself has lost its predominant place among Indian languages.  . It was the preferred language in most schools which offered a choice of languages other than the official language of the state, until perhaps the mid 1950s. Not so today. Efforts to revive Sanskrit have now commenced, due to its reported compatibility with mathematics and computers.

Some countries such as Australia and South Africa, have made their anthem bi-lingual so as to preserve the culture and language of the aborigines/original inhabitants. That  was practical and effective as English remains their National language.

If Sanskrit in India is as neglected as is popularly believed, it becomes necessary and mandatory to translate the contents of our anthem, in all the major languages of India. Presently it is the responsibility of the citizen to understand the power of its content. There is no dearth of English and other versions of Tagore's masterpiece. A brief survey has revealed that most are happy to just sing the anthem even if the contents are not fully understood. Imagine the force multiplier effect if they also understood the spirit behind the words of the poem.

 How many of those who have just working knowledge of Hindi understand what Tagore had so lovingly conceived as salutations to India?  Those who live in deep down South and the corners of North East India need also to be inspired by the contents of the anthem. Electronic, print and social media along with smart phones make this possible today-  provided we have an accountable element of the Government which is tasked to do so. Is there a need to educate our masses on the relevance of the flag, national anthem, national flower, national bird and national animal? I would argue for it for reasons more than a score. The end of this article has an anecdotal evidence for the need to think anew.

Incidentally, Bangladesh adopted Tagore's poem "Amar Sonar Bangla" as their National Anthem. But then it was written in their National language too and hence is understood by every Bangladeshi. There is thus an emotional connect in addition to the patriotic flavour of the anthem.

How then can every Indian Citizen imbibe the spirit and intent of the anthem while singing it with pride and emotions that the occasion deserves. Is that the primary reason why most people singing the national anthem appear to be mechanical and not emotional?

 The English translation of 'Jana gana mana' was done by Margaret Cousin, which was meant for a slow rendition style. The orchestral choral adaptation was meant for ceremonial purposes. This 52 second rendition was composed by Herbert Murrill. There is also an abridged version (with the first and last lines only) for specific  ceremonial occasions.

This raises a number of practical questions. Herbert Murill composed the orchestral version keeping in mind that the National anthem should be short and inspirational as it is sung/played on solemn occasions, often in the presence of the Military.. What then are the occasions when Margaret Cousin's version may be sung? I am sure such occasions are hidden away in numerous orders on the subject which remain inaccessible to many.

Theatres too have begun to play different variants of the Anthem. In the absence of clarifications and instructions easily accessible to all, it is likely that a 'pop' variant would hit the stage soon. 

I was forced to introspect on the subject, due to a recent incident. A casual visit to a film show at a local theatre turned out to be eventful. When the National Anthem duly preceded by a request to rise was played, the entire audience stood up- save one. Here was a man a few rows ahead, who continued to text on his I- Phone while being firmly seated in his chair.  Come intermission, I walked up to him and with great restraint said, "You Sir, must be the most troubled man in India which prevented you from rising for the National Anthem" He, with nonchalance, brushed me aside and replied, "That Sir is a long story." Little did I imagine that in my life time I shall meet a young man so angry with his motherland.

So, was it ignorance ,apathy, anger, rebellion,.....?  My mind raced back to post Vietnam scenes in Washington DC when unhappy and discontented demonstrators displayed anti-national sentiments. . Is this a process of evolution which is best left unaddressed or does it reflect the need to legislate or even better, create awareness through public private partnership.

Governments are notorious for inability to reach out to the people, except during elections. This subject needs bipartisan/multi party consensus and innovative programmes cutting across party lines. Sadly,  many of the elected representatives themselves need a crash course on the subject of Patriotism.