Unsung Stanzas from 'Jana Gana Mana': An Ode to India’s Splendid Diversity
As controversy grows over the Union Ministry of Home Affairs moving to ensure that all stanzas from 'Vande Mataram' are to precede the national anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana', at state functions and events, renowned musician and scholar, T.M. Krishna sings those verses from the national anthem that are less known. These verses are not a part of the official version, meant to be rendered in 52 seconds. Rabindranath Tagore had written and composed the tune for the national anthem, which celebrates India’s vast and stunning diversity.
'Vande Mataram', currently the national song, is also limited to its two opening stanzas. Later verses added on to 'Vande Mataram', by writer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, bear a controversial and divisive context because of which stalwarts of India’s national movement in 1937 struck a balance by using just two stanzas as the national song. T.M. Krishna has recently authored the book We the people of India, Decoding our national symbols.
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