Listen | The Idea that Tagore Wrote 'Jana Gana Mana' in King George V’s Honour is Rubbish

In his latest book We the People of India-Decoding A Nation’s Symbols, Carnatic classical singer and author T.M. Krishna investigates the histories of the tricolour, the national anthem, the motto Satyameva Jayate, the Ashoka Lions and the Preamble to the constitution and discovers some fascinating details.

“My book is a response to the attacks on the symbols of India,” he says in a podcast conversation with Sidharth Bhatia.

He reveals that every decision taken by the leaders before India gained independence was discussed and debated threadbare. “Even the views of citizens were taken seriously,” he says. In his chapter on the Indian flag, he reveals how the flag went through many iterations before the final version was accepted.

He insists though that “Gandhi designed the final flag. I have no doubt in my mind.”

Krishna says that the Ashoka Lions were “symbols of Buddha himself.” He is clear that the new, aggressive lions represent “bravado and weakness”; “We should not be celebrating the killer instinct.”

Jana Gana Mana is a beautiful poem, he says. The leaders were clear that Vande Mataram was not suitable. “Anand Math (where Vande Mataram appears), is a “problematic text.” His research shows that Rabindranath Tagore did not write Jana Gana Mana in honour of KingGeorge V. “That is rubbish.”

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