Jana Gana Mana, the national anthem of India, was first sung on this day i.e. December 27 in 1911. The anthem was originally composed as 'Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata' in Bengali by poet Rabindranath Tagore. The Hindi version of the national anthem was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem on January 24, 1950. The national song was first published under the title 'Bharat Vidhata' in Tattva Bodhini Patrika in January, 1912 and was translated in English in 1919 with the title “Morning Song of India”.

Taking to Twitter, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lauded Tagore’s efforts and said the national anthem has united people of the nation for years. “Jana Gana Mana was first sung on this day in 1911. Over the years, our National Anthem has united us & inspired the nation. The song is composed by Rabindranath Tagore. He is our pride. Through his protests in 1905, for united Bangla, he has shown us the way”, Banerjee tweeted.

The national anthem was first publicly sung on December 27, 1911 at the Calcutta (now Kolkata) Session of the Indian National Congress and again in January 1912 at the annual event of the Adi Brahmo Samaj. The national anthem was published in February 1905 under the title Bharat Bhagya Bidhata in the Tatwabodhini Patrika, which was the official publication of the Brahmo Samaj with Tagore then the Editor.

The National Anthem of India is a played on various occasions. When the national anthem is played, a proper decorum has to be maintained as a mark of respect for the national song. The approximate duration of the Full Version of National Anthem of India (Jana Gana Mana) is 52 seconds and 20 seconds for shorter version.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2019 01:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).