Every time the national anthem of India – Jana Gana Mana – plays, our hearts fill up with pride on hearing it. The lyrics of the anthem not only are etched in our minds but also instills in us a sense of patriotism. While we wait to celebrate the 75th Independence of India, here are some of the facts about the anthem.

-The anthem, which was originally composed in Bengali, is an adaptation of ‘Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata’. This song was written by poet and playwright Rabindranath Tagore. The song, which has five stanzas, is written in Sanskrit and reflects India’s culture, values and independence struggle. It was first published in Tattwabodhini Patrika in 1905.

-Tagore had sung the anthem first time publicly on the second day of the Calcutta Session held by Indian National Congress on December 27, 1911. The first stanza of the song was officially adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the national anthem of India on January 24, 1950.

-The song was first performed in Hamburg, Germany on September 11, 1942.

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-The English translation of the song was written by Tagore on February 28, 1919. It was titled ‘The Morning Song of India’. The song’s musical notations were set by Margeret Cousins, wife of poet James H. Cousins, principal of Besant Theosophical College at Madanapalle.

-The anthem’s Hindi-Urdu version was commissioned by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to Hindustani and its translated version was written by Captain Abid Ali of the Indian National Army, called ‘Shubh Sukh Chain.’

-At the inauguration of the German-Indian Society in Hamburg, in September 1942, Subhas Chandra Bose announced that the song ‘Jana Gana Mana’ will be the national anthem of free India. Albeit it was officially recognised on January 24, 1950.

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-By law, the complete national anthem must be complete within 52 seconds. However, its shorter version can be sung within 20 seconds.

–Tagore, in a letter written on November 10, 1937, rejected the claim that the anthem was written in honour of the British Monarch, King George V.

-Tagore has also written the national anthem of Bangladesh.