National Anthem

“Jana Gana Mana” (meaning “Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People”) is the national anthem of India. It was initially composed in Bengali by the polymath Rabindranath Tagore on December 11, 1911, under the title “Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata.” The first stanza of this composition was officially adopted as the National Anthem by the Constituent Assembly of India on January 24, 1950. A complete rendition of the anthem lasts about 52 seconds, while a shorter version featuring only the first and last lines, which takes roughly 20 seconds, is also performed at times. The anthem was first publicly sung on December 27, 1911, at the Indian National Congress session in Calcutta (now Kolkata).