Tagore and the story of three national anthems of India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

When Sheikh Hasina fled her country on August 5 to seek safe haven in India, Bangladeshis burned down their own history that their ancestors literally built with blood.

Many statues of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, once lovingly called Bangabandhu, were vandalized and smashed to ashes of the dead history of Bangladesh. All of this because Rahman was affiliated with the Awami League (Sheikh Hasina’s political party) and of coursewas the father of Hasina, the ousted Prime Minister —but, in all hooliganism, people in Bangladesh seem to forget that Rahman was also the Father of the Nation.

With Bangladesh’s interim government unable to come to terms with the reality of appetitive aggression against minorities in the country, some radical voices are finding vocal grounds amidst all the confusion.

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In a recent bid to feign that Bangladesh has nothing to do with its Bengali ethnicity, former military officer Abdullahi Amaan Azmi argued that the anthem 'Amar Sonar Bangla' is a relic of the past and doesn't reflect the identity of an independent Bangladesh.

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Azmi, son of former Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ghulam Azam, argued that the national anthem written by Rabindranath Tagore, associated with the Bengal partition, does not align with the essence of a liberated Bangladesh.

"How can an anthem created to unite the two Bengals become the national anthem of an independent Bangladesh?" he asked, claiming, "This anthem was imposed on us by India in 1971."

Here’s a little history of how Bengali language and Tagore hold a shared connection in the sub-continent.

Rabindranath Tagore and story of three national anthems of India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Rabindranath Tagore wrote the national anthems of two countries, India and Bangladesh. But he also deeply influenced the words and music of a third, the Lankan national anthem, ‘Sri Lanka Matha’.

The union of sorts of the three national anthems were first witnessed during the Cricket World Cup 2011, which was also the year of Tagore’s 150th birth celebration. It was rare to see an international sports event beginning and ending with players of different nationalities crooning anthems written by the same man- the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

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The sporting event kicked off with 'Amar Shonar Bangla' and 'Jana Gana Mana' as the first match was between Bangladesh and India on 19 February 2011 in Dhaka.

In the finals in Mumbai, again India’s anthem was played while the Sri Lankan team sang ‘Sri Lanka Mathaa’, which also has the Tagore stamp.

The anthem was written and composed by Ananda Samarakoon, around 1939-40, while he was Tagore’s disciple at Visva-Bharati University. Samarakoon’s first Santiniketan stint ended after six months but it was inspiring enough for him to return and begin the first traditions of a unique Sinhalese music.

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Some believe that Tagore worked on the musicwhile Samarakoon wrote the lyrics, but Tagore being directly involved in the creation of the song has been denied by some historians like Indian Lipi Ghosh and Sri Lankan Sandagomi Coperahewa.

After returning to Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Samarakoon taught music at Mahinda College, Galle. The song, which was then known as "Namo Namo Mata", was first sung by students at Mahinda College. After it was sung by the choir from Musaeus College, Colombo at a public event it became hugely popular in Ceylon and was widely played on radio.

‘Amar Sonar Bangla’

'Amar Sonar Bangla', the national anthem of Bangladesh is an ode to Mother Bengal, the lyrics of which were written by Tagore. The melody was derived from Baul singer Gagan Harkara's 'Ami Kothay Pabo Tare.'The modern instrumental rendition was arranged by Bangladeshi musician Samar Das.

The song was written in 1905 during the first partition of Bengal, when the ruling British Empire had an undivided province of Bengal Presidency split into two parts- along communal lines. This action by the British was claimed to have been politically motivated and hence many songs were written to rekindle the unified spirit of Bengal.

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The lyrics first appeared in the September issues of Bongodorshon and Baul simultaneously, in 1905. Indira Devi, Tagore's niece, jotted down the musical notation hearing it from Tagore himself.

The first ten lines of the original poem constitute the most commonly sung version of Bangladesh's national anthem, adopted in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

‘Jana Gana Mana’

It was originally composed as 'Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata' in Bengali on 11 December 1911. The first stanza of the song Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India as the National Anthem on 24 January 1950.

The poem was composed in a literary register of the Bengali language called Sadhu Bhasha, which is heavily Sanskritised.

If put forward succinctly, the anthem conveys the spirit of pluralism or the concept of 'unity in diversity', which lies at the core of India's cultural heritage.

Bangladesh interim govt to avoid 'controversy'

Religious Affairs Adviser AFM Khalid Hossain reassured the public that the Muhammad Yunus-led administration would not engage in any actions that would fuel unnecessary "controversy." He said regarding Azmi's comment on Bangladesh's national anthem.

He said the government "will not do anything to create controversy".

(With inputs from agencies)