Amar Sonar Bangla
English: My Golden Bengal | |
---|---|
আমার সোনার বাংলা | |
![]() | |
National anthem of ![]() | |
Lyrics | Rabindranath Tagore, 1905 |
Music | Gagan Harkara, 1889 (arranged by Samar Das, in 1972) |
Adopted | 10 April 1971 (provisional) 26 March 1972 (official) |
Audio sample | |
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version |
"Amar Sonar Bangla" (Bengali: আমার সোনার বাংলা, lit. 'My Golden Bengal', pronounced [amar ʃonar baŋla]) is the national anthem of Bangladesh.[1][2] An ode to Mother Bengal, the lyrics were written by Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore in 1905, while the melody of the hymn was adopted from the Baul singer Gagan Harkara's song "Ami Kothay Pabo Tare" (আমি কোথায় পাবো তারে) set to Dadra Tala.[3][4][5] The modern instrumental rendition was arranged by Bangladeshi musician Samar Das.
Etymology
The word sonar literally means "made of gold", with sona meaning gold, and amar showing possession. It is used as a term of endearment meaning "beloved", but in the song the words sonar Bangla may be interpreted to express the preciousness of Bengal.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Rabindranath_Tagore_in_1909.jpg/170px-Rabindranath_Tagore_in_1909.jpg)
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; the decision was announced on 20 July by the then-Viceroy of India Lord Curzon, taking effect on 16 October. This divide of Bengal, being along communal lines–East Bengal and Assam having a majority of Muslims and West Bengal having a majority of Hindus–is claimed to have been politically motivated. Along with a host of others, songs such as this were meant to rekindle the unified spirit of Bengal, to raise public consciousness against the communal political divide. The lyrics first appeared in the September issues of Bongodorshon and Baul simultaneously, in 1905. The song along with the musical notation (referred to as swaralipi in Bengali), first appeared in the periodical musical journal Shongeet Biggnan Probeshika in the same month and year. Indira Devi, Tagore's niece, Satyendranath Tagore's daughter, jotted down the musical notation hearing it from Tagore himself (this was the common norm, Tagore singing the song, and someone formally jotting down the musical notations).
Official adaption
The first ten lines of the original poem constitute the most commonly sung version of Bangladesh's national anthem, adopted in 1971 during its liberation war. The instrumental orchestra rendition was composed by Samar Das.[6]
Lyrics
Lyrics as sung
The following are the lyrics of the national anthem as sung, which differ slightly from the original poem.[7]
Bengali original | Romanisation of Bengali | IPA transcription[a] | English translation |
---|---|---|---|
আমার সোনার বাংলা, আমি তোমায় ভালোবাসি। |
Amar shonar Bangla, ami tomay bhalobashi. |
[a.mar ʃo.nar baŋ.la ǀ a.mi to.maj bʱa.lo.ba.ʃi] |
My golden Bengal, thee I love. |
Original poem
The following provides the lyrics of "Amar Sonar Bangla" as written by Rabindranath Tagore. Only the first ten lines of the original lyrics currently constitute Bangladesh's national anthem.
Bengali original[8][9][10] | Romanisation of Bengali | IPA transcription[a] | English translation |
---|---|---|---|
আমার সোনার বাংলা, আমি তোমায় ভালোবাসি। |
Amar shonar Bangla, ami tomay bhalobashi. |
[a.mar ʃo.nar baŋ.la ǀ a.mi to.maj bʱa.lo.ba.ʃi] |
My golden Bengal, thee I love. |
Notable performances and covers
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs planned to stage an event on Bangladesh's 44th independence day, in a bid to have the world record of the most people singing a national anthem simultaneously. Consequently, on 2 March, the ministry launched a program titled "Lakho Konthe Sonar Bangla" whose main objective was to hold an event with the cooperation of Bangladesh Armed Forces where approximately 300,000 people would sing the national anthem.[11] Several popular Bangladeshi musicians and cultural groups later joined the program.[12]
The record was broken at 11:20 on 26 March 2014 by 254,537 participants at Dhaka's National Parade Ground. The event was attended by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, and all the members of the cabinet.[13] After receiving the required evidence, the Guinness Book of World Records approved the record on 9 April 2014.[14] The record was broken by India on 21 January 2017.[15]
See also
- Notuner Gaan, the national march of Bangladesh, written by Kazi Nazrul Islam.
- Ekusher Gaan, a song in the memory of the martyrs of the Bengali language movement
- Jana Gana Mana, national anthem of India, also written by Rabindranath Tagore
- Banga Mata
- Joy Bangla
Notes
- ^ a b See Help:IPA/Bengali and Bengali phonology.
References
- ^ "The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh - 4. National anthem, flag and emblem". Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
- ^ "Bangladesh: Amar Shonar Bangla". NationalAnthems.me. Archived from the original on 2018-05-26. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
- ^ Folk singer, Swapan Basu, demonstrates the similarity in a live recitation (0:43/8:46 to 1:21/8:46)
- ^ Chakrabarti, Santosh (2004). Studies in Tagore: Critical Essays. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 108. ISBN 9788126903405.
- ^ "Rabindranath Tagore - Essays - Creative Unity - An Indian Folk Religion ()". tagoreweb.in. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ Komol, Khalid Hasan (2012). "Das, Samar". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- ^ Gaan Bangla TV (2021-03-25). "আমার সোনার বাংলা | দেশ বরেণ্য ৫০ জন শিল্পীর কন্ঠে জাতীয় সংগীত | National Anthem of Bangladesh". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2022-04-15. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Rabindranath Tagore - Songs - স্বদেশ - আমার সোনার বাংলা". tagoreweb.in. Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
- ^ "জাতীয় সংগীত (পাঠ) - নেত্রকোণা জেলা". www.netrokona.gov.bd. Archived from the original on 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
- ^ "About Bangladesh-2". www.parjatanbd.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
- ^ "Logo of 'Lakho Konthe Sonar Bangla' unveiled". The Independent. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ^ "Bangladesh prepares for another record". New Age. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ^ "Bangladesh sets world record singing nat'l anthem". New Age. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ^ "Guinness accepts national anthem record". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ^ "Most people singing a national/regional anthem simultaneously". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
External links
Works related to My Golden Bengal at Wikisource