SSC
The national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was sung for the first time on 27 December 1911 at the session of the Indian National Congress held at:
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Answer: Option D — Calcutta
Detailed Solution
"Jana Gana Mana" was sung for the first time on 27 December 1911, on the second day of the annual session of the Indian National Congress held at Calcutta (Kolkata).
About the song:
- It was composed by Rabindranath Tagore in Bengali (in a highly Sanskritised form).
- It is the first stanza of a five-stanza hymn titled "Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata".
- It was sung by Sarala Devi Chaudhurani (Tagore's niece) and a group of school students at the Congress session.
- It was published in January 1912 in the "Tattvabodhini Patrika", of which Tagore was the editor.
- Tagore translated it into English as "The Morning Song of India" (1919), at Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh.
The controversy:
- Some people claimed that the song was written in praise of King George V, who was visiting India at that time (the Delhi Durbar was held in December 1911).
- Tagore denied this in a letter in 1937, explaining that the "Bharat Bhagya Vidhata" (dispenser of India's destiny) in the song was God, not any king.
Use in the national movement:
Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian National Army used a version of the song ("Shubh Sukh Chain") as its anthem.
Adoption as the national anthem:
- After Independence, it was chosen as the national anthem of India.
- Its playing time is about 52 seconds; a short version of the first and last lines takes about 20 seconds.
Tagore and national anthems:
Tagore also wrote "Amar Sonar Bangla", the national anthem of Bangladesh.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Bombay, Lahore and Madras were the venues of other sessions.
Quick tip
Remember: "Jana Gana Mana" first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta Congress session (Tagore; first stanza of "Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata"); playing time about 52 seconds.
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Indian National Congress & Its Sessions — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indian National Congress & Its Sessions, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by A. O. Hume, and its first session was held in Bombay under W. C. Bonnerjee. This topic covers the important Congress sessions and their presidents, the moderate and extremist phases, the Surat split, and the founding and role of the Muslim League. Questions commonly ask who presided over a session, where a session was held, or what was decided there. For example, the 1929 Lahore session under Jawaharlal Nehru adopted the goal of Purna Swaraj, and the 1931 Karachi session passed the resolution on Fundamental Rights. The first woman president of the Congress was Annie Besant (Calcutta, 1917). Practise the Indian National Congress questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.