Why Jana Gana Mana was the right choice for India
In choosing Jana Gana Mana, India did not pick the most dramatic song; it chose the most durable one
By Sanjay Dubey
1. Made for everyone, not just trained voices
Unlike many national anthems, Jana Gana Mana stays within a comfortable vocal range and moves mostly step by step. Set in a simple and calm scale (Raga Alhaiya Bilawal), its melody is very easy to sing for schoolchildren, the elderly, trained singers, and ordinary crowds alike.
The US national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, sits at the other extreme. It is notoriously difficult to sing—even for professional singers—which is why it is often performed, lip-synced, or played instrumentally. Vande Mataram, too, is musically more demanding and suits trained voices better than mixed crowds.
Globally, India’s anthem is thought to be among the easiest to sing, alongside Japan’s Kimigayo and New Zealand’s God Defend New Zealand. It is far more accessible than many other anthems such as The Star-Spangled Banner, France’s La Marseillaise, or Italy’s Il Canto degli Italiani.
2. A collective song, not a solo performance
Many of us who have regularly sung Jana Gana Mana in our schools can easily recall that it is meant for collective participation, not individual performances. It sounds dignified even when sung imperfectly by large groups and discourages vocal artistry or giving personal touches to the poem. This quality makes Jana Gana Mana suitable for schools, stadiums, state ceremonies, and international events.
Many national anthems are more suited as performance pieces, where soloists try to “conquer” the song rather than guide collective singing. Such songs find a limited role in the everyday singing of normal citizens.
Vande Mataram also invites individual interpretations due to its construct and emotional history. It gets associated more with powerful solo or choral renditions than with uniform, standardised singing. This performative quality is part of its appeal—but also why it works better as a national song than as a national anthem.
Jana Gana Mana, by contrast, is meant to sound more or less the same wherever it is sung, allowing everyone to participate equally rather than turning it into a performance.
3. Perfect length and structure for public life
At around 52 seconds, Jana Gana Mana is long enough to feel solemn and short enough to fit naturally into public events. It has a clearly defined beginning and end, with a simple melody and uniform tempo that remain consistent across settings.
The Star-Spangled Banner has four stanzas, but only the first is commonly sung. The remaining verses are rarely remembered or performed, creating a gap between the official anthem and the version that exists in public practice.
Vande Mataram might have faced a related difficulty had it been chosen as the national anthem. Quite apart from the well-known debates around its religious imagery, the full song is long, musically demanding, and linguistically dense, which could have made it difficult to sing, remember, and practise regularly in everyday public life.
Jana Gana Mana avoids these issues. The version adopted as the national anthem is complete in itself, easy to sing, and naturally suited to repeated public use. This explains why it has remained consistent and durable across generations.
4. Restraint for unity
Many national anthems are meant to stir strong emotions—defiance, pride, or triumph. Jana Gana Mana takes a quieter route. It affirms unity without asking citizens to feel a specific emotion.
This restraint is important in a diverse country like India. The anthem encourages everyone to stand together rather than being tied to any single identity or ideology. It seems perfectly compatible with the core values of a modern constitutional republic.
Vande Mataram, by contrast, is emotionally charged by design. Its imagery and tone might have worked spectacularly during a phase in the freedom struggle, but a progressive democracy benefits better from a song that can be sung daily without causing emotional or ideological tensions.
India’s choice aligns with restrained anthems like Japan’s Kimigayo, rather than the more martial anthems of countries like France or Russia.
5. Elevated language that remains accessible
Jana Gana Mana uses Sanskrit words, but they are used in a very simple manner. It avoids complicated metaphors, and even when the words are not fully understood, its tone and structure make it very easy to follow and understand.
Vande Mataram, by contrast, uses a mix of Sanskrit and Bengali. Its poetic and devotional words give it strong emotional power, but they also make it harder to understand and sing.
Many national anthems struggle to strike a right balance. Some rely on strong historical, religious, or military words, while others are tied to specific events. Jana Gana Mana avoids these problems by keeping the words neutral and suggestive—one reason it has remained relevant across generations.
Vande Mataram remains an important national song, deeply linked to India’s freedom struggle and collective memory. It gave voice to a nation rising in protest and hope. Jana Gana Mana, however, best serves a different purpose. It is a daily, shared expression of unity in an independent, diverse, and constitutional republic. It gives voice to a nation that chose to live together—quietly, equally, and over time.