Bangladesh National Anthem: English Translation, Original Lyrics And History
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| What Is The Bangladesh National Anthem: English Translation, Original Lyrics And History. Photo: Getty Images |
"Amar Sonar Bangla" ('My Golden Bengal') is the national anthem of Bangladesh. An ode to Mother Bengal, the lyrics was 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. The modern instrumental rendition was arranged by Bangladeshi musician Samar Das.
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.
Here are the anthem’s history, original lyrics, English translation and other information.
History of the Bangladesh National Anthem
During the first partition of Bengal in 1905, an undivided province of Bengal Presidency was split into two parts by the ruling British Empire; the decision was announced on 19 July by the then-Viceroy of India Lord Curzon and went into effect on 16 October. The song was written at this time. It is claimed that the political and religious division of Bengal along communal lines (with Muslim-majority East Bengal and Assam and Hindu-majority West Bengal) weakened India's national movement against British imperialism.
Songs like this one, among many others, were written with the intention of reviving Bengal's communal spirit and galvanizing public opinion against the political divisions that had opened up along religious lines. Song lyrics were first published in 1905's "Bongodorshon" and "Baul" magazines' September issues. The song and its notation (called swaralipi in Bengali) were published for the first time in the same issue of the monthly music magazine Shongeet Biggnan Probeshika in the same year. Tagore's niece, Satyendranath Tagore's daughter Indira Devi, wrote down the musical notation after hearing it directly from her uncle (this was the common norm, Tagore singing the song, and someone formally jotting down the musical notations).
During its liberation war in 1971, Bangladesh adopted the first ten (10) lines of this song as its national anthem. Those lines alone are presented in the following text. Samar Das arranged and composed the orchestral piece.
Bangladesh National Anthem in Original Poem
Amar shonar Bangla, ami tomay bhalobashi.
Cirodin tomar akash, tomar batash, amar prane bajay bãshi.
O ma, phagune tor amer bone ghrane pagol kôre,
Mori hay, hay re:
O ma, Ôghrane tor bhôra khete ami ki dekhechi modhur hashi.
Ki shobha, ki chaya go, ki sneho, ki maya go,
Ki ãcol bichayecho bôṭer mule, nodir kule kule.
Ma, tor mukher bani amar kane lage shudhar môto,
Mori hay, hay re:
Ma, tor bôdonkhani molin hole, o ma, ami nôyonjôle bhashi.
Tomar ei khêlaghôre shishukal kaṭile re,
Tomari dhulamaṭi ôngge makhi dhonno jibôn mani.
Tui din phurale shondhakale ki dip jalish ghôre,
Mori hay, hay re:
Tôkhon khêladhula shôkol phele, o ma, tomar kole chuṭe ashi.
Dhenu-côra tomar maṭhe, pare jabar kheyaghaṭe,
Shara din pakhi-ḍaka chayay-ḍhaka tomar pollibaṭe,
Tomar dhane-bhôra anginate jibôner din kaṭe
Mori hay, hay re:
O ma, amar je bhai tara shôbai, o ma, tomar rakhal tomar cashi.
O ma, tor côronete dilem ei matha pete:
De go tor payer dhula, she je amar mathar manik hôbe.
O ma, goriber dhôn ja ache tai dibo côrontôle,
Mori hay, hay re:
Ami pôrer ghôre kinbo na ar, ma, tor bhushon bole gôlar phãshi.
Bangladesh National Anthem in English translation
My Bengal of gold, I love you
Forever your skies, your air set my heart in tune
as if it were a flute.
In Spring, Oh mother mine, the fragrance from
your mango-groves makes me wild with joy,
Ah, what a thrill!
In Autumn, Oh mother mine,
in the full-blossomed paddy fields,
I have seen spread all over sweet smiles!
Ah, what a beauty, what shades, what an affection
and what a tenderness!
What a quiet have you spread at the feet of
banyan trees and along the banks of rivers!
Oh mother mine, words from your lips are like
Nectar to my ears!
Ah, what a thrill!
If sadness, Oh mother mine, casts a gloom on your face
my eyes are filled with tears!
(Official translation by Syed Ali Ahsan)
Notable performances and covers
On the 44th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence, the country's Ministry of Cultural Affairs planned to host an event in an attempt to break the world record for the most people singing a national anthem at once. Since then, on March 2nd, the ministry has been running a program called "Lakho Konthe Sonar Bangla," the primary goal of which is to organize a concert with the help of the Bangladesh Armed Forces at which roughly 300,000 people will sing the national anthem. Later on, a slew of well-known Bangladeshi musical and cultural acts began appearing on the show as well.
At 11:20 a.m. on March 26, 2014, 254,537 people gathered at Dhaka's National Parade Ground to break the record. The Bangladeshi Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, and every member of the cabinet were present. The record was officially recognized by Guinness on April 9, 2014, after the organization received the necessary documentation. India surpassed their own record on January 21, 2017.
Lyrics video of Bangladesh national anthem
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