Should the word "Adhinayak" be dropped from the national anthem?

Should the word “Adhinayak” be dropped from the national anthem?

Introduction

Rajasthan Governor, Kalyan Singh made a controversial statement during the 26th convocation ceremony of Rajasthan University. He stated that the word “adhinayak” should be dropped from the Indian national anthem.

Jana Gana Mana, the national anthem of India was written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore. The lyrics have been involved in controversies since 1950s as most of the people believed that it was written in praise of the British monarchy, whereas others believed that it failed to reflect the races and regions of India.

The anthem was first sung on 28 December, 1911 at the Congress session in Kolkata.

But is the recent controversy regarding the exclusion of the word “adhinayak” justifiable? Let's have a look.

Yes – The word “adhinayak” should be removed.

1. Loads of praise – The word “adhinayak” from the national anthem should be removed as it praises the British rule that existed in India. According to Kalyan Singh, the existence of the word “adhinayak” in the national anthem is a way of giving respect to the Britishers who ruled our country before the independence.

2. Remembering George V – According to Markandey Katju, the former Supreme Court judge, the national anthem was sung and composed as an act of worship, to George V, who was the only British king-emperor to travel to India.

3. Replacement – Though Kalyan Singh has made a controversial remark, he has also urged the government to replace the word “adhinayak” with “mangal”. He expressed a problem along with a solution. Thus, the government should take this suggestion into consideration.

4. Removal of other words – The British has left India around 66 years ago and today, not even a leaf in the country should carry any tribute related to British India. Then how can we expect the inclusion of certain words in our national anthem which praises the British rulers? Mr Singh has also stated that words such as “Mahamahim” should not be used any longer because no one is mahan (great).

No – The word “adhinayak” should not be removed.

1. Deeper meaning – In reality, “adhinayak” does not refer to the Britishers but it indicates the almighty (God). People who want the exclusion of the word “adhinayak” from the anthem should understand the deeper meaning of the word.

2. 100 years old – The national anthem of India is around 100 years old. Criticizing its words after 100 years does not make any sense. The government has much better things to do rather than going behind such irrelevant statements.

3. Emotional attachment - “Jana Gana Mana”, was adopted as the national anthem of India in the year 1950. Today, the citizens of India have a strong emotional attachment with our national anthem. Changing or replacing certain words, would not change the emotional connection that exists between the anthem and the people.

4. Change in other systems – If the word “adhinayak” is replaced, then the history textbooks in the schools should also undergo a change. The books should focus on figures such as Maharana Pratap rather than Akbar or any Mughal emperor. Thus, such unnecessary controversies should not be taken seriously.

Conclusion

The citizens of India were always proud to declare “Jana Gana Mana” as their national anthem and it will continue in the future too.

Most of the people were not even aware about the existence of a governor named Kalyan Singh . But with such a controversial statement, he has become the “man in news”.

The word “adhinayak” should not be removed from the anthem because the exclusion of any words may lead to the destruction of India's rich heritage. Rabindranath Tagore has left behind a worthy property to India and it is our precious national anthem. We should preserve it instead of destroying.