MUMBAI: Today, India celebrates its 72^nd Independence Day, the day, which set us free from the shackles of British, in 1947. From hoisting the flag to programs, march pass, and distributing sweets, the day has a special fervour. And as every Indian cherishes the Independence Day, the famous patriotic songs add to the emotion. But, no matter how many songs are made, there is one song that will always top the heart of every Indian and will be sung by every generation of our country. It is none other than our National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana.

Written by Rabindranath Tagore, our National Anthem has an untold story that needs to be passed down to generations, so that today’s youth know its importance, Hence, on the occasion of 72nd Independence Day, we bring you some unknown, yet interesting facts about our National Anthem.

1. Its lyrics were, originally in Raga Alhaiya Bilawal, but it is sung with slight changes to its classical form.
    
2. A false myth that Jana Gana Mana was penned as well as composed by Rabindranath Tagore, in order to praise King George V, during his 1911 India visit, was doing rounds.
    
3. Tagore had also cleared the air by refusing that he never created the song for the King, but for our nation.
    
4. The three words – ‘Jana’, ‘Gana’ and ‘Mana’ were written for the first time on 11 December 1911.
    
5. We only sing the first stanza of the anthem, which originally has five stanzas.
    
6. Jana Gana Mana was chosen as the national anthem over Vande Mataram by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru chose as he thought that the bands would find it easier to play on its tunes.
    
7. A free translation of our National Anthem, from Sanskritised Bengali to a more familiar form in Hindustani, was commissioned by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
    
8. Jana Gana Mana was declared as our National Anthem on 24 January 1950, only.