Of National Anthems & National Songs

Some of you might have read an article in the recent past of some debate in Pakistan about the due which was not given to a Hindu Urdu poet Jagannath Azad commissioned by Jinnah to write the the national anthem of Pakistan. Eighteen months later it was changed to have both music and lyrics by Muslims.

We too have our own controversies about the national anthem, written in highly sanskritised Bengali and it being composed some say to honour King George the V. Our National Song Vande Mataram, is written in sanskrit.