The wordamar refers to thepossessive first-person singular'my' or'(of) mine'; the wordsonar is theadjectival form of the root wordsona, meaning'gold'; and the wordsonar, which literally translates as'golden' or'made of gold', is used as a term of endearment meaning'beloved', but in the song, the wordsSonar Bangla may be interpreted to express the preciousness ofBengal.[citation needed]
The song was written by Rabindranath Tagore in the context of theFirst Partition of Bengal, while the melody is derived fromBaul singerGagan Harkara's "Ami Kothay Pabo Tare", set toDadratala.[7][8][9] The partition occurred in 1905 when the rulingBritish Empire had an undivided province ofBengal Presidency split into two parts; the decision was announced on 20 July by the then-Viceroy of India,Lord Curzon, taking effect on 16 October. This divide of Bengal, being along communal lines–East Bengal and Assam having a majority of Muslims andWest Bengal having a majority of Hindus–is claimed to have been politically motivated. Along with a host of others, songs such as this were meant to rekindle the unified spirit of Bengal and to raise public consciousness against the communal political divide.
The actual date of the song's composition is disputed, because the original manuscript of the song was never found. Prashanta Kumar Paul, in his biography on Rabindranath TagoreRabi Jibani, claimed that the song was first sung on 25 August 1905 in an essay conference atKolkata.[10][11][12] The lyrics first appeared in public in the September issues ofBongodorshon andBaul simultaneously in 1905. The song, along with the musical notation (referred to asswaralipi in Bengali), first appeared in the periodical musical journalShongeet Biggnan Probeshika in the same month and year.Indira Devi, Tagore's niece,Satyendranath Tagore's daughter, jotted down the musical notation, hearing it from Tagore himself (this was the common norm, Tagore singing the song, and someone formally jotting down the musical notations).[citation needed]
The first ten lines of the original poem constitute the most commonly sung version of Bangladesh's national anthem, adopted in 1971 during theBangladesh Liberation War. The instrumental orchestra rendition was composed bySamar Das.[13][11] During the drafting of theConstitution of Bangladesh in 1972, two songs were proposed for the national anthem of the country, the "Amar Sonar Bangla" and "Dhana Dhanya Pushpa Bhara" byDwijendra Lal Roy. At the end, Amar Sonar Bangla was selected.[14]
The following provides the lyrics ofAmar Sonar Bangla as written by Rabindranath Tagore. Only the first ten bolded lines of the original lyrics are sung as Bangladesh's national anthem.
তোমার এই খেলাঘরে শিশুকাল কাটিলে রে, তোমারি ধুলামাটি অঙ্গে মাখি ধন্য জীবন মানি। তুই দিন ফুরালে সন্ধ্যাকালে কী দীপ জ্বালিস ঘরে, মরি হায়, হায় রে— তখন খেলাধুলা সকল ফেলে, ও মা, তোমার কোলে ছুটে আসি॥
ধেনু-চরা তোমার মাঠে, পারে যাবার খেয়াঘাটে, সারা দিন পাখি-ডাকা ছায়ায়-ঢাকা তোমার পল্লীবাটে, তোমার ধানে-ভরা আঙিনাতে জীবনের দিন কাটে, মরি হায়, হায় রে— ও মা, আমার যে ভাই তারা সবাই, ও মা, তোমার রাখাল তোমার চাষি॥
ও মা, তোর চরণেতে দিলেম এই মাথা পেতে— দে গো তোর পায়ের ধুলা, সে যে আমার মাথার মানিক হবে। ও মা, গরিবের ধন যা আছে তাই দিব চরণতলে, মরি হায়, হায় রে— আমি পরের ঘরে কিনব না আর, মা, তোর ভূষণ ব'লে গলার ফাঁসি
My golden Bengal, thee I love. Forever thy skies be, thine air like a flute set my heart in tune; OMother, aroma of mango orchard inFalgun driveth me crazy, Ah, such miraculousness! O Mother, time seeth inOgrohayon smiles sweet all through fields of paddy.
What beauty, what shades, what affection, what tenderness; What a quilt thou hast spread at tip of banyans 'long ev'ry bank, O Mother, words from thy lips like nectar to my ears. Ah, such miraculousness! If sadness, o mother, cast a gloom on thy face, my eyes filled with tears.
Spending my childhood in thy playhouse Thy soil o'er my body smeared, I consider myself privileged. Wonderful lamp at dusk thou lightest, Ah, such miraculousness! At once I quit playing and sprint back to thy lap, o mother.
In cattle grazing field, on pier for crossing stream, Shaded village walkways, serene with calling birds Open porch with heaped ripe paddy, my life goeth on. Ah, such miraculousness! All thy shepherds and farmers are my brothers.
This time I offer my head beneath thy feet, Bless me with thy dust, obliged shall I be to flaunt overhead. To thee I shall offer meagrely whatever I have at home, Ah, such miraculousness! Ne'er bothered to buy thee from others a hanging rope coronal guise.
The song was composed duringFirst Partition of Bengal, which manyBengali Muslims ofEastern Bengal (the territory of which mostly form the modern-day Bangladesh) had welcomed and endorsed. Supporters of the Partition oppose the song as the national anthem of Bangladesh, as the song itself was composed in a context of opposition to a separateEast Bengal that would eventually become Bangladesh in future.
The song often faceIslamist opposition in the country. They claim that the word "mother" used in the song refers toHindu goddess, and Rabindranath Tagore addressed the country a "motherly goddess".[23] ManyQawmi Madrassa teachers consider singing the song asshirq and remain silent during anthem presentation.[24][25][26]
In her bookBengal Divided (1995), Indian author Jaya Chatterjee claimed that the song Amar Sonar Bangla doesn't have the enough breath that is needed to develop national consciousness being a national anthem.[14]
In 2018, the government made compulsory for all madrassas to sing national anthem. Three years later, the government instructed the vocational and the madrassa division to strictly implement the rule.[28] These moves faced heavy criticism and protests from the madrassa teachers and students.[29][30]
In 2018, Bangladeshi singer Mainul Ahsan Nobel, who was a runner-up in the Indian-Bengali musical showSa Re Ga Ma Pa Bangla, said thatPrince Mahmud's song "Bangladesh" depicted the beauty of Bangladesh far better than Amar Sonar Bangla.[31][32] This remark sparked controversy among Bangladeshis. Later, he apologized for his remark.[32]
In October 2020, a scholar from a local madrasa inKushtia sang anIslamic song in the melody of Amar Sonar Bangla, which faced criticism.[33]
In September 2024,Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, retiredbrigadier general of theBangladesh Army and son ofBangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami AmeerGhulam Azam, who held a press conference after his release from theAynaghar, called for a replacement of Amar Sonar Bangla, claiming that theIndian government had forced the Provisional Government of Bangladesh to adopt the song. He also argued that Amar Sonar Bangla contradicted with the characteristics of Bangladesh, as the song was composed in the context of the partition of Bengal to unite the two Bengals.[34][35] This remark sparked controversy on historical context and the significance of the anthem across the country.[36][37]Liberal Democratic Party leader Col. (retd.)Oli Ahmed endorsed Azmi's remarks, citing three reasons–the song isn't about Bangladesh, the song wasn't written by a Bangladeshi citizen, and melody of the song was copied.[38][39]
In 2002, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and government ministerMotiur Rahman Nizami proposed an amendment to the lyrics of Amar Sonar Bangla, citing Islamic values and spirit. However, the Cabinet Division did not accept the proposal.[43]
A former world record of more than a hundred thousand people performing Bangladesh's national anthem.
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs planned to stage an event on Bangladesh's 44thindependence day in a bid to have the world record for the most people singing a national anthem simultaneously. Consequently, on 2 March, the ministry launched a program titledLakho Konthe Sonar Bangla (lit.'Amar Sonar Bangla inlakh voices') whose main objective was to hold an event with the cooperation of theBangladesh Armed Forces where approximately 300,000 people would sing the national anthem.[45] Several popular Bangladeshi musicians and cultural groups later joined the program.[46]
The record was broken at 11:20 on 26 March 2014 by 254,537 participants at Dhaka's National Parade Ground. The event was attended by thePrime Minister of Bangladesh,Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, and all the members of the cabinet.[47] After receiving the required evidence, theGuinness Book of World Records approved the record on 9 April 2014.[48] The record was broken by India on 21 January 2017.[49]
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