The National Anthem and its Music Composer

OM PRAKASH BASNET
When the Indian National Anthem blows, no Indian could resist themselves but stands, wherever and however he is. Not only in India, even in abroad the awesome music of our National Anthem makes us so sentimental that we boost ourselves with pomp and pride to be an Indian. We feel lucky enough to get such a magnificent and melodious song as our National Anthem. We are carried away by our National Anthem 'Jan Gan Mana' in such a way that sometimes vaingloriously we celebrate greatly for being the best National Anthem in the world. In 2012, when a fake massage came in social media that the UNESCO has declared Indian National Anthem as the best national anthem in the world, our happiness reached in the sky. We are always so aggressive even to show our concern when anything good comes about our national anthem. But have we ever tried to find out the man who is behind the composition of it's music? And are we ready to recognize the real hero who tuned the music of our National Anthem in its best? Although a group of chauvinists always trying to create a controversy regarding the music composition of our National Anthem. But a close and evidential analysis make it clear that the real hero is none but an INA soldier Captain Ram Sing Thakuri.
Captain Ram Singh Thakuri was born on 15th August, 1914 in the village Sallaghari under the district of Dharamasala in Himachal Pradesh. His father Hawaldar Dilip Singh Thakuri, served in First Gorkha Rifles. Ram Singh also joined the same army immediately after completion of his school education. He possessed an uncanny interest and talent in music since childhood. So immediately after joining the service, he was taken into the military band unit where he demonstrated extraordinary professionalism in music composition. And as result he was promoted to the rank of Havildar Major.
In 1941, during World War II, when the Japanese army made their incursion in Malaya and advanced towards Barma, Ram Singh Thakuri's unit First Gorkha Rifles was also sent to Burma with music Band. Thakuri rendered great service in the war by inspiring his regiment with his extraordinary military band for which he was awarded the 'King George Vl medal'. In the battle the Japanese overrun ruthlessly and captured many Indian troops who were taken as war prisoners. Some soldiers were handed over to Subhas Chandra Bose for 'Azad Hind Fauj'. In spite of being a soldier fighting for British, Ram Sigh had a strong zeal to make India free from the British clutches. Subhas Chandra Bose could realize Thakuri's passion to fight for his motherland, and admitted him in INA. Thakuri was assigned to act as music director in the Singapore and Rangoon station. With the help of Gen. Mohan Singh, in INA Ram Singh played a crucial role. Netaji praised his music talent and promoted him to the rank of Captain.
Ram Singh Thakuri composed, numerous patriotic songs, among them, "Kadam Kadam badaye ja", "Azad Hind ke jawan," "Lahara yeh tiranga pyara ", Ham dilli dilli jayenge", In May 1945. Rangoon was again captured by the Allied Force. Ram Singh along with his troops was taken into custody and brought to India. He was tried and would have been hanged for the treason but the British lost the case against Sahgal -Shahnawaz Shillong and he was released along with the trio.
After India's independence Captain Ram Singh Thakuri was re-employed in the Third Battalion of Uttar Pradesh Police Constabulary. He worked as the police band master in the rank of inspector till he retired in 1974. While he was serving in the Police department he was awarded Governor's Gold Medal in 1956, and President's Police Medal in 1972. After his retirement he received the Uttar Pradesh Dangeet Natak Akadomy award in 1979, and the Mitrasen Award from Sikkim Government in 1993 and also the Azad Hind Fauj award from the West Bengal government in 1996. He died in April 15. 2002 at the ripe age of 88 years.
Dr. Purushottam Bhandari in his book 'History of Gorkhas in INA' writes "Subhash Chandra Bose was influenced by the welcome song which was sang by the Gorkha Bandmaster of INA, Ram Singh Thakuri. Netaji congratulated Ram Singh and told... 'Ram Singh now you compose a song which will be sang by all soldiers with spirit advance ahead. I give my best wishes to you'. Due to the influence of Subhash Chandra Bose, Ram Singh Thakuri composed the National Anthem for INA soldiers, the National Anthem composed by Rabindranath Tagore was modified in some forms and a new version of National Anthem was prepared for INA soldiers and music was given by Ram Singh Thakuri." (page 190, 191) "At the request of Netaji Subhas Bose, Ram Singh Thakuri rendered martial tune to the poem of Rabindranath Tagore -'Jan gana mana adhinayaka jaiya he'- He orchestrated this song in full military band for the first time on October 21,1943 before a largely attended function held at Darbar Hall of the famous Cathay Building of Singapore. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose so loved the song that he adopted it as the national song of interim Azad Hind Government. Some sections of the people claim that this song was composed by Ram Singh Thakuri himself for the INA but this has been contradicted by others asserting that it was composed by poet Rabindranath Tagore." ('The Gorkha in the Freedom Struggle of India'....by K K Muktan page 107, 108).After India obtained independence in 1947 this song was adopted as the National Anthem of India to commemorate the glorious war of independence fought by INA soldiers and their supreme sacrifice for the country. "On the historic day of August 15, 1947, Ram Singh Thakuri was summoned once more by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to sing a patriotic song. Early morning on the day India shook off her colonial rule, Thakur and his orchestra sang from the rampart of Lal Qila...
"Shubha sukha chain ki barsa barse
Bharat bhagya hai jaga "
('The Gurkhas: A Study of Manners, Customs and Country '..by Dr. R K Purthi, page-188)
Regarding the composition of National Anthem in INA by Ram Singh Thakuri, Jyoti Thapa Mani in 'The Khukuri Braves ' ( page 317),writes.. "In 1943, at the Cathay Building in Singapore, Bose asked Ram Singh Thakuri to compose a tune for the new Hindustani version of the hymn, requesting specially for a rousing martial tune, not the kind that would put people to sleep. Bose believed greatly in music as a great source of inspiration for a fighting force in action with a cause....Finally, Ram Singh sang the song to Bose in the tune he had specially composed. Bose loved it. The words "Shubh Shukh" came under some flak because some words were too "Hindu", which will not go well with the non Hindu Indian soldiers. "Jana Gana Mana" was brought back with some implications of the original words. The "Martial" music score created by Ram Singh remained in this version." Subhash Deepak in his book 'Ram Singh Thakuri' (pp. 80, 81) quoted the views of Shah Newaz Khan regarding the controversy on who composed national anthem, as "It was under the command of Netaji that the music for the National Anthem of India was composed by Captain Ram Singh Thakuri in Singapore."
Adding to the controversy over the actual composer of the national anthem, Rabindra Sangeet exponent Subinoy Roy and Subhas Chandra Bose's nephew Dr. Sisir Bose made some controversial statements in 'The Pioneer'(March 1997) that a Gorkha was not capable of the kind of musical talent required to have composed the music for the Indian national anthem. For that they had to face a defamation suit in the court of the Darjeeling chief judicial magistrate.The suit also names the editor, publisher and Calcutta correspondent of The Pioneer. A similar suit has also been filed by the All Gorkha Students Union. Reacting to claims that the national anthem "could not have been composed by a Gorkha", the INA veteran lamented in this way "things in our country have come to such a petty pass, that sectarian and regional factors now dominate the thinking of the people. "At that time Ram Singh Thakuri was alive. It is pertinent to bring the reference of Sarat Pradhan's article in 'Radiff on the net titled 'Controversy over Jam Gana Mana takes a new turn', who contacted Ram Singh directly to get his views regarding the controversy, He writes "lamenting the level to which people could stoop, Ram Singh narrated to this correspondent the tale of how and when the Indian anthem had been composed. "It was sometime in 1943 in Rangoon, when Netaji called me over to say that a national anthem in Hindi was required for the provisional government of the Indian National Army. Jana gana mana was in Bengali, so Netaji, Abid Hasan and another person got together to translate it. Subsequently, it was given to me and I set it to music. Singh added that when though the Hindi version was what was first sung, four years later, in 1947, the Indian government subsequently decided to adopt the original Bengali version as the national anthem. "However," he added, "the tune I had composed was retained. "Beaming with pride, he recalled how he had composed the tune in just one day. "Then Netaji told me to brush it up, so I got back to it and redid the whole tune, and the final version was ready about 12 days later. "Asked specifically if he would like to react to the criticism of people like Roy and Shankar, Ram Singh said, "I think it is shameful that people can give such a parochial slant to something of national interest. I'd like to point out, too, that both the national anthem and the INA anthem which I composed are songs of soldiers. Gorkhas have in them what, in Hindi literature, we call Veer-Ras, and hence it is not so incredible that we Gorkhas can compose good music. In any event," added the evidently distressed soldier, "music is not, and can never be, the exclusive domain of any particular community, or the people of any particular region."
Regarding this controversy that the tune of National Anthem was given by Ram Singh Thakuri or not, Lt. Col. Lakshmi Sahgal, the very senior officer of lNA, the commander of Rani Jhansi unit of INA and a member of the council of minister in the provisional government of free India, feeling herself qualified to condemn this unseemly and unnecessary controversy raked up by the article (The Pioneer, 14 Feb 1997) by Archana Srivastava called 'INA national anthem and captain Ram Singh Thakuri' Regarding the music of our National Anthem Sahgal wrote "A committee was set up. And the result to be produced within a week. Ram Singh and his group were given the task of setting the music. Within a week they did and Netaji approved. "
I must mention why this issue related to our National Anthem has been brought forth as a controversy once again. I got an invitation from All India Radio, Guwahati to participate in a talk on 'Indian National Anthem's music composer captain Ram Singh Thakuri' on 23rd January 2020, conducted by Nepali Section of AIR Guwahati. Immediately after two hours of the recording, a telephone call came from the Program executive Shyamalendu Das to Bhaskar Dahal who is in-charge of Nepali Section, disagreeing the fact that Ram Sing Thakuri is the man who composed the tune of our National Anthem. Fortunately I was along with Bhaskar Dahal at that time attending a book release function, who wanted him to talk directly with me (the talker) to clarify the mater. I talked to Shyamalendu Das and clarified the matter from my end and asked him to search the same in Goggle and You Tube too. In the meantime he might have got it online searched and found, what he knew was not absolutely true. Few minutes later he let Bhaskar Dahal know that despite racking up a controversy he would announce Ram Singh Thakuri as a patriotic song composer in the broadcast. In this way he disagreed that Captain Ram Singh Thakuri is the man who actually composed the tune of our National Anthem. This is a common habit of this particular section of people to disregard any achievements of others but their own. In this regard I quote from Deepak Subba's 'Ram Singh Thakuri' (pp. 80-81) who writes "Finally I would like to appeal to all Bengal chauvinists and say that neither Rabindranath Tagore nor Netaji were the exclusive property of Bengal. They belong to all Indians and peace loving people."
In addition to this, Ram Singh Thakuri composed a large number of patriotic songs meant for INA and gave tune and music to them. But his contribution has not been properly recognized till today. It is perhaps due to the fact that he belonged to Gorkha community and Gorkhas of India are demanding a separate state Gorkhaland. It is noticed that most of the rejection and disrespect to Gorkha people have come from west Bengal, were a movement is still on to have Gorkhaland. It seems that this is a common tactics of a group to distract the Gorkhaland movement. It is mystery why the government of India is not recognizing the sacrifices of INA in freedom movement of India. The Azad Hind Fouj, led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose contributed a lot making India free from the clutches of the British. Maj Gen. GD Bakshi in his book "Bose or Gandhi, who got India her freedom " (pp. XVlll) writes 'The British were ultimately forced out of India not by Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru’s non violent freedom struggle but rather starkly by the INA that Bose had formed with Japanese help.' It is good to mention that the INA soldiers have been allowed to take part in the Republic Day Parade since before last year.
The govt. of India should recognize the contribution of Captain Ram Singh Thakuri and other INA soldiers immediately. Concluding the controversy regarding the music composer of our National Anthem, the Central government should issue a notification in favour of Ram Singh Thakuri. To pay homage to this music maestro govt. of India should conferred him "Bharat Ratna"(posthumously) and statues of Ram Singh Thakuri may be erected in public places and a musical award can be declared in his name.