In this beautifully illustrated book filled with little known facts from Indian history, and pictures and photographs, read some unusual stories about our Republic: How Rabindranath Tagore came to write a poem called ‘Bharata Bhagya Bidhata’, which later became ‘Jana Gana Mana’. When Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose wanted a song as an anthem for the soldiers of the Indian National Army (INA), at the advice of Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, he chose ‘Jana Gana Mana’, but in a Hindustani translation, called ‘Shubh Sukh Chain’. And Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s bestselling novel Anandamath had the song ‘Vande Mataram’ in it, which became so popular that it was banned by the British!

Also read about how the national anthems of some other countries came to be written—Algeria’s anthem written by a poet in prison, Mexico’s national competition to choose an anthem, and Austria’s anthem that had to be updated for the times. Find out the astonishing chapter from our freedom movement about India’s underground radio network that kept protest songs and speeches alive, and the men and women who sang songs in the face of bullets—words that remain unforgotten even today, from ‘Sare Jahan Se Achcha’ to ‘Jhanda Uncha Rahe Hamara’.

About the Author