Jana Gana Mana

As a little child,
Had to buy a paper flag or two;
Sing Jana Gana Mana standing very still;
Look at the flag unfurled and flying high
Not knowing what the lyrics meant;
And still feeling all that pride.
I knew that this freedom came with a price.
I knew many had lost their lives less than a century ago;
I knew I couldn't repay this debt.
And yet, I was happy to say-
Happy Independence day!

Then I'd hear the sordid tales
What has India come to?
Desh ka kya hoga...
We are so old and yet so young.
Is it fair to be so hard on ourselves?
Of course, we will make our mistakes
Of course, we will be stupid.
Being the world's largest democracy,
Being home to a third of humanity,
Being the birthplace of civilization,
of zero, of Sanskrit and Tamil,
Means so much responsibility.
Of course, we have our poverty, our diseases and pain,
Of course, we have our corruption, communal disharmony, consumerism and vanity
But we are growing up and there's too much insanity.
Let us be, world; let us understand our freedom.
You know, we will some day be that guiding force again
For now, we are trying to find our bearings.

As we celebrate yet another birthday today,
Let us taste the sweetness of our freedom
And the myriad flavours of our diversity.
Let us sing Jana, Gana, Mana again;
Feeling just as proud as we were; when we were younger;
But now knowing what the lyrics mean;
And knowing well that we have a long way to go.



English Translation of Jana Gana Mana:

O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people[8]
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, the Maratha country,
in the Dravida, Utkala and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
it mingles in the rhapsodies of the pure waters of Yamuna and Ganga
They chant only thy name.
They seek only thy auspicious blessings.
They sing only the glory of thy victory.
The salvation of all people waits in thy hands,
O! Dispenser of India's destiny, thou art the ruler of the minds of all people
Victory to thee, Victory to thee, Victory to thee,
Victory, Victory, Victory, Victory to thee!
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jana_Gana_Mana)

This version of our National anthem gave me goosebumps and my eyes welled up:
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftD3gDA-5S0)