Indian National Anthem

Just a thought for the Inidian National Anthem! How well do you know it?

Our national anthem, 'Jana Gana Mana', is sung throughout the country. Did you know the following about it?

I didn't. I have always wondered who is the 'Adhinayak'and 'Bharat Bhagya Vidhata', whose praise we are singing. I have always thought it might be Motherland India!

To begin with, Jana Gana Mana, was written by Rabindranath Tagore in honor of King George V and the Queen of England when they visited India in 1919. To honour their visit, Pandit Motilal Nehru had five stanzas included that are in praise of the King and Queen. (And most of us think it is in praise of our great motherland.)

In the original Bengali verses only those provinces that were under British rule, i.e., Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, Maratha, were mentioned. None of the princely states, which are integral parts of India now, such as Kashmir, Rajasthan, Andhra, Mysore and Kerala, were recognized.

Neither the Indian Ocean nor the Arabian Sea were included because they were directly under Portuguese rule at that time.

Jana Gana Mana implies that King George V is the lord of the masses and Bharata Bhagya Vidhata, or 'the bestower of good fortune'.

Here is a translation of the five stanzas that glorify the King.

Stanza 1:

The (Indian) people wake up remembering your good name and ask for your blessings and they sing your glories (Tava shubha name jaage; tava shubha aashish maage, gaaye tava jaya gaatha)

Stanza 2:

Around your throne, people of all religions come and give their love and anxiously wait to hear your kind words.

Stanza 3:

Praise to the King for being the charioteer, for leading the ancient travellers beyond misery.

Stanza 4:

Drowned in deep ignorance and suffering, this poverty stricken, unconscious country? Waiting for the wink of your eye and our mother's (the Queen's) true protection.

Stanza 5:

In your compassionate plans, the sleeping Bharat (India) will wake up. We bow down to your feet, O Queen, and glory to Rajeshwara (the King).

This whole poem does not indicate any love for the Motherland, but depicts a bleak picture of it. When you sing Jana Gana Mana, whom are you glorifying? Certainly, not the Motherland. Is it God? The poem does not indicate that. It is time now to understand the original purpose and the implication of this, rather than blindly sing as has been done the past 60+ years.

Maybe we should shift to Vande Mataram or Saare Jahan Se Achcha, which are far better compositions in praise of India.

How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh!

The Japanese love fresh fish. However, the water close to Japan has not held many fish for decades. Therefore, to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever.

The farther the anglers went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed big freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. That was a great solution and they thought that the problem is solved forever. They celebrated their invention.

They were very disheartened to know that the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. They were not ready to buy them. The frozen fish brought a lower price. There was again a question of survival of the fishing industry.

After deep discussions, many sleepless nights, again a solution came into their minds. They were doubtful but still they thought that’s its worth working. A genius suggested installing fishing tanks so that fishes must get the natural environment to live. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. They thought that the problem is fixed now

However, the fishes displayed a different nature. Since the size of tanks had their own limitations after a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive.

Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.

So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan? If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend?

How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. However, with a management solution, real life solution, now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state.

The reason, the fish were challenged…

 

The moral of the story:

• Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Beat the heck out of them. Enjoy the game.
• If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up.
• Failing makes you tired. Instead, reorganize. Find more determination, more knowledge, more help.
• If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals.
• Once you meet your personal or family needs, move onto goals for your group, the society, even mankind.
• Don’t create success and lie in it. You have resources, skills and abilities to make a difference.
• Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!