Anthems Forever

Before discovering the anthem Abid Hasan translated, let it be known that the setting could not have been more dramatic and historic. In 1943, Netaji and Hasan were on the German submarine that was stealthily making its way to East Asia from the shores of Germany. In the confines of the submarine, which Hasan described as ‘smelling of diesel oil’, the waves of creativity took over and the composition in Hindi of ‘Jana Gana Mana’was born.