Amar Sonar Bangla
"" is the national anthem of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. An ode to Mother Bengal, the lyrics were written by Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore in the context of the First Partition of Bengal. It was adopted as the national anthem by the Provisional Government of Bangladesh in 1971.
Etymology
The word refers to the possessive first-person singular or ; the word is the adjectival form of the root word, meaning ; and the word, which literally translates as or, is used as a term of endearment meaning, but in the song, the words may be interpreted to express the preciousness of Bengal.History
The song was written by Rabindranath Tagore in the context of the First Partition of Bengal, while the melody is derived from Baul singer Gagan Harkara's "Ami Kothay Pabo Tare", set to Dadra tala. The partition occurred in 1905 when the ruling British Empire had an undivided province of Bengal Presidency split into two parts; the decision was announced on 20 July by the then-Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, taking effect on 16 October. This divide of Bengal, being along communal lines–East Bengal and Assam having a majority of Muslims and West Bengal having a majority of Hindus–is claimed to have been politically motivated. Along with a host of others, songs such as this were meant to rekindle the unified spirit of Bengal and to raise public consciousness against the communal political divide.The actual date of the song's composition is disputed, because the original manuscript of the song was never found. Prashanta Kumar Paul, in his biography on Rabindranath Tagore Rabi Jibani, claimed that the song was first sung on 25 August 1905 in an essay conference at Kolkata. The lyrics first appeared in public in the September issues of Bongo Dhorshon and Baul simultaneously in 1905. The song, along with the musical notation, first appeared in the periodical musical journal Shongeet Biggnan Praveshika in the same month and year. Indira Devi, Tagore's niece, Satyendranath Tagore's daughter, jotted down the musical notation, hearing it from Tagore himself.
Official adoption
The first ten lines of the original poem constitute the most commonly sung version of Bangladesh's national anthem, adopted in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The instrumental orchestra rendition was composed by Samar Das. During the drafting of the Constitution of Bangladesh in 1972, two songs were proposed for the national anthem of the country, the "Amar Sonar Bangla" and "Dhana Dhanya Pushpa Bhara" by Dwijendra Lal Roy. At the end, Amar Sonar Bangla was selected.Lyrics
The following provides the lyrics of as written by Rabindranath Tagore. Only the first ten bolded lines of the original lyrics are sung as Bangladesh's national anthem.| Bengali original | Romanisation | IPA transcription |
চিরদিন তোমার আকাশ, তোমার বাতাস, আমার প্রাণে বাজায় বাঁশি॥ ও মা, ফাগুনে তোর আমের বনে ঘ্রাণে পাগল করে, মরি হায়, হায় রে— ও মা, অঘ্রাণে তোর ভরা ক্ষেতে আমি কী দেখেছি মধুর হাসি॥ কী শোভা, কী ছায়া গো, কী স্নেহ, কী মায়া গো— কী আঁচল বিছায়েছ বটের মূলে, নদীর কূলে কূলে। মা, তোর মুখের বাণী আমার কানে লাগে সুধার মতো, মরি হায়, হায় রে— মা, তোর বদনখানি মলিন হলে, ও মা, আমি নয়নজলে ভাসি॥ তোমার এই খেলাঘরে শিশুকাল কাটিলে রে, তোমারি ধুলামাটি অঙ্গে মাখি ধন্য জীবন মানি। তুই দিন ফুরালে সন্ধ্যাকালে কী দীপ জ্বালিস ঘরে, মরি হায়, হায় রে— তখন খেলাধুলা সকল ফেলে, ও মা, তোমার কোলে ছুটে আসি॥ ধেনু-চরা তোমার মাঠে, পারে যাবার খেয়াঘাটে, সারা দিন পাখি-ডাকা ছায়ায়-ঢাকা তোমার পল্লীবাটে, তোমার ধানে-ভরা আঙিনাতে জীবনের দিন কাটে, মরি হায়, হায় রে— ও মা, আমার যে ভাই তারা সবাই, ও মা, তোমার রাখাল তোমার চাষি॥ ও মা, তোর চরণেতে দিলেম এই মাথা পেতে— দে গো তোর পায়ের ধুলা, সে যে আমার মাথার মানিক হবে। ও মা, গরিবের ধন যা আছে তাই দিব চরণতলে, মরি হায়, হায় রে— আমি পরের ঘরে কিনব না আর, মা, তোর ভূষণ ব'লে গলার ফাঁসি |
English translation
The anthem was translated into English by Syed Ali Ahsan.Criticism
According to Ziauddin Ahmed, the song as the national anthem is facing criticism at least since 1975. Among the earliest open opponents to the song include Islamic Democratic League MP Abdur Rahim and Vice-chancellor of the University of Dhaka Prof. Aftab Ahmed.Historical context
The song was composed during First Partition of Bengal, which many Bengali Muslims of Eastern Bengal had welcomed and endorsed. Supporters of the Partition oppose the song as the national anthem of Bangladesh, as the song itself was composed in a context of opposition to a separate East Bengal that would eventually become Bangladesh in future.Islamist and anti-Hindutva opposition
The song often face Islamist opposition in the country. They claim that the word "mother" used in the song refers to Hindu goddess, and Rabindranath Tagore addressed the country a "motherly goddess". Many Qawmi Madrassa teachers consider singing the song as shirk and remain silent during anthem presentation.British Bangladeshi anti-extremism advocate Mufassil Islam criticized the song as the national anthem from an anti-Hindutva perspective, calling Rabindranath Tagore a "Hindutwa fanatic".
Others
In her book Bengal Divided, Indian author Jaya Chatterjee claimed that the song Amar Sonar Bangla doesn't have the enough breath that is needed to develop national consciousness being a national anthem.Major controversies
In 2018, the government made compulsory for all madrassas to sing national anthem. Three years later, the government instructed the vocational and the madrassa division to strictly implement the rule. These moves faced heavy criticism and protests from the madrassa teachers and students.In 2018, Bangladeshi singer Mainul Ahsan Nobel, who was a runner-up in the Indian-Bengali musical show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Bangla, said that Prince Mahmud's song "Bangladesh" depicted the beauty of Bangladesh far better than Amar Sonar Bangla. This remark sparked controversy among Bangladeshis. Later, he apologized for his remark.
In October 2020, a scholar from a local madrasa in Kushtia sang an Islamic song in the melody of Amar Sonar Bangla, which faced criticism.
In September 2024, Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, retired brigadier general of the Bangladesh Army and son of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Ghulam Azam, who held a press conference after his release from the Aynaghar, called for a replacement of Amar Sonar Bangla, claiming that the Indian government had forced the Provisional Government of Bangladesh to adopt the song. He also argued that Amar Sonar Bangla contradicted with the characteristics of Bangladesh, as the song was composed in the context of the partition of Bengal to unite the two Bengals. This remark sparked controversy on historical context and the significance of the anthem across the country. Liberal Democratic Party leader Col. Oli Ahmed endorsed Azmi's remarks, citing three reasons–the song isn't about Bangladesh, the song wasn't written by a Bangladeshi citizen, and melody of the song was copied.
In October 2025, the Bharatiya Janata Party Assam unit criticized the Indian National Congress politician Bidhu Bhushan Das for singing Amar Sonar Bangla in a political conference in Karimganj, India. Although Das himself claimed that he had only sung the song as a Rabindra Sangeet, the BJP slammed him for carrying a "vote-bank-agenda" by promoting "Greater Bangladesh". Even the Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma ordered action against Das. This resulted in protest in Bangladesh against anti-Bengali sentiment in India.
Alternative proposals
Dhana Dhanya Pushpa Bhara
Dwijendra Lal Roy's patriotic song "Dhana Dhanya Pushpa Bhara", which was also composed during First Partition of Bengal, was one of the two proposals for national anthem following the Independence of Bangladesh, but eventually dropped in favour of Amar Sonar Bangla.Notuner Gaan
Kazi Nazrul Islam's song "Notuner Gaan" is the national march of Bangladesh. In 1975, after the 15 August coup, then President Khondaker Mostaq Ahmed set up a committee for the replacement of the anthem. The song was one of two songs that were recommended by the committee. However, the process was halted after his removal.Panjeri
Farrukh Ahmed's "Panjeri" was the other song that was proposed for the national anthem under Mostaq Ahmed.Prothom Bangladesh
In 1979, in a letter sent to the Cabinet Division, then Prime Minister Shah Azizur Rahman argued that Amar Sonar Bangla was "contradictory to the national identity and the culture of Bangladeshis" as it was written by a person who had a non-Bangladeshi background, and proposed Shahnaz Rahmatullah's patriotic song "Prothom Bangladesh" for the national anthem. During the presidency of Ziaur Rahman, the song was played after Amar Sonar Bangla on the national television and the government programmes. However, the initiative stopped after the death of Rahman in 1981. Today, Prothom Bangladesh is the party anthem of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.Lyrical amendment
In 2002, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and government minister Motiur Rahman Nizami proposed an amendment to the lyrics of Amar Sonar Bangla, citing Islamic values and spirit. However, the Cabinet Division did not accept the proposal.Notable performances and covers
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs planned to stage an event on Bangladesh's 44th independence day in a bid to have the world record for the most people singing a national anthem simultaneously. Consequently, on 2 March, the ministry launched a program titled Lakho Konthe Sonar Bangla whose main objective was to hold an event with the cooperation of the Bangladesh Armed Forces where approximately 300,000 people would sing the national anthem. Several popular Bangladeshi musicians and cultural groups later joined the program.The record was broken at 11:20 on 26 March 2014 by 254,537 participants at Dhaka's National Parade Ground. The event was attended by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, and all the members of the cabinet. After receiving the required evidence, the Guinness Book of World Records approved the record on 9 April 2014. The record was broken by India on 21 January 2017.