Amar Sonar Bangla

What it is

Amar Sonar Bangla ("My Golden Bengal") is a song with lyrics by Rabindranath Tagore, its melody adapted from a tune by Baul singer Gagan Harkara. The exact date of composition is uncertain since the original manuscript has never been found, though it is often linked to 1905, the year of the Partition of Bengal. It became the national anthem of Bangladesh in 1971.

Why it matters

The song was written to rekindle unity in Bengal at a time when the British Empire divided the province along religious lines. Decades later it was adopted by the Provisional Government of Bangladesh during the Liberation War. The song has also faced criticism and controversy, including from groups who object to its religious imagery or its origins in opposition to the very partition that eventually led to Bangladesh's creation.

Look closer

• Why might a song written in one historical context be adopted as a national symbol decades later in a very different context?
• What does the ongoing debate over this anthem tell us about how nations use art to define identity?
• Why is it significant that the original manuscript of the song has never been found?