Amar Shonar Bangla (Bengali: আমার সোনার বাংলা, lit. “My Golden Bengal”) is the national anthem of Bangladesh. A Rabindra Sangeet, it was written and composed by the Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore in 1905 during the first partition of Bengal, when the British Empire divided the undivided Bengal province along religious lines.
The song was written as an expression of Bengali unity and patriotism to protest the partition. The first ten lines of the song were adopted as the national anthem of Bangladesh in 1971 during its Liberation War.
History and Melody
The lyrics of Amar Shonar Bangla were first published in the September 1905 issues of the journals Bijoya and Prabashi.
The melody of the song is deeply rooted in Bengali folk traditions. Tagore adapted the tune from the Baul song “Ami Kothay Pabo Tare” (Where shall I find him) composed by the popular folk singer Gagan Harkara. This choice of melody gave the song a profound, nostalgic emotional connection to the rural soil and folk spirit of Bengal.
During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, the song served as a primary source of inspiration for freedom fighters and was regularly broadcast by the clandestine radio station Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra.
Lyrics
The official national anthem comprises the first ten lines of the song:
Bengali Script (Original)
আমার সোনার বাংলা, আমি তোমায় ভালোবাসি।
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॥
Roman Transliteration
Amar sonar Bangla, ami tomay bhalobashi.
Chirodin tomar akash, tomar batash, amar prane bajay bashi.
O ma, phagune tor amer bone ghrane pagol kore,
Mori hay, hay re—
O ma, oghrane tor bhora khete ami ki dekhechhi modhur hasi.
Ki shobha, ki chhaya go, ki sneho, ki maya go—
Ki achol bichhayechho boter mule, nodir kule kule!
Ma, tor mukher bani amar kane lage shudhar moto,
Mori hay, hay re—
Ma, tor bodonkhani molin hole, o ma, ami noyonjole bhasi.
English Translation
My Bengal of gold, I love you.
Forever your skies, your air set my heart in tune as if it were a flute.
O Mother! The aroma of the mango orchards in spring drives me crazy with joy,
Ah, what a thrill!
O Mother! In autumn, in the full-blossomed paddy fields, I have seen sweet, sweet smiles.What beauty, what shades, what affection, and what tenderness!
What a quilt have you spread at the feet of banyan trees and along the banks of rivers!
O Mother, words from your lips sound like nectar to my ears,
Ah, what a thrill!
O Mother, if sadness glooms your face, my eyes are filled with tears!