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RAS question

The national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' was first sung at the Congress session of:

Correct answer: (B) Calcutta Session, December 27, 1911.

Jana Gana Mana was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.

  1. (A)

    Karachi Session, 1931

  2. (B)

    Calcutta Session, December 27, 1911

  3. (C)

    Lahore Session, 1929

  4. (D)

    Bombay Session, 1885

Explanation

Jana Gana Mana was composed by Rabindranath Tagore and first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. The Ministry of Culture repository places that session at Bharat Sabha on Bowbazar Street in Kolkata and records that Sarala Devi Chowdhurani, Tagore's niece, performed it with a few school students before Congress leaders. The date matters because it is often confused with later nationalist milestones or with the Delhi Durbar context of George V's visit. The source also notes Tagore's clarification that the song was not a welcome to the imperial monarch. It was later adopted as India's national anthem on 24 January 1950.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) Karachi Session, 1931 is not the first performance context for Jana Gana Mana; the verified first singing was at the Calcutta INC session on 27 December 1911.
  • (C) Lahore Session, 1929 is associated with the Purna Swaraj milestone, not the first singing of Jana Gana Mana.
  • (D) Bombay Session, 1885 was the first Indian National Congress session, but it predates Tagore's 1911 composition and performance of Jana Gana Mana.

Concept

This tests modern Indian history through Congress sessions and national symbols, a recurring RAS theme because dates, venues and associated political milestones are easily mixed up. The key is to separate the song's first performance from its later adoption as the national anthem.

Source

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