Uttar Pradesh school 'changes' national anthem

Ambedkar Nagar (Uttar Pradesh), Feb 21 (IANS) A private school in this Uttar Pradesh district has 'altered' the national anthem, replacing several words, and made its students sing it, as the management feels certain words in the anthem do not have any 'significance in a democracy'.
The modifications have been made by the school's manager Ragunath Singh and 400-odd students from Classes 1-5 of the Lord Buddha Ambedkar Arjak Mission Public School in Tanda town are being made to the sing the country's 'new' national anthem.
Singh claims that he 'modified' the national anthem after he felt that 'some words in it have no significance in a democracy'.
'Let me first clarify that by introducing the modifications in the national anthem I do not intend to hurt the sentiments of the countrymen...I am also an Indian and even cannot think of hurting the sentiments of the people of India,' Singh told reporters in Ambedkar Nagar, some 150 km from Lucknow.

'Just for an example, we have the word 'adhinayak' in the opening line of the national anthem. Now, 'adhinayak' refers to monarchy...So, in a democracy like ours how can we use the word adhinayak in the national anthem?' he added.
Singh claims Rabindranath Tagore wrote the poem, which was later adopted as the national anthem, in honour of the British king during his visit to India.
'I am not the first one to claim that...the national anthem was sung for the first time for the royal welcome of George V...In my opinion, several lines in the anthem directly convey praises for the king. So, I have changed them all,' Singh said.
'Like 'Bharat Bhagya Vidhata' has been replaced by me as Swarnim Bharat Nirmata... Likewise, there are several changes like this and the students are made to sing the modified version of the anthem,' said Singh.
On Singh's directives, the students sing the new anthem in the morning assembly.
'For the last few weeks, we have been singing the different version of the anthem...instructions in this regard were earlier issued by our teachers,' a Class 4 student told reporters.
Rakesh Kumar, the district in-charge of primary education in Ambedkar Nagar, told IANS: 'Yes, the matter has come to our knowledge. Though we are yet to complete an enquiry ordered in this regard, we are planning to take action against the school manager under Section 2 of the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, 1971.'
 
News information- http://in.news.yahoo.com/uttar-pradesh-school-changes-national-anthem-20110221-045819-817.html

Introduction to Indian Classical Music 101

The system of Indian classical music known as Raga Sangeet can be traced back nearly two thousand years to its origin in the Vedic hymns of the Hindu temples. Unlike Western classical music which has written scores, an Indian classical performance is based on improvisation, and anywhere from 10% to 90% of the performance could be extempore, depending on the creative imagination of the artist. The music is rendered orally to the disciple by his guru, popularly known as guru-shishya (teacher-student) parampara (tradition).
The very heart of Indian music is the raga, the melodic form upon which the artist improvises his performance. A raga is a scientific, precise, subtle and aesthetic melodic form with its own ascending and descending movement consisting of either a full seven-note octave or a series of six or five notes.
Every raga is characterized by its own particular mood. The acknowledged order of these nine sentiments, or emotions, is as follows: romantic and erotic, humorous, pathetic, anger, heroic, fearful, disgust, amazement and peaceful. Each raga, in addition to being associated with a particular mood, is also closely connected to a particular time of day or a season of the year. Thus through the rich melodies and rhythm of Indian music, every human emotion, every subtle feeling in man and nature, can be musically expressed and experienced.
In terms of aesthetics, a raga is the projection of the artist's inner spirit: a manifestation of his most profound feelings and sensibilities. The musician breathes life into each raga as he unfolds and expands it so that each note shimmers and pulsates with life and the raga is revealed vibrant and incandescent with beauty.
The tala, or rhythmic cycle of a raga, plays an equally important role in expressing the mood. There is a unique relationship between melody and rhythm. The intricacies depict the complexities and sophistication with which they are woven together. The division in a taal and the stress on the first beat, called sum, are the most important feature. The most exciting moment for a seasoned listener is when both the musicians, after their individual improvisations, come back together on the sum.
Today, Indian classical music is a permanent part of Western culture. Many composers and musicians have been influenced by our music. The openness, will to learn, and sincere enthusiasm of Western audiences are a continuing source of inspiration and delight. Indian music is one of the highest forms of music existing and nourished through its rich cultural heritage.

Shilpa Rao is a professional Indian Classical Music [http://www.articlestonurture.com/classical/music.html/1] artist. Learn basics of Indian Classical Music system at [http://www.articlestonurture.com/Category/Music/109]

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