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The anthem was first performed on December 27, 1911 at the Indian National Congress session in Calcutta when the outfit was associated with the country`s independence movement.
Rabindranath Tagore translated "Jana Gana Mana" from Bengali to English in 1911 and also set it to music in Madanapalle, a small town in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. After it was translated into English, Indian students took the song beyond the country`s borders making it `The Morning Song of India` and subsequently the national anthem.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose`s Indian National Army adopted Jana Gana Mana as the National Anthem, while Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi had in 1946 said the "the song has found a place in our national life."
The song was selected as the national anthem of India in 1950 after considerable debate overruled Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay`s popular Bengali song `Vande Mataram` in the face of opposition from certain communities.