Forget Karnataka's flag, listen to Bihar's own state anthem

Bihar is the only state in the Hindi belt with its own anthem

The government of Bihar calls it the ‘state song and prayer’. Running two minutes and 41 seconds, titled 'Bihar - The garland of India', sung by Bollywood singers Udit Narayan and Sadhna Sargam, the song has catapulted Bihar into an exclusive league of Indian states with their own official songs. 

“Yes it is the official song of Bihar. It was written 5 years ago to mark the occasion of 100 years with Bihar Divas celebrated on March 22 every year,” confirmed Shailesh Kumar, JD(U) member of Bihar Assembly from Jamalpur. Bihar Divas marks the day when the state of Bihar was carved out of the Bengal Presidency in 1912. It is celebrated with fervour by residents of Bihar and people from Bihar settled across the globe. Nitish Kumar, who was the chief minister of Bihar when this song was penned, had personally supervised the grandiose year-long celebrations marking 100 years of Bihar in 2012. 

While states like Karnataka have been trying to moot the idea of their own state flag, an official state song has been adopted by some states other than Bihar as well. Most of these are south of the Vindhyas. They include Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and, of course, Karnataka. In addition, the northeastern state of Assam also has its own state anthem. But in the Hindi-belt, only Bihar stands out for having its own state anthem. 

Here is the full text of Bihar’s state anthem: 

Mere Bharat ke kanth-haar, 

Tujhko shat-shat vandan Bihar

Mere Bharat ke kanth-haar, 

Tujhko shat-shat vandan Bihar

Ye Valmiki ki Ramayan, 

Tu Vaishali ka loktantra

Tu Bodhisattwa ki karuna hai, 

Tu Mahavir ka shanti mantra

Tu Nalanda ka gyan deep,

Tu hai akshat chandan vihar

Tu hai Ashok ki Dhamma praja, 

Tu Guru Gobind ki vani hai

Tu Aryabhatta, tu Sher Shah, 

Tu Kunwar Singh balidani hai

Tu Bapu ki hai karmabhoomi, 

Dharti ka nandan-van Bihar

Teri gaurav-gatha apoorv, 

Tu vishwa-shanti ka agradoot

Lautega khoya swabhiman, 

Ab jaag chuke tere sapoot

Ab tu mathe ka vijay tilak, 

Tu aankhon ka anjan Bihar

Ho shat-shat vandan Bihar, 

Mere Bharat ke kanth-haar

English translation:

You are the garland of India, 

We bow to you in reverence, Bihar

You are the garland of India, 

We bow to you in reverence, Bihar

You are Valmiki’s Ramayana,

You are Vaishali’s democracy

You are the compassion of Buddhism,

You are the peaceful chants of Mahavira

You are the beacon of Nalanda’s knowledge, 

You are the indestructible force of heaven,

You are Ashoka’s whell, 

You are the sweet verses of Guru Gobind Singh 

You are Aryabhatta, you are Sher Shah,

You are the great sacrifice of Kunwar Singh 

You are the land of Mahatma Gandhi’s great deeds 

O Bihar, you are the beloved son of this world.

You are the song of unprecedented pride,

You are the flag-bearer of peace in this world,

Your erstwhile glory will surely return,

Your progeny has finally woken up.

You are the victory vermillion on my forehead,

O Bihar, you are the cynosure of my eye,

We bow to you in reverence Bihar,

You are the garland of India.

You can listen to the Bihar state anthem here:
 

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