Sindh & the National Anthem

The Bombay high court on Wednesday said the use of the word, ‘Sindh’, in the national anthem, Jana gana mana, was probably by mistake and was not done deliberately. A division bench of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R G Ketkar were hearing a public interest litigation filed by Shrikant Malushte, a retired professor, challenging the use of ‘Sindh’ in the national anthem. His argument argument was that Sindh is now a part of Pakistan and so, the word should be replaced with ‘Sindhu’, a river in northern India. He pointed out that the word was replaced by the Indian government in January 1950, but the anthem continued to be sung and broadcast with the “incorrect” word. Malushte’s advocate Niranjan Mogre said using the word was a “deliberate attempt” to retain Sindh, which is not in India anymore. “Why should it be deliberate? What is the motive? You are reading something more to this,” said Justice Desai, as the judges questioned the logic of “purposely” retaining the word ‘Sindh’. Mogre replied, “It is an insult to national honour.” Justice Desai riposted, “You cannot say it’s a deliberate act of disrespect. Why would anyone deliberately insult the national anthem?” Justice Desai added, “If it’s a mistake, you (Centre) must correct it immediately.” The bench also said “it was a mistake they probably have been making for years” and “the message must go out”. Advocate for Union government sought time to file a reply saying three ministries, that of home affairs, information & broadcasting and cultural affairs, were involved. The case will be next heard three weeks later.