Students from High School to Elementary School are busy learning the National Anthem ready for the annual flag-raising ceremony on 15th August. This is always a solemn occasion as staff and students gather to hear speeches and cultural items.

The Jana Gana Mana was composed by Shri Rabindranath Tagore and first sung at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress on December 27th, 1911. It was adopted as the National Anthem of India on January 14th, 1950 by the Constituent Assembly. The first stanza (out of five stanzas) of the song forms the National Anthem. The following is an English translation

Thou are the ruler of the minds of all people, dispenser of India's destiny. The name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind, Gujurat, Maratha, and of the Dravid, Orissa and Bengal. It echoes in the hills of Vindhyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea. They pray for your blessing and sing thy praise. The salvation of all people is thy hand, thou dispenser of India's destiny. Victory, victory, victory to thee.

Click here to listen to Woodstock Middle School students.performing the song