The terms ‘National Anthem” and “National Song” are often used in the proverbial tandem with each other that the subtle differences between the two are often overlooked if not outrightly forgotten.
A National Song is a patriotic hymn adopted by the government of a country to be sung on public or state occasions.
A National Anthem, on the other hand, is a musical composition, at times patriotic in nature, that defines a country’s history, tradition and struggles. It is recognized and adopted either by a nation’s government or by conventional use by the people.
| National Anthem | National Song |
|---|---|
| National AnthemA National Anthem reflects the history and culture of the country. | National SongA country’s population will strongly relate to a National Song due to many different factors |
| National AnthemA National Anthem will have a particular pronunciation, specific tune and specified timings which must be adhered to by those singing it. | National SongA National Song will have different variations depending on language and other cultural factors |
| National AnthemThe National Anthem of India is the “Jana Gana Mana” composed by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911. | National SongThe National Song is “Vande Mataram” composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s, |
| National AnthemAs per Article 51A of the Constitution of India, honouring the National anthem is one of the fundamental duties of a citizen of India | National SongThe National Song does not have such constitutional privileges were honouring it is listed as a fundamental duty of a citizen of India |
| National AnthemThe Parliament of India can and has exercised its right to make the singing of the National Anthem mandatory on select occasions. | National SongThe National Song is held in equal reverence to the national anthem but it is not mandatory to sing it at any given occasion. |
| National AnthemThe custom of officially adopting patriotic hymns as national anthems became a trend during the 19th century | National SongAt time National Songs that were widely-known nad sung by the majority population of a country was at times adopted as the National Anthem. An example of this is the “La Marseillaise”, written in 1792 by Claude Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. It was composed during the initial years of the French Revolution as a means to inspire the population |
