evidence: Jana Gana Mana: Such A Long Journey It takes just 52 seconds to sing and yet that brief minute brims with the pride of a nation. If you haven’t guessed already, we’re referring to Jana Gana Mana, the national anthem of India. But here’s something that will probably astonish you – the song was composed in 1911, 39 years before it became India’s national anthem. [...] Finally, on 24th January 1950, when the Constituent Assembly met to sign the Constitution of India, President Rajendra Prasad declared ‘Jana Gana Mana’ as the national anthem of India and Vande Mataram as the national song.