Qaumi Taranah facts for kids
| English: National Anthem | |
|---|---|
| Qaumī Tarānah | |
Score of "Qaumī tarānah"
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| National anthem of | Pakistan |
| Also known as | Pāk Sarzamīn ["Thy Sacred Land"] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help) |
| Lyrics | Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jalandhari, June 1952 |
| Music | Ahmed Ghulam Ali Chagla, 21 August 1949 |
| Adopted | 16 August 1954 |
The "Qaumī Tarānah" (which means "National Anthem") is the official national anthem of Pakistan. It is also known as "Pāk Sarzamīn", meaning "Thy Sacred Land". The music for the anthem was created by Ahmad G. Chagla in 1949. The words were written by Hafeez Jalandhari in 1952.
The anthem was first played publicly on Radio Pakistan on August 13, 1954. Hafeez Jalandhari himself sang it. The government of Pakistan officially adopted it on August 16, 1954. Later that year, eleven famous Pakistani singers recorded the anthem. These singers included Ahmad Rushdi, Kaukab Jahan, and Rasheeda Begum.
Contents
History of the Anthem
In 1948, a man named A. R. Ghani from South Africa offered a prize. He would give 5,000 Pakistani rupees to the person who wrote the best poem and another 5,000 rupees for the best music for a new national anthem. The government announced these prizes in June 1948.
In December 1948, the Government of Pakistan created a group called the National Anthem Committee (NAC). Their job was to find the music and words for Pakistan's official national anthem. Important people like Abdur Rab Nishtar, Ahmad G. Chagla, and Hafeez Jullundhri were part of this committee.
Finding the Music
When President Sukarno of Indonesia visited Pakistan in January 1950, Pakistan did not have its own national anthem to play. This showed how important it was to get one quickly.
In 1950, the Shah of Iran was also planning to visit. This made the government ask the NAC to find an anthem very fast. The committee asked many poets and composers to write lyrics. However, none of the submitted works were quite right.
The NAC looked at different tunes. They finally chose the music created by Ahmad G. Chagla. On August 21, 1950, the Government of Pakistan officially accepted Chagla's tune for the national anthem.
First Performances and Lyrics
The anthem's music, without any words, was played for the first time for a foreign leader. This happened when the Shah of Iran visited Karachi on March 1, 1950. A Pakistan Navy band performed it.
It was also played for Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan during his visit to the United States in May 1950. Even though the music was chosen, the anthem was not officially recognized until August 1954.
The NAC sent recordings of the music to many poets. They asked them to write words for the tune. Hundreds of songs were submitted. Finally, the words written by Hafeez Jullundhri were chosen. The new national anthem, with both music and lyrics, was first played on Radio Pakistan on August 13, 1954. Hafeez Jullundhri sang it himself. The official approval came on August 16, 1954. Sadly, Ahmad G. Chagla, who composed the music, passed away in 1953, before the anthem was officially adopted.
In 2021, the government decided to re-record the "Qaumī Tarānah" with better sound quality. This project finished in 2022. A large group of 155 singers, 48 musicians, and 6 bandmasters took part in the re-recording. It was released on August 14, 2022.
Music of the Anthem
The "Qaumī Tarānah" has three parts, or stanzas. Its tune is based on traditional Eastern music. However, it is arranged so that bands from other countries can easily play it too.
Ahmad G. Chagla, the composer, had a background in both Eastern and Western music. This helped him create the unique sound. Usually, 21 musical instruments and 38 different notes are used to play the "Qaumī Tarānah". The anthem typically lasts about 80 seconds.
Lyrics of the Anthem
The words of the anthem are in classical High-Urdu. They were written by the Pakistani poet Hafeez Jalandhari in 1952. Each word was chosen carefully. The goal was to use words that came from Persian or Arabic, avoiding words that were only from Hindostani. This also made sure the words fit well with the music.
Most of the words in the anthem are similar to words in the Persian language. This means that people who speak Urdu and Persian can often understand the lyrics. No part of the three stanzas is repeated. The lyrics use many poetic words from Persian. Only one word, "kā", is purely from Urdu.
Urdu Official Lyrics
| Nastaliq script | Roman Urdu | ALA-LC romanization | IPA transcription |
|---|---|---|---|
|
پاک سرزمین شاد باد |
Paak sar zameen shaad baad |
Pāk sarzamīn shād bād |
[pɑːk səɾ.zə.miːn ʃɑːd̪ bɑːd̪ |] |
English Translation of Lyrics
| Literal | Poetic |
|---|---|
|
Blessed be the sacred land, |
May the holy land, stay glad; |
Important Moments in Anthem History
- 1947 – Pakistan became an independent country on August 14.
- 1949 – Ahmad G. Chagla composed the music for the "Qaumī Tarānah". It takes about 80 seconds to play.
- 1950 – The anthem's music was first played for a foreign leader. This happened when the Shah of Iran visited Karachi on March 1. A Pakistan Navy band performed it.
- 1952 – The words written by Pakistani poet Hafeez Jullundhri were chosen. His lyrics were picked from 723 entries.
- 1954 – The anthem was officially adopted. It was first broadcast on Radio Pakistan on August 13.
- 1955 – Eleven famous Pakistani singers, including Ahmad Rushdi, sang the anthem together.
- 1996 – The Pakistani rock band Junoon created an electric guitar version of the anthem for their album Inqilaab.
- 2009 – Pakistani musician Jehangir Aziz Hayat made an acoustic instrumental version.
- 2011 – On August 14, 5,857 people in a stadium in Karachi sang the "Qaumī Tarānah". This set a new world record for the most people singing a national anthem at once.
- 2012 – On October 20, 70,000 people in a stadium in Lahore sang the anthem. This broke the previous record and was confirmed by Guinness World Records.
- 2017 – Coke Studio released a new version of "Qaumī Tarānah" on August 4. Many artists worked together to celebrate Pakistan's 70th birthday.
- 2022 – The anthem was re-recorded using modern instruments and in higher quality. It was released on Pakistan's 75th Independence Day.
See also
In Spanish: Pak sarzamin shad bad para niños
- Pakistan Zindabad (anthem)
- Taraanahye Paakistaan
- Dil Dil Paakistaan
- Qaumee Parcam
- Radio Pakistan
- State emblem of Pakistan
