They built me with their sweats And enslaved blood As a high mark of their might Wearing the chest of Calcuttan culture. Since then I have been standing strong On my plastered feet Like the two mammoth poles bound together Yet as different as East and West.
Bridging the gulf between the people, Quenching their thirst Generation after generation With the water ever flowing under me I harbor beneath my bosom A cauldron of composite cultures Unifying their heart, their mind, their languages; All fused into one As a whole.
Millions and millions smile in myriad ways-- Tagore sings in their heart National song of unity despite diversity, And hymns of humanity Invoking their secular conscience To embrace one and all Moving alone......walking alone...
As a witness to the holy river Of universal love and social pathos I have nursed and healed Many a man, my offspring who is the true man Of heart and mind with cosmopolitan frame With the head held high in esteem Like the tricolor flag Unfurling the glorious past and pride Of the nation...
