We have all sung the national anthem. It is a song that can never be sung without feeling a sense of pride. Moreover, Jana Gana Mana inspired many people to take up the cause of independence some 65 years back. But does this anthem still hold relevance for the iPod listening, burger-eating young generation of today? Besides, there has been many changes since the anthem was composed; for instance, where does one find the Sindh that we sing about in the anthem? We talked to some students from across the Capital to find out what they feel about this.

Pulkit, a Class 11 student from Manav Sthali School, Rajendra Nagar, says the national anthem still holds as much significance as it did when it was composed. "The anthem is less about lyrics and more about national pride. We don't need to change its lyrics; it is us who need to change," Pulkit said. 

Richi Malhotra, a Class 10 student from the same school, believes that the national anthem connects us to our roots. She says, "This was a song that inspired our freedom fighters. It gives us a glimpse of our history and of our country's geography of those days.

GenY wears patriotism on their sleeves. "Elders always stand up when the national anthem plays. And if someone chooses not to stand, I don't care. I choose to stand and for me, being an Indian means having the freedom to make a choice," says Divya Sachdeva of Class 11, Bal Bharati Public School, Rohini.

Reiterating this sentiment, Sachdeva's junior in school, Kaushal Harbhajanka, says, "That fact that we stand up when the anthem plays, shows that we have cultivated a strong sense of pride in our nation."

HT Next I-Day special