An American teen’s heartfelt rendition of the Indian national anthem has become a source of happiness for many on social media. The video, shared by an Indian in the US, captures the 17-year-old enthusiastically singing the anthem.
“Oh my god! My heart just smiled through this,” Disha Pansuriya wrote while posting the video. She added that the singer, Gabe Merritt, knows anthems of different countries, but his favourite one is that of India.
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“He is just amazing, he knows mostly every country’s national anthem, but @india is his favorite! I pray and wish he goes places with his exceptional talent!!” reads the rest of the caption.
The video opens to show Merritt sitting on a chair. A text insert appears on the screen: “You feel proud when a 17-year-old American sings the Indian National Anthem.”
The rest of the video captures Merritt singing ‘Jana Gana Mana’ while trying to get the correct pronunciation.
Take a look at the video:
{{/usCountry}}The rest of the video captures Merritt singing ‘Jana Gana Mana’ while trying to get the correct pronunciation.
Take a look at the video:
{{/usCountry}}How did social media react?
The video received warm responses from people on Instagram. Many reacted to the post using heart or fire emoticons.
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An individual wrote, “That was a super proud moment.” Another added, “It feels so great to hear the National Anthem. So proud of you.” A third joked, “Angreezo ko bhi sikha diya.” A fourth commented, “This was the best thing I saw today.”
About ‘Jana Gana Mana’:
Rabindranath Tagore originally composed the song Jana Gana Mana in Bangla. It was later adopted as the National Anthem of India on January 24, 1950.
Though the original song written by the Nobel laureate was long, the words and music of the first stanza are considered the National Anthem of India.
The full anthem plays for approximately 52 seconds. On certain occasions, a shorter version consisting of the first and last lines of the National Anthem is played, and its playtime is about 20 seconds.