জয় বাংলা | Joy Bangla
Channel: Bengali Poetry
Date: 2020-12-15

Joy Bangla (Bengali: জয় বাংলা) is a salutation, slogan and war cry most commonly used in the Independent Country of People's Republic of Bangladesh and Bengali dominited parts of India i.e West Bengal, Tripura, Barak Valley and Manbhum District  to indicate nationalism towards the geopolitical, cultural and historical region of Bengal and Bangamata (also known as Bangla Maa or Mother Bengal). It translates roughly to "Victory to Bengal" or "Hail Bengal".

The name of the slogan comes from a poem named "Pūrṇa Abhinandan" (1922) by Kazi Nazrul Islam. The middle two lines of the fifth stanza are as follows:

In Bengalī script

জয় বাংলা”র পূর্ণচন্দ্র, জয় জয় আদি অন্তরীণ,
জয় যুগে যুগে আসা সেনাপতি, জয় প্রাণ অন্তহীন

Transliteration

Joy Bangla'r pūrṇochondro, joy joy adi ontorīṇ
joy jugē jugē asa sēnapoti, joy prāṇ ontohīn

It appeared in the 11-point charter put forth by the Sarbadaliya Chhatra Sangram Parishad on 4 January 1969. After the release of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the SCSP held a rally at the Ramna Race Course ground on 22 February 1969, to honour him. When Mujib was conferred the title of Bangabandhu, cries of Joy Bangla came from all over the park.

Joy Bangla was the slogan and war cry of the Mukti Bahini that fought for the independence of Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. In Bangladesh Liberation War, 27 March 1971 Major Ziaur Rahman broadcast announcement of the declaration of independence on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and he finished with "Joy Bangla". 

#JoyBangla