Margaret Cousins Margaret Cousins Margaret Elizabeth Cousins, "née" Gillespie, also known as Gretta Cousins (7 October 1878 – 11 March 1954) was an Irish-Indian educationist, suffragist and Theosophist, who established All India Women's Conference (AIWC) in 1927. She was the wife of poet and literary critic James Cousins, with whom she moved to India in 1915. She is credited with composing the tune for the Indian National Anthem "Jana Gana Mana" in February 1919, during Rabindranath Tagore's visit to the Madanapalle College. Margaret Gillespie, from an Irish Protestant family, was born at Boyle, County Roscommon, and educated locally and in Derry. She
Jana Gana Mana enthralled the college students while Margaret Cousins, then vice-principal of the college (also an expert in European music and wife of Irish poet James Cousins), both requested Tagore to create an English translation of the song and set down the musical notation to the national anthem, which is followed only when the song is sung in the original slow rendition style. Tagore translated the work into English while at the college on 28 February 1919, titled . The college adopted Tagore's translation of the song as their prayer song which is sung till today. Before it was the national anthem