Vande Mataram Ali Jinnah opposed the song. Thereafter, with the support of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru, the Indian National Congress decided to adopt only the first two stanzas as the national song to be sung at public gatherings, and other verses that included references to Durga and Lakshmi were expunged. Rajendra Prasad, who was presiding the Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950, made the following statement which was also adopted as the final decision on the issue: ...The composition consisting of words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations as
If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth "If I Forget Thee, O Earth" is a science fiction short story by English writer Arthur C. Clarke and first published in 1951 in the magazine "Future SF". It was subsequently published as part of a short story collection in "Expedition to Earth" (1953). The title is taken from Psalm 137:5—"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem"—which consists of the writer lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army. The themes in the story exploit the anxieties prevalent at the time regarding nuclear warfare. The work was well received. "Christian Science Monitor" reviewer