[6][7] An ode to Mother Bengal, the lyrics were written by Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, while the melody is derived from Baul singer Gagan Harkara's "Ami Kothay Pabo Tare", set to Dadra tala.

Along with a host of others, songs such as this were meant to rekindle the unified spirit of Bengal, to raise public consciousness against the communal political divide.

Tōmār ēi khēlāghôrē śiśukāl kāṭilē rē, Tōmāri dhulāmāṭi ôṅgē mākhi dhônyô jībôn māni.

Forever thy skies be, thine air like a flute set my heart in tune; O Mother, aroma of mango orchard in Falgun driveth me crazy, Ah, such miraculousness!

What beauty, what shades, what affection, what tenderness; What a quilt thou hast spread at tip of banyans 'long ev'ry bank, O Mother, words from thy lips like nectar to my ears.

In cattle grazing field, on pier for crossing stream, Shaded village walkways, serene with calling birds Open porch with heaped ripe paddy, my life goeth on.

In 1979, in a letter sent to the Cabinet Division, then Prime Minister Shah Azizur Rahman argued that Amar Sonar Bangla was contradictory to the national identity and the culture of Bangladeshis as it was written by a person who had a non-Bangladeshi background, and proposed the patriotic song "Prothom Bangladesh" (lit.

[16] During the presidency of Ziaur Rahman, the song was played after Amar Sonar Bangla on national television and government programmes.

[17] In 2002, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami proposed an amendment to the lyrics of Amar Sonar Bangla, citing Islamic values and spirit.

[19] In a press conference on 3 September 2024, Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, retired Brigadier General of Bangladesh Army and son of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Ghulam Azam, called for a replacement of Amar Sonar Bangla, claiming that Indian government had forced the Provisional Government of Bangladesh to adopt the song.

[22][23] The Ministry of Cultural Affairs planned to stage an event on Bangladesh's 44th independence day, in a bid to have the world record of the most people singing a national anthem simultaneously.

Consequently, on 2 March, the ministry launched a program titled Lakho Konthe Sonar Bangla (lit.

'Amar Sonar Bangla in lakh voices') whose main objective was to hold an event with the cooperation of Bangladesh Armed Forces where approximately 300,000 people would sing the national anthem.

The event was attended by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, and all the members of the cabinet.