THE AFGHAN "NATIONAL ANTHEM."

Taihape Daily Times, 25 April 1919, Page 3

THE AFGHAN "NATIONAL ANTHEM."

The assassination of the Amir of Afghanistan recalls to me an amusing incident, of his official visit to India a few years ago, says a writer in the "Pall Mall aGzette." A umoh-dis-turbed Government official wished to welcome His Majesty with the strains of the National Anthcin of his country, but as one had never heard of such a thing he appealed to Lord Kitchener. "Tell the band to play any old thing it likes." was "K. of K.'s" impatient retort So it came about that the Amir arrived to the strains of the first eight bars of "The Rajah of Bhong," from "The Country Girl/'

and this tune followed him wherever he went throughout his tour, so that there are now people in India -who actually believe that this is Afghanistan's national hymn.