NT BUZZ
On a crisp November morning in 1875, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee is said to have written a few verses that would one day echo across the subcontinent. The words ‘Vande Mataram’, meaning “I bow to thee, Mother”, were first printed in the pages of ‘Bangadarshan’, his Bengali literary journal. A century and a half later, India is still singing that song.
On November 7, 2025, the nation marked 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’ with ceremonies, mass recitations and commemorations stretching from schools to institutions. A commemorative stamp and coin were released by the Prime Minister, and thousands joined in nationwide renditions of the full song, which the government described as “the eternal idea of India: unity, respect and devotion to the motherland”.
Written originally in Sanskritised Bengali, ‘Vande Mataram’ first appeared as part of Chatterjee’s 1882 novel ‘Anandamath’, where it was sung by a band of ascetic revolutionaries, who were seeking to free a famine-struck Bengal from foreign rule. Their hymn to the motherland became the pulse of the freedom struggle. By the late 19th century, it had become a watchword for the patriotic Indians who wanted freedom from the colonial rule. In 1896, Rabindranath Tagore sang it at the session of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta. During the 1905 Swadeshi movement and other anti-colonial protests, it became a rallying cry. Colonial authorities at times banned its recitation, only amplifying its symbolic power.
After Independence, the song was accorded a special place. On January 24, 1950, the then-President of the Constituent Assembly, Dr. Rajendra Prasad declared that ‘Vande Mataram’, having played a historic role in the freedom struggle, shall be accorded equal honour with the National Anthem.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the celebrations, calling it “a symbol of India’s soul.” Across states, schools, offices, and cultural bodies organised collective renditions to mark the day. Yet, alongside the celebrations, controversy resurfaced. During his inaugural address, the Prime Minister remarked that certain “important stanzas” of the original had been omitted in 1937, a move he said “sowed the seeds of partition”.
The original ‘Vande Mataram’ has six stanzas. In 1937, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), after consulting with Rabindranath Tagore, decided to adopt only the first two stanzas as the national song for national gatherings. Tagore advised this because while the first two stanzas were a secular description of the motherland, the later stanzas contained specific religious imagery, depicting the nation as Hindu goddesses like Durga and Lakshmi. The decision to use only the first two stanzas was an attempt to maintain a secular appeal and accommodate the sentiments of non-Hindus, particularly Muslims, who found the religious references objectionable. Critics accused the government of politicising a work whose meaning, they argued, transcends party lines.
For many, the song remains a deeply personal emblem of belonging. Generations of students still sing it during school assemblies, often unaware of its layered history. Cultural observers note that its endurance reflects not only patriotism but also India’s complex relationship with its symbols of nationhood.
As the anniversary year unfolds, ‘Vande Mataram’ stands at an intersection of history and identity; a reminder of how words can unite and unsettle at once.
