Why in News?
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s ancestral house (Baithakkhana) in Naihati, West Bengal, where he wrote Vande Mataram, is facing neglect: damp walls, poor maintenance, and lack of funds. The site is preserved as the Bankim Bhavan Gaveshana Kendra Museum, but requires urgent repairs.
Description:
About Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay:
Administrative Career:
- One of the first Indian graduates of Calcutta University.
- Joined the Imperial Civil Service (ICS) as a Deputy Magistrate & Deputy Collector.
Literary Contributions:
Bankim is regarded as:
- A pioneer of the Bengal Renaissance
- A foundational figure of modern Indian nationalism
- A major 19th-century novelist, poet, essayist, and journalist
Important Works:
- Anandamath (1882) – about the Sanyasi Rebellion
- Durgeshnandini (1865) – first widely acclaimed Bengali novel
- Kapalkundala (1866)
- Devi Chaudhurani (1884)
- Krishna Charitra (scholarly work)
- Bishabriksha, Rajani, Mrinalini, etc.
Vande Mataram – National Song of India:
- Appears in Anandamath (1882).
- Written by Bankim in his Baithakkhana at Naihati.
- Celebrates the motherland as divine, blending nationalism with cultural symbolism.
Adoption:
- First sung in the 1896 Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress by Rabindranath Tagore.
- In 1950, the Constituent Assembly adopted:
- “Vande Mataram” as the National Song
- “Jana Gana Mana” as the National Anthem
- The first two stanzas of Vande Mataram have official status.
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