Vande Mataram: 150 Years

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Why in News?

India is marking 150 years of the composition of Vande Mataram (1875–2025).

Description:

Historical Background

YearEvent
1875 (Akshaya Navami)Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composes Vande Mataram.
1882Publication of Anandamath; Vande Mataram appears as a hymn symbolising the motherland.
1896First public singing at Indian National Congress session by Rabindranath Tagore.
07 Aug 1905Used as a political slogan during the Swadeshi Movement (anti-partition agitation).
1907Madam Bhikaji Cama unfurls the flag with the words Vande Mataram at Stuttgart, Germany.
24 Jan 1950Constituent Assembly adopts Vande Mataram as the National Song of India; President Rajendra Prasad emphasises reverence equal to the national anthem.

Features of the National Song:

  • Written in a blend of Sanskrit and Bengali, showcasing India’s linguistic plurality.
  • Represents devotion to the motherland, selfless service, and collective identity.
  • The tune was composed by Yadunath Bhattacharya.
  • The song has two stanzas recognised for official purposes.
  • It is not mandatory to sing, but it holds equal reverence to the national anthem as per Constituent Assembly clarification.

Bankim’s Framing of the Nation:

  • Anandamath introduces the idea of Motherland as Mata, merging spiritual and political identity.
  • Bankim uses the maternal metaphor to construct a new nationalist imagination where serving the motherland equals moral duty.
  • The novel is set against the 1769–73 Bengal famine and the Sanyasi Rebellion, presenting early resistance to colonial rule.
  • Scholars (Anderson, Chatterjee) interpret the novel as shaping a modern “imagined nation”, linking spirituality, sacrifice, and patriotism.
  • This ideological framing directly elevated Vande Mataram into a nationalist symbol.

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