Daily Current Affairs for UPSC : 27 Oct 2025/Vande Mataram : India’s National Song

Vande Mataram : India’s National Song

Why in News ? Prime Minister Narendra Modi has  called on citizens to actively participate in the celebrations marking 150 years of the national song, ‘Vande Mataram,’ on November 7.

Addressing the 127th episode of his radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Modi recalled that the iconic song was first sung by Rabindranath Tagore in 1896 and emphasized the importance of embracing its spirit in nation-building.

Vande Mataram (or, in its original Bengali pronunciation, Bande Mataram) is one of the most famous patriotic songs of India that embodies the spirit of nationalism and the struggle against colonial rule. Written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, it evokes the motherland as a divine mother, resulting in powerful feelings of reverence and unity. It was made India’s National Song by the Constituent Assembly on January 24, 1950, as it has the same eminence as the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana.

Origin and Composition:

• The poem “Vande Mataram” was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Bengali novelist and civil servant, and one of Calcutta University’s first graduates. It was written during the 1870s, and the first two lines are said to have been written around 1872.

These lines celebrated the fertility and beauty of Bengal without any clear religious connection and referred to her motherland as a nurturing mother.

• The full poem, consisting of six stanzas in Hinduized Bengali and Sanskrit, was published in Bankim’s novel Anandamath (Abbey of Freedom) in 1882.
• It is set in the early context of the Sannyasi Rebellion (1760s-1800s) as an early uprising of Hindu ascetics against the rule of the East India Company during a desolate famine in Bengal in 1770.

 1^st Publication:

• The poem was published in 1875 in the first issue of Bangadarshan, a literary journal Bankim Chandra started primarily themselves. Bangadarshan was a venue for discussing ideas among the Bengali intellectual elite, so “Vande Mataram” was its first cultural publication.
• The poem gained greater circulation with the 1882 publication of Anandamath, where it was a key emotional text within the novel.
• Although it refers to Bengal (as “Banga Mata,” “Mother Bengal“), its poem’s vague language enabled the text to expand its scope beyond the region and into a pan-Indian audience.

First Public Performance and Usage:

• In the late-19th century, the poem transferred from a literary text to a public hymn. One of its first significant public performances was when Rabindranath Tagore sang it at the 1896 Indian National Congress meeting in Calcutta. Tagore eventually composed the National Anthem and transformed the song into one cohesive term of patriotic binding.
• The genuine revolutionary action happened during the Swadeshi movement (1905-1911) opposing the British partition of Bengal.
• Here, “Bande Mataram” became the rallying call and slogan of the movement, chanted at events and protests against the partition. Officially, it was first sung at the Indian National Congress’s 21st annual session in Benares in 1905,marking its debut as a political tool. Extremist leaders like Bipin Chandra Pal and Sri Aurobindo popularized it, with Aurobindo calling it a “mantra” that converted masses to patriotism overnight.
• In 1906, Sri Aurobindo and Bipin Chandra Pal launched an English weekly newspaper titled Bande Mataram in Calcutta, using the slogan to advocate for complete independence. The paper’s fiery editorials amplified the song’s nationalist message, though it faced British censorship under the Press Act of 1910.

Role in the Indian FreedomMovement:

• “Vande Mataram” fueled the freedom struggle for decades. It was sung by revolutionaries like Khudiram Bose and members of the Anushilan Samiti, often leading to arrests. The British banned the song and Anandamath in 1906, viewing it as seditious, with penalties including imprisonment—a ban lifted only after independence in
• During the Non-Cooperation Movement (1920–1922), it united Hindus and Muslims initially, but later faced opposition from Muslim leaders like Syed Ali Imam, who in 1908 criticized it as promoting “Hindu nationalism.” This led to debates on its secular nature, particularly due to later stanzas invoking Hindu deities.
• At the 1937 Indian National Congress session in Faizpur, the first two stanzas—deemed non-controversial—were adopted as the party’s official song to promote inclusivity. It continued to inspire during the Quit India Movement (1942), symbolizing defiance.

Adoption as National Song:

• Post-independence, the Constituent Assembly recognized its historical significance. On January 24, 1950—just days before India became a republic— Rajendra Prasad, the Assembly’s President (and India’s first President), declared “Vande Mataram” the National Song, to be honored equally with “Jana Gana Mana.” Only the first two stanzas are typically sung to avoid religious sensitivities.
• In November 2022, the Government of India affirmed in a Delhi High Court affidavit that both the anthem and song “stand on the same level,” mandating equal respect.

 Controversies and Legacy:

• The song’s Hindu imagery sparked debates, notably in 1908 by the All India Muslim League and later in 1962 when some refused to sing it at a municipal event. Courts have since upheld its mandatory singing in schools and offices (e.g., a 2017 Madras High Court order for weekly recitals in Tamil Nadu) while emphasizing the non-objectionable stanzas.
• Today, “Vande Mataram” embodies patriotism, taught in schools to instill national pride. Its melody, first composed by Jadunath Bhattacharya in 1896, has been adapted by artists like R. Rahman. As a testament to India’s freedom saga, it remains a call to unity, reminding generations of the motherland’s sacred bond.