Vande Mataram

The Heartbeat of India's National Awakening

- M.R. Lalu Freelance Journalist, Kerala

In its most beautiful poetic verses Vande Mataram is the simplest depiction of the deepest undercurrent of pure patriotism.

This is the purest ideology in poetic rhythm that India once witnessed, emanating from the ravines of sorrow and from the throats of millions who stood against the harshest colonial regime and its inhuman impudence. The audacity of hope, the hope for freedom, was not only a powerful thought of the common man in India but also the shared aspiration of many generations. Across the country they marched with supreme patriotic zeal and poetic vigor, singing Vande Mataram. This was the beginning of a new era of revolt, though amiable indeed it was, to consolidate the collective energy of a country exclusively focused on its political emancipation while tirelessly striving to restore its civilizational instinct from its dictatorial colonial masters. Its long-awaited freedom was yet to come, but the energy for the struggle had to arise from a deep-seated love for the land and its people. And Vande Mataram came with this essential ingredient of supreme love for the land, but this time it was not mere land, but the motherthe motherland. This was truly challenging for the British, and the poetic upsurge of patriotic aggression accelerated by the song was increasing day-by-day. The common notion held by the British that Indians were a race destined to be governed and subdued was being seriously questioned.

The Spiritual Essence of the Motherland