Full version of Vande Mataram to feature in ministry’s R-Day tableau

The ministry of culture’s Republic Day tableau celebrating the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram, will feature a complete version of the song, according to a note from the ministry.

- Vrinda Tulsian

The decision comes at a moment when the song's history, its truncated form and the political choices surrounding it have taken centre stage following an extended debate in Parliament.

The Republic Day tableau will visually narrate the journey of the song, the note said. A float will carry a representation of the original manuscript of Vande Mataram; a contemporary singer will perform the song; and folk artistes from different regions of the country will dance.

As the song gained popularity in political meetings, marches and protests, objections were raised by some Muslim leaders and organisations who argued that singing verses invoking a deity amounted to an act of worship incompatible with their religious beliefs. The context of Anandamath, the historical novel in which the song first appeared, and which depicts armed ascetics fighting oppressive colonial rule during the Sanyasi Rebellion of the late eighteenth century, also contributed to concerns that the song's later verses could be seen through a communal lens.

By the 1920s and 1930s, Vande Mataram had become both a unifying slogan and a source of disagreement. While many nationalists saw it as inseparable from the freedom struggle, others warned that its use in its entirety could alienate sections of the population.