The legacy of our national song

On 7 November, the lyric that has lodged itself in the political and emotional memory of modern India ~ Vande Mataram - completed 150 years since its composition.

- RAJDEEP PATHAK

What began as a spontaneous, Sanskrit-tinged Bengali poem by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the 1870s grew into a rallying cry for an emerging nation, then into acontested symbol, and finally into the Republic’s national song. To mark this sesquicentennial is to revisit not only the poem's literary origin but also the contested cultural conversations it has carried through generations — about religion and nationhood, about modernity and tradition, and about the languages in which we imagine India.

The song first appeared in his celebrated novel “Anandamath” (published in 1882), which vividly captured the anti-colonial spirit of the era. Scholars have emphasized how Bankim Chandra’s use of Sanskrit elements reaffirmed India’s cultural roots. As Dr. R.C. Majumdar noted, “Vande Mataram sounded the clarion call of freedom, echoing the ancient spirit of mother-worship and patriotism”. The first two stanzas, which constitute the National Song today, glorify the Motherland not merely as a geographical entity but as a divine, nurturing force.

Cultural historian and author Dr. Srimati Das, emphasizes the song’s transformative role. To her, “Vande Mataram’ was not merely a piece of poetry; it was a psychological transformation that gave voice to the dormant spirit of nationalism. It provided a spiritual, unifying image of India, making resistance a sacred duty.”

The song's journey from the pages of a novel to the national stage culminated in the late 19th century. In 1896, during the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress, it was Rabindranath Tagore — then a relatively young but prominent figure — who first sang “Vande Mataram’ publicly, an early and memorable instance of the poem’s migration from page to public voice. His rendition set the tune that would resonate for generations, firmly establishing the song’s place in the political landscape.