Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated year-long celebrations on Friday commemorating 150 years of India's stirring national song, 'Vande Mataram,' describing it as "an enduring symbol of devotion to the nation." The song, which served as the war cry for thousands of freedom fighters, has completed a remarkable journey spanning over a century and a half.
The Rise of a National Anthem
Vande Mataram first appeared in 1875 and became the heartbeat of India's freedom movement. As the Indian National Congress transformed into a mass movement in the early 1900s, the song emerged as the primary inspiration for millions of Indians fighting for independence. Historian Bipan Chandra notes that during the Bengal Partition of 1905, the streets of Calcutta echoed with cries of 'Bande Mataram,' which overnight became Bengal's national song and soon the theme song of the entire national movement.
The song's official recognition came on January 24, 1950, when it was declared India's national song. However, its path to this recognition was marked by controversy and political compromise that mirrored the nation's own turbulent journey toward independence.
Communal Politics and Controversy
The rise of the Muslim League in the early 1900s presented a significant challenge to the Congress leadership's vision of "one nation - one people." Mahatma Gandhi attempted to persuade League leadership to support national unity, a strategy many modern commentators consider naive. As Gandhi and Congress offered more concessions, the League's position hardened, and Vande Mataram became an early casualty of this political strife.
Since 1905, singing Vande Mataram had been standard practice at all important Congress events. However, in December 1923 during the annual Congress session in Kakinada, a dramatic confrontation occurred. With Gandhi in Yerawada prison, newly elected session president Maulana Mohammad Ali objected when renowned Hindustani musician Vishnu Digambar Paluskar prepared to sing Vande Mataram at the inaugural ceremony.
Mohammad Ali argued the song would hurt religious Muslim sentiments. Witnessing other leaders' silence, Paluskar courageously challenged the president. According to Paluskar's biography, the musician retorted: "This is a national forum, not the platform of any single community. This is no mosque to object to music." Without waiting for a reply, Paluskar proceeded to sing the complete song.
The Partition of a National Symbol
Attempting to placate the Muslim League, Congress introduced Muhammad Iqbal's 'Saare Jahan se Acchha' in its sessions. Despite this compromise, opposition to Vande Mataram continued, becoming part of the so-called "Muslim grievances" against Congress.
In July 1939, Gandhi wrote emotionally about Vande Mataram in Harijan: "No matter what its source was... it had become a most powerful battle cry among Hindus and Musalmans of Bengal during the Partition days. As a lad... 'Vande Mataram' had gripped me... It never occurred to me that it was a Hindu song or meant only for Hindus. Unfortunately, now we have fallen on evil days."
The political pressure intensified after the 1937 provincial council elections, when Congress needed the League's support to form governments in some provinces. During negotiations, Muhammad Ali Jinnah specifically raised the Vande Mataram grievance. Congress formed a committee including Rabindranath Tagore, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Jawaharlal Nehru to review the matter.
The committee recommended that only the first two stanzas be sung - a decision made particularly striking since Congress had declared Vande Mataram the national song just a month earlier in October 1937. Thus, the national song was effectively partitioned in 1937 to appease the Muslim League. A decade later, in 1947, the nation itself was partitioned.
The 150-year journey of Vande Mataram reflects the complex tapestry of India's freedom struggle and the painful compromises made along the way. As India celebrates this milestone, the song continues to symbolize both the nation's enduring spirit and the difficult choices that shaped its history.
