Context
- 7 November 2025 = 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram (published 7 Nov 1875 in Bangadarshan)
- Author: Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
- Set to music by Rabindranath Tagore
- Adopted as National Song in 1950 by the Constituent Assembly
Quick Timeline
| Year | Event |
| 1875 | First publication in Bangadarshan |
| 1882 | Included in Bankim’s novel Anandamath |
| 1896 | Tagore sings at INC session (Calcutta) |
| 1905 | Becomes political slogan during Swadeshi / Anti-Partition |
| 1950 | National Song status (equal honour to National Anthem) |
Why it mattered? → Political + Cultural Role
- A battle cry of early Indian nationalism
- Used in Prabhat Pheris, Swadeshi rallies, student marches
- British governments banned chanting in schools / public spaces (esp. Eastern Bengal)
- Widely used by revolutionaries (India + Abroad)
– Madam Cama’s 1907 Stuttgart Flag had Vande Mataram written on it
– Madan Lal Dhingra’s last words were “Bande Mataram”
Ideas from Anandamath
- Novel = Religion of Patriotism
- Sanyasi revolutionaries (Santanas) worship Mother India as:
- Mother that was – glorious past
- Mother that is – enslaved present
- Mother that will be – future resurrection
National Status — 24 Jan 1950
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad in CA:
“Vande Mataram shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana.”
150-year commemoration — Govt plan
4-phase model includes:
- Tree plantation (Vande Mataram – Salute to Mother Earth)
- Social media outreach on historical role
- Vande Mataram Campaign + Har Ghar Tiranga together
Relevant Mains Points
- Vande Mataram as cultural-nationalist ethic → devotional patriotism → motherland as deity
• Bankim–Aurobindo lineage of ideological nationalism → sacred imagination → political charge
• Press as instrument of awakening → Bande Mataram newspaper = political communication weapon
• Role of symbols in nation-building → national songs as affective infrastructure
• Constitutional symbolism → Rajendra Prasad statement → no controversy → unanimous
• Triangulation of nationalism: literature → slogan → street mobilisation
• Vande Mataram as NATIONAL SYMBOL → continuity link to civilizational ethos
UPSC Relevance - GS-1: National Movement, Rise of Nationalism
• GS-2: Constituent Assembly, National Symbols
• GS-4: Ethical patriotism, Sacrifice narrative
• Essay: cultural nationalism, symbols & nation-building