Vande Mataram at 150: The song that became India's freedom anthem

Vande Mataram 150 years: Composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875 and set to music by Rabindranath Tagore, Vande Mataram became the rallying cry that united India's freedom movement

One hundred and fifty years ago, Vande Mataram, India’s National Song, first appeared in Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s literary journal Bangadarshan on November 7, 1875. Translating to 'Mother, I bow to thee', it was set to music by Rabindranath Tagore and first performed at the 1896 Indian National Congress session in Calcutta. 

 

The song went on to inspire generations of freedom fighters, becoming the anthem of India’s awakening and a symbol of unity during the country’s struggle for independence.

 

Vande Mataram: The origins

 

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, one of 19th-century Bengal’s most influential literary figures, later incorporated Vande Mataram in his 1882 novel Anandamath. The book’s ascetic revolutionaries, known as Santanas, revered the motherland as a goddess and embodied what Bankim described as the “religion of patriotism”. Through Vande Mataram, he gave a divine face to India’s awakening conscience, portraying the nation as a mother awaiting liberation. 

 

Through Vande Mataram, he gave a divine face to India’s conscience, depicting the nation as a mother awaiting liberation. The hymn’s imagery of a once-majestic Mother fallen into hardship yet destined to rise again captured the imagination of colonised India.

 

Revolutionary thinker Aurobindo Ghose famously wrote, “The Mother of his vision held trenchant steel in her twice seventy million hands and not the bowl of the mendicant.”

 

The chant that shook the British empire

 

On August 7, 1905, Vande Mataram transformed from song to slogan as thousands gathered in Calcutta to oppose the partition of Bengal. Chanting it during processions, students and workers turned it into the anthem of the Swadeshi movement.

 

Morning marches (prabhat pheris) echoed with the hymn as citizens pledged loyalty to the motherland. Rabindranath Tagore often joined these gatherings, turning them into a blend of spiritual devotion and political protest.

 

Alarmed by its growing influence, British authorities banned public recitations of Vande Mataram in schools and colleges. Students faced fines, suspensions, and even arrests for singing it.

 

Across India, it came to represent defiance, dignity, and the moral strength of the freedom struggle.

 

The song of rebellion

 

By 1906, Vande Mataram had been formally adopted by the Indian National Congress at its Varanasi session for national occasions. From Bengal to Bombay and Punjab, the chant unified diverse movements of resistance.

 

When Lokmanya Tilak was tried in 1908, crowds outside the Bombay police court sang Vande Mataram in solidarity. The hymn became both prayer and protest, crossing religious and regional boundaries to embody the nation’s shared aspiration for freedom.

 

The song’s impact transcended national borders. In 1907, Madam Bhikaji Cama unfurled the Indian Tricolour in Stuttgart, Germany, imprinted with “Vande Mataram". Two years later, revolutionary Madan Lal Dhingra’s final words before his execution in London were the same.

 

Indian revolutionaries in Europe adopted the phrase as a symbol of resistance and solidarity. A magazine titled Bande Mataram began publication in Geneva, and in South Africa, Gopal Krishna Gokhale was greeted with its chant during his 1912 visit.

 

Vande Mataram as National Song

 

Recognising its role in India’s freedom movement, the Constituent Assembly in 1950 gave Vande Mataram equal status with Jana Gana Mana. Dr Rajendra Prasad, then president of the Assembly, declared that while Jana Gana Mana would serve as the National Anthem, Vande Mataram “shall be honoured equally” for its contribution to the struggle for independence.

 

150 years of Vande Mataram

 

To mark 150 years of Vande Mataram, the Centre has launched a four-phase commemoration under the theme “A Melody That Became a Movement”. The celebrations began on November 7 with a national event at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi featuring performances by leading artists and the release of a commemorative coin and stamp.

 

The programme includes exhibitions, seminars, global music festivals, and cultural events at Indian missions abroad. Tree-plantation drives titled 'Vande Mataram: Salute to Mother Earth' and patriotic murals on highways form part of the year-long tribute.