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India has commenced a year-long national commemoration marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, with an enthusiastic response across the country and abroad. The celebrations were approved by the Union Cabinet on October 1 and formally inaugurated through a grand national event in New Delhi led by the Prime Minister. The President of India and other constitutional authorities have also extended their greetings, underlining the song’s enduring national significance.

About Vande Mataram

• Author: Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
• First Appearance: Serialized in the Bengali journal Bangadarshan and later included in the novel Anandamath (1882)
• Language: Blend of Sanskrit and Bengali
• Status: National Song of India (adopted on 24 January 1950)

Vande Mataram is not merely a song but a symbolic invocation of the motherland, embodying India’s cultural, spiritual, and national identity.

Historical Significance

• First sung publicly by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 Indian National Congress session in Calcutta
• Became a political slogan during the Swadeshi Movement (first used as a slogan on 7 August 1905)
• Madam Bhikaji Cama unfurled India’s tricolour in Stuttgart (1907) with the words Vande Mataram inscribed on it
• Served as a rallying cry for freedom fighters, inspiring mass participation in the national movement

The song played a critical role in forging a shared emotional and cultural identity during colonial resistance.