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Vande Mataram: The untold story of a song that united India and sparked division

As India celebrates its 76th Republic Day, it is an opportune moment to revisit the history behind the sidelining of Vande Mataram.

By Om Prakash Dwivedi

As India celebrates its 76th Republic Day, it is an opportune moment to revisit the history behind the sidelining of Vande Mataram. This iconic song, once destined to be India’s national anthem, fell victim to fanatical divisions that fragmented the collective idea of India.

Vande Mataram, penned by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay in 1875 and included in his novel Anandamath (1882), was first sung at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress by Rabindranath Tagore. Translating to “I praise thee, Mother” or “I bow to thee, Mother,” it was an ode to Mother India. However, this hymn of unity soon faced resistance from powerful factions determined to inject divisive ideologies into a song that celebrated both divinity and national pride.

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The song galvanised India’s struggle for freedom, especially during the Swadeshi movement in response to the 1905 Bengal Partition. Leaders like Aurobindo Ghose and Mahatma Gandhi frequently invoked it in speeches and rallies. Gandhi once highlighted its inclusivity, recalling how Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs chanted Vande Mataram alongside “Allah-o-Akbar” and “Sat Sri Akal” in unison during prayer meetings.

In 1937, an Indian National Congress committee, including figures like Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Subhas Chandra Bose, decided to adopt the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram as India’s national song. Despite this, the song faced opposition from both colonial powers and some Indian politicians. The Muslim League, led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, criticised it as idolatrous and divisive. Jinnah demanded its exclusion, as documented in the Quaid-e-Azam Papers of 1938.

Ironically, Maulana Azad, a devout Muslim and freedom fighter, saw Vande Mataram as a unifying force. He integrated it into Congress sessions, recognising its harmony with Islamic doctrines of unity and peace.

During the Bengal Partition of 1905, Vande Mataram became a rallying cry, so potent that the British banned its use as both a song and a slogan. It resonated with the spirit of resistance, as seen in these lines by Chattopadhyay:

“Terrible with the clamorous shouts of seventy million throats,
And the sharpness of swords raised in twice seventy million hands…”

Even Gandhi lamented the communal controversies surrounding the song, stating:

“It never occurred to me that it [Vande Mataram] was a Hindu song or meant only for Hindus. All that was pure gold has become base metal today. It is enthroned in the hearts of millions.”

The divisiveness surrounding Vande Mataram was a reflection of political opportunism rather than religious differences. Arif Mohammad Khan, who translated the song into Urdu, echoed this sentiment in Outlook magazine (2006):

“The opposition to Vande Mataram is not rooted in religion but in divisive politics that led to Partition.”

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On 24 January 1950, India’s Constituent Assembly granted the song the status of a national song, with Dr Rajendra Prasad declaring:

“The song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it.”

Post-Independence, political interpretations of secularism pushed the song to the margins. The Congress sidelined it, inadvertently allowing organisations like the RSS to claim it as a symbol of Hindu nationalism. However, Vande Mataram belongs to all Indians, transcending religious and ideological boundaries. Its vigour, richness, and inclusivity remain unmatched, and it deserves to be celebrated as a uniting force in India’s history.

Contributing Author: Dr Om Prakash Dwivedi is a literary critic and columnist.

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