Mother Revered

India’s national song ‘VandeMataram’ marks its 150th anniversary. Composed in 1875 by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, it was immortalised in his 1882 novel ‘Anandamath’ and later adopted in part by the Constituent Assembly as the national song in 1950. Its Sanskrit verses, suffused with the imagery of a motherland rising from subjugation, became an anthem of resistance during India’s struggle for independence against British colonial domination. The 1952 film adaptation of ‘Anandamath’ further amplified the song’s significance. The film featured a stirring rendition of ‘VandeMataram’ composed by Hemanta Mukherjee and sung by both Lata Mangeshkar and Mukherjee in the film. This cinematic portrayal reignited the song’s patriotic fervour, introducing it to new generations and cementing its place in India’s cultural consciousness. Yet, as the Union Cabinet plans nationwide celebrations, the song faces fresh controversies, revealing that the politics of memory remains as fraught as ever.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the government intends to commemorate the song’s sesquicentennial across the country.

Critics, however, have predictably stirred unease. Certain minority outfits and some so-called historians argue that the song carries ‘anti-Muslim undertones’ or could divide communities along religious lines. Those objecting include figures from the Aligarh Muslim University who interpret the song’s references to the goddess Durga in Anandamath as ‘exclusionary.’

Such critiques completely overlook the historical and symbolic significance of VandeMataram. The song was a rallying cry against colonial subjugation, not a vehicle for communal discord. Its verses evoke a nation struggling for self-determination.

But opposition to ‘VandeMataram’ is not new. Marxist and left-liberal academics have long treated VandeMataram as a symbol of Hindu-majoritarian nationalism. They have disparaged the song as an emblem of a ‘communal’ past, framing opposition as a matter of secular propriety. Typically, these academics rarely scrutinise religious expressions associated with Islam or other minority communities.

In defending VandeMataram today, the Central government is defending the narrative of a unified India. Opposition on the grounds of imagined religious exclusivity is a disservice to the very pluralism it claims to protect. As celebrations unfold nationwide, the public has an opportunity to reclaim a piece of national heritage, understand the historical context and participate in a tradition that transcends sectarian divisions.

In a country where young people are increasingly detached from the narratives of the freedom struggle, such celebrations offer an opportunity to ground civic identity in historical awareness rather than ideological contention. Patriotic sentiment, once the motor of India’s freedom struggle, can remain a force for unity if only it is allowed to be.

Far more than a ceremonial occasion, the Modi government’s 150th-anniversary initiative is an assertion that history, culture and patriotism can coexist in harmony and that the song of the motherland still matters.