Vande Mataram

Vande Mataram (Sanskrit: वन्दे मातरम् Vande Mātaram, Bengali: বন্দে মাতরম Bônde Matorom; English Translation: Bow to thee Mother ) is the national song of India, distinct from the national anthem of India "Jana Gana Mana". The song was composed by Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay in a mixture of Bengali and Sanskrit. and the first political occasion where it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.

In 2003, ‏BBC World Service conducted an international poll to choose ten most famous songs of all time. Around 7000 songs were selected from all over the world. According to BBC, people from 155 countries/island voted. Vande Mataram was second in top 10 songs.

History and significance

It is generally believed that the concept of Vande Mataram came to Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay when he was still a government official under the British Raj. Around 1870, the British rulers of India had declared that singing of God Save the Queen would be mandatory.^[2] He wrote it in a spontaneous session using words from two languages he was expert in, Sanskrit and Bengali. However, the song was initially highly criticized for the difficulty in pronunciation of some of the words.^[2] The song first appeared in Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay's book Anandamatha (pronounced Anondomôţh in Bengali), published in 1882 amid fears of a ban by British Raj. However, the song itself was actually written in 1876.^[2] Jadunath Bhattacharya set the tune for this song just after it was written.^[2]

The flag raised by Bhikaiji Cama in 1907

"Vande Mataram" was the national cry for freedom from British oppression during the freedom movement. Large rallies, fermenting initially in Bengal, in the major metropolis of Calcutta, would work themselves up into a patriotic fervour by shouting the slogan "Vande Mataram," or "Hail to the Mother(land)!". The British, fearful of the potential danger of an incited Indian populace, at one point banned the utterance of the motto in public forums, and imprisoned many freedom fighters for disobeying the proscription. Rabindranath Tagore sang Vande Mataram in 1896 at the Calcutta Congress Session held at Beadon Square. Dakhina Charan Sen sang it five years later in 1901 at another session of the Congress at Calcutta. Poet Sarala Devi Chaudurani sang the song in the Benares Congress Session in 1905. Lala Lajpat Rai started a journal called Vande Mataram from Lahore.^[2] Hiralal Sen made India's first political film in 1905 which ended with the chant. Matangini Hazra's last words as she was shot to death by the Crown police were Vande Mataram

In 1907, Bhikaiji Cama (1861-1936) created the first version of India's national flag (the Tiranga) in Stuttgart, Germany in 1907. It had Vande Mataram written on it in the middle band.

A number of lyrical and musical experiments have been done and many versions of the song have been created and released throughout the 20th century. Many of these versions have employed traditional South Asian classical ragas. Versions of the song have been visualized on celluloid in a number of films including Leader (film), Amar asha and Anandamath. It is widely believed that the tune set for All India Radio station version was composed by Ravi Shankar.

Text of Vande Mataram

Version adopted by Congress, 1905

In Devanagari script वन्दे मातरम् सुजलां सुफलां मलयजशीतलाम् शस्यश्यामलां मातरम् | शुभ्र ज्योत्स्ना पुलकित यामिनीम् फुल्ल कुसुमित द्रुमदलशोभिनीम्, सुहासिनीं सुमधुर भाषिणीम् सुखदां वरदां मातरम् ||		In Bengali script বন্দে মাতরম্ সুজলাং সুফলাং মলযজশীতলাম্ শস্য শ্যামলাং মাতরম্ | শুভ্র জ্যোত্স্ন পুলকিত যামিনীম্ ফুল্ল কুসুমিত দ্রুমদলশোভিনীম্, সুহাসিনীং সুমধুর ভাষিণীম্ সুখদাং বরদাং মাতরম্ ||
Devanagari transliteration vande mātaram sujalāṃ suphalāṃ malayajaśītalām śasya śyāmalāṃ mātaram śubhra jyotsnā pulakita yāminīm phulla kusumita drumadalaśobhinīm suhāsinīṃ sumadhura bhāṣiṇīm sukhadāṃ varadāṃ mātaram		Bengali Romanization bônde matorom shujolang shufolang môloeôjoshitolam shoshsho shêmolang matorom shubhro jotsna pulokito jaminim fullo kushumito drumodôloshobhinim shuhashining shumodhuro bhashinim shukhodang bôrodang matorom

Translation

Vande Mataram sujalaam suphalaam malayaja sheethalam shashya shyamalaam Maataram, vande maataram Shubhra jothsana pulakitha yaminim Phulla kusumitat drumah dala shobhinim Suhasinim, Sumadhura bhAshinim sukhadaam varadhaam, maataram Vande mataraam

My obeisance to Mother India! With flowing beneficial waters Filled with choicest fruits With Sandal scented winds Green with the harvest O mother! My obeisance to you! Ecstatic moonlit nights The plants blooming with flowers Sweet speaker of sweet languages Fount of blessings, Mother, I salute you!