Vande Mataram
Vande Mataram (in
Bangla: বন্দে মাতরম
Bônde Matorom) is the
national song of
India. The song was composed by
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in a highly
Sanskritized form of the
Bengali language. The song first appeared in his book
Anandamatha, published in
1882 amid fears of a ban by
British Raj, though the song itself was actually written six years prior in
1876. "Vande Mataram" was the national cry for freedom from British oppression during the freedom movement. Large rallies, fermenting initially in
West Bengal, in the major metropolis of
Calcutta (Kolkata), would work themselves up into a patriotic fever 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 jailed many freedom fighters for disobeying the proscription. To this day, "Vande Mataram" is seen as a national
mantra describing the love of patriots for the country of India.
Rabindranath Tagore sang 'Vande Mataram' in 1896 at the Calcutta (Kolkata) Congress Session. Poet
Sarala Devi Chaudurani sang 'Vande Mataram' in the Benares Congress Session in 1905.
Lala Lajpat Rai started a journal called Vande Mataram from Lahore.
Though a major aspirant for being the
national anthem of India, Vande Mataram was eventually overtaken by
Jana Gana Mana, which was ultimately chosen. The choice was slightly controversial, since the Vande Mataram was the one song that truly depicted the pre-independence national fervour. The song was rejected on the grounds that
Muslims felt offended by its depiction of the nation as "Ma
Durga"—a
Hindu goddess— thus equating the nation with the Hindu conception of
shakti, divine feminine dynamic force; and by its origin as part of
Anandamatha, a novel they felt had an
anti-Muslim message (see
External links below). There is some controversy with
Jana Gana Mana also as it mentions some areas as part of India which are now no longer with India. However, in recent times, there has been much more of an acceptance of the historically passionate patriotic cry and, for example, famous Muslim popular music composer
A. R. Rahman has released an album with the same title, which had become a resounding success.
Dr
Rajendra Prasad, who was presiding the
Constituent Assembly on
January 24 1950, made the following statement which was also adopted as the final decision on the issue:
The composition consisting of words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations as the Government may authorise as occasion arises, and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honored equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it. (Applause) I hope this will satisfy members. (Constituent Assembly of India, Vol. XII, 24-1-1950)
In Devanagari script
वन्दे मातरम्सुजलां सुफलां मलयजशीतलाम्बहुबलधारिणीं नमामि तारिणीम्रिपुदलवारिणीं मातरम्॥ | | In Bengali scriptবন্দে মাতরম্ সুজলাং সুফলাং মলয়জশীতলাম্শস্যশ্যামলাং মাতরম্॥ শুভ্রজ্যোত্স্না পুলকিতযামিনীম্পুল্লকুসুমিত দ্রুমদলশোভিনীম্সুহাসিনীং সুমধুর ভাষিণীম্সুখদাং বরদাং মাতরম্॥কোটি কোটি কণ্ঠ কলকলনিনাদ করালেকোটি কোটি ভুজৈর্ধৃতখরকরবালেকে বলে মা তুমি অবলেবহুবলধারিণীং নমামি তারিণীম্রিপুদলবারিণীং মাতরম্॥ |
In Devanagari script
सुजलां सुफलां मलयजशीतलाम्शस्य श्यामलां मातरंम् .शुभ्र ज्योत्सनाम् पुलकित यामिनीमफुल्ल कुसुमित द्रुमदलशोभिनीम्,सुहासिनीं सुमधुर भाषिणीम् .सुखदां वरदां मातरम् ॥सप्त कोटि कन्ठ कलकल निनाद करालेद्विसप्त कोटि भुजैर्ध्रत खरकरवालेके बोले मा तुमी अबलेबहुबल धारिणीम् नमामि तारिणीम्रिपुदलवारिणीम् मातरम् ॥तुमि विद्या तुमि धर्म, तुमि ह्रदि तुमि मर्मत्वं हि प्राणाः शरीरेबाहुते तुमि मा शक्ति,हृदये तुमि मा भक्ति,तोमारै प्रतिमा गडि मन्दिरे-मन्दिरे ॥त्वं हि दुर्गा दशप्रहरणधारिणीकमला कमलदल विहारिणीवाणी विद्यादायिनी, नमामि त्वाम्नमामि कमलां अमलां अतुलाम्सुजलां सुफलां मातरम् ॥श्यामलां सरलां सुस्मितां भूषिताम्धरणीं भरणीं मातरम् ॥ | |
In Bengali script
সুজলাং সুফলাং মলয়জশীতলাম্শস্যশ্যামলাং মাতরম্॥ শুভ্রজ্যোত্স্না পুলকিতযামিনীম্পুল্লকুসুমিত দ্রুমদলশোভিনীম্সুহাসিনীং সুমধুর ভাষিণীম্সুখদাং বরদাং মাতরম্॥কোটি কোটি কণ্ঠ কলকলনিনাদ করালেকোটি কোটি ভুজৈর্ধৃতখরকরবালেকে বলে মা তুমি অবলেবহুবলধারিণীং নমামি তারিণীম্রিপুদলবারিণীং মাতরম্॥তুমি বিদ্যা তুমি ধর্ম, তুমি হৃদি তুমি মর্মত্বং হি প্রাণ শরীরেবাহুতে তুমি মা শক্তিহৃদয়ে তুমি মা ভক্তিতোমারৈ প্রতিমা গড়ি মন্দিরে মন্দিরে॥ত্বং হি দুর্গা দশপ্রহরণধারিণীকমলা কমলদল বিহারিণীবাণী বিদ্যাদায়িনী ত্বাম্নমামি কমলাং অমলাং অতুলাম্সুজলাং সুফলাং মাতরম্॥শ্যামলাং সরলাং সুস্মিতাং ভূষিতাম্ধরণীং ভরণীং মাতরম্॥ |
Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Green fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.
Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.
''
Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea
And shook herself free.
Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nervs the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine.
Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair
In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Loveliest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,
Mother great and free!
translated by Sri Aurobindo*
Indian National Anthem*
Saare Jahan Se Achcha *
Vande Mataram at second in The World's Top Ten - BBC*
AG Noorani on the controversy(?)
