Vande Mataram, in India’s history is not merely a song, it is a pulse, an emotion, and a wave of awakening. As this year marks 150 years since its composition, we reminisce that the lines capture the spirit of the Indian freedom struggle that spanned over two centuries and honour the countless bravehearts who sacrificed everything for the motherland.
In the late 18th century, Bengal was reeling from the devastating Bengal Famine of 1770, which killed millions and crippled agrarian life. During this period, groups of sanyasis (Hindu ascetics) and fakirs (Muslim ascetics) — many of whom traditionally traveled across Bengal collecting alms from local landholders — came into direct conflict with the East India Company, which had recently taken control of Bengal’s revenue system.
The Company, suspicious of armed mendicant groups and eager to tighten economic control, began restricting their movement and access to resources. When the sanyasis continued their traditional routes, often accompanied by peasants suffering under the Company’s harsh revenue demands, the British branded them as “rebels” or “bandits.”
In 1770, tensions exploded and the British soldiers attacked and gunned down hundreds of sanyasis in Bengal, marking one of the earliest violent confrontations between Indians and the East India Company. These clashes became part of what is now known as the Sanyasi–Fakir Rebellion (1760s–1800s) — a sustained resistance movement predating the more well-known revolts of the 19th century.
Sanyasis from present-day Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Bengal rose in a long, determined struggle lasting 42 years. Under the leadership of Sanyasi Mohan Giri, and with the support of peasants and landlords like Dheeraj Narayan and Devi Chaudharani, and Fakirs like Majnu Shah, the movement grew stronger each year.
Vande Mataram became the rallying cry of this movement — and that is where its revolutionary journey begins. But tragically, this great “liberation struggle” of India was later dismissed as the “Sanyasi Rebellion.”
From Sanyasi Resistance to Awakening of Nation
Sources indicate that Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay discovered a version of a Kali hymn in the records of a priest at a temple in Lalkot — and from here the soul of Vande Mataram was born.
A small zamindar of Lalkot had also supported the sanyasi struggle against the British; for the colonial rulers, it was an act of rebellion. When Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was composing this song, the First War of Independence of 1857 had already taken place, and Queen Victoria had taken direct control of India.
Bankim himself was a government official under the British administration, yet a fierce Indian consciousness was rising within him. He wove this hymn into his great novels ‘Anandamath and Devi Chaudhurani,’ turning it into a devotional war cry against British rule.
Since the British taught a distorted version of Indian history at the time, Bankim used literature to take the real history to the people and awaken national consciousness. After Anandamath was published in 1882, Vande Mataram became the most popular slogan in Bengal and across India.
1857: A Confluence of Faith and Rebellion
Even though Vande Mataram is not explicitly referenced in the 1857 uprising, sanyasis and sadhus played an immense role in it. Whether it was secretly carrying messages to revolutionaries, spreading awareness against colonial rule, planning military action, or invoking the blessings of Maa Kali — they worked tirelessly. Across East India Company cantonments, Indian soldiers sought Maa Kali’s blessings before marching into battle.
Vande Mataram: A Counter to “God Save the Queen”
Later, Rabindranath Tagore not only composed the musical form of Vande Mataram but also sang it at the 1896 Calcutta Congress Session. This was a historic moment not just for the country but for Congress as well, because until then the party, like all major public events, hoisted the Union Jack and sang the British national anthem “God Save the Queen.”
However, it must also be remembered that during this period even within the Congress, the moderates were being challenged by assertive nationalist leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai.
Partition of Bengal (1905): A turning point for Congress and India
In 1905, when Lord Curzon partitioned Bengal, a wave of anger swept across India. Vande Mataram became the unifying call for the masses. Hindus and Muslims alike took to the streets singing it and protesting against the British action.
Prabhat Pheris (morning processions) became common, where Vande Mataram was sung in unison. Rabindranath Tagore himself participated in many such processions and sang the song. During these turbulent times, Vande Mataram gave Indians the courage to stand up.
Later, nationalists like Bipin Chandra Pal and Lala Lajpat Rai transformed Vande Mataram into a nationwide slogan. Newspapers and journals under its name began circulating throughout the country.
Jawaharlal Nehru and “Division” of Vande Mataram
The song that had, for nearly six decades, infused the nation with nationalism and resistance against British rule — the same song that Hindus and Muslims sang together during the anti-partition movement of 1905 — was branded “communal” by 1937.
The Muslim League began arguing that the song symbolised Hindu nationalism, and eventually Nehru yielded to the demands of hardliners and communal groups.
On 26 October 1937, under Nehru’s presidency, the Congress Working Committee passed a historic resolution, effectively dividing Vande Mataram with “Only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung at national events.”
Vande Mataram and RSS Founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar
Vande Mataram was not limited to Bengal or North India — it had become a symbol of the Indian freedom struggle across the world. The British were so threatened by it that they imposed restrictions and bans on its singing.
In Nagpur, young Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (who would later found the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) was filled with the desire to uproot British rule — and his first expression of rebellion came through Vande Mataram.
In 1907, when a British officer visited his school for inspection, it was customary to sing “God Save the Queen.” But young Hedgewar sang Vande Mataram instead. He was expelled — but this act only strengthened his resolve, and this spirit later shaped the ideology of the RSS. The more repression the British imposed, the stronger Vande Mataram grew.
Vande Mataram in Constituent Assembly
There was an intense debate in the Constituent Assembly regarding what should be India’s national anthem. The majority supported Vande Mataram, but citing “communal concerns,” Tagore’s Jana Gana Mana was chosen as the national anthem.
However, Dr Rajendra Prasad, President of the Assembly and India’s first President, declared that while Jana Gana Mana would be the national anthem, Vande Mataram shall enjoy equal status and shall be the national song of India.
Bharat Mata: Cultural Identity Shaped by Vande Mataram
The idea of the motherland has existed in India since ancient times, but the symbol of Bharat Mata emerged powerfully through Vande Mataram. The hymn celebrates the strength, beauty, compassion and protective power of the mother.
Revolutionaries did not merely sing Vande Mataram — they lived it, breathed it, and fought for the motherland with it as their mantra. Maharishi Aurobindo translated it and described it as an extraordinarily powerful political and spiritual force.
The influence of Vande Mataram travelled far beyond the Ganga — reaching the Thames in Britain and the Rhine in Germany, where Madam Bhikaji Cama unfurled the Indian flag with Vande Mataram inscribed on it at Stuttgart in 1907. Later, Veer Savarkar sang it boldly at India House in London, right under the nose of the British.
A Song that became India’s Soul
This entire journey shows that Vande Mataram is not just a song, it is the declaration of India’s soul.
From the sanyasi resistance to the Partition of Bengal, from the 1857 uprising to the final freedom struggle, and even today, Vande Mataram remains the deepest voice of India’s national consciousness.
And yet, the ideology that once divided this song — and divided India — still survives, and continues to oppose it.
Meanwhile, early this morning, members of the Maharashtra assembly recited the full version of ‘Vande Mataram’ on the opening day of the legislature’s winter session in Nagpur, marking the 150th anniversary of the national song.
The House proceedings began with the customary recital of the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, followed by ‘Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha’, the official state song.
