Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Friday addressed a celebration in Patna marking the 150th anniversary of India’s national song, Vande Mataram. The event also included the collective recitation of the Swadeshi pledge, attended by dignitaries and citizens.
Shah said the period from today until 2047 is crucial to draw inspiration from Vande Mataram and work toward creating a great India. “The time has now come to build the India envisioned and desired by all those great souls. We should all resolve to join the process of making India a great nation by 2047 and dedicate our lives to Bharat Mata,” he stressed.
He recalled that on this day 150 years ago, renowned freedom fighter and literary figure Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composed Vande Mataram, giving India a powerful mantra of national consciousness. The song later became a guiding principle of the freedom struggle and, after independence, a symbol of unity.
Shah highlighted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the past 11 years have seen collective efforts toward fulfilling the dreams of a great India envisioned by freedom fighters. “With the collective singing of Vande Mataram today, a phased effort has begun to reawaken India’s consciousness over the next year,” he said.
The Home Minister announced a nationwide campaign to align citizens’ lives with the mantra and spirit of Vande Mataram. “This campaign will be conducted in both physical and digital formats. A social media initiative, #VandeMataram150, will be launched in all languages, encouraging people to write Vande Mataram in regional languages to strengthen national unity,” he added.
Shah also recalled historic moments associated with the song, including Pandit Omkarnath Thakur singing the complete Vande Mataram on August 15, 1947, and India’s first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad formally recognizing it as the national song on January 24, 1950. From that moment, he said, Vande Mataram became a song of national consciousness for all Indians.
The celebration in Patna is part of the nationwide commemoration of 150 years of Vande Mataram, which continues to inspire patriotism, unity, and cultural pride across generations.
-ANI