Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Tuesday initiated a special discussion in the Rajya Sabha to mark the 150th anniversary of the national song, ‘Vande Mataram’. He said the relevance of Vande Mataram—first composed in 1875 and later a rallying cry of India’s freedom movement—remains as strong today as it was during the struggle for independence. The Home Minister added that its spirit will continue to guide India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047.
Shah described Vande Mataram as an immortal creation that awakens devotion, dedication and duty towards the motherland. He said some groups were attempting to link the ongoing celebration with upcoming elections in West Bengal, but emphasised that Vande Mataram has always belonged to the entire country. He said that even today, it remains the mantra on the lips of soldiers and police personnel at the moment of supreme sacrifice.
The Home Minister said that Vande Mataram became the proclamation of freedom, the inspiration for the freedom struggle and a force that helped liberate India from colonial rule. Many thinkers and spiritual leaders, he noted, drew strength from the song. According to Shah, the ongoing discussion in both Houses of Parliament will help future generations understand its significance and lay the foundation for national reconstruction.
Tracing the history of the song, Shah said that Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composed Vande Mataram during a period when centuries of invasions and colonial rule had weakened India’s cultural roots. By reaffirming India’s ancient civilisation and cultural nationalism, Bankim Babu revived the tradition of worshipping the motherland as the Divine Mother. The colonial government attempted to suppress the song, but despite bans and punishments, it spread across India—from Kashmir to Kanyakumari—purely through its emotional power.
Shah said that during the struggle for independence, the essence of Indian culture could not be erased even when temples, universities and centres of learning were destroyed. At such a time, Vande Mataram awakened the spirit of self-respect and revival. Citing Sri Aurobindo, he said Vande Mataram was the mantra of India’s rebirth and a source of inspiration for generations.
Shah highlighted that India is the only nation whose borders are defined by culture, and it was Bankim Chandra who reawakened this cultural nationalism during colonial rule. Vande Mataram, he said, describes Bharat Mata as the provider of prosperity, security, knowledge and strength—embodied as Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga.
Shah stressed that the motherland shapes identity, language and civilisation, and nothing is greater than the nation. During colonial rule, he said, Vande Mataram acted like a flash of lightning that awakened the masses and strengthened the resolve for Swaraj. He noted that many freedom fighters uttered Vande Mataram as their last words.
He recalled that in 1907, a newspaper named Vande Mataram was published in Calcutta with Sri Aurobindo as its editor. The British, considering it a threat, charged him with sedition. In 1896, Rabindranath Tagore sang Vande Mataram publicly for the first time. In 1905, Sarala Devi Chaudhurani sang its full version at the Indian National Congress session. On 15 August 1947, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur sang Vande Mataram on All India Radio upon Sardar Patel’s request. The song was given equal status to the national anthem in the final meeting of the Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950.
Shah said that attempts to limit Vande Mataram are not new. He said that on its golden jubilee in 1925, the leader of the main political party of the time divided Vande Mataram, starting an era of appeasement that eventually contributed to the partition of India. He added that during the song’s centenary, those who recited Vande Mataram were jailed during the Emergency. He criticised the principal opposition party, saying its leaders were absent when Vande Mataram was recently discussed in the Lok Sabha, despite their earlier traditions of beginning party sessions with the song.
Shah said the disrespect shown toward Vande Mataram by the leadership of the opposition party has existed since the freedom struggle and continues today. He cited a recent remark from an opposition leader who said that discussion on the song was unnecessary. Shah noted that Mahatma Gandhi had called Vande Mataram “a song that has come from the purest soul”, while Bipin Chandra Pal described it as the integrated expression of national duty and devotion.
Further, Shah said Vande Mataram had resonance even at the international level. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the Indian hockey team sang Vande Mataram before winning the gold medal.
Discussing his own party’s ideological foundations, Shah said it was built on the principle of cultural nationalism, not on the adoption of Western ideas. He recalled that singing Vande Mataram in Parliament had once been stopped, and it was only after a discussion initiated in 1992 by MP Ram Naik and supported by Leader of the Opposition L. K. Advani that the practice was resumed.
He said that even today, some opposition members walk out when Vande Mataram is sung in Parliament. In contrast, Shah said, every member of his party stands in respect whenever it is performed.
Shah outlined the government’s initiatives to mark the 150th anniversary. The Cabinet designated the entire year as a tribute to Vande Mataram, with the observance divided into four phases: November 2025, January 2026, August 2026 and November 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the year-long commemoration on 7 November 2025. A commemorative stamp and coin have been issued, and a cultural presentation titled “Vande Mataram – Naad Ekam Roop Anekam”, created by 75 musicians, was released. A documentary has been prepared, and exhibitions will be held in every district and tehsil, including digital versions for wider outreach.
Shah said special programmes will be aired on All India Radio, Doordarshan and FM channels. The Press Information Bureau will organise public engagements in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. All Indian embassies will host cultural events centred on Vande Mataram. Tree plantation drives have begun, patriotic murals are being installed along highways, and LED displays at railway stations and airports will broadcast announcements. Twenty-five short films on Vande Mataram and the life of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay are also being produced.
He noted that during the 75th year of independence, the government celebrated the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav for two years across the country, highlighting lesser-known freedom fighters and reviving patriotism. He said every government since independence has contributed to India’s progress, strengthening democracy. The current phase from the 75th to the 100th year of independence, termed Amrit Kaal by Prime Minister Modi, is intended to prepare India to emerge as the world’s leading nation by 2047. He said the vision is not a political slogan but the collective resolve of 140 crore Indians. It is a meaningful coincidence, Shah said, that the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram falls during Amrit Kaal.
Additionally, Shah said that Vande Mataram will always remain relevant. During the freedom movement, it was the force that liberated India, and in Amrit Kaal, it will inspire the creation of a developed and great nation. He said it is the responsibility of every member of Parliament to instil the spirit of Vande Mataram in every child, adolescent and youth, and to ensure that its message becomes the driving force in building the India envisioned by the country’s freedom fighters.
