Vande Mataram adopted as National Song of India in 1950 by Constituent Assembly of India

 

On 24 January 1950, the Constituent Assembly of India adopts Vande Mataram as the National Song of India

Vande Mataram, which means "I praise thee, Mother" in Sanskrit, is the national song of India. It was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1876.

The first two verses of the poem was adopted as the National Song of India in October 1937 by the Congress.

The poem was first published in 1882 as part of Chatterjee's Bengali novel, Anandmath.

It first gained political significance when it was recited by Rabindranath Tagore at Congress in 1896. By 1905, it had become popular amongst political activists and freedom fighters as a marching song. The song, as well as Anandmath, were banned under British colonial rule under threat of imprisonment, making its use revolutionary. The ban was ultimately overturned by the Indian government upon independence in 1947.

On 24 January 1950, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted it as the National Song of India. President of India, Rajendra Prasad stated that the song should be honoured equally with the national anthem of India, Jana Gana Mana. While the Constitution of India does not make reference to a "national song", the Government filed an affidavit at the Delhi High Court in November 2022 stating that Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram would "stand on the same level", and that citizens should show equal respect both.

Vande Mataram is important because it instilled a sense of patriotism and national pride in the people of India.

Vande Mataram consists of two Sanskrit verses composed in a highly ornate form of Bengali. The first verse is sung as a stanza, while the second verse is spoken.

It was later translated into many languages. The first one to translate the national song of India was Sri Aurobindo. The national song finally got the its English translation by Sri Aurobindo in 1909.

"The translation of Vande Mataram goes like this:

I worship thee, Mother,

richly wrought,

In faith and works and blended hues of thought,

In thy fair limbs how powerfully expresses

The one Supreme Deity!

Thou art wisdom, thou art ..."