image credits(abplive)
A century and a half has passed… and still the tremors of those two words remain “Vande Mataram!” When Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay put these words to paper in 1875, it was not just a poem… it was the wake-up call of a sleeping nation. There was an agony, a flame and a bow to Mother India.
“Sujlam Suphalam Malayaj Sheetalam, Shasyashyalam Mataram…”
At that time, India was in independence. Indians had lost confidence in the darkness of subjugation. But with every line of “Vande Mataram”, the blood started to rise again in the hearts of the people. Every word of Vande Mataram felt like a mother’s touch.
The song reminded Indians, “Our motherland is alive… and the duty to protect it is in our blood!”
“Vande Mataram” was the mantra in the mouth of every freedom fighter of that time. British rule was shaken because the whole of India was united by these two words. Those who did not have swords in their hands, fought with the cry of “Vande Mataram”. There was no bullet in that call, but an arrow that penetrated the heart.
When heroes like Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Khudiram Bose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Rani Lakshmibai fought for the motherland, every note of this song resonated with them on the battlefield. “Vande Mataram” was not only a national anthem, but also an oath of independence.
A journey of 150 years, a living breath
1875 to 2025 – How many generations have passed in such 150 years, how many flags have flown, how many rivers have dried up…but not a single tone of this song has become old. Even today, children sing this song in schools, soldiers march on the border, and one gets goosebumps when one stands to the sound of the national anthem. This song is completing 150 years since it became the rallying cry of the revolution in the blood of the motherland, in her mountains, rivers and in our every breath.
But at this 150 year stage the question is only one, what do we do for the motherland?
What did you give back to that mother? Have we preserved its soil? Preserved her water, her sky, the purity of her language? Or are we lost in foreign temptation despite being in her lap?
“Vande Mataram” is easy to say, but living it means being honest, doing something for the country, and honoring the motherland at every moment.
When mother’s hand is placed on the head, the blessing received is “Vande Mataram”.
Whenever one sees the bloody soil of a soldier, the breath taken by that mother is “Vande Mataram”. And whenever one sees the national flag fluttering in the wind, the words mixed with the colors of the tricolor are “Vande Mataram!”
A song written 150 years ago still moves our souls. Because it has devotion, pain and love and that is why it is not only the national anthem, but the beating heart of India, Vande Mataram!
