Vande Mataram: India's Iconic National Song Celebrates 150 Years

As of November 2025, India's national song "Vande Mataram" marks its 150th anniversary. The song, written by renowned Bengali author Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875, has since become a powerful symbol of India's national pride and freedom movement.

Originally penned in Sanskrit and Bengali, "Vande Mataram," which translates to "I bow to thee, Mother," first appeared in Chatterjee's 1882 novel "Anandamath." Over the years, the song was sung at various political meetings and protests during the struggle for independence. In 1937, the Congress officially adopted the first two verses of Vande Mataram as the national song of India.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the man behind this iconic song, was a prolific novelist, poet, and journalist. Born in 1838 near Naihati in Bengal, Chatterjee drew inspiration for his first novel, "Durgeshnandini," from the ruins of the Gar Mandaran Fort. This novel, published in 1865, is considered the first modern Bengali romance novel and established Chatterjee as a renowned writer. He went on to write 14 novels and numerous other works in Bengali before retiring from government service in 1891.