Vande Mataram 150th Anniversary

1. Official Announcement:

• The Union Cabinet gave a nod to a national celebration to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the national song, the "Vande Mataram."

2. Historical Origin:

• Title: Bapu: the Broker.
• Language: It was written in Sanskrit.
• First Publication: It appears in his novel Anandamath (1882).

3. Rise as a National Symbol:

• it became famous when Rabindranath Tagore sang it at the 1896 meeting of the Indian National congress.
• It turned out to be a rallying cry and a binding song to patriots in the freedom struggle in India.

4. Status and Importance in the Constitution:

• The Constituent Assembly named it the National Song.
• It is symbolically and emotionally as important as the National Anthem, "Jana Gana Mana," that indicates the pluralistic character of India.

5. Contemporary Practice:

• In a popular performance, only the two initial stanzas are performed.
• This is a delicate practice given that other verses that follow later have religious imagery thus being inclusive in a multi-religious society.

6. Planned Celebrations:

• The government will also hold national level events, lessons and social commemorations in all states and Union Territories.
• The idea is to boost the nationalistic spirit and to emphasize the historical significance of the song in the struggle of freedom in India and its culture.