New Delhi, Dec 9: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Tuesday said that ‘Vande Mataram’ had touched every heart and spread from Kashmir to Kanyakumari.
Initiating a special discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the 150th anniversary of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’, the Home Minister said that the then-government tried to suppress the ‘Vande Mataram’ song, imposed bans on singing it, and those who uttered ‘Vande Mataram’ were flogged and thrown into jail.
“Yet, overcoming all these prohibitions and without any organised publicity, the song touched every heart and spread from Kashmir to Kanyakumari,” he said.
Shah said that the need to discuss ‘Vande Mataram’ and to remain devoted to it was present when it was first composed, remained throughout the freedom struggle, continues today, and will still be there in 2047 when India emerges as a truly great nation.
“‘Vande Mataram’ is an immortal creation that awakens the feelings of dedication, devotion, and duty towards India. He said that some people are trying to belittle the glorification of ‘Vande Mataram’ by linking it to the upcoming elections in West Bengal,” he said.
The Home Minister said that ‘Vande Mataram’ was never limited only to West Bengal or India.
“Wherever in the world there were lovers of freedom, they used to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ even in their secret meetings,” he said. “Even today, when a soldier on the border or a Police officer for internal security makes the supreme sacrifice, the mantra on his lips is Vande Mataram.”
Shah said that the song ‘Vande Mataram’ became the proclamation of freedom, the inspiration for the freedom struggle, and the force that liberated India from the chains of slavery.
“It is ‘Vande Mataram’ that inspires India’s martyrs, even as they make the ultimate sacrifice, to be reborn and offer their lives again for India in the next birth,” he said.
The Home Minister said that many great thinkers and sages drew inspiration from ‘Vande Mataram’ to keep the ancient nation progressing on the path of its eternal culture for centuries.
He said that the discussion, glorification, and celebration of ‘Vande Mataram’ taking place in both Houses of Parliament would help children, adolescents, youth, and many generations to understand its profound significance and lay the foundation for the rebirth and reconstruction of the nation.
Shah said that composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, ‘Vande Mataram’ was first made public on November 7, 1875.
He said that soon after its creation, ‘Vande Mataram’ swiftly became the symbol of patriotism, sacrifice, and national consciousness, and it paved the way for the freedom movement.
“We must all remember the background in which ‘Vande Mataram’ was composed,” the Home Minister said. “The context of its creation was centuries of Islamic invasions that had ravaged the country’s culture and history, followed by the British attempt during their rule to impose a new civilisation and culture upon us.”
He said that it was at such a time that Chattopadhyay wrote ‘Vande Mataram’.
Shah said that with great subtlety, Chattopadhyay restored and reaffirmed the ancient civilisation, the idea of cultural nationalism, and the eternal tradition of worshipping the country as the motherland.
He said that ‘Vande Mataram’ has in effect become the mantra of renaissance for all those who hold reverence for India’s culture.
“During the period of slavery, many of our temples, universities, centres of art, agriculture, and education systems were destroyed, yet no one could erase the essence of our culture from the soul of the people. At that very moment, there was a need to awaken and reorganise that very spirit, and it was precisely then that Chattopadhyay composed ‘Vande Mataram’. Neither the British nor those who had accepted their civilisation could stop it. He said that ‘Vande Mataram’ awakened a nation that had forgotten its own divine power. ‘Vande Mataram’ performed the task of reviving the soul of the nation. Sri Aurobindo (Aurobindo Ghose) had said that ‘Vande Mataram’ is the mantra of India’s rebirth, and this statement truly reflects the greatness of ‘Vande Mataram,’” the Home Minister said.
He said that Sri Aurobindo’s deep sentiment towards ‘Vande Mataram’ became a source of inspiration for every child of the country and turned into the mantra of freedom.
“Our country is unique in the entire world. India is the only nation whose borders have been defined by its culture, and it is this very culture that has held India together. It was Chattopadhyay who awakened the idea of cultural nationalism during the era of colonial subjugation,” Shah said.
He said that the mantra that binds India was culture, and it was the clarion call of ‘Vande Mataram’ that, for the first time, firmly established the principle of cultural nationalism.
The Home Minister said that today, the entire country was embracing and marching forward with the vision of cultural nationalism.
He said that India was not merely a piece of land.
“It is the embodiment of our mother, and we sing devotional hymns to her. ‘Vande Mataram’ is precisely that expression of devotion. In the composition of ‘Vande Mataram’, the concept of ‘Bharat Mata’ has been described with profound emotion: She is portrayed as the bestower of water, fruits, and prosperity; adorned with flowers, delighting the heart and mind; and as the very form of Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Durga,” Shah said. “In essence, our prosperity, security, knowledge, and progress can only be attained through the grace and worship of ‘Mother India’. The valour of Durga, the abundance of Lakshmi, and the intellect of Saraswati can only be granted to us by the grace of ‘Mother India’ and the sacred soil of this land. That is why we must repeatedly bow in reverence to her.”
He said that the motherland gives identity and language, forms the basis of a civilised way of life, and provides the opportunity to elevate lives.
The Home Minister said that nothing could be greater than the motherland, and this eternal sentiment was revived by Chattopadhyay.
“In the dark era of slavery, ‘Vande Mataram’ worked like a flash of lightning, awakening the spirit of attaining Swaraj in the hearts of people by helping them shed the mentality of servitude,” he said.
Shah said that during the freedom movement, the last words spoken by all our freedom fighters as they embraced martyrdom were ‘Vande Mataram’.
He said that in 1907, an English newspaper named ‘Vande Mataram’ was started in Calcutta, whose editor was Sri Aurobindo.
“The British government considered it the most dangerous nationalist paper and charged Sri Aurobindo with sedition, sentencing him,” the Home Minister said.
He said that in 1896, Rabindranath Tagore publicly sang ‘Vande Mataram’ for the first time at a session of the Congress.
Shah said that in 1905, at the Varanasi session, the great poetess Sarala Devi Chaudhurani sang the complete ‘Vande Mataram’ and on August 15, 1947, when the country became independent, at 6:30 in the morning, at the request of Sardar Patel, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur sang ‘Vande Mataram’ on All India Radio in his melodious voice, moving the entire nation.
He said that on January 24, 1950, in the final meeting of the Constituent Assembly, ‘Vande Mataram’ was declared the national song, giving it equal honour to the national anthem.
The Home Minister said that the tendency to avoid discussing ‘Vande Mataram’ was not new.
“In 1925, on the golden jubilee of ‘Vande Mataram’, if the leader of the then main political party had not split ‘Vande Mataram’ and started appeasement, the partition of the country would not have occurred,” he said.
Shah said that at its 50th milestone, ‘Vande Mataram’ was limited, and from there the politics of appeasement began, which later resulted in the partition of the country.
He said that if ‘Vande Mataram’ had not been divided into two parts under the policy of appeasement, the country would not have been partitioned.
The Home Minister said that during the 100th year of ‘Vande Mataram’, all those who spoke ‘Vande Mataram’ were imprisoned by the then Prime Minister.
He said that during that period, the Emergency was imposed in the country, and lakhs of opposition members, social workers, and members of voluntary organisations were jailed.
Shah said that during the Emergency, newspaper offices were locked without any reason.
“Even Kishore Kumar’s voice was not allowed to be broadcast on All India Radio, and duet songs were played only in Lata Ji’s voice. When ‘Vande Mataram’ completed 100 years, the entire country was practically held captive,” he said.
The Home Minister said that the opposition party, whose sessions used to begin with Tagore singing ‘Vande Mataram’, when the same ‘Vande Mataram’ was discussed in Lok Sabha, the members of the prominent family associated with that party were absent.
He said that the disrespect and insult toward ‘Vande Mataram’ have run in the veins of the leadership of the principal opposition party ever since the freedom struggle, and continues even today.
Shah said that a leader of the main opposition party stated in the Lok Sabha that there was no need to discuss ‘Vande Mataram’ today.
He said that the song that Mahatma Gandhi described as being connected to the purest soul of the nation, and that Bipin Chandra Pal called the integrated expression of national devotion and duty in Rashtra Dharma, was also divided by the opposition party itself.
The Home Minister said that ‘Vande Mataram’ also played a role at the international level in energising India’s freedom movement.
He said that during the period of colonial rule, even at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the Indian hockey team sang ‘Vande Mataram’ with deep emotion, and India won the gold medal.
Shah said that the very foundation of their party was laid on the principle of cultural nationalism. He said that their party was formed so that the country would not run on the basis of Western culture, but instead on its own original culture and core ideas.
The Home Minister said that it was in the records that the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ was stopped in this Parliament.
He said that in 1992, MP Ram Naik raised the issue through a short-duration discussion, demanding that ‘Vande Mataram’ be sung again in Parliament.
“At that time, Lal Krishna Advani, who was the Leader of the Opposition, strongly told the Speaker of the Lok Sabha that ‘Vande Mataram’ should be sung in this great House, because it had been accepted by the Constituent Assembly. It was only then that, with unanimous agreement, the Lok Sabha resumed the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ in 1992,” Shah said.
He said that when they initiated the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’, many members of the opposition alliance had said at that time as well that they would not sing ‘Vande Mataram’.
The Home Minister said he had observed that, before the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ begins, some members seated in the House stand up and walk out as soon as the song starts.
He said that there was not a single member of their party who did not stand during the singing of ‘Vande Mataram’.
Shah said that on the 130th death anniversary of Chattopadhyay, the government issued a postal stamp through the Department of Posts, and on the 75th anniversary of Independence, it launched the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign.
He said that at that time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged the people not to forget to say ‘Vande Mataram’ while hoisting the national flag.
The Home Minister said that the Government of India had also decided to celebrate the 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’ in a grand manner.
He said that on October 1, 2025, the Cabinet passed a resolution deciding that the entire upcoming year would be celebrated as a tribute to ‘Vande Mataram’.
Shah said that on October 24, 2025, the framework for coordination programmes at the national and international levels was finalised.
He said that on November 7, 2025, PM Modi inaugurated this campaign in New Delhi by offering floral tributes to ‘Bharat Mata’.
“Its first phase was completed in November; the second phase will be in January 2026, the third phase in August 2026, and the fourth phase in November 2026,” the Home Minister said.
He said that a commemorative postage stamp and coin had also been issued.
Shah said that a special cultural presentation, ‘Vande Mataram – Naad Ekam Roop Anekam’ had been composed by 75 musicians, and in response to the Government of India’s call, people across the country sang ‘Vande Mataram’ collectively on November 7.
He said that a documentary had been made to mark 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’.
The Home Minister said that exhibitions on ‘Vande Mataram’ would also be shown to the people in every district and tehsil.
“Further, this exhibition will be sent digitally to crores of people,” he said.
Shah said that the government had decided to organise special programmes on All India Radio, Doordarshan, and FM radio channels.
He said that the Press Information Bureau (PIB) would hold discussions and gatherings in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
The Home Minister said that cultural events based on ‘Vande Mataram’ would be organised in all Indian embassies.
“Tree plantation drives are underway under ‘Vande Mataram: Salute to Mother Earth’. Patriotic murals and depictions of the history of ‘Vande Mataram’ will also be displayed along highways. Public announcements will be made through LED displays at railway stations and airports. Additionally, work has begun on producing 25 short films based on ‘Vande Mataram’ and the life of Chattopadhyay,” he said.
Shah said that when the country completed 75 years of independence, despite the COVID-19 period, the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ was celebrated for two full years in every village across the nation.
He said that through the ‘Amrit Mahotsav’, they acquainted the young generation of the country with the entire saga of the freedom struggle from 1857 to 1947.
The Home Minister said that numerous unsung heroes of the freedom movement, whose names were never even recorded in history, were identified, their details traced, memorials built in their honour, countless programmes were organised across the country, and a concerted effort was made to generate a fresh surge of patriotism.
Shah said that for the first time after independence, such extensive programmes were conducted.
He said that in the 75 years since independence, every government that had come to power had taken the country far ahead.
The Home Minister said that they have greatly strengthened democracy, and today the roots of democracy have become extremely strong.
He said that PM Modi had named the period from the 75th to the 100th year of independence as the ‘Amrit Kaal’.
“The PM has placed a resolve before the youth of the country: that we will treat this period from the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to the centenary of independence as a phase of challenges. When the centenary of independence is celebrated, our country will stand first in the world in every field,” Shah said.
He emphasised that this was not merely the resolve of PM Modi or any particular political party.
“Some people may dismiss it as just a political slogan, but it is in fact the collective resolve of 140 crore Indians, and it will certainly be fulfilled,” the Home Minister said.
He said that it was nothing short of divine coincidence that the 150th year of ‘Vande Mataram’ had arrived precisely when the country was observing the ‘Amrit Kaal’.
“Through this milestone, we will once again kindle the flame of patriotism across the nation,” Shah said.
He said that ‘Vande Mataram’ would never become irrelevant.
The Home Minister said that the need that existed for it when it was composed was just as great today.
He said that at that time, ‘Vande Mataram’ became the driving force to liberate the country, whereas in this ‘Amrit Kaal’, ‘Vande Mataram’ would become the rallying cry to make India developed and great.
Shah said that it was the shared responsibility of every member of this house to once again awaken the spirit of ‘Vande Mataram’ in the heart of every child, to firmly instill the chant of ‘Vande Mataram’ in the mind of every adolescent, and to inspire every youth to dedicate their life to the path illuminated by the true meaning of ‘Vande Mataram’.
He said that the clarion call of ‘Vande Mataram’ should become the driving force behind the creation of the India that the country’s freedom fighters had dreamed of.
