There is something unusual about the history of Vande Mataram.
It did not begin at a political rally. It did not begin as an official national symbol. And it was not written for an independent India.
It began as a piece of literature.
In 1875, when India was still under British rule, Bengali writer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote Vande Mataram. It was first published in his literary journal Bangadarshan on 7 November that year and was later incorporated into his novel Anandamath, published in 1882.
At the time, there was no way of knowing how far those words would travel.
Over the next seven decades, they would become part of India's freedom movement, be sung at political gatherings and eventually find a place alongside the National Anthem of the newly independent country.
In 2026, India is marking 150 years of Vande Mataram.
ALSO WATCH: The first three years of India’s republic
The Song That Left The Pages Of A Book
The phrase Vande Mataram is commonly translated as “Mother, I Bow to Thee”.
The composition imagines the motherland through powerful natural imagery. But its importance would eventually have less to do with where it was first published and more to do with what people began to do with it.
The song moved out of literature and into public life.
One of its most important early moments came in 1896, when Rabindranath Tagore sang it at the Indian National Congress session in Calcutta. The Government of India's historical account identifies this as the first time the song was sung at a Congress session.
That gave the composition a much wider political audience.
But it was 1905 that changed its story.
ALSO WATCH: Vajpayee’s Story About A Nehru Portrait
1905: Vande Mataram Takes To The Streets
The British government's decision to partition Bengal in 1905 triggered a major political movement against the partition.
The Swadeshi movement followed, with calls to boycott foreign goods and promote Indian-made products.
Vande Mataram became one of the sounds of that movement.
According to the Government of India's historical account, the words were used as a political slogan during a major meeting in Calcutta on 7 August 1905.
The song was now being heard outside literary and political circles.
It was being sung and shouted in demonstrations.
For many people involved in the nationalist movement, Vande Mataram became a way of expressing opposition to colonial rule.
And the British authorities took notice.
At the Bengal Provincial Conference in Barisal in 1906, public chanting of Vande Mataram was prohibited by the authorities, according to government historical records.
The attempt to restrict its use only added to its association with the freedom movement.
From A Song To A Symbol
By the early decades of the 20th century, Vande Mataram had acquired a life of its own.
It was no longer simply Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's composition.
It had become part of the political vocabulary of Indian nationalism.
Different groups and leaders associated with the freedom movement used it at different points, and generations of activists came to know the phrase as a symbol of resistance to British rule.
But there was another side to its story.
As the freedom movement grew, so did the challenge of representing a country made up of many different religious and cultural communities.
And that eventually led to a debate over how Vande Mataram should be used at national gatherings.
ALSO: India’s First Independence Day Wasn’t Just Celebration: What 15 August 1947 Really Looked Like
Why The First Two Stanzas Were Chosen
This is one of the more complicated chapters in the song's history.
In 1937, the Congress Working Committee recommended that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram be used at national gatherings.
The issue was not whether the song had played an important role in the nationalist movement. Its historical significance was widely recognised.
The discussion centred partly on the religious imagery in the later portions of the composition and concerns about their suitability for gatherings intended to represent the wider nationalist movement.
In a letter to Muhammad Ali Jinnah in April 1938, Jawaharlal Nehru explained that the Congress Working Committee had taken into account objections raised by Muslims to parts of the song and had recommended the first two stanzas for national gatherings.
It was a compromise around a song that already had decades of history behind it.
And importantly, this was not yet independent India's formal designation of a National Song.
That decision came later.
1947: A New India
By August 1947, Vande Mataram had already been part of India's nationalist story for generations.
On the night of 14 August 1947, as the Constituent Assembly gathered for the transfer of power, the first item on its agenda was the singing of the first verse of Vande Mataram.
Hours later, India would become independent.
The country was entering a new chapter, and with it came the question of which symbols would represent the new republic.
One of those questions concerned Vande Mataram.
The other concerned Jana Gana Mana.
The Decision Made In 1950
On 24 January 1950, just days before the Constitution came into force, Constituent Assembly President Rajendra Prasad addressed the question.
He announced that Jana Gana Mana would be India's National Anthem.
He also said that Vande Mataram, because of the historic role it had played in India's freedom struggle, would be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and have equal status.
That distinction is still important today.
Jana Gana Mana is India's National Anthem.
Vande Mataram is India's National Song.
They are not the same thing, even though both occupy an important place in India's national life.
150 Years Later
A song written in colonial India is now being commemorated across the country 150 years after its first publication.
The Government of India began a year-long commemoration of Vande Mataram in November 2025, with programmes continuing through November 2026.
And this year's Independence Day gives the anniversary an especially visible moment.
The Ministry of Defence has announced that Vande Mataram will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15 August 2026, before the Prime Minister's Independence Day address.
It is a fitting location for a song whose history is so closely tied to India's journey to independence.
Why The Song Still Matters
The history of Vande Mataram is not a straight line.
It started in literature.
It entered the political movement against British rule.
It became closely associated with the Swadeshi movement.
It was debated as the freedom movement tried to represent India's different communities.
And after independence, it was formally recognised alongside the National Anthem.
That complicated journey is precisely what makes the song so significant.
It has been part of India's history for longer than the Republic of India has existed.
From 1875 To 2026
In 1875, Vande Mataram appeared in a Bengali literary journal.
In 1896, Tagore sang it at a Congress session.
In 1905, it became closely associated with the Swadeshi movement.
In 1937, its use at national gatherings was discussed and the first two stanzas were recommended.
In 1950, the Constituent Assembly formally recognised its historic place alongside the National Anthem.
And in 2026, 150 years after its first publication, it is once again taking centre stage during India's Independence Day celebrations.
The words have travelled a long way.
From the pages of a 19th-century journal to political rallies, from the freedom movement to the Red Fort, Vande Mataram has witnessed several chapters of India's history.
It was written before India was free. It became a symbol during the struggle for freedom. And 150 years later, it remains part of how India remembers that journey.
TL;DR | News At a Glance
Vande Mataram was first published on 7 November 1875 in Bangadarshan.
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee later included it in his novel Anandamath.
Rabindranath Tagore sang the song at the 1896 Indian National Congress session in Calcutta.
It became closely associated with the Swadeshi movement following the 1905 Partition of Bengal.
In 1937, the Congress Working Committee recommended the first two stanzas for use at national gatherings.
On 24 January 1950, the Constituent Assembly gave Vande Mataram equal status with Jana Gana Mana while recognising Jana Gana Mana as the National Anthem.
India is marking 150 years of Vande Mataram through a year-long national commemoration.
The song is scheduled to be sung from the Red Fort on 15 August 2026.
