Vande Mataram: Religious imagery, political debate, Pg20

Key Highlights:

• The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has decided that only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram will be sung at party programmes.
• This decision cites a 1937 CWC resolution backed by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, advocating for limiting its public rendition.
• Parliament recently passed the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, extending legal protection to Vande Mataram similar to the National Anthem, making disruption of its singing an offence.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs had previously notified that all six stanzas of Vande Mataram shall be sung during official functions.

Detailed Insights:

• Vande Mataram, meaning 'mother, I bow to thee', was composed in Sanskritised Bengali by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875.
• It was included in his 1882 novel Anandamath, which depicts the late-18th century Sanyasi Rebellion against the East India Company.
• The song gained significant popularity and became closely associated with the freedom struggle, particularly during the Swadeshi Movement (1905-1908).
• The Muslim League raised objections to certain references in the song, viewing "bowing to the mother" as idolatry.
• Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi acknowledged the song's patriotic spirit but suggested limiting its public rendition to the initial stanzas to avoid offending religious sentiments.
• The 1937 CWC resolution formally adopted the singing of only the first two stanzas at national gatherings, noting that other stanzas contained allusions and religious ideology potentially unsuited for all groups.
• During the Constituent Assembly debates, there was friction over adopting Vande Mataram as the national anthem, with some preferring Jana Gana Mana due to orchestration difficulties.
• On January 24, 1950, President Rajendra Prasad declared Jana Gana Mana as the National Anthem and accorded Vande Mataram equal status as the National Song.
• The recent Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, amends Section 3 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, to include the National Song within its ambit.
• The Congress argues that the Ministry of Home Affairs notification for singing all six stanzas lacked parliamentary approval, contrasting it with Dr. Rajendra Prasad's 1950 statement.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Vande Mataram: India's National Song, composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, symbolizing the freedom struggle.
• Sanyasi Rebellion: A series of armed uprisings in Bengal (1763-1800) against the East India Company, depicted in Anandamath.
• Swadeshi Movement: An anti-colonial movement (1905-1908) promoting indigenous goods and boycotting British products, where Vande Mataram was a key slogan.
• Constituent Assembly: The body formed to draft the Constitution of India, which decided on the National Anthem and National Song.
• Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971: An Act that penalizes insults to national symbols, now amended to include the National Song.