Bhubaneswar: Students across all educational institutions in Odisha will sing 'Vande Mataram' (also pronounced as Bande Mataram) on November 7 as part of the nationwide celebration of the iconic song’s 150th anniversary.

Odisha Govt issues directive to schools and colleges

The Odia Language, Literature & Culture Department has written a letter to the School & Mass Education and Higher Education Departments, urging institutions to organise the singing of Vande Mataram on their campuses on November 7.

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Part of 150th Anniversary Celebrations

On October 1, the Union Cabinet approved year-long countrywide celebrations to mark 150 years of Vande Mataram. The aim is to connect citizens—especially students and youth—with the song’s original patriotic and revolutionary essence.

The celebrations seek to honour the timeless message of the national song and preserve its legacy for future generations.

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Origin and significance of Vande Mataram

Composed in Sanskrit by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s, Vande Mataram was first published in 1882 in his celebrated Bengali novel ‘Anandamath’. The title means “I praise thee, Mother”, symbolising devotion to the motherland.

The song played a crucial role during the Indian freedom movement. It gained prominence when Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore first sang it at the 1896 Kolkata session of the Indian National Congress. By 1905, it had become a powerful marching song for freedom fighters.

Adoption as India’s National Song

The first two verses of Vande Mataram were adopted as the National Song of India by the Congress in October 1937. During British rule, Vande Mataram and the novel Anandamath were banned for their revolutionary impact, with violators facing imprisonment. The ban was lifted after India’s independence in 1947.