If there is one patriotic composition that deserves far greater honour than it has received from independent Bharat, it is Vande Mataram. More than a song, it was the battle cry of Bharat’s freedom movement. It inspired generations of freedom fighters who willingly embraced imprisonment, torture and even death while chanting its immortal words. Yet, independent Bharat has spent over seven decades treating it as a national symbol that must be celebrated selectively and cautiously. The question is simple: Why? The answer, unfortunately, lies in the politics of appeasement that dominated Bharat’s post-Independence political discourse. Penned by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Vande Mataram became synonymous with Bharat’s nationalist movement much before Independence. The British feared it. Freedom fighters revered it. The masses embraced it. There was never any ambiguity about its contribution to Bharat’s struggle for freedom. It is equally well documented that on January 24, 1950, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, while making his historic announcement in the Constituent Assembly, declared that while Jana Gana Mana would be Bharat’s National Anthem, Vande Mataram would enjoy equal honour and status in recognition of its historic role in the freedom struggle. Sadly, successive Congress governments ensured that this solemn declaration remained largely confined to history books. Instead of institutionalising that promise, they chose political expediency over historical justice. For decades, Congress conveniently allowed Vande Mataram to become a subject of controversy rather than national pride. Every time objections were raised by certain sections claiming religious sensitivities, the party simply chose the path of least resistance. Its commitment to secularism increasingly came to mean being uncomfortable with symbols of Bharat’s civilisational and cultural heritage. The tragedy is that the Congress never realised that nationalism cannot be practised selectively.
One cannot proudly celebrate the sacrifices of Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose and countless freedom fighters while remaining hesitant to honour the very song that inspired them. What message did this send to generations of Bharateeyans? That patriotism must first pass the test of vote-bank calculations. The Narendra Modi government has, over the last decade, demonstrated a willingness to revisit historical omissions. Whether it was recognising forgotten freedom fighters, celebrating Bharat’s cultural legacy or correcting historical narratives that were deliberately downplayed for political convenience, the BJP-led NDA has not been shy of confronting uncomfortable truths. If the government now decides to accord Vande Mataram the statutory recognition and dignity that many believe it deserves, it would merely be fulfilling the unfinished promise made at the birth of the Republic. Predictably, the usual chorus of opposition will once again attempt to portray the issue as majoritarian politics. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Vande Mataram belongs neither to the BJP nor to any political party. It belongs to Bharat. Its legacy predates political ideologies, parliamentary arithmetic and coalition compulsions. It must also be said that patriotism is not about coercion. Respect for national symbols should ideally come from conviction and not merely from the fear of punishment. Any legislation dealing with such matters must be constitutionally robust and carefully debated in Parliament. However, the larger issue remains non-negotiable. Independent Bharat owes Vande Mataram a debt that has remained unpaid for far too long. The Congress may have found political convenience in keeping the song in constitutional limbo. But history has been far kinder to Vande Mataram than politicians ever were. It survived colonial oppression, ideological opposition and decades of political hesitation. Perhaps the time has finally come to give it what Dr. Rajendra Prasad intended in 1950—not token respect, but the honour worthy of a song that became the heartbeat of Bharat’s freedom movement. Seventy-six years is a long time to wait for historical justice. Vande Mataram has waited long enough.
