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Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s poem Vande Maataram was written in highly sanskritized Bengali in the 1870s and included in his Bengali novel Anandamath in 1882. Rabindranath Tagore performed the poem for the first time before the Indian National Congress in 1896. Prior to the end of colonial administration in August 1947, the Congress Working Committee selected the first two verses of the song as the National Song of India in October 1937.
It was written in Bengali script in the novel Anandmath as an ode to the Motherland. “I praise motherland, Mother,” says the title “Vande Mataram.” Though the language does not clearly state it, the “mother goddess” in later sections of the hymn has been understood as the people’s motherland –– Banga Mata (Mother Bengal) and Bharat Mata (Mother India).
History of India’s National Song:
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was one of the first graduates of Calcutta University, which had just been founded. Following his BA, he worked as a civil servant for the colonial government, rising through the ranks to become a Deputy Collector and then a Deputy Magistrate. Chattopadhyay was fascinated by recent events in Indian and Bengali history, particularly the Revolt of 1857 and the Sanyasi Rebellion of the previous century. At the same time, the administration was attempting to promote “God Save the Queen” as the national song for Indian subjects, a move that Indian nationalists despised. The concept of Vande Mataram is thought to have come to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay while he was still a government official, circa 1876.
He authored Vande Mataram in Chinsura (Chuchura), where there is a white Adhya family residence near the Hooghly River (near Mallik Ghat).
Lyrics and Translation:
National Song of India – Vande Mataram
Vande Mataram!
Sujalam suphalam, malayaja shitalam,
Shasyashyamalam, Mataram!
Shubhrajyotsna pulakitayaminim,
Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,
Suhasinim, sumadhura bhashinim,
Sukhadam, varadam, Mataram!
Saptakotikantha kalakala ninada karale
Dvisaptakoti bhujair dhrita-khara karavale
Abala kena ma eta bale
Bahubala dharinim, namami tarinim,
Ripudalavarinim Mataram!
Tumi vidya, tumi dharma,
Tumi hridi, tumi marma,
Tvam hi pranah sharire!
Bahute tumi ma shakti,
Hridaye tumi ma bhakti,
Tomarayipratima gari mandire mandire!
Tvam hi Durga dashapraharana dharini,
Kamala, Kamaladalaviharini,
Vani, vidyadayini namami tvam,
Namami Kamalam, amalam, atulam,
Sujalam, suphalam, Mataram,
Vande Mataram!
Shyamalam, saralam, susmitam, bhushitam,
Dharanim, bharanim, Mataram!
English Translation:
I bow to you, Mother!
Rich with rushing streams,
Rich with rushing streams,
bright with gleaming orchards,
cool with delighting breezes,
Mother of force, dark fields waving
Mother free.
Moonlight dreams’ radiance,
Over thy lordly streams and branches,
Mother, source of ease,
clad in thy blossoming trees,
I kiss thine feet,
Mother, laughing softly and sweet.
Speaker lovely and low,
I bow to you, Mother. [Verse 1]
Who has declared that your lands are weak?
When seventy million swords are drawn from seventy million hands,
And there are seventy million voices yelling.
From shore to shore, what is thy awful name?
With a plethora of abilities, they are formidable and powerful,
I address myself to thee, Mother and Lord!
Rise and save, thou who savest!
I weep for her, whatever her foes were.
Returning from the plains and the sea
And she was able to shake herself free. [Verse 2]
You are law, and you are knowledge.
You are our heart, our soul, and our life.
You are divine love, the awe-inspiring awe-in
Death is defeated in our hearts.
Thine is the strength that runs through the arm’s nerves.
Thine is the beauty, and thy is the allure.
Every single image is wonderful.
There is only thine in our temples. [Verse 3]
Lady and Queen, thou art Goddess Durga.
With her slashing fists and gleaming blades,
You are the lotus-throned Goddess Kamala (Lakshmi).
Goddess Vani (Saraswati), considered as the bestower of wisdom
Without a peer, pure and perfect,
‘Mother, lend thy ear,’ says the narrator.
With all of thy rushing waters,
Thy orchard gleams brightly.
O candid-fair, your colour is dark. [Verse 4]
With jewelled hair in thy spirit
And thy beautiful smile, thy glorious grin,
The most beautiful of all earthly lands,
Riches pouring down from well-kept hands!
My mama, my mother!
Sweet mother, I humbly submit to thee,
Mother is wonderful and unrestricted! [Verse 5]
Conclusion:
“Vande Mataram” is India’s national anthem. “I bow to thee, Mother,” it literally implies. It’s a poem adapted from Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Anandamath, published in 1882. It was written in both Bengali and Sanskrit. Jadunath Bhattacharya composed the soundtrack for the film.
Vande Mataram is a patriotic song that was instrumental in the Indian independence movement. Rabindranath Tagore sang it for the first time in a political context at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. The first two verses of the song were designated as India’s official “National Song” in 1950.
