Vande Mataram: a Song in Search of a Nation
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14 freedom 70 freedom 70 15 AUGUST 13-19, 2017 @ @AUGUST 13-19, 2017 Many versions of A permanent alter ego Bande Mataram Due to the invocation to Hindu goddesses in its Barkha Barse, to replace Vande Mataram as later stanzas and its setting within the novel its anthem for the Provisional Government for Since Bankim himself was Anandamath, that identified the Muslim Free India in Singapore Vande no musician, the ruling class as an enemy, Vande Mataram poem has been has faced objections right through The INA also had Qadam Qadam Badhaye Ja, scored countless India’s history the regimental quick march song times, using written by Vanshidhar Shukla and different ragas of Jana Gana Mana, composed by Ram Singh. This song Mataram: Indian classical which was finally was banned up to 1947. Reports music by other chosen as India’s suggest it has been adopted as a musicians — with one regimental march song of the national anthem, Indian Army report suggesting the first was written and effort was even before composed by In 1933, when first objections to A Song in Anandamath was published Tagore himself Vande Mataram were aired and shares the publicly, poet Allama Iqbal’s Tagore’s rendition in 1896 Saare Jahan Se Accha, was a much slower-paced status with Vande Hindustan Hamara was sung one than what we are Mataram which is along with it. Iqbal had Search of a used to hear now. This accorded the status originally composed this song version in Tagore’s own of national song called Tarana-e-Hind in 1904. voice was released on gramophone record in Jana Gana Mana was also used as 1904 and is now available on Later Iqbal became one of the the national anthem of the Indian various online platforms proponents for the idea of Pakistan. Nation National Army that was led by Subhas By 1909, he had adapted the song Chandra Bose and in Captain Ram Singh A composition of Vande Thakuri, the INA had a composer and re-written it as a Tarana-e- The song Vande Mataram or Bande Mata- Mataram by Pandit VD par excellence. The INA also Milli that spoke about a ram, as the original in Bengali would be Paluskar on raag Kafi was created its own version of Muslim nation spread favoured by Gandhiji and Jana Gana Mana in Hindi: across central Asia, pronounced, predates Bankim Chandra was often sung by Paluskar Subh Sukh Chain Ki Arabia and India Chattopadhyay’s novel Anandamath, by himself at Congress meetings. In 1933, at quite a few years. The verses that con- Translation by the Kakinada tain a mix of Bengali and Sanskrit words convention, Maulana Sri Aurobindo in 1909 Ahmed Ali objected Bollywood’s own anthems were probably written around 1876 and to Paluskar singing The Indian Hindi Film industry has created many songs that achieved iconic status over the years: later incorporated in the novel that was Translation the song I bow to thee, Mother, serialized in a Kolkata publication in In 1937, the Congress 1881-1882. It’s most famous rendition richly-watered, richly-fruited, decided to use only the first cool with the winds of the south, two stanzas of the song leaving was in 1896 by Rabindranath Tagore at a out the references to Hindu meeting of the Indian National Congress dark with the crops of the harvests, goddesses in the later half of The Mother! the poem. Pandit in Kolkata. During the following decade Omkarnath Thakur, the two words Bande Mataram or Vande whose version in Her nights rejoicing in the raag Kafi was Mataram also caught on as a political slo- glory of the moonlight, popular, sung it on gan for freedom fighters. It has remained All India Radio on her lands clothed beautifully with August 15, 1947 1961 1967 1986 1992 1965 widely popular and at the same time her trees in flowering bloom, Aye mere Mere desh Dil diya hai, Bharat Rang de generated its own share of controversy. sweet of laughter, sweet of speech, At the time of pyare ki dharti jaan bhi humko jaan basanti choosing watan sona ugle denge se pyara hai chola Here is a sample of all that has The Mother, giver of boons, the National Anthem of happened over India’s national song giver of bliss! the country, composer Krishnarao Phulambrikar over its 140-years plus history: from Pune worked on the :: Suman Layak poem, creating variations on raag Jhinjhoti that can be sung easily by large assemblies Every region had an anthem and one that can be used as a marching Karnataka: Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate song, to overcome Some unofficial various objections Tamil Nadu: Tamil Thai Valthu anthems that were raised Andhra Pradesh: Maa Telugu Talliki Vande Mataram Pop Vanji Bhumi for Over the years, there The most heard version that is Kerala, which was There have been Lata Mangeshkar have been many used by All India Radio at the Telangana: Jaya Jaya Hey Telangana various versions of beginning of its daily programme Janani Jayakethanam originally the anthem did her own versions, including for the Kingdom of Vande Mataram sung in one by Manna Dey in has been composed in raag Des. Bollywood songs. The version of While some credit Pandit Ravi Travancore Vande Mataram, 1951 and in 2012 Assam: O Mur Apunar Desh most well known being Sonu Nigam, Shankar Shankar for the tune, there is no one sung by Lata using the same definite confirmation about the Mahadevan and Odisha: Bande Utkala Janani Jai Jai Mangeshkar in 1952 tune but adding A year before Sunidhi Chauhan lent composer Maharashtra movie Anand Math, new stanzas in AR Rehman did their voice to Gujarat: Jai Jai Garavi Gujarat where the song was set Hindi in his own version, version created by Majha for to a new tune by 1998 Maa Tujhe percussionist Maharashtra Hemant Kumar Salaam, in 1997 Bickram Ghosh.