Read more: Vande Mataram, how a 19th-century poem became India’s national song
He said the moment was special because the country is currently observing several significant milestones, 75 years of the Constitution, the 150th birth anniversaries of Sardar Patel and Birsa Munda, and the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur. According to him, the completion of 150 years of Vande Mataram adds to this era of important national celebrations.
Modi described Vande Mataram as a mantra and a slogan that fuelled the freedom struggle with energy, inspiration, sacrifice, and penance.
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He said it was a matter of pride for the nation to witness this landmark, emphasising that the House was remembering the very chant that awakened generations to fight for independence.
The Prime Minister thanked all Members of Parliament for participating collectively in the discussion, saying it reflected respect for the sacrifices made by those who fought under the banner of Vande Mataram.He reminded the House that when Vande Mataram completed 50 years, the country was still under colonial rule, and when it completed 100 years, the nation was under the Emergency.
He said that today, 150 years later, India is celebrating the mantra freely in Parliament, a contrast that symbolises how far the country has come.
Modi noted that “we are sitting here because lakhs of people chanted Vande Mataram and fought for independence”.
Recounting the origins of the patriotic song, Modi said that when Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote Vande Mataram, it became the natural voice of the freedom movement and the conscience of every Indian.
Reflecting on its origins, he said that when Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote Vande Mataramit became the natural voice of the freedom movement and the conscience of every Indian.
He added, “Vande Mataram was not merely a mantra for political independence. It was far greater than that. Freedom was a war to liberate our motherland from the chains of slavery.
In our Vedic tradition, it has been said, ‘This land is my mother, and I am the son of the soil’. Shri Ram expressed the same sentiment when he renounced Lanka: Mother and birthplace are greater than heaven. Vande Mataram is the modern embodiment of that ancient cultural legacy.”
He pointed out that during the British rule, when the government was committing all kinds of atrocities and pushing God Save the Queen into every Indian home as a national song, Bankim Da’s Vande Mataram rose to challenge that dominance. It turned into a cultural and spiritual resistance that united people against foreign rule.
“British were forced to ban Vande Mataram; they brought in laws to prevent printing and propagation of the poem,” he said.
While translating the idea of “Bharat Mata”, Modi said that she is the goddess of knowledge and prosperity, and yet in front of enemies, she also becomes Chandi, fierce, powerful, and undefeatable.
By placing this description in the context of Vande Mataram, he emphasised how the song carried both devotion and strength, encouraging patriotism as well as courage during the freedom struggle.
Modi further remarked that the British realised after 1857 that ruling India would not be easy. He said they then adopted the strategy of divide and rule, using Bengal as their experimental ground, a period when Bengal’s intellectual strength was guiding the nation.