150 Years of Vande Mataram: Lyrics, Meaning, and The Man Behind The Song That Ignited a Nation

150 Years of Vande Mataram: The Story Behind India’s National Song

This November 7, 2025, India marks 150 years of Vande Mataram — the national song that stirred the soul of a nation, inspired generations of freedom fighters, and became a timeless anthem of unity and courage.

Originally composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875, Vande Mataram (which means “Mother, I bow to thee”) was first published in the Bengali journal Bangadarshan. Later immortalized in Chatterjee’s revolutionary novel Anandamath (1882), it evolved from a poem of devotion into a battle cry for independence — one that would echo across decades of India’s struggle for freedom.

Vande Mataram Original Lyrics

 বন্দে মাতরম্‌
সুজলাং সুফলাং মালয়জশীতলাং,
শস্যশ্যামলাং মাতরম্‌।

বন্দে মাতরম্‌।

শুভ্রজ্যোৎস্নাপুলকিতযামিনীम्‌,
ফুল্লকুসুমিতদ্রুমदलশোভিনীম্‌,
সুহাসিনীং সুমধুর ভাষিণীম্‌,
সুখদাং বরদাং মাতরম্‌॥

সপ্তকোটি কণ্ঠ কালকণ্ঠনিনাদকরালে
দ্বিসপ্তকোটি ভুজৈর্ধৃতখরকরবালে,
কেবালে মা? তুমি অবলা না?
বাহুবলধারিণীং নমামি তারিণীং
রিপুদলবারিণীং মাতরম্‌॥

তুমিই দুর্গা দশপ্রহরণধারিণী,
কমলা কমলদলবিহারিণী,
বাণী বিদ্যাদায়িনী, নামাহি ত্বাম্‌,
নমামি ত্বাম্‌,
নমামি কমলাম্‌।
অমলকমলদলবিহারিণীং,
বন্দে মাতরম্‌।

শুভ্রজ্যোৎস্নাপুলকিতযামিনীম্‌,
ফুল্লকুসুমিতদ্রুমদলশোভিনীম্‌,
সুহাসিনীং সুমধুর ভাষিণীম্‌,
সুখদাং বরদাং মাতরম্‌॥

Vande Mataram in Hindi

वंदे मातरम्‌
सुजलां सुफलां मलयजशीतलाम्‌
शस्यश्यामलां मातरम्‌॥
वंदे मातरम्‌॥

शुभ्रज्योत्स्ना पुलकित यामिनीम्‌
फुल्लकुसुमित द्रुमदलशोभिनीम्‌
सুহासिनीं सुमधुर भाषिणीम्‌
सुखदां वरदां मातरम्‌॥
वंदे मातरम्‌॥

सप्तकोटि कण्ठ कलकल निनाद कराले
द्विसप्तकोटि भुजैर्धृत खरकरवाले।
के बोले मा? तुमि अबला ना?
बहुबलधारिणीं नमामि तारिणीं
रिपुदलवारिणीं मातरम्‌॥

त्वं ही दुर्गा दशप्रहरणधारिणी,
कमला कमलदलविहारिणी,
वाणी विद्यादायिनी, नमामि त्वाम्‌।
नमामि कमलाम्‌,
अमल कमलदलविहारिणीं।
वंदे मातरम्‌॥

शुभ्रज्योत्स्ना पुलकित यामिनीम्‌,
फुल्लकुसुमित द्रुमदलशोभिनीम्‌,
सुखदां वरदां मातरम्‌॥
वंदे मातरम्‌॥

Vande Mataram English Translation

Vande Mataram — I bow to thee, Mother,
Richly-watered, richly-fruited,
Cool with the winds of the south,
Dark with the crops of the harvests,
The Mother!

Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,
Her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,
Sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,
The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss!

Terrible with the clamour of seventy million throats,
And the blazing arms of twice seventy million hands,
Who sayeth thou art weak?
Mother, with strength born of might,
Mother, with strength to save,
Mother of all, I bow to thee!

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her swords of sheen;
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And Saraswati, giver of wisdom and song;
To thee I bow!

Mother, to thee I bow!

Vande Mataram: The Song That Sparked a Revolution

Vande Mataram wasn’t just a song — it was an awakening. First sung publicly by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 Indian National Congress session in Calcutta, its lyrics evoked a divine image of the motherland, blending spirituality and patriotism in a way that touched millions.

When students and freedom fighters raised cries of Vande Mataram during rallies and protests in the early 1900s, it became a symbol of defiance against British rule. So powerful was its emotional pull that colonial authorities attempted to ban it from schools, public meetings, and processions — but every attempt only made the song more immortal.

In 1905, when the British announced the partition of Bengal, the streets of Calcutta erupted with chants of Vande Mataram. It became the rallying cry of the Swadeshi movement, urging Indians to reject foreign goods and embrace self-reliance.

Despite attempts to suppress it, the song travelled far and wide — from Madam Bhikaji Cama’s tricolour flag in Germany (1907) to the last words of Madan Lal Dhingra before his execution in London (1909). Vande Mataram was no longer just a song; it was the pulse of India’s awakening.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee: The Visionary Behind the Verse

Born in 1838, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was more than a novelist — he was a thinker who gave voice to India’s yearning for selfhood. Through his novels like Durgeshnandini, Kapalkundala, and Devi Chaudhurani, he laid the groundwork for a new kind of Indian literature — one that combined moral strength with national consciousness.

But it was Vande Mataram that sealed his place in history. By portraying the motherland as a divine mother, he created what Sri Aurobindo later described as the “religion of patriotism” — where serving the nation became a sacred duty.

The National Song of India

When India gained independence, there was little debate over the importance of Vande Mataram. On January 24, 1950, President Dr. Rajendra Prasad announced in the Constituent Assembly that while Jana Gana Mana would be the national anthem, Vande Mataram would hold equal honour and status as the national song, recognizing its historic role in the freedom movement.

The 150-Year Commemoration

As India celebrates 150 years of Vande Mataram, the government and cultural bodies are marking the occasion with national events, exhibitions, musical renditions, and global campaigns. The celebrations — held in four phases through 2025–26 — include a commemorative stamp and coin release, tree plantation drives titled “Salute to Mother Earth”, and performances of the song in Indian missions worldwide.

These initiatives honour not only Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s timeless creation but also the ideals of unity, self-reliance, and devotion it represents.