At 150, Vande Mataram Reignites Political Fight Over Singing the Full Song

Overview

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the anniversary on 7 November, released commemorative coins and stamps, and encouraged citizens to sing the full rendition.
• Nationwide observances are under way to mark 150 years since Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay first composed the hymn in 1875 and later included it in Anandamath.
• Archival letters described by the National Herald show Rabindranath Tagore advised adopting only the first two stanzas, shaping the Congress Working Committee’s 1937 resolution.
• The 1937 decision followed tensions after provincial elections and protests over mandatory full renditions, with Congress leaders presenting the abridgement as a unifying step.
• Supporters of the government call the push for the full version a restoration and democratisation of a national symbol, while critics see appropriation and dispute narratives tying the 1937 move to Partition.