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Vande Mataram at 150: How the National Song is different from the National Anthem

The song became popular during the freedom struggle and was adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1905 to rouse nationalist sentiment for the motherland.

2 min readNew DelhiDec 8, 2025 04:44 PM IST

PM Narendra Modi speaks in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on the 150th anniversary of the national song 'Vande Mataram', at the Winter session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated a discussion in the Lok Sabha on Monday (December 8) to commemorate 150 years of the National Song, Vande Mataram.

“Vande Mataram is not merely a mantra for political freedom. It was not just about making the British leave. It was more than that. The freedom struggle was a struggle to free our motherland,” he said.

About Vande Mataram

Vande Mataram (Mother, I bow to thee) was composed in sanskritised Bengali by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875, and was first published in 1882 as part of his novel, Anandmath. Chatterjee had been inspired by freedom movements such as the 18th-century Sannyasi Rebellion and the 1857 revolt.

The song became popular during the freedom struggle and was adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1905 to rouse nationalist sentiment for the motherland.

President Rajendra Prasad bestowed equal honour on Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana in the 1950 Constituent Assembly debate.

Also Read | Vande Mataram: What Gandhi, Tagore, Jinnah said about the song

“The composition consisting of the words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations in the words as the Government may authorise as occasion arises; and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it,” he said.

How is it different from the National Anthem?

For one, the National Anthem enjoys constitutional privileges that the National Song does not. Article 51A(a) of the Constitution makes it a fundamental duty for every citizen to respect the National Anthem, while the decorum for playing or singing the National Anthem is regulated by ‘Orders relating to the National Anthem of India’ and ‘The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971’.

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Jana Gana Mana was chosen as the national anthem for its secular, inclusive nature, celebrating the nation’s unity in diversity.