FIVE LIVES OF VANDE MATARAM by Sabyasachi Bhattacahrya

Indian Express
August 24, 2006

FIVE LIVES OF VANDE MATARAM
by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya

The history of the national song has imbued it with diverse symbolism

The appropriation of cultural creations for
political purposes may be inevitable, but it
should not happen in a state of arrogant
ignorance. The low level of knowledge now on
display in the statements and actions of many
political parties in respect of the song, Vande
Mataram, is surprising. It is surprising because
the song has been part of the language of Indian
politics for over a century. At this moment we
see a rerun of an old series of actions and
reactions intended to stage an enactment of
identity assertions.

The traditional appeal of the captivating lyric,
celebrating the beauty of the motherland, remains
as strong as ever so far as the general public is
concerned. One evidence of this is its popularity
set to
music composed by A.R. Rahman. And yet
political squabbles over the song continue.
Coverage in the electronic media provides
entertainment in juxtaposing the so-called Hindu
and Muslim points of view, a mode of presentation
which allows no other reading of the song.
Actually the meanings read into the poem have
differed widely in the 130 years since it was
written. In terms of the meanings thus attributed
there are about five different phases.

In the beginning were just the words. Reportedly
one of the leading defenders of the song and of
Hindutva has said that the song was written by
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee to honour those who
sacrificed their lives for the country. To defend
the truth about the song from such defenders it
needs to be said that when Bankim first wrote it
in the early 1870s it was just a beautiful hymn
to the motherland, richly-watered,
richly-fruited, dark with the crops of
the
harvests, sweet of laughter, sweet of speech, the
giver of bliss. For several years these first two
stanzas remained unpublished. In 1881 this poem
was included by Bankim in the novel, Anandamath,
and now it was expanded to endow the motherland
with militant religious symbolism as the context
of the narrative demanded.

However, the icon of the motherland, "terrible
with the clamour of seventy million throats",
likened to "Durga holding ten weapons of war"
etc, entered the public imagination much later.
This was from the beginning of Bengal's Swadeshi
agitation in 1905. It was sung in the Congress
session in Benaras in 1905 (music composed by
Tagore), in anti-Partition processions in
Calcutta led by Tagore, in meetings addressed by
Aurobindo Ghose. The latter hailed Bankim as the
rishi of nationalism and translated the poem into
English. Many translations were made, including
one by
Subramaniya Bharathi in 1905. Likewise,
far away from Bengal, Mahatma Gandhi took note of
the song as early as 1905. What is more, Vande
Mataram became a slogan for the common man, to
the extent he participated in anti-British
agitations. Many of the militant nationalists
faced bullets or the gallows with that slogan on
their lips. Thus Vande Mataram became sanctified
as an intrinsic part of the memories of the fight
for freedom.

A third phase in the life of the song began in
the 1930s when objections began to be raised
against the song on two grounds: first, its
association with Anandamath, which depicted the
Muslims of the Nawabi era of the 1770s in Bengal
in a poor light; second, the religious imagery
and idolatry implicit in the stanzas of the poem
following the first two. (Today those innocent of
any knowledge of the song and the novel probably
mistake the part for the whole). M.A. Jinnah,
as
well as a number of Muslim legislators in the
provincial assemblies elected in 1937, became
vociferous against the recitation or singing of
Vande Mataram, a practice introduced by
provincial Congress governments. In response to
this, as well as pressure of Congress members,
Jawaharlal Nehru in October 1937 wrote to Tagore
asking for his opinion regarding the suitability
of the song as a national anthem. The judgement
Nehru received was that the first two stanzas of
Vande Mataram should be accepted; as for the
later part of the verse, Tagore thought it might
offend monotheists, but the song was inextricably
associated with the freedom movement and "the
sacrifices of the best of our youths" since 1905.

Acting upon this advice the Congress Working
Committee recommended that "wherever the Vande
Mataram is sung at national gatherings, only the
first two stanzas should be sung". Jinnah wrote
to
Nehru in March 1938 that the decision was not
to his satisfaction but the Congress stuck to it;
in any event, there was a proviso that any one
who wished not to participate was free to do so.
>From then on the song was a dividing line between
those who doubted the wisdom of this compromise
(C. Rajgopalachari) and those, led by Nehru, who
were opposed to making the song obligatory. In
1939 some provincial governments - like Bihar and
Central Provinces - issued specific instructions
to education departments clarifying that the song
was not obligatory. A fallout was that the slogan
'Vande Mataram' acquired special connotation to
those who valued the Hindu symbolism in the song
and by 1946-47 in some parts of India it became
in inter-communal conflicts the battle cry of the
Hindu community. The earliest instance of Hindu
Mahasabha support to the sanctification of the
song is perhaps the 'Vande Mataram
Day' organised
by the party in 1937.

The fifth and most recent phase in the life of
the song commenced in the Constituent Assembly on
January 24, 1950, when it was sung at the end of
its deliberations. It was resolved that while
Jana Gana Mana was identified as the national
anthem, equally with it Vande Mataram was to be
recognised. It was a motion from the chair, moved
by Rajendra Prasad himself, and unlike other
parts of the Constitution it was never debated
upon in the Constituent Assembly. But the matter
continues to be debated until today. This is not
unexpected, given the eventful history of this
song. Judging by various erroneous statements
which are now being made, it is vitally important
to bear in mind what happened in the past. That
is because the memories of the past, rightly or
wrongly, constitute our present.

The writer, a former VC of Visva Bharati
University, Santiniketan,
is the author of 'Vande
Mataram: The Biography of a Song' (Penguin)