By His Excellency Manish, High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cyprus
There are songs that belong to a moment; and there are songs that grow with a people. Vande Mataram is emphatically of the latter category. Composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the pages of his novel Anandamath in the 1870s and published in 1882, these lines became one of the earliest poetic invocations of a modern Indian national imagination – an emotional summons to a land described as mother, refuge and sanctum. Its first circulation through newspapers, public readings and political meetings transformed it from literature to a political creed long before formal institutions of nationhood were in place.
During the struggle against colonial rule Vande Mataram served as a rallying cry. It was adopted by the Indian National Congress in the early twentieth century as a militant salutation and gained mass currency at public meetings, processions and protests – so much so that colonial authorities censored and even criminalised its recital at various points in history. After independence the Constituent Assembly accorded the work the status of the National Song of India, recognising its special place alongside the national anthem as part of our civic repertoire.
Like all living artefacts of public culture, the song has travelled a remarkable path since its conception. The first two stanzas elevate the motherland through images of grace, abundance and natural splendour, portraying India as a land of rivers, fields, forests and gentle rhythms of life. These verses possess a lyrical purity that captures both the emotional landscape and civilisational depth of India: a country vast yet intimate, diverse yet united by a shared sense of reverence for the land. It is this union of poetic imagination and national sentiment that gives Vande Mataram its timeless quality – an elegance and emotional resonance that remain incomparable in the canon of patriotic expression.
The later stanzas of Vande Mataram take the poem from gentle praise to a more uplifting tone. They describe the motherland as a source of strength, hope and inner courage – someone who inspires her people to strive, endure and do what is right. The language becomes more vivid and majestic, highlighting qualities such as bravery, kindness and moral resolve that have guided India through centuries. In these verses the song grows from a description of the land into a tribute to the spirit of India itself.
This year India marked a new chapter in the life of the song with the inauguration of a year-long commemoration to observe the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, launched by the Government of India on 7 November 2025 with concerts, exhibitions and a country-wide mass singing of the full song to encourage reflection on its history and reach. The initiative seeks to treat Vande Mataram as an object of shared heritage – inviting citizens to understand the song’s origins and its role in anti-colonial mobilisation.
Vande Mataram has relevance for a world grappling with identity, belonging and the politics of memory. Its image of the land as mother is a call to stewardship, reminding societies that their deepest loyalties must extend to the soil that sustains them and to the communities that share it. At a time when nations confront climate pressures, fragile ecosystems, and shifting borders, this idea acquires renewed force. It offers a perspective in which duty to the land is inseparable from duty to one another.
As the High Commissioner of India to Cyprus I am mindful that every nation’s route to statehood furnishes similar cultural touchstones. Cyprus’s national anthem, the Hymn to Liberty (Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν), written by Dionysios Solomos in 1823 and adopted in the modern era, is one such example: a poetic invocation born in the context of struggle against domination and subsequently elevated to the status of a civic emblem. Both pieces- though different in language, form and historical moment – illustrate how poetic expression becomes enmeshed with political aspirations, how songs can bind communities in times of trial.
If there is a lesson from the current commemorations of Vande Mataram, it is that national songs endure because they speak to the soul of a nation. They carry the weight of collective memory, the optimism of a people, and the quiet discipline that binds generations together..
The High Commission of India in Nicosia joins in this spirit of reflection and dialogue – commending initiatives that promote informed memory, cultural exchange and mutual respect between our societies. Through cultural programmes, academic exchanges and public diplomacy, we will continue to facilitate conversations that place historic symbols in contemporary perspective and encourage Cypriot and Indian audiences alike to reflect on how art, poetry and song have helped shape the modern nation-state.
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