CHENNAI: As today marks the 150th anniversary of the National Song of India, 'Vande Mataram', Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan on Thursday encouraged every household to sing the patriotic song to celebrate the anniversary.
In his statement, the Minister noted that the iconic song penned by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee on November 7, 1875, became the soul-stirring anthem of India's freedom struggle after Rabindranath Tagore set it to music and performed it at the 1896 Indian National Congress session in Kolkata.
By 1905, during the anti-partition movement in Bengal, Vande Mataram had transformed into a powerful war cry against British imperialism. "When 40,000 people gathered at Kolkata Town Hall and sang Vande Mataram in unison, it sent shivers down the spine of the colonial rulers," he said.
Murugan also highlighted the contributions of Subramania Bharati, who passionately popularised the song in Tamil Nadu, and patriots like VO Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Siva, who made it the rallying cry of the Swadeshi Movement from Tirunelveli.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he said, "Vande Mataram touched my heart deeply. The song will endure as long as the nation lives."
Calling the 150th year a moment of national pride, Murugan urged people to unite in singing Vande Mataram on Friday, letting it resonate "in every home and every heart", rekindling the spirit of patriotism across the nation.