Patna, Nov 7 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said that the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ heralded the Indian freedom movement and kept the country united post-independence.
Addressing a programme to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the song at the BJP office here, Shah asserted that the dreams envisioned by the freedom fighters were fulfilled in the last 11 years through collective efforts.
The song was written by Bengali novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay on the occasion of Akshaya Navami, which fell on November 7 in 1875.
“On this date, Bankim babu had made public this song, which came to herald the Indian freedom movement and kept India united post-independence,” Shah said.
The song first appeared in the literary journal, “Bangadarshan”, as part of Chattopadhyay’s novel, “Anandamath”.
Noting that the BJP has always stressed cultural nationalism, he said, “I am sure ‘Vande Mataram’ must have been the driving force behind that nationalism”.
Shah said that a social media campaign -Vande Mataram 150 – will be run, under which people can write the song in their language to promote unity.
Shah paid homage to Chattopadhyay during the programme, and said, “From today onwards, a step-by-step endeavour will be undertaken to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ at different places throughout the year.” “On August 15, 1947, on the request of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Pt Omkarnath Thakur sang the entire song, and on January 24, 1950, Rajendra Prasad accepted it as the national song,” he said.
Shah, along with other BJP leaders, took a pledge for ‘Swadeshi’ during the ‘Vande Mataram@150’ celebration at the BJP state office here.
He read the ‘Swadeshi Sankalp Patra’, which emphasised the use of Indian products in everyday life instead of foreign goods, promoting local industries and raising awareness on this issue among the people.
It also stressed prioritising Indian tourist spots and speaking Indian languages, alongside inspiring youth and children to adopt the ‘Swadeshi’ idea. PTI SUK BDC NN BDC
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