Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the grand year-long 150th anniversary celebrations of India’s iconic national song 'Vande Mataram' at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, releasing a special commemorative postage stamp and coin to honor its enduring legacy. The event, attended by dignitaries and cultural performers, officially launched nationwide commemorations from November 7, 2025, to November 7, 2026, marking the exact date in 1875 when Bankim Chandra Chatterji first penned the powerful verses on Akshaya Navami, later immortalized in his novel Anandamath and published in the journal Bangadarshan.
In a pointed critique of the Congress-led decision in 1937 to omit crucial stanzas from the full rendition, Modi declared that this act “removed the soul” of the freedom struggle’s most unifying anthem and directly sowed the seeds of India’s tragic partition a decade later. “The youth of today must understand why such injustice was done to this maha mantra of nation-building,” he asserted, warning that the same “divisive mindset” continues to pose a serious threat to national unity even in the present era of progress and resurgence.
Describing 'Vande Mataram' not merely as a song but as a living mantra of devotion, energy, resolve, and unbreakable national will, the Prime Minister connected its spirit to India’s modern strength and self-assertion. In an apparent reference to the recent Operation Sindoor against cross-border terrorism, he proclaimed, “When the enemy dared to attack our security and honor through terror, the world witnessed India rising in the fierce form of Maa Durga.” He urged every citizen to draw fresh inspiration from the anthem to propel India toward global leadership in knowledge, science, and technology by 2047.
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The nationwide celebration aims to rekindle patriotic fervor across schools, colleges, cultural forums, and digital platforms, ensuring the younger generation fully grasps how 'Vande Mataram' became the thunderous voice of millions during the independence movement. From street plays to musical tributes, the year-long program will highlight the song’s role in uniting diverse communities under one sacred call of Mother India worship, reinforcing its message of sacrifice, pride, and collective destiny.
As the stadium resounded with thunderous chants of “Vande Mataram,” Prime Minister Modi issued a powerful call to action: reject all forces of division, embrace the anthem’s complete and undiluted spirit, and commit to building a Viksit Bharat where unity, innovation, and national pride reign supreme. The launch thus not only honored a historic milestone but also reignited a national resolve to protect India’s integrity against any echo of the past’s destructive mindset.
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