Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the year-long nationwide celebrations marking 150 years of India’s National Song, Vande Mataram on Friday, November 7, at a grand ceremony held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. The historic event marked the formal launch of the commemorative year, celebrating one of India’s most powerful symbols of patriotism, unity and cultural pride.
In the occasion, the Prime Minister released a special commemorative postage stamp and a con, both design to honour the profound legacy of Vande Mataram, which has inspired of Indians since its creation. He also launched a dedicated digital portal that showcases the song’s history, significance and its journey through India’s freedom struggle and beyond. The event began with a mass rendition of the complete version of Vande Mataram, in which the Prime Minister, along with thousands of attendees, took part, filling the venue with a deeply emotional and patriotic atmosphere.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Saxena, and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta were among the prominent dignitaries present at the ceremony. Artists, scholars, students, and representatives from cultural and educational institutions across the country joined the event to pay tribute to the timeless creation of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the song Vande Mataram was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay on the auspicious day of Akshaya Navami in 1875, which fell on November 7, making this date historically significant. The year-long observance from November 7, 2025, to November 7, 2026, will celebrate the song’s 150th anniversary through cultural programmes, seminars, exhibitions, and performances across India.
In his address, PM Modi highlighted that Vande Mataram was not merely a song, but a spiritual and emotional expression of India’s identity. He said, “This song gave voice to the spirit of India’s freedom struggle, awakening self-respect and unity among millions. Even today, it inspires every Indian to dedicate themselves to the service of the Motherland.” He further added that Vande Mataram continues to resonate as a call for national unity and cultural resurgence in the modern era.
The Prime Minister recalled that Vande Mataram first appeared in Chattopadhyay’s literary journal Bangadarshan as part of his celebrated novel Anandamath, where the song embodied the vision of a nation awakening to its power. It invoked the Motherland as the embodiment of strength, fertility, and divinity, representing India not just as a land but as a sacred living presence.
On October 1, 2025, the Union Cabinet had approved the nationwide commemoration to honour the National Song’s enduring relevance and revolutionary spirit. The initiative aims to connect citizens, especially the youth and students, with the cultural and philosophical roots of Vande Mataram. The celebrations will include mass singing events, art and literary competitions, public exhibitions, and special academic programmes across schools and universities.
The Prime Minister emphasized that this commemoration is part of India’s larger effort to celebrate its cultural renaissance and reclaim historical symbols of pride. He pointed out that India’s freedom movement was not only political but also deeply cultural, and songs like Vande Mataram played a crucial role in uniting people beyond caste, language, and region.
The year 2025 also marks another milestone that is the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda, which will be celebrated in conjunction with the Vande Mataram commemoration. The government has outlined a comprehensive plan to hold joint programmes highlighting India’s cultural and spiritual diversity.
As the event concluded, the atmosphere was charged with patriotic devotion as thousands joined their voices in the chorus of Vande Mataram. The song, which once echoed through the streets of colonial India as a cry for freedom, now stands as a symbol of unity, reverence and pride, reminding every Indian of the sacrifices and spirit that built the nation.
With this year-long commemoration, India embarks on a journey to celebrate 150 years of Vande Mataram, a timeless anthem that continued to bind the nation with the eternal call of “Mother, I bow to thee.”