कथन

During the freedom struggle this roar has come to the voice of every Bengali. Jai Hind has come to the voice of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, our national anthem “Jana Gana Mana” is the creation of the “poet of the world” Rabindranath Tagore — which has been insulted by their parliamentarian Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri. We consider the patriotism of Bengalis to be above all. We Bengalis do not accept this kind of insult. Rishi Aurobindo gave the title of “Rishi” to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. I feel proud that the people of Barasat have elected me here four times, and Rishi Bankim Chandra was the Deputy Magistrate from the same place, and he used to walk there from Kolkata on foot to carry out his work responsibilities in Barasat. Rishi Bankim Chandra first published Vande Mataram in the “Bongodarshan” magazine on 7 November 1875, and in 1882 it was included in the novel “Ananda Math”. I think none of them knows this book. I would like to share two lines from there. During the years 1174–75, the king used to strictly collect revenue. In 1175, there was no rain, no harvest, and rice became expensive. The poor ate once a day, and people first started begging — after that who gives alms? They started fasting, fell ill, sold their cows, 08.12.2025 1141 ploughs, and ate paddy from the fields. They were affected by diseases like fever, malnutrition, and chicken pox. This is a picture of that time when we were oppressed during British rule. At that time, this song was composed as a conversation between Mahendra and those who were called sons of the land and who were busy with the work of the country like Bhabananda. “Vande Mataram / sujalam suphalam malayaja sheetalam / sasyashyamalam Mataram” (“Mother, I praise thee! Rich with thy hurrying streams, bright with orchard gleams, cool with thy winds of delight, dark fields waving — Mother of might”). Mahendra was surprised hearing this song, didn’t understand anything and asked, “Who’s the mother?” Bhabananda didn’t answer and continued singing, “shubhrajyotsna pulakita yaaminim phulla kusumita drumadal shobhiniim suhaasinim sumadhura bhaashhinim sukhadam varadam Mataram” (“Moonlight drapes your trees and streams — they shine under your gentle watch. In your blooming arms, you offer rest. Your laughter hums low and sweet; press my head to your feet, Mother, voice soft as prayer.”) Mahendra exclaimed, “Your narration is about the country. This is not about the mother.” Bhabananda replied, “The only mother we worship is the motherland. We don’t have parents, wife, friends, children or kin or even a house — we only have the Motherland which is rich and prosperous in natural resources.” We address our country as the mother goddess. A Bengali’s writing is inflicting such emotions. After all these. Violating the parliamentary code of conduct, the way he was disrespected and the way a decree was issued against him in Rajya Sabha — I strongly condemn that. Since then, political and religious 08.12.2025 1142 songs have been sung as national songs in the voices of the freedom fighters. Today, it is the world of photo shoots — there were no photo shoots then. They fought with a firm resolve to liberate the country. People in Bengal still have it in them. Shame on the government that is constantly insulting Bengalis, insulting the Bengali language. What greater insult can there be than wanting to ban in the parliament the song that everyone has sung together? The terror of British imperialism is resounding in the voice of this government today. This voice of paying homage to the motherland should not be used as a way to silence the voice of democracy by the government. At present, the government is trying to snatch the democratic voting rights of the people of India by tricking them. Bengalis will not accept this either. The Bengali- speaking population is being attacked. I want to remind the people that the national anthem, the national song, Jai Hind — all creations from Bengali — are in the hearts of Bengalis. Therefore, if Bengalis are oppressed and attacked, Bengalis will roar. Jai Hind. Vande Mataram. Jai Bangla. SHRI A. RAJA (NILGIRIS): Mr. Chairman, Sir, the House is witnessing a strange and distinct occasion, which has never occurred in the world. No doubt, irrespective of political colour, when the song Vande Mataram is played, everybody stands and gives his or her respect to show that we are in oneness. Why did I say it is very strange. I have come across a few countries, probably Denmark and New Zealand, that have one more national anthem. But I have not come across any country where a country has two songs under two different 08.12.2025 1143 nomenclatures with new definitions. One is the national anthem and another is the national song. It is very strange and peculiar to the rest of the world. Then I wanted to search on Google, including the Oxford dictionary, to see what is meant by an ‘anthem’ and what is meant by a ‘song’. An anthem is a song that has special importance for a country. What is meant by a song? A short musical piece with words meant to be sung. Then another explanation that has been offered in the Oxford dictionary itself is that a song could become an anthem meant for a classless society. So, an anthem has a larger motto and a larger ambition to have inclusive nationalism, so that our forefathers distinguished both poems – one for the national anthem and another for the national song. In a country like ours, India, where we are divided by caste, religion, linguistic differences, and territorial differences, yes, we need a national anthem to unite us, to have a unified force in our mind that this is our country. In order to cultivate such patriotism and national conscience, one can understand that there should be a national anthem. But what is the need for a national song? So many correspondences were held to arrive at these two songs with equal status. I am aware that the song Vande Mataram is deeply attached to the freedom struggle. As put by the Prime Minister, and friends such as Shri Gogoi, Shrimati Ghosh from West Bengal, and Shri Akhilesh, all this shows that we have a unanimous voice to celebrate this present form of Vande Mataram, but that does not prohibit us from questioning the genesis of this song, which has been tabled and named as the national song. I have seen the Prime Minister’s speeches many times over the past 11 08.12.2025 1144 years. Of course, the hon. Prime Minister is fond of a few words. One of his best inclinations is towards the word ‘appeasement’. Without ‘appeasement’, the Prime Minister’s speech will not end. Whether it is the Red Fort or a BJP conference, the tone, voice, and vocabulary are one and the same – appeasement, appeasement, appeasement! And one more is nepotism, nepotism, nepotism! He is entitled to that. But what kind of appeasement was done as far as Vande Mataram is concerned? I too am fond of the word ‘appeasement’. But we are travelling in opposite direction as far as the Vande Mataram song is concerned. Vande Mataram was popularly acclaimed as the national song, written by the respected Bankim Chandra Chatterjee way back in 1870. But it has given rise to intense contestation in terms of explicit idolatry and religious antagonism. We have attachment to our own language, culture, and regionalism. That does not mean everything should be glorified without seeing the documents and the credentials of the history. Sir, fortunately, Shri Bankim Chandra Chatterjee did not know what type of contestation took place over the national song Vande Mataram since he died before the political struggle started over the song. Sir, as such, explanation is not possible to give in this forum about what he did during the composition of Vande Mataram. Sir, let me quote a few sentences from the Prime Minister’s speech when he spoke on the 150th celebration of the song. It was held when the stamp release was done by the Prime Minister. I quote, “In Anandamath, when Santan Bhavannath sings Vande Mataram, another character argues, “we get 08.12.2025 1145 inspiration from Vande Mataram”. But today, Mother India has 140 crore children. He has got 280 crore arms. More than 60 per cent of these are young. This power belongs to Ma Bharti. What is impossible for us today? What can stop us from fulfilling the original dream of Vande Mataram? He further states that this song was subjected to division by cutting off two stanzas which sowed the seed for the partition. Sir, I want to ask four questions upon the speech that has been delivered by the Prime Minister. One is, who did the division in the Vande Mataram? I would also like to know whether the division of the Vande Mataram led to the division of the country? Then he said, this crucial aspect has to be dealt with now. I quote, “the crucial side of the division”. What is the crucial division to know now? This is my second question. In his speech, he stated that a “challenging thinking of such a division exists” even today. I want to ask this House. The Prime Minister is saying that a thinking of division still exists in the country today. Where is it? With whom is it? The last question, what is the original dream of Vande Mataram? All these four questions have arisen to me in my mind out of the speech that has been delivered by the Prime Minister. Sir, let me start with Gandhiji. The Government still pretends that they are respecting Gandhiji as the Father of the Nation. Of course, sometimes his name is anathema to the Treasury Benches. Sir, Gandhiji not only praised the Vande Mataram, but also he did not hesitate to put encomium to the author too. Sir, Gandhiji said, “In 1915, we have sung a beautiful national song on hearing which 08.12.2025 1146 all of us sprang to our feet”. “… The poet has lavished all the adjectives we possibly could to describe Mother India. It is for you and me to make good the claim that the poet has advanced on behalf of his Motherland”. So, this is the encomium which was given by Gandhi ji to the author of the poem in the year 1915. Now, please come into 1940. After 25 years, Mahatma Gandhi was distinctly defensive about Vande Mataram when he said: “That was not a religious cry, but a purely political cry. It should never be chanted to insult or offend the Muslims”. What happened to Gandhi ji between 1915 and 1940? What happened to this National Song between 1915 and 1940? What are all the elements that pushed Gandhi ji to praise the song in 1915 and what are all the events held between 1915 and 1940 for him to say that the song should not be permitted to be sung? If the elements and events between 1915 and 1940s are correlated or synchronized, then the riddles wrapped upon this National Song ‘Vande Mataram’ can be unfolded. Very few points, I want to say in another angle. Anushilan Samiti, a secret revolutionary organization was founded in Bengal in the year 1902 aiming for independence through armed struggle. They were being called as ‘Biplabis’. The Professor Ray may be aware about it. ‘Biplabis’, militant group, formed themselves to achieve Independence of India in 1902. The greatest proponents of elevating the Vande Mataram to the status of National Song was done by these ‘Biplabis’. 08.12.2025 1147 The secret documents were seized by the British Government to know about the activities of this Association where it has been disclosed that in the ‘Biplabis’, Muslims were not permitted to do struggle activities. When a question was asked, the reply was sent by the Samiti, and I quote: “Vows taken at the time of admission as members of the organization were sacred to the Hindus, but not the Muslims”. The poem is Vande Mataram; struggle is national struggle for the country; a group was formed; but Muslims were prohibited from chanting Vande Mataram. So, the inference can be that Vande Mataram is a religious thing. Right or wrong, such a space was given to the people and to a community. Its aim was independence, and its utterance prejudiced the Muslims. Accordingly, between 1905 and 1908, the Home Department revealed that when prayer was going on in the mosque in the State of Bengal, Hindu processionists -- while crossing the mosque, when the prayer was being done by the Muslims -- shouted Vande Mataram, which created enmity. It is documented by the British Government. Still, it is being saved and it is available for perusal. 14.24 hrs (Shri Dilip Saikia in the Chair) In 1907, again anonymous pamphlets were printed on lurid red paper and distributed, which claims that Muslims should not sing Vande Mataram and no Muslim should join the Swadeshi Movement. Sir, such events increased between 1902 and 1915. What prompted it and how it went? The unrest and disturbances occurred in various places including Bengal, when the matter was referred to the House of Commons. The House of 08.12.2025 1148 Commons discussed these issues in detail as to why the song Vande Mataram was creating a communal conflict and who was responsible for that. The discussion took place on 16th July, 1907. An appeal was made by Aurobindo Ghosh with a broader sense which I want to re-quote again – “What we want is that Hindus and Muslims both should bring the Swaraj in unison and concert”. This appeal was done by Aurobindo Ghosh, having come across that there were disturbances communally between Hindus and Muslims because of the Vande Mataram chanting. The fault is not with the song, I will come to that later. According to them, it is meant for Hindus only, prohibiting Muslims in the struggle. So, divide starts there. Prime Minister asks, “Who did the division?” Prime Minister asks, “Who did the division of Vande Mataram song?” the division was done by your forefathers, not by Muslims. Sir, one more aspect is there. It may be a little bit painful for the West Bengal people, please bear with me, but naked history must be placed before this House.

वक्ता Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar

कब कहा 2025-12-08T00:00:00.000Z

किस वाद-विवाद में Discussion on the 150th Anniversary of The National Song "Vande Matram"