Vande Mataram awakened patriotism, courage in Indians during freedom struggle: Jai Ram Thakur

Shimla, Nov 7 (PTI) Vande Mataram is the immortal song of India's freedom struggle that awakened an extraordinary sense of patriotism, courage and self-belief in crores of people, said Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur on Friday.

He was addressing party workers at a function organised in Shimla to mark the 150th year of the national song.

Thakur said that when the Narendra Modi-led Central government came to power, a rule was made to sing Vande Mataram at programmes of national importance, but several political parties opposed this.

"The song was opposed in the Congress-ruled states. Even thinking about opposing a song that played an important role in the Independence movement is a crime," he said.

Thakur said the Central government has recognised the historical importance of the song and decided to hold a nationwide celebration on completion of its 150 years.

"The British tried to ban this song multiple times as they knew it would ignite a fire in the hearts of people when they hear it. The celebration of 150 years of this song aims to keep alive the very spirit that ultimately led to the country attaining Independence from the British," he said.

Former Union Minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Singh Thakur, who was also present at the programme, said that Vande Mataram played an important role in motivating our freedom fighters during the Independence struggle.

"As the song completes its 150 years, we must express our gratitude and thank our freedom fighters who made this song the soul of the country. As we work towards the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Vande Mataram stands as our guiding mantra to achieve this milestone," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a year-long nationwide commemoration of the timeless composition from November 7, 2025 to November 7, 2026.

The song was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterji on Akshaya Navami, which fell on November 7 in 1875. The song first appeared in the literary journal 'Bangadarshan' as part of Chatterji's novel 'Anandamath'. PTI COR RUK RUK