‘Vande Mataram’: Why is India’s freedom song in spotlight?

India's national song, Vande Mataram, is once again in the spotlight due to its use during an international cricket match in New Delhi. The six-stanza poem, written by Bengali author Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875, has sparked debate over patriotism and religious identity in the constitutionally secular nation of 1.4 billion people.

While the first two stanzas praising the motherland are widely accepted, subsequent verses invoke Hindu deities, leading to objections from some Muslim communities. The government has recently taken steps to elevate the song's official status, requiring it to be sung or played at government functions before the national anthem, even during international cricket matches.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the opposition Congress of diluting a symbol of the anti-colonial struggle, while Congress maintains that only the first two stanzas should be sung to respect India's religious diversity. The controversy has divided commentators, politicians, and the public, marking a departure from the pre-independence consensus that only the first two stanzas should be sung publicly.