‘Relevant In Every Era And Period’: PM Modi Inaugurates Year-Long Commemoration Of 150 Years Of 'Vande Mataram'
The Prime Minister also released a commemorative stamp and coin dedicated to Vande Mataram.
Published : November 7, 2025 at 11:55 AM IST
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Vande Mataram boosts the nation’s self-confidence and continues to inspire generations. PM Modi was inaugurating the year-long commemoration of 150 years of India’s National Song at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
“Vande Mataram is relevant in every era and every period. It has attained immortality. The first line of Vande Mataram is: “Sujalam suphalam malayajashitalam shasyashyamalam mataram,” meaning salutations to our motherland, which is adorned with the divine blessings of nature,” he said.
The Prime Minister also released a commemorative stamp and coin dedicated to Vande Mataram. He also visited an exhibition organised around the theme of the national song. He was accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena.
The programme marked the formal launch of a year-long nationwide celebration that will continue until November 7, 2026, commemorating 150 years of this timeless composition by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. The song, which inspired India’s freedom movement, continues to evoke national pride and unity even today.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Modi said, “Today, millions of people from across the country are connected with us. I extend my greetings to all of them with ‘Vande Mataram’. November 7 is a historic day; we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. This auspicious occasion will inspire us anew and fill millions of Indians with fresh energy”.
“To mark this moment in history, a special coin and postal stamp on Vande Mataram have been released today. Vande Mataram -- this word is a mantra, an energy, a dream, and a resolution. Vande Mataram connects us to our history. It boosts our self-confidence and reminds us that there is no dream we cannot fulfil,” he added.
The Prime Minister also paid tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for the nation. “I bow to all who laid down their lives for our motherland. I also congratulate all my fellow citizens. Every patriotic song carries its own emotion and message, but the central expression of Vande Mataram is ‘Bharat’ and ‘Maa Bharati’,” he said.
“When freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar, living outside Bharat, met each other, their greeting was always Vande Mataram. Many revolutionaries, even while standing on the gallows, said Vande Mataram,” the Prime Minister added.
He further said,” For those who consider the nation as a geopolitical entity, the idea of viewing the nation as a mother might seem surprising. But India is different; in India, the mother is both the creator and the nurturer. And if a crisis befalls the child, the mother becomes the "destroyer" as well.
“In 1937, important stanzas of 'Vande Mataram', a part of its soul, were separated. 'Vande Mataram' was broken. This division had sown the seeds of the country's partition as well. Why this injustice happened to this great mantra of nation-building is essential for today's generation to know. Because that same divisive thinking remains a major challenge for the country even today,” PM Modi said.
The celebrations witnessed the mass singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at around 9.50 a.m. across public spaces nationwide, with enthusiastic participation from citizens, synchronised with the main programme in Delhi.
The year 2025 marks the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. The national song was composed during the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Navami on November 7, 1875. It first appeared in the literary journal Bangadarshan as part of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s celebrated novel Anandamath.
Also read:
