Odisha to Celebrate 150 Years of ‘Vande Mataram’ with Statewide Singing in Schools on November 7

Bhubaneswar: In a tribute to India’s national song, the Odisha government has announced that all schools across the state will hold a collective singing of ‘Vande Mataram’ on November 7. The initiative is part of the nationwide observance marking the 150th anniversary of the iconic song.

The Odia Language, Literature & Culture Department has issued a letter to the School & Mass Education and Higher Education Departments, directing educational institutions to organise special programmes on their campuses to mark the occasion. The event aims to inspire students with the patriotic spirit and historical significance of Vande Mataram.

The directive follows the Union Cabinet’s approval on October 1 of a year-long celebration across the country to honour 150 years of Vande Mataram. The nationwide campaign seeks to reconnect people—especially the youth—with the song’s enduring message of devotion to the motherland and its powerful role in India’s freedom movement.

Written in Sanskrit by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1870s, Vande Mataram was first published in his celebrated Bengali novel Anandamath in 1882. The title, meaning “I praise thee, Mother,” symbolises love and reverence for the nation.

The song rose to prominence when Rabindranath Tagore first performed it at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress in Kolkata. By 1905, it had become a rallying anthem for freedom fighters, embodying the unity and determination that fuelled India’s struggle for independence.