Not ‘Vande Mataram’, nor ‘Jana Gana Mana’—let ‘Shubh Sukh Chain’ be India’s national anthem.
If a few words were to be identified as the symbol of national awakening in the history of India’s freedom movement, “Vande Mataram” would undoubtedly be one of them. Penned by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the late 19th century, this song transformed into a powerful symbol of Indian nationalism over the next nearly seven decades. Anti-British protests, the activities of revolutionary organizations, the Swadeshi movement, and the surging crowds demanding independence—in every sphere, “Vande Mataram” served as the language of emotion, protest, and self-sacrifice.
However, during that very era, the song also gave rise to division and communal controversy, as it was viewed as contrary to India’s pluralistic spirit.
Bankim Chandra and the Birth of Vande Mataram
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composed “Vande Mataram” in the 1870s. It was published in the literary journal Bangadarshan in 1875. Later, in 1882, it was included in his novel Anandamath.
After Kobiguru Rabindranath Tagore sang it at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress, the song gained nationwide recognition. Gradually, “Vande Mataram” transformed from a cultural composition into a political slogan.
In the late 19th century, discontent against British rule was growing among educated Indian society. Nationalist leaders were searching for a symbol that could emotionally unite the people of India. “Vande Mataram” filled that void.
During this period, “Vande Mataram” became the primary slogan of the freedom movement. Protesters in independence rallies marched forward chanting “Vande Mataram.” They courted arrest while shouting “Vande Mataram.” School and college students, lawyers, traders, and even ordinary people from rural areas embraced this slogan.
The British administration grew so panicked that they attempted to ban the slogan “Vande Mataram” in many places. The brave revolutionaries of Bengal sacrificed their lives on the gallows with a smile on their faces, chanting “Vande Mataram.”
The Genesis of the Controversy
Despite such immense popularity, the song’s underlying religious undertones sparked communal controversy. The representation of the motherland as a goddess in the song was not equally acceptable to all communities in India. The argument of Muslims was that a national symbol should be above religious symbolism, represent all communities, and reflect India’s cultural pluralism.
However, the song “Vande Mataram” begins by praising the fertile motherland as a mother goddess:
Vande Mataram
Sujalam suphalam
Malayaja sheetalam
(I bow to thee, Mother,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight)
Further on, the motherland is described as Goddess Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati:
Twam hi Durga dashapraharanadharini
Kamala kamala-dala viharini
Vani vidyadayini
(Thou art Durga, with her ten bountiful hands that strike,
Thou art Kamala (Lakshmi), lotus-throned,
And Vani (Saraswati), giver of wisdom and lore)
According to Islamic monotheism (Tawhid), nothing can be placed on the seat of the One Supreme God, nor can it be worshiped or praised as such. One can love one’s motherland, feel pride in it, and sing of its victories, but the motherland cannot be worshiped or adored as a mother goddess.
And not worshiping the motherland as a mother goddess does not diminish devotion, love, or pride for the nation in any way. Many powerful and developed nations in the world refer to their country as the “Fatherland,” and their love for their country is no less than anyone else’s.
Anandamath
It was not just the song “Vande Mataram,” but also the novel Anandamath that sparked controversy. The novel Anandamath was written against the backdrop of the Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion following the Great Bengal Famine of 1770 (1176 in the Bengali calendar).
The Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion refers to the anti-British movement led by Fakirs and Sannyasis—Muslim and Hindu ascetics—in Bengal during the late eighteenth century (1760–1800 CE). The primary leader of the Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion was the Muslim Sufi saint Majnu Shah. In the Battle of Udhuanala (1763) and the Battle of Buxar (1764), Majnu Shah united a large number of Muslim Fakirs and Hindu Sannyasis against the British East India Company. The Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion marked the beginning of the first anti-British struggle in Bengal.
However, most unfortunately, literary legend Bankim Chandra’s communal mindset led to a historical distortion in the novel Anandamath, where the Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion was depicted as a battle by a group of Hindu ascetics called the ‘Santan Dal’ against tyrannical Muslim rulers. Bankim Chandra incorporated the song “Vande Mataram” into Anandamath, depicting Hindu ascetics charging at Muslims while chanting “Vande Mataram.”
Naturally, Muslims began raising objections against both “Vande Mataram” and Anandamath. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, these objections were not very strong. However, with the rise of Muslim politics in the 1930s, this issue turned into a major political question.
The Congress leadership was then forced to initiate internal discussions within the party regarding this matter. To preserve communal harmony while upholding the historical dignity of the song “Vande Mataram,” a sub-committee comprising Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was formed in 1937. This committee turned to Rabindranath Tagore for a final decision.
Tagore’s Advice and the Congress Decision (1937):
In letters to Nehru and Subhas Chandra, Kobiguru expressed that the first two stanzas contained no religious metaphors and were a hymn to the country’s natural beauty. However, he noted that the subsequent stanzas could hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims. Accepting Rabindranath Tagore’s advice, the Congress Working Committee (CWC)—under the leadership of then Congress President Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru—passed a historic resolution:
Only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ would be sung at national assemblies or sessions. The remaining portions were to be omitted so that no community would have any objections.
Gandhiji stated that a song carrying such a history of self-sacrifice could never be abandoned, yet showing respect toward other communities was equally essential.
In October 1943, following the declaration of the Azad Hind Government—Subhas Chandra Bose’s Provisional Government of Free India—in Singapore, “Vande Mataram” was initially sung as the national anthem. However, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose desired an inclusive national anthem that stood above all controversies.
When Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose moved from Germany to Southeast Asia in 1943, Mumtaz Hussain, a writer for Azad Hind Radio, and Colonel Abid Hasan Safrani of the Azad Hind Fauj (INA)—under Netaji’s direction—composed a Hindustani song titled “Shubh Sukh Chain,” based on Rabindranath Tagore’s “Jana Gana Mana,” to serve as the national anthem. Subhas Bose then visited the Cathay Building in Singapore, the INA broadcasting station, and asked Captain Ram Singh Thakuri to compose a martial, victorious tune for the song. Subsequently, it replaced “Vande Mataram” as the official national anthem of the Azad Hind Government and was sung at all gatherings. The song was also sung during the final rally before Subhas Chandra Bose’s departure.
After India gained independence on August 15, 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru hoisted India’s tricolor national flag on the ramparts of the Red Fort the following morning and addressed the nation. On this occasion, Captain Thakuri and the members of his orchestra were invited to perform the tune of “Shubh Sukh Chain.”
The Post-Independence Position of the Government on the Song Vande Mataram
Here is the English translation of the provided text:
After India gained independence in 1947, there was significant debate and discussion over which song should be adopted as the country’s national anthem. After lengthy deliberations, during the final session of the Constituent Assembly of independent India on January 24, 1950, India’s first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, made a historic announcement.
However, unlike the National Anthem, the Constitution laid down no strict legal obligations or ‘protocols’ for singing the National Song.
Rabindranath Tagore’s song “Jana Gana Mana” was officially adopted as the ‘National Anthem’ of India.
Owing to its unique role in the freedom movement, the first two stanzas of “Vande Mataram” were accorded the status of ‘National Song’, with the declaration that it would hold equal status with “Jana Gana Mana.”
However, unlike the National Anthem, the Constitution laid down no strict legal obligations or ‘protocols’ for singing the National Song.
History is not merely about glory; it is inextricably bound up with religious sensitivities, national identity, and the complex questions surrounding the nation-building of a pluralistic, post-independence India. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose sought to offer a simple, beautiful, and universally acceptable solution to this complex question through the Azad Hind Fauj’s national anthem, the song “Shubh Sukh Chain.”
Shubh Sukh Chain (“Rain of Auspicious Happiness”)
(The National Anthem of the Indian National Army)
May the rain of auspicious happiness shower; India’s destiny has awakened.
Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, Maratha, Dravida, Utkala, Bengal,
The restless ocean, Vindhya, Himalaya, the blue Yamuna and Ganges—
Sing your praises daily, draw life from you,
And every heart finds hope.
Shine over the world like the sun; fortunate is the name of India.
Victory, victory, victory!
Victory, victory, victory, victory to thee!
May your sweet voice fill every heart with love,
Inhabitants of every province, followers of every faith,
Erasing all divisions and differences,
Gathering together in your lap,
We weave a garland of love.
Shine over the world like the sun; fortunate is the name of India.
Victory, victory, victory!
Victory, victory, victory, victory to thee!
At dawn’s gentle morning, birds sing your praises,
Fragrance-filled breeze brings life to the seasons,
Uniting together, all of India proclaims
The slogan of “Jai Azad Hind,”
Our beloved nation!
Shine over the world like the sun; fortunate is the name of India.
Victory, victory, victory!
Victory, victory, victory, victory to thee!
বাংলা এবং বাঙালির জন্য লড়াইকে এগিয়ে নিয়ে যেতে আমাদের সাহায্য করুন।
আমরা কোনো কোটিপতি বা বড় কোনো কোম্পানি নই – আমাদের পাঠকরাই আমাদের সমর্থন করেন। আমাদের এই গুরুত্বপূর্ণ এবং সাহসী প্রচেষ্টার জন্য অনুদান দিয়ে আমাদের পাশে থাকুন।
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