Vande Mataram: A Slogan of Freedom or a Religious Symbol? A Critical Review

It is a bitter truth that certain issues are deliberately kept alive in Indian politics, not because they are related to national interest, but because they help to deepen the line of division in society. The issue of Vande Mataram is also among these matters, which is brought to the political stage from time to time to pit religious identities against each other. Such measures neither strengthen national unity nor promote patriotism, but rather give rise to an atmosphere of discord and distrust.
Presenting Vande Mataram as a symbol of national spirit is actually an intellectual fallacy. This song has always been a cause of disagreement due to its historical and intellectual structure. Even before independence, serious objections were raised against it, and after independence, its controversial status has not undergone any fundamental change. It cannot be ignored that some of its concepts directly clash with the religious beliefs of Muslims, and this conflict is the real basis of this controversy. The objection of Muslims is not merely emotional or political, but purely related to faith. The foundation of Islam is based on monotheism, in which there is no room for the veneration or sanctification of any being other than Allah. Some parts of Vande Mataram are based on concepts that a Muslim cannot religiously accept. Expecting Muslims to insist on this song without understanding this fact is not only unfair but also contrary to constitutional principles.
It is also a part of the historical record that during the freedom movement, there was no complete consensus on this issue within the Congress itself. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru never insisted on recognizing it as the national anthem, while nationalist leaders like Subhas Chandra Bose were also among its opponents. Congress later deleted some of its parts by declaring them controversial, which was a clear admission that this song was not acceptable to everyone. Numerous national and social leaders described this song as a source of inciting communal sentiments. The All India Students Union termed it unsuitable for student gatherings, while a socialist thinker like MN Roy considered the objections of Muslims to be principled and correct. Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia even said that the novel "Anand Math," in which this song is included, represents a dark aspect of our national history.
It is also not correct to declare Vande Mataram as merely a neutral national symbol by ignoring the intellectual background of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. It has been acknowledged even in literary and intellectual circles that this song is associated with the worship of Durga Devi and represents the religious tradition of Bengal. In such a situation, it is not realistic to expect Muslims to accept it as a purely national sentiment beyond religion. In this context, it is important to understand that Vande Mataram has no constitutional or legal status that makes it mandatory. No citizen, regardless of their religion, can be forced to read or say it. Defining patriotism in a democratic society by a single slogan or song is contrary to the constitutional spirit.
After independence, different governments sometimes suppressed this issue and sometimes raised it for political gain, but its fundamental conflict remains today. The question is not whether Vande Mataram should be said or not, but the real question is whether patriotism in this country will be measured on a forced scale, or whether diversity and disagreement will be accepted within the framework of the constitution?
During the coalition government of BJP and Janata Party in UP, an organized movement was launched to teach Vande Mataram in schools, the purpose of which was not merely educational but ideological. Today, once again, the BJP is raising the same issue for political gain. After August 15, 1947, when the Government of India announced the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Independence, during the central government of the 12-party All India Front, Vande Mataram was extensively promoted through Doordarshan in various forms and styles. Although the fact is that this anthem is neither the unanimous song of the freedom movement nor can it be forcibly imposed on any one nation or religion. If the complete meaning and translation of Vande Mataram are presented, its nature becomes clear.
(1) I am your devotee, O my mother
My good drinks, good fruits
Sweet fragrance, southern winds
My mother with lush fields
(2) Illuminated by beautiful moonlight
With blooming flowers, with dense trees
With sweet fruits, with sweet language
Giving happiness, giving blessings
(3) Thirty crore passionate voices
Sixty crore arms holding swords
Even with so much power
O mother, are you weak?
You are the strength of our arms
I kiss your feet
(4) You are my inner self, you are my center
You are the life inside the body
You are the strength of the arms
Your reality is in the heart
Your beloved idol is in every temple
(5) You are Durga, with ten armed hands
You are Kamala, the spring of lotus flowers
You are water, knowledge, enlightening
I am your slave, the slave of a slave
The slave of a slave's slave
With good water and good fruits
My mother, I am your devotee
With lush fields, sacred, charming, adorned
Mother with great power, established and eternal, I am your devotee
(Anand Math)
It is also an undeniable fact that the creator of this song, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, continued his education on the scholarship of "Haji Mohsin Fund" and obtained a BA degree, but at the same time, he also proved his ingratitude by writing a novel like Anand Math. (Zamindar Akhbar, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, October 12, 1937). This song of Vande Mataram is a part of the Bengali novel named Anand Math, which is based on a fictional story. In this story, this anthem is declared as the slogan of a secret religious and semi-religious organization of Hindus. Through this novel, it was conceived that about one hundred and seventy years ago, before the writing of the novel, conspiracies were being hatched in Bengal to end the rule of Muslims. Vande Mataram was used as a war cry for the end of Muslim rule and the establishment of Hindu rule.
The central character of the novel is a Sanyasi through whom the whole story is narrated. His name is Bhawananda, who organizes and recruits people for his mission. During this time, he meets a young man, Mahendra. Bhawananda tries to explain the meaning of Vande Mataram to him and says that until the Mlechhas (Muslims) are driven out of this country, neither can your religion be safe nor is it possible to adhere to your religion. On this, Mahendra asks, will you fight alone? Bhawananda replies that thirty crore voices will be raised, sixty crore hands will wave swords, so even with so much power, will our Mata remain weak? This is the third stanza of Vande Mataram.
Mahendra is not satisfied with this answer either. He says to Bhawananda that the strength of Muslims is their laziness and sloth, while the Englishman does not run away from the battlefield, even if it costs him his life. But the Muslim, according to him, is a coward, retreats at the slightest danger and runs away as soon as he sweats. The next morning, Bhawananda takes Mahendra to Anand Math, which is also the title of the novel. The Brahmachari Mahant of the temple takes Mahendra inside. The temple is semi-lit, but the path to reach it is shrouded in darkness. Entering the temple, Mahendra sees that a magnificent idol of Vishnu is installed, with a conch in one hand, a bracelet in the other, a staff in the third, and a lotus in the fourth. To his right is the idol of Lakshmi and to his left is the idol of Saraswati. Blood-stained heads are seen placed in the lap and at the feet of Vishnu's idol. The Brahmachari Mahant asks him what he saw. Mahendra replies, yes, but who is this? The Brahmachari says that she is Mata, say Vande Mataram. After that, he takes Mahendra to another chamber where a large and majestic idol of Durga Devi is installed. The Brahmachari says that we bow down to you, O Mata Durga! Who has ten hands, you are Lakshmi who lives in the lotus and you are the giver who bestows knowledge upon us.
(Fourth stanza of Vande Mataram)
At this stage, a clear change occurs within Mahendra. The heat of swearing an oath runs through his blood and he declares: I swear. After that, in the eighth chapter of the third part of the novel, scenes of murder, bloodshed, looting and barbarism are described, from which such a fanatical passion for the service of Mata arises within the Hindu heroes that they make life difficult for the Muslims. Muslims are seen running in every direction to save their lives. There is noise and commotion all around, the voices of "Kill the Muslim, loot" are being raised, and the slogan of Vande Mataram is echoing in the air. The servants of Mata are made to say what actually exposes the real purpose of this novel. It is said: Brother, when will the day come when we will demolish the mosques and build temples of Radhe and Mahadev in their place. At the end of the novel, the hero of Anand Math says to his followers: "Now the British have come, our lives and property will be safe."
This sentence of the novel is very noteworthy. In a novel in which the arrival of the British is welcomed, they are guaranteed peace and security, and the song of the same novel is promoted throughout the country on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Independence, then the question naturally arises, what is the justification for the promotion of Vande Mataram? On this basis, Muslims are entitled not to read Vande Mataram and to refuse to stand respectfully when it is read. This spirit should be at work in opposing this controversial song.
In Vande Mataram, the country is presented in the form of Durga and an announcement is made to bow down before her, which is completely contrary to faith and belief from an Islamic point of view, so it is not possible for Muslims to accept it. In the light of the anti-Muslim background of the Bengali novel Anand Math, Vande Mataram makes it clear that in that era, this anthem was used as a means to create hatred against Muslims in the younger generation. The recitation of this anthem in the style of worship by a Hindu youth in front of the idol of Durga Devi in a temple fully reveals that the purely religious background of this song is not in harmony with the beliefs of Muslims. For this reason, Vande Mataram has remained controversial both before and after independence. Even the Gujarat High Court, respecting the religious sentiments of Muslims, banned its mandatory implementation.
The attitude of Muslims has always been that they love every particle of the country, but they cannot worship it, nor can they accept it within the sphere of Hindu mythology. What has been said in Vande Mataram directly strikes at Islamic thought and belief, so it cannot be accepted in any way. Some experts claim that Vande Mataram was the song of the freedom fighters, but this claim is historically incorrect. It was neither the song of the freedom fighters nor the national anthem. According to the famous poet Asadullah Khan Ghalib and other historians, in the movement of 1857, fifty-five thousand scholars and other Muslims were hanged by the British in Delhi alone, but none of them were reciting Vande Mataram.
Among the people involved in the freedom movement, some were reciting the Kalima, some were remembering Guru Nanak, if there was a Hindu, he would take the name of Maa Bhavani. They all used to chant slogans according to their religious background. But to say that Vande Mataram was the slogan of freedom is completely wrong and a sign of ignorance of history. If any slogan was a true translator of freedom, it was slogans like "Inquilab Zindabad" and "Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna".
Vande Mataram is not a measure of patriotism. A person can be a true patriot while fully practicing his religion. True patriotism lies in honesty, sincerity and the desire for the progress and prosperity of the country. How many of those who sing Vande Mataram are involved in corruption, but no one questions them. The truth is that the issue of Vande Mataram is a well-thought-out conspiracy against Muslims, which is an attack on their honor, dignity and belief. It can never be permissible for Muslims to read Vande Mataram under any circumstances.

✍️By: Muhammad Fida Al-Mustafa Qadri 
Contact Number: 9037099731
PG Research Scholar: Darul Huda Islamic University, Kerala