'Sirf Shabd Nahi, Sankalp': PM Modi Inaugurates Year-Long Commemoration Of 150 Years Of Vande Mataram
PM Modi inaugurated the year-long celebration marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, calling it a mantra of unity and energy. He said the national song connects India’s glorious past with its inspiring future.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday led the nation in commemorating 150 years of Vande Mataram, describing the national song as a “mantra, a dream, a resolution and an energy” that continues to inspire generations of Indians.
Speaking at a grand event marking the occasion, Modi said Vande Mataram is not merely a song but a prayer to Maa Bharati that connects India’s glorious past with its aspirations for the future.
“It takes us back in history and gives courage to our future. There is no resolution that cannot be accomplished, no goal that we Indians cannot achieve,” he said.
VIDEO | Delhi: PM Modi (@narendramodi) addresses the gathering after inaugurating the year-long commemoration marking 150 years of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 7, 2025
(Source: Third Party)
(Full video available on PTI Videos –… pic.twitter.com/6DlAousSMA
The Prime Minister called November 7 a “historic day”, celebrating 150 years since Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay composed Vande Mataram, which went on to become the rallying cry of India’s freedom movement.
“This event will generate new energy among crores of Indians. My greetings to every citizen on this momentous occasion,” Modi added.
The event marks the official launch of a year-long nationwide commemoration, running from November 7, 2025, to November 7, 2026, to celebrate 150 years of the timeless composition that inspired India’s freedom movement and continues to evoke deep national pride and unity.
According to a release from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the year 2025 marks 150 years of Vande Mataram. The national song, written by Bankimchandra Chatterji on the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Navami, which fell on November 7, 1875, first appeared in the literary journal Bangadarshan as part of his celebrated novel Anandamath. The song, invoking the Motherland as a symbol of strength, prosperity, and divinity, gave poetic expression to India’s awakening spirit of unity and self-respect. It soon emerged as an enduring emblem of devotion to the nation.
On October 1, the Union Cabinet approved a year-long, country-wide celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, aiming to build a powerful national movement that connects citizens, particularly the youth and students, with the song’s original, revolutionary essence. The celebrations seek to honour its timeless message and ensure its legacy continues to inspire generations to come.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also laid out an elaborate plan for nationwide events marking two major cultural milestones, the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram and the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Bhagwan Birsa Munda.
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