‘Vandya Vande Mataram’: The story of a Song Perennial

26 January 2020

Guest article by N Venkataraman to celebrate 70th Anniversary of the Republic

(During our days of innocence we learnt in the school that ‘Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka Jaya He’ was our ‘National Anthem’ and ‘Vande Mataram’  was our ‘National Song’, both of  equal reverence, and we sung both with equal fervour on special occasions.

When we grew up and became more ‘knowledgeable’, we learnt that both the songs had controversy dogging them right since they were created. ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was said to have been written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911 in the honour of the British King George V on the occasion of his visit to India, and ‘Vande Mataram’  occurring in Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s 19th century novel, ‘Anandamath’, was said to have religious overtones, which might offend the sensibilities of the minority community.

This controversy carried on right through the sessions of the Indian National Congress and, later, Constituent Assembly debates when question as to the declaration of a National Anthem came up. There were strong voices in favour of ‘Vande Mataram’ – as a matter of fact the Constituent Assembly session on 14 August 1947, which is famous for Nehru’s ‘Tryst with Destiny’ at the midnight, began at 11 pm with singing of this song.  However, the hesitation to take a final call continued.  Finally, right on the last day, i.e. 24 January 1950, at the time of signing of the copies of the Constitution, the President Rajendra Prasad made a statement that ‘Jana Gana Mana’ shall be the National Anthem and “Vande Mataram, which has played an important part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and shall have equal status with it.”

Today we are again at troubled times because of the sectarian fault lines. As the Indian Republic turns 70,  we wish all the best for our country and its people. To celebrate the occasion, N Venkataraman  writes a scholarly article on the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’. As per the policy of this blog to steer clear of contentious political issues, Venkataramanji has put the focus specially on its rich musical history.

This article has long been in the making. A keen follower and the creator of the mega-series ‘Multiple Version Songs’, Ashok M Vashnav was also contemplating to write on different versions of ‘Vande Mataram’,  but happily passed it up when he came to know that Venkataramnji was at it. I am happy that despite his personal difficulties and other commitments, he has been able to complete it on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Republic Day, which happens to be in the 10th year of this blog. Thanks a lot Venkataramanji. – AK)

Vande MataramLet me backtrack to my early childhood days, a nostalgic trip down the memory lane. At the break of the dawn, as the activities of the house started, I would wake up to the Akashwani signature tune followed by VANDE MATARAM on the National Echo radio-set placed on the shelf of our living room (then it was my bedroom too). It took a minute for the vacuum tube valves to start up and the green magic eye to glow. Initially only a crackling sound could be heard before the station came on air. If I remember right it was 6:00 AM, I have no doubt that most of us and many more woke up to a new dawn listening to the Akashvani signature tune and ‘Vande Mataram’. And that was my first acquaintance with this song.

Before I proceed, a few words about the composition of the signature tune and the song Vande Mataram, played on AIR, may not be out of place. Many of us may know that Walter Kaufman composed the signature tune of AIR, but there is a difference of opinion over the composer of Vande Mataram played by AIR every morning.

Walter Kaufman did compose the AIR signature tune but not as a signature tune. In fact, it was an extract from a sonata commissioned by Mehli Mehta the well-known violinist who later became the first violinist of the Halle Orchestra in Manchester. He was the father of Zubin Mehta. Mehli Mehta played the violin for the signature tune. Walter Kaufman, born in 1907 was a German-Jew from Karlsbad, then in Bohemia (today’s Czech Republic). He left Berlin in 1933 for safer Prague and was known as a musician with great instinct. In 1934 he left for Bombay which was to be his home for next 12 years. Soon he landed a job at the AIR in Bombay (1935) and it was then that the signature tune was composed using the Tanpura and Violin.

Some are of the opinion that the composer of Vande Mataram played on the AIR could be either Pandit Ravi Shankar or Jnanprakash Ghosh. Jnanprakash Ghosh’s adopted son denies that his father composed the tune. Pandit Ravi Shankar did work for AIR then, but his name can be ruled out because his detailed autobiography has no mention of it, whereas he has dwelt at length on his tune for Saare Jahaan Se Achchha. Some say it could be Pannalal Ghosh or even Vijay Raghav Rao. Hope Shri Sharad Dutt can provide us with some definite information.

Bankim ChandraBankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (1838–1894) wrote his famous song Vande Mataram on the 7th of November 1875, in Kanthalpada, Naihati in the district of 24 Parganas, (West) Bengal. Vande Mataram was made part of the novel ‘Anandamath’ written by him. Anandamath was his 12th novel out of the 14 he wrote. The novel was first published as a serial in the magazine Bangadarshan (a Bengali literary magazine founded by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay) from March-April 1880 to May-June 1882. Later it was published in the form of a book in 1882. The novel was based on the ‘Sannyasi Rebellion’ and the Great Bengal famine of the late 18th century. Besides various official documents, Bankim Chandra also relied on WW Hunter’s ‘Annals of Rural Bengal’ (1868) and Rev. GR Glieg’s ‘Memoirs of the life of the Right Hon. Warren Hastings’ (1841), in writing the novel. Vande Mataram was written almost six years before Anandamath.

Vande Mataram is 145 years old. That the song has survived that long says a lot about its relevance in modern India. Since its creation Vande Mataram has been a song mired in controversies during different periods of history. This song was the prime mover in the establishment of Bengal/Indian Nationalism. It gave rise to a strange ripple all over the country. Such instances are rare in a nation’s history. Rarely has a song given rise to such a diverse array of descriptions or been the subject of controversy over such a long period of time. Glorified by many as the last word in patriotic fervour, criticized as vehemently by others for its religious rhetoric, translated into English by Aurobindo Ghosh, also translated into all major Indian languages, set to music by icons as disparate as Rabindranath Tagore and AR Rehman, rendered by many Hindustani classical musicians and by Pundit Vishnu Digamabar Paluskar for years at the conventions of the Indian National Congress, so on and so forth, Vande Mataram continues to hold an indelible place in the national psyche.

It is often said that Rabindranath Tagore was the first person to set music for Vande Mataram and he was the first person to render it at the 1896 Congress session. But, It is interesting to note what Aurobindo Mazumdar wrote in his book ‘Vande Mataram and Islam’ that the process of highlighting the song appeared to have started even before the completion of the serial version of the novel. The final version of the novel appeared in the ‘Bangadarshan’ of the Jyeshta 1289 of the Bengali Calendar (May-June 1882). Siris Chandra Majumdar, a Deputy Magistrate and a close associate of Rabindranath, records that at a meeting of a literary society in the month of Chaitra 1288 (March-April 1882) at which Bankim Chandra himself was present, the song Vande Mataram was sung, before the speaker began to deliver his piece. If this is an accurate record of dates and events, then this is a remarkable fact. For it means that the song and the expression Vande Mataram were assuming a public – though not necessarily a political – profile even as the novel was getting completed serially. The song itself appears fairly early in the story and the expression Vande Mataram occurs several times as a watchword/slogan well before the conclusion of the narrative. In May 1885 issue of the Journal ‘Baalak’, produced by Tagore household for children, the song appeared with a full-page drawing purporting to represent the song’s sentiments (bhaav).

It is believed that Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay learnt music from Jadunath Bhattacharya (Pandit Jadu Bhatt). But he did not compose the music for Vande Mataram. It is said that the song was set to tune by Pandit Jadunath Bhattacharya (1840-83) from Bhatpara (another locality near Naihati, whose chief inhabitants were Bhattacharyas). It was most likely set in Malhaar Raag, Kaoali Taal, but unfortunately that melody is long lost. There is a footnote in Anandamath, in the first edition of ‘Bankim Rachanavali’ (collected works of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay) that the song is in Malhaar Raag, Kaoali Taal. Even when the song first appeared in ‘Bangadarshan’, there was footnote indicating that its mode was Malhar. Thus we can speculate that Pandit Jadunath Bhattacharya was the first person to compose music for Vande Mataram.

The Indian National Congress (INC) was established in the year 1885, three years after Anandamath was written. Almost a decade had elapsed since Vande Mataram was penned. The song was not rendered in the first session of INC. But in the second session held in Calcutta in 1886, the opening song rendered would rouse the curiosity and interest of many. Hem Chandra Bandyopadhyay (1838-1903), a well-known poet of his times, incorporated exactly the first two stanzas, which would later become the National Song of India. Thus the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram were sung for the first time at an INC Session in 1886. Hem Chandra Bandyopadhyay is considered to be one the best poets during the time gap between Michael Madhusudan Dutta and Rabindranath Tagore.

In the 1896 session of the INC held at Calcutta, Rabindranath sang the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram on 28th December. It is believed that he had composed the music for the two stanzas much earlier, when Bankim Chandra was alive and had the opportunity to render it in his presence. The music for the rest of the song was composed by Sarala Devi; a niece of Rabindranath. It is interesting to note that both Hem Chandra Bandyopadhyay and Rabindranath Tagore had selected the same stanzas for composition and rendition. Dakshina Charan Sen sang it five years later in 1901 at another session of the Congress at Calcutta. Sarala Devi Chaudhurani sang the song in the Benares Congress Session in 1905.

Most probably, in the year 1904-05, the first gramophone record in Rabindranath Tagore’s voice came in the market. Given its growing popularity it is no surprise that early recording companies like H Bose Records and the Nicole Record Company recorded it in the voice of Rabindranath Tagore and several others. In the meantime after the Barisal session of the INC (1906), the singing of Vande Mataram was banned. In 1907 the police destroyed the factory and the existing stock of records. However a few copies of the disc survived in Belgium and Paris (where Pathe /H Bose records were pressed). Thus some of the recordings of Vande Mataram by Rabindranath Tagore and others survived for posterity. Rabindranath’s version was the oldest recording of Vande Mataram available on a gramophone record.

Let us listen to a chorus version of this song, to get the real feel of Rabindranath’s composition. Sarala Devi wrote down the notation of the song. In an 78 RPM disc issued in 1950, (according to some it was recorded in 1945), Vande Mataram was sung in a chorus by Debabrata Biswas, Jaganmoy Mitra, Dwijen Choudhary, Niharbindu Sen, Suchitra Mukhopadhyay (Mitra) , Kanak Das (Biswas), Supreeti Ghosh and Geeta Naha (Sen). Anadi Ghosh Dastidar conducted the music for this recording. There are very rare occasions when we find such stalwarts forming as part of a chorus.

During the period between 1905 and 1920, many Bengali composers and singers were setting the song to a variety of tunes, due to its steady popularity. Records under different labels were pressed in the voice of Narayan Chandra Mukherjee, Babu Surendra Nath Banerjee, Desh Das, Satya Bhushan Gupta, Hem Chandra Sen, Harendra Nath Dutt and others. The versions of Narayan Chandra Mukherjee, Satya Bhushan Gupta, and Harendra Nath Dutta are available for listening. Here is the full version of Vande Mataram rendered and recorded by Harendra Nath Dutta in the year 1920.

In 1919, the Rowlatt Act was passed by the British colonial government that sought to strangle personal and public freedom by stipulating a series of draconian measures. There were spontaneous and widespread agitations against the oppressive Rowlatt Act. The government action to quell all opposition culminated in the infamous Jallianwala Massacre in Amritsar on April 13, 1919, in which several hundred non-violent protestors were killed and wounded. That was over 100 years ago, a time when millions of Indians irrespective of caste, creed and gender, took part in anti-colonial protests. Practitioners of Hindustani classical music also participated in the national movement, primarily by lending their voices to songs of nationalism and anti-colonialism. A classic example of one such song was Vande Mataram.

In Maharashtra, several singers essayed their own versions of the poem. Here are some examples. In the 1920s, Savlaramboa Shejval used to lead school children in Mumbai’s Crawford Market area in a morning prayer-march. He would sing patriotic songs to them, including Vande Mataram. Around 1928, he cut a disc on Viel-O-Phone label in Raag Kalingada, the late night Raag. Earlier in 1910, he had recorded Vande Mataram in the same Raag in Phon-O-Phone Record. Here is a 47 second clipping of his rendition.

https://soundcloud.com/scroll-in/savlaramboa-shejval

Vishnupant Pagnis (1892-1943), actor-singer, most famous for his role of Tukaram in Prabhat Film’s ‘Sant Tukaram’ (1936), cut a gramophone disc of the song in 1928. Sung in a loud, clear voice, he changed the order of the stanzas in the original text. Probably he did it wilfully, perhaps to mark his dissent to the decision of the Indian National Congress of not using the last verses of this song. The tune was based on Raag Sarang.

Another music director of Prabhat Films, Keshavrao Bhole (1896-1967) recorded the song on the Odeon label in 1935. His tune was in Raag Deshkar, the early morning melody, with bursts of taans that exhibits his mastery and technique.

https://soundcloud.com/scroll-in/keshavrao-bhole-raga-deshkar-1938

Yet another name to get associated with the song was Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872–1931).He used to sing the song at the Congress Sessions since 1915. On one occasion, Paluskar was travelling and was not sure whether he would reach the venue of the Congress convention in time to sing. He had someone get in touch with Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, who had a concert in a nearby city, to request him to sing the song. Khan Saheb was not averse to rendering the song at the said congress session and readily agreed, but added, “This is Paluskarji’s forte and right. I will sing it only if he can’t make it.” In the end Paluskar did arrive in time to sing it. Perhaps the year was 1923. At the Kakinada Congress Session he was about to start the recital of Vande Mataram, as per the usual convention. Just when he was about to start, the presiding authority of the Congress, Maulana Ahmed Ali tried to stop him, supported by his brother Shaukat Ali. Reacting very strongly Pandit Paluskar refused to abide by their request and thereafter rendered the full song. He had composed the song in Raag Kafi. Pandit Paluskar shined on the Indian political scenario, especially after this particular incident associated with Vande Mataram.

Later, his student, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur (1897-1967), took over and also chose to sing it in Kafi, but added the word Bangiya (बंगीय) to the name of the Raag, referring to Bengal, from where the poem originated. When the Congress Committee decided to truncate the poem to only its first few lines, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur refused to sing at the Congress’s annual sessions. But he made it a practice to sing the full Vande Mataram at the end of his concerts. Paluskar did not cut any gramophone discs, but Omkarnath Thakur’s commercial recording is available and he has sung it in very slow tempo, without percussion accompaniment, and only the haunting notes of a tanpura in the background. Later in 1947, Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel invited him to sing it at the dawn of Independence. And thereby, on the 15th of August 1947, at 6:30 a.m. the country could hear the deep voice of Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, reciting the unabridged, full version of India’s National Song Vande Mataram broadcasted by AIR. Let us listen to one of the most popular classical versions of this song.

In 1937, in many regions of the British India, the Congress came to power during a brief colonial experiment in granting a measure of autonomy to the provinces. At this time, in deference to Muslim sensitivities, the government banned Vande Mataram from being aired on the radio. The musician and singer Master Krishnarao Phulambrikar (1898-1974), a disciple of Bhaskar Buwa Bakhale (1869-1922), protested against this ban for several years, declining to sing for the radio. In 1947 on Gudi Padva, the Maharashtrian New Year, Master Krishnarao as he was called, gave a radio concert that concluded with Vande Mataram. Master Krishnarao was also associated closely with Marathi musical theatres and films. Here, he sings Vande Mataram in a self-composed tune based on the Bilawal that. The orchestra plays in unison with the vocalist and restates the first line in the interlude.

https://gaana.com/song/vande-mataram-5-1

Master Krishnarao also composed it in Raga Kafi, Raga Jhinjhoti and a chorus and a band version too. VD Ambhaikar of Mumbai, a musician of repute, made similar efforts. He composed several versions of Vande Mataram in different ragas. He spent most of his life in popularizing these tunes and formed ‘Vande Mataram chorus Party’ for this purpose.  At the insistence of Dr BR Ambedkar he cut three records in 1948.

It is believed that Hirabai Barodekar also rendered it on AIR Delhi in Raga Tilak Kamod on 15th August 1947, but that recording is not available so far. Ambhaikar was asked to cut a version with a female voice. That’s how the recording by Mogubai Kurdikar, the mother of Kishori Amonkar, came to be released commercially. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted it to be recorded in the voice of Kesarbai Kerkar. However, she refused to record the song, and finally the record was cut in the voice of Mogubai Kurdikar in Raag Khambavati.  Her version is similar to that of VD Ambhaikar and her rendition gives a serene feeling.

Sister Nivedita introduced singing of the song Vande Mataram in her school as a prayer. It is believed that, before India achieved Independence, music director Timir Baran Bhattacharya set the song to music in Raga Durga at the request of Subhas Chandra Bose in the style of a marching song. When Netaji formed the Azad Hind Fauj, he had Vande Mataram played by Singapore Radio. Here is a version of the song composed by Timir Baran recorded after Independence and rendered by Supriti Ghosh, Roma Mukerjee, Jaganmoy Mitra, Bechu Dutta & Chorus. This record was made by Megaphone Company in 1947 in association with Ananda Bazar & Hindustan Standard,

Let me explore the use of the slogan Vande Mataram and the song in movies.

Much before the advent of the silent films, Hiralal Sen made India’s first political film in 1905 which ended with the chant Vande Mataram. I could trace the first use of the phrase in the title of a silent movie in the year 1926, ‘Vande Mataram Ashram’. It was a silent movie produced by Bhajli Pendharkar with his brother Baburao Pendharkar. The film was censored and briefly banned, but cleared after the objectionable scenes were deleted. Interestingly the name of the production company too was Vande Mataram Film Co.

The first use of the song Vande Mataram could be traced back to a Bengali film ‘Bande Mataram’, released in 1935. It was a chorus version set to tune by Sukerti Sen. The song was recorded by Senola Records, however I could not find it in the YT or elsewhere.

In 1939 Bommireddi Narasimha Reddy produced a Telugu film ‘Vande Mataram’. Though the film’s title was Vande Mataram, the film was set in a domestic narrative with a nationalist twist. I believe this was the first picture to appear under the Vauhini Films banner. Vauhini in South India had the same prestige and popularity as the New Theatres in Bengal and Prabhat in Western India. Chittor V Nagaiah who acted in the film was also the music director of this film.

After independence, the first film carrying the title ‘Vande Mataram’ was again from Maharashtra under the Nav Jhankar Picture banner. The story was based on India’s freedom movement. The script, dialogue and lyrics for the film was by the renowned writer GD Madgulkar, directed by Ram Gabale who later assisted in the making of Sir Richard Attenborough’s Oscar-award winner Gandhi (1982) and the music was composed by the stalwart composer Sudhir Phadke. The legendary Marathi writer and playwright PL Deshpande and his wife Sunita were in the lead roles. The nationalist project was released only a year after independence and presented narratives woven with patriotism and humanism. It is an interesting coincidence that we just had the birth centenary years of the stalwart trio Sudhir Phadke (25 July 1919 – 29 July 2002), Gajanan Digambar Madgulkar (1 October 1919 – 14 December 1977) and Purushottam Lal Deshpande (8 November 1919 – 12 June 2000). It is also another coincidence that a rare footage of the iconic Marathi film ‘Vande Mataram’ (1948) was found in 2019 and handed over to the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) by Deshpande’s nephew Dinesh Thakur and film historian Satish Jakatdar.

As a mark of tribute to the legendary trio on their birth centenary year and also as a salutation to the iconic song, I am posting the song ‘Ved Mantrahun Vandya Vande Mataram’. Readers must have noticed that I have borrowed the title of the post from this song.

Ved mantrahun amhan vandya Vande Mataram by Sudhir Phadke, Malti Pande & chorus from Marathi film Vande Mataram (1948), lyrics GD Madgulkar, music Sudhir Phadke

The phrase Vande Mataram has been used as a refrain by many song writers. Salil Choudhury penned and composed a song for AIR. The song rendered by Dwijen Mukherjee and Sabita Choudhury starts with the refrain ‘Sujalaam sufalaam malayaja sheetalaam’. We can find non-film versions of Vande Mataram set to music by music directors like Gyan Dutt, Vasant Desai to AR Rehman. My next presentation is a non-film version rendered by Geeta Dutt, Pramodini Patkar, and GM Durrani, set to music by Gyan Dutt and recorded by HMV in 1950.

The first motion picture after Independence to carry the song Vande Mataram was the Hindi film ‘Amar Asha’ in the year 1947, directed by VM Vyas and produced under the Sunrise Pictures banner. Shanti Kumar was the music director.

In 1951, ‘Ananda Math’ was produced in Bengali under the Neo Screen Plays Ltd. Banner and directed by Satish Dasgupta. This was the first time Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Anandamath was made into a film. The music was composed by Subal Dasgupta, brother of Kamal Dasgupta. Here is the link to the song which includes some dialogue from 01:42 to 03:10.

In the same year, the Hindi film ‘Aandolan’, directed by Phani Majumdar under the banner of Motewane Productions, carried the song. A nationalistic story of India’s freedom struggle, presented through the experiences of a Bengali family from 1885, when the Indian National Congress was established to 1947. The film was made at Bombay Talkies; Kishore Kumar plays the militant hero of this quasi-documentary. Pannalal Ghosh composed the song for this film. Presenting the song rendered by Sudha Malhotra, Parul Ghosh & Manna Dey.

Biyallish’ (1949) produced and directed by Nabendu Gupta, gave a detailed account of India’s restless period of 1942. It was a significant phase in Indian history when both armed and non-violent Quit India movements hit back the British rulers hard. This film is a poignant account of Indian freedom fighters confronting a police officer who represents the autocracy of the British Government. Bikash Roy’s terrific display as the main antagonist enraged the audience so much that the actor had feared for his own safety after ‘Biyallish’ was released. We can find Vande Mataram as a slogan in this film.

After ‘Biyallish’, we find the trio Hemen Gupta, Hemanta Mukherjee (Hemant Kumar) and Pradeep Kumar together again in the iconic Hindi film ‘Ananda Math’ produced in 1952 by Filmistan. The film was also dubbed in Tamil and released in 1953. This was Hemant Kumar’s first Hindi film as a music director. According to Hemant Kumar, the Lata’s version was approved by Hemen Gupta after twenty one takes. Presenting the most popular version of the Vande Mataram rendered by Lata Mangeshkar

In my first part I have primarily concentrated on the classical versions, because these versions coincide with the freedom movement particularly from the 1920s. And in the second part I have tried to give some insight on the use of the song and the slogan Vande Mataram in films. Beyond 1952 there are several film and non-film versions. We can also find the song and the expression in many Indian language films. I have tried to do a decent job to the best of my ability. And there is a lot that I might not have covered. I am sure my co-bloggers will fill up the deficiencies and come up with more information and versions.

Bringing the selection of songs and the post to a close with a rendition of the song by Dilip Kumar Roy and M S Subbalakshmi.

Vande Mataram_bottom

Acknowledgements:
1. Bankim Rachanavali, Volume 1 & 2, Sahitya Sansad
2. Bankim Rachanavali, Upanyas Samagraha, Tuli Kalam
3. Vande Mataram, the Biography of a Song by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, Primus Books
4. Vande Mataram and Islam by Aurobindo Majumdar, A Mittal Publication
5. ‘Vande Mataram: A most popular and evergreen Indian song’ by Suresh Chandvankar, Hon. Secretary, Society of Indian Record Collectors, Mumbai, mustrad.org.uk
6. Vande Mataram @ 78 RPM by AkhileshJha, millenniumpost.in
7. Articles from Scroll.in- Arindam Dey (AFP), Krishna Kumar (Wikimedia Commons), Ranjit (Flickr.com), Rajkumar (Flickr.com)
8. Maddys Ramblings – Maddy’s blog
9. All India Radio (Akashvani), Soundcloud.com, Youtube.com, Saavn.com

Disclaimer: The song links have been embedded from YouTube only for the listening pleasure of music lovers. This blog acknowledges that the copyright over the songs rests with the original owners such as Saregama India Limited and other respective owners.

My sincere request of forgiveness to those sources whom/ which I might have inadvertently missed to acknowledge here.

{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }

1 S Joseph January 26, 2020 at 10:14 am

An appropriate day for a very beautiful write up on the history of the song as well as the musical developments/progress. A lot of effort has gone into creating this piece of information. I would not know so much about this song if had not read this . I congratulate and thank Sh.Venkatraman for his efforts and for enlightening me . But the reality I guess is that perhaps more than 99.99 % of our countrymen may never be lucky to know so much about this extensively discussed song.

REPUBLIC DAY 2020 GREETINGS TO ALL .
.

2 Pramod Godbole January 26, 2020 at 1:06 pm

Respected Venkatraman ji ,
Namaste .

Gr8 post …

Don’t know why tears kept rolling down throughout the listening of all the audios of वंदेमातरम् .

वंदेमातरम् rendition by Vishnupant Pagnis was excellent .

Sir , I have no words to praise U for this gr8 work of collecting info about वंदेमातरम् nd presenting it in a very very grand manner .
Hats off to U !!!

Venkatraman ji , thnx a lot .
With regards ,
Pramod Godbole.

3 Uma Maheswar Nakka January 26, 2020 at 1:57 pm

Good Afternoon Venkatraman ji,
HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY.
A very appropriate article for this day.
Very well written with lots of valuable information.
Thank you very much.
With regards ,
Uma

4 Anu Warrier January 26, 2020 at 7:42 pm

This was a very interesting article, Mr. Venkatraman. I knew the basic facts about Vande Mataram but not all the nitty-gritty detail. This was illuminating. Thank you.

5 Canasya January 26, 2020 at 9:37 pm

Venkatraman ji,

Thanks a lot for this wonderful post. One could not have asked for a better Republic Day gift. Here is Rabindra Nath Tagore himself singing ‘Vande Matram’:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn9AULGtgGI

The article by Chandvankar ji that you have referred to is very informative. He also had a 3-part audio lecture (linked below) which contains 30 different renderings of the song, including those by Rabindranath (Part 2) and by Vasant Desai (Part 3):

http://hindi-movies-songs.com/joomla/images/audio/Vande-Mataram1.mp3

http://hindi-movies-songs.com/joomla/images/audio/Vande-Mataram2.mp3

http://hindi-movies-songs.com/joomla/images/audio/Vande-Mataram3.mp3

I recently superannuated and have limited participation in many activities. My apologies for not being active on SoY now, but I assure you that I keep enjoying all the posts and comments.

6 dprangan January 26, 2020 at 10:17 pm

Venkataramanji
What a glorious post you have conjured weaving your magician wand. Bengal was the cradle of Indian nationalism movement and Arya Samaj. It is but natural that this song has its origin from that place. As a resident of Calcutta for umpteen years, you are the fittest person to bring out this gem. I consider you more a Bengali than a South Indian. I should also thank Akji for his choice of author for the writeup. Can I dare to suggest an alternate title for the post

Vandya Vande Mataram, Song Empyrean

7 Mehfil Mein Meri January 26, 2020 at 10:41 pm

Thanks for a very interesting and informative post Venkataramanji.
I never knew about so many versions of the song, Vande Mataram.
Such a deep research, you must have done for the post!
Hats off to you sir.

Anup
🙂

8 N Venkataraman January 26, 2020 at 11:10 pm

First of all, before we cross the midnight let me, on our 71st Republic Day, extend my warm greetings to all of you.
Sorry, I was tied up the entire day. I would reply to the comments by tomorrow.

9 Naresh P. Mankad January 27, 2020 at 9:08 am

Very informative and interesting article on Vande Mataram. It is amazing that even without the official status of national anthem, it has held its sway on the multitudes of the country.
Apart from Pandit Omkarnathji’s version, my top favourite is the one composed by Hemat Kumar for film Anandmath. Lata Mangeshkar’s rendering is illuminatingly devine but Hemant Kumar’s singing is rousing, influencing the mind like a magic “mantra”.

10 N Venkataraman January 27, 2020 at 11:23 am

Mr. Joseph,
Thanks for the appreciation. I have tried to present the information gathered to the best of my ability. I am glad that the post was interesting/ informative to you. The selection of the day was AKji’s.

11 Ashok Kumar Tyagi January 27, 2020 at 11:28 am

Venkataramanji
Thanks for posting a beautiful article and uplinking many renditions of our National Song.
Regards

12 N Venkataraman January 27, 2020 at 11:38 am

Pramodji,
Please accept my sincere thanks.

“Don’t know why tears kept rolling down throughout the listening of all the audios of वंदेमातरम् .”

When one intensely and genuinely feels for and thinks of something it evokes an emotion, a strong positive emotion. Patriotism too is an emotion, which rouses the feeling of my country, my people! And the important part is my people. Without the people where is the country, what is this world. I would rather say when one genuinely feels for others, love and respect fellow human beings; such inherent emotions come to the surface. And a National song like Vande Matarm, I think, has the power to stir-up our positive energy, the genuine feeling of love and respect towards fellow human beings. After all we are the “Santaans” of the all encompassing “Universal Mother”, who showers us with her abundance with everything and most importantly love.

Pramodji it shows you are a good human being too.
Vande Matarm.

13 N Venkataraman January 27, 2020 at 11:56 am

Uma Maheshwarji,
Thank you for your appreciation.
By the way, the Republic Day celebrations are hosted over three days, ending on 29th January with the Beating Retreat ceremony held at Vijay Chowk. I believe the Military Bands play the National Song of India, Vande Matarm during the closing ceremony along with other popular patriotic tunes.

Posting a fusion version played by the Indian Navy Band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG8pgDzN0kY

14 N Venkataraman January 27, 2020 at 12:29 pm

Anuji,
Thanks for your appreciation and I am glad that you liked it. Here is a beautiful rendition of Vande Matarm by Jyotsna Radhakrishnan , supported by Ralfin Stephen on the Piano/Keyboard and Rajesh on the flute. I believe she is from your native place Thrissur.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl0PWDzK3MI&list=PLegedQuNMuyiuX8DGx4Px-Q14l7kTfwIg&index=416

15 N Venkataraman January 27, 2020 at 2:05 pm

Cansyaji,

In my conclusion I wrote
“ And there is a lot that I might not have covered. I am sure my co-bloggers will fill up the deficiencies and come up with more information and versions.”

Thanks a lot for posting the three part audio-lecture of Chandvankar. A valuable addition and provides a lot of additional information and songs. A little more than an hour audio-lecture is a must hear and I would request all to listen to it when they have time.

This was your 5th posting in the comments section this year and we hope you would find time to participate in SoY henceforth.
Thanks once again

16 N Venkataraman January 27, 2020 at 8:19 pm

Ranganji,

Thank you for your profuse appreciation.
Only twice before the advent of the British – among the Marathas and Sikhs – we could witness the spirit of nationalism, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay thus lamented in an article under the caption “Bharatvarsher Swadheenata ebang Paradheenata” published in the year 1897.

True, Bengal was the cradle of Indian nationalist movement. The spirit of Nationalism came to the fore during the “Banga Bhanga Andolan”, the first partition of Bengal in 1905. The song and the slogan acted as a catalyst giving impetus to the movement against British. I believe there were sporadic movements in many regions all over India which were primarily localized. I will not go into the details.

Posting the song “Vande Matharam Enbom’, lyrics by Subramanya Bharathi from the Patriotic movie Kappallotiya Tamizhan – 1961
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I92MZjvkVWo

PS – Although I would relate my Janma, Karma and Dharma to Bengal, yet I have not lost touch with my ancestral roots.

17 Ashwin Bhandarkar January 27, 2020 at 11:28 pm

Vande Venkatramanji for what I can only describe as your magnum opus! What a scholarly work! I can only imagine the kind of labours you must have put in to research the topic, and then to compile and present the information in the manner that you have. It can easily qualify as a reference for anyone interested in the history of our National Song! I will go through it once again during the week and take my time to do so so that I can savour all the renditions at leisure and digest all the fascinating details that you have provided! Thanks a ton!

18 Hans January 28, 2020 at 12:02 am

I was expecting something special. But, this exceeds all my expectations. The thorough study behind the article is evident and I have no doubt that of all persons on SOY, the best suited for the job has done it. So, ‘Vande Venkataraman!!!’ from my side.

It was most unfortunate that a controversy was associated with the song, though there was nothing in the song which was objectionable. The only argument given by the detractors was that the poet’s outlook was anti-muslim. But despite the poet of ‘sare jahan se achha’ being associated directly with the the demand of Pakistan, no controversy was attached to that. I think, there was a lot of opposition to this song being discarded as national anthem in the Parliament as well as outside. As per my information, Bengalis did not like this one bit, though the poem of another Bengali was accepted as such.

I have extensively read Bengali writers and many of them placed their novels in the historical perspective. Bankim Chandra had truly national outlook in his writings and thinking. Tagore’s national outlook has been publicised, but Bankim Chandra has not been given his due. The manufactured controversy on the song was perhaps the reason behind it.

19 N Venkataraman January 28, 2020 at 12:34 pm

Anupji,
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. Happy to note that you found it interesting and informative.

20 N Venkataraman January 28, 2020 at 1:27 pm

Nareshji,
Thanks you.
Very true Nareshji, Vande Mataram resonates in the hearts of millions of Indians.

Besides Anandmath, Hemant Kumar rendered Vande Matarm for a Bengali film Mahabiplabi Aurobindo(1971). The music for the film was scored by Hemant Kumar. Here is the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPNYy4g7Y08

21 N Venkataraman January 28, 2020 at 1:29 pm

Thank you Ashok Kumar Tyagiji

22 Uma Maheswar Nakka January 28, 2020 at 2:10 pm

Good Afternoon Venkataramanji,

Your article is so inspiring, I started searching Google mataji for any new version of this Divine Patriotic song, not covered so far.

I am posting one version, may be same as the AIR tune mentioned in your article, but still very sweet and inspiring.

And thanks for your reply, with further information and the link you gave played by Navy band, very beautiful and quite inspiring.

Vande Mataram (HD) – National Song Of india – Best Patriotic Song

https://youtu.be/WfqMmypbACg

I can say, more than the writers, singers and musicians, You really did a great service to the nation, by bringing this great song of Divine value and inspiration, projection straight on our mental screens.

Mata Bharat bless you and your family.

Regards
Uma

23 N Venkataraman January 28, 2020 at 3:29 pm

Thank you Ashwinji for your generous appreciation. Hope you would come back after going through the write-up and listening to the different versions of Vande Mataram.

24 N Venkataraman January 28, 2020 at 4:45 pm

Hansji,
Expression of approval in an unrestrained and heartfelt manner from a fellow blogger boosts one’s spirit. I sincerely thank you for the nice words.

It was pre-decided that Jana Gana Mana will be the National Anthem, much before 24th of January 1950, Most of us may be aware of fact, yet I would like to briefly place the historical facts here.

On the occasion of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1947 in New York, the Indian delegation carried a recording of Jana Gana Mana and gave it to the official orchestra to be played as the National Anthem. This orchestral rendering of ‘Jana-Gana-Mana’ was recorded and sent to India. Before the official declaration in 1950, even our defence Services bands and foreign embassies played this tune, whenever occasion required.

At that stage, Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to all the Provincial Governors and asked their views about our adopting “Jana-Gana-Mana’ or any other song as the National Anthem and asked them to consult their Premiers before replying. However the final decision rested with the Constituent Assembly, but owing to the urgency a provisional decision had become essential. Every one of these Governors, except one ( the Governor of the Central Provinces) signified their approval of ‘Jana-Gana-Mana’. Thereupon, the cabinet considered the matter and came to the decision that provisionally ‘Jana-Gana-Mana’ should be used as the tune for the National Anthem till such time the Constituent Assembly came to a final decision.

Subsequently the new Premier of West Bengal (most probably it was Bidhan Chandra Roy) informed Nehru that his Government preferred ‘Vande Mataram’.

On 24th January 1950, instead of taking a formal decision by means of a resolution, a statement with regard to the National Anthem was made by the President Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Thus Jana Gana Mana was declared as the National Anthem and Vande Matarm was given an equal status.

25 N Venkataraman January 28, 2020 at 8:04 pm

AKji,
Many, many thanks for providing the privilege to write another article for SoY. Your constant nudging and encouragement made me complete a long standing commitment. Far back you had shared links to some of the songs and we had exchanged mail on the subject. Thanks too for the patience, persistence and support extended.

26 AK January 28, 2020 at 10:56 pm

Venkatataramanji,
Not at all. Whenever will be will be. I am happy that it has come out so well. Thanks a lot.

27 Giri January 29, 2020 at 8:47 pm

Venkatraman ji,
Wonderful article which is informative and illuminating. Kudos to you for the extensive and painstaking research. I didn’t know that so many people have sung it in so many tunes.
Apt release on the Republic Day.

28 N Venkataraman January 30, 2020 at 8:51 pm

Giriji @ 27
Thank you for your appreciation.

29 Shachindra Prasad January 31, 2020 at 6:49 pm

Venkataramanji,
Any amount of praise can’t match the quality, depth and erudition of your post. You have excellently focused on vital musical and patriotic content on a vast canvas. I sincerely feel obliged to you and of course AKji for the enlightening post.
I don’t know if I am correct. But, I wish to submit that I found the Vande Mataram song of the Aurbindo Ashram conspicuously absent in the post. Yes, you have quoted about the translation by Aurbindo Ghosh.
Please do set me right if I am wrong.

30 N Venkataraman February 1, 2020 at 7:39 pm

Shachindra Prasadji,
Thank you for your nice words.
The Vande Matarm song I have heard on the record and at the Aurobindo Ashram were similar to the one composed by Timir Baran Bhattacharya. It is there in my post. If you are in knowledge of any other version, I would request you to post the same.
Many thanks once again.

31 Shachindra Prasad February 2, 2020 at 7:54 pm

Venkataramanji,
You are absolutely right. Both the songs have the same tune. I am happy to admit my fault.
I heard different compositions of the song in one go. I listened to the Aurbindo Ashram version after a day or two and failed to remember that I was rehearsing the same tune. Perhaps due to some genuine reason, the Aurbindo Ashram song is stated to be composed by Shobha Mitra.

32 Shachindra Prasad February 2, 2020 at 9:28 pm

Venkataramanji,
Please read rehearing and not rehearsing.
It seems I am doing mistake after mistake.

33 N Venkataraman February 3, 2020 at 5:40 pm

Shachindra Prasadji @32
No big issue. Typo-error & fatigue, it happens.

Shobha Mitra is a well known figure, especially among the Aurobindo Ashram devotees. She was in charge of the music section of the Ashram till her death in 2019 at age of 85. She had her training under Dilip Kumar Roy and Sahana Devi. She was also an accomplished dancer.

This version of Vande Mataram, rendered by Auro Mira Choir Group under the arrangement of Shobha Mitra, was the concluding part of the record (India and her future) released by Hindusthan Records most probably in the year 2001. Shobha Mitra might have embellished the song with some additional orchestration at the start (01:10-02:10)

Here is one of the recordings of the song
https://gaana.com/artist/auro-mira-choir-group-1

34 N Venkataraman February 3, 2020 at 5:42 pm

Akji, Hansji, Shachindra Prasadji,

The interesting part of the above version (@33 ) is the inclusion of the Shloka ‘Janani Janmabhumishcha Svargadapi Gariyasi‘ (01:19-01:45). And this Shloka finds a place in Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Anandamath too.

I would like to share a link to a remarkable write-up about the source of ‘Janani Janmabhumishca’ in Anand Math. Here is the link
https://pradipbhattacharya.com/2018/08/16/the-source-of-janani-janmabhumishca-in-anand-math/

35 Shachindra Prasad February 4, 2020 at 8:31 pm

Venkataramanji,
I saw that tha shloka ‘ Janani Janmabhumishcha’ is also part of the emblem of Nepal. It figures prominently at the bottom of the emblem. This is really fascinating. T

36 AK February 4, 2020 at 11:04 pm

Venkataramanji,
I was somewhat intrigued by Pradip Bhattacharya’s article about ‘Janani janmabhumishcha svargadapi gariyasi’. My first reaction was what was the fuss about. From childhood I knew this shloka among the dozens one knew without bothering about the source, so it is not correct to say that it was prevalent in South India, and unknown in North India. I must, however, confess I knew only this part which is obviously one half of the shloka. It turns out the full shloka has two popular versions, mentioned on the Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janani_Janmabhoomischa_Swargadapi_Gariyasi

1. मित्राणि धन धान्यानि प्रजानां सम्मतानिव
जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

2. अपि स्वर्णमयी लंका न मे लक्ष्मण रोचते
जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गाश्रम गरीयसी

In the two versions the first line changes, both supposedly occurring in some recensions of Valmiki Ramayan. The two versions are also attributed to two different contexts in the epic.

The version attributed to sage Bharadwaj’s sermon to Lord Rama when he is on way back to Ayodhya after his victory in Lanka at the end of exile, occurs in the recension published from Hindi Prachar Sabha, Madras, in 1930, in Yuddh Kand (Book 6), Chapter (Sarg) 124 at shlok 17, i.e. 6.124.17, and is available on the net.
http://www.valmikiramayan.net/yuddha/sarga124/yuddhaitrans124.htm#Verse17

I have the recension published by Gita Press, which is the most ubiquitous text, in which I have not been able to locate the shloka.

Panchkanya shlok: perhaps he refers to:
अहिल्या द्रौपदी तारा कुन्ती मन्दोदरी तथा
पंचकन्या स्मरेत् नित्यं महापातकनाशनम्
‘Ahilya, Draupadi, Tara, Kunti, Mandodari tatha
Panchakanya smaret nityam mahapaatak naashanam’

This shlok is also quite popular. I checked up with some scholars and I was told it occurs in Brahma Purana 3.7.219

37 Dr Pradeep Kumar Shetty February 5, 2020 at 8:01 pm

N Venkataraman ji,
Scholarly, well researched, highly informative and absolutely worth the loooong wait. Hats off for the effort. I am happy I was privy to it’s conception in the very early stage.

Most of the versions were new to me.
I will keep on coming back to savour it time and again.

38 N Venkataraman February 6, 2020 at 10:12 pm

AKji @ 36
I too knew the first half of the shloka for quite some time. When I came across it in Anandmath, I simply accepted that the source should be from some ancient text, but did not bother to dig for details. I have visited Dakshineswar Kali Temple many a times, but failed to notice the Shloka inscribed at the gates even once.

The concluding lines of Pradip Bhattacharya’s article,

“My argument is that as neither of our epics show evidence of any concept of a motherland, this attribution of the saying to Rama is anachronistic and apocryphal. Is it then a folk-memory of an anonymously composed masterpiece of a shloka born of patriotic fervour’something like the elusive Panchakanya shloka?”

made me scrounge for the source, hence I sought the generosity of the experts in our panel.

Thank you Akji for your response.

39 N Venkataraman February 6, 2020 at 10:52 pm

Pradeepji @ 37
Thank you for your appreciation.
I remember discussing the post with you on my visit to Mangalore on 10th July 2018, on my way to Thiruvanathapuram. Yes it was on the anvil for quite some time. If I remember right, a decade back I was asked to do a write-up on Vande Matarm for a little Magazine. The nature of that article was quite different from the current post. But it did not mature. When the ‘Multiple Version Songs series started at the initiative of Ashok Vaishnavji, I communicated to Akji expressing my intention to write a post on Vande Mataram. When I came to know that Ashok Vaishnavji was contemplating to write on the subject, I was glad. He might have given a different dimension to the topic. When Akji informed me that Ashokji was quite willing to pass on the privilege, I started doing the spade work. But that was long time back. I think the year was 2013. I am grateful to Ashok Vaishnavji too.

Let me digress a bit. Let me talk about Raag Behag and Vande Mataram. You may wonder what Raag Behag has got to do with Vande Mataram. As such, there is no connection. But in my case both were like elusive lovers. During my early days when I was trying to learn the Raag Behag from my Sitar Guru, repeatedly I faced disruption. The same goes for my Vande Mataram article too. I had to shelve the plan time and again due to compulsive circumstance. Like a passionate lover I did not give up on both the occasions.
I expected you to post a few versions, especially from the south.
Thanks once again.

40 ksbhatia February 7, 2020 at 1:04 am

Venkatraman ji ;

Your research My learning !!. I have repeatedly gone thru your paper and wide range of knowledge our commentators showered ….simply brilliant !

Vande matram and National Anthem has been in our child hood study curriculum right from the day one. This soul stirring experience has the charm that will live within us till its last beat.

I have spend my childhood and youth days ….. living in and around Leuten area of New delhi . Those born in late 40s and 50s must have experienced no pollution days of those times. One could hear sound of Bus horns blown two miles away…. clearly identifying School Bus or DTC Bus . So to say sound was clear and so was vision.

Our residence was hardly two miles from Rashtrapati bhawan , Kingsway and India Gate. A month before Republic day Parades ….Army and other forces used to rehearsal their tunes….and we used to enjoy music sitting and getting ready for school ….and continuing humming the tunes till we reached our schools. What impressed me at least is the discipline in way how a sound coherently produced to stir your heart and soul . Vande matram was always played in two versions…fast and slow. Saare jahan se achha….was another where drummer would hold to my heart lingering in my mind during my studies and home work. Some of the tunes were reserved for Beating retreat . Listening to each of them in open sky was a charm of its own. With silence around one could easily hear the lowest tones of bells and bigulls near president house.

Myself being nine or ten years old ….I had a great liking for a tune whose title was unknown to many….and till today I carry it in my heart….and that was ….ABIDE WITH ME. This is such a fine composition / prayer that finds favorite of Mahatma Gandhi ji. The lyrics are great …one wants to listen to it again and again. A number of Churches and Orchestra players have done tremendous jobs recording it in different hymns . So fascinating is this prayer that its instrumental version was used in Richard’s Gandhi and in last scenes of another masterpiece movie…TITANIC !

This year one must have noticed that duration of both Republic day and Beating retreat was shortened and there was a debate whether to chose Vande Matram or to choose Abide with me. That hurt me a little as both were on top of my chart engraved in my heart since childhood.

It gave me a great pleasure when I see and heard Vande Matram right in the opening titles of my favorite Dilip sahibs film …Leader….. complete title is shortened in YT version ….still a great satisfaction to hear from Naushad sahib’s Orchestra .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZdirMRFQGw

The other song connecting vande Matram is….Band mein tha dum , bande matram……from Gandhi giri of Munna Bhai !!

Will continue…..its good Dr Shetty is back….a pleasure of a company.

41 AK February 7, 2020 at 7:31 am

Venkataramanji,
“I too knew the first half of the shloka”. You mean the second half which is जननी जन्मभूमिश्च..? The first half has two versions. One version is attributed to Lord Ram when he is offered the kingdom of Lanka, that it may be made of gold, but I am not attracted to it. The second version is attributed to sage Bharadwaj as it is found in Madras 1930 version I have mentioned. Since it is available on the net, it is likely Pradeep Bhattacharya may not have come across it when he was researching. I am not an expert on his sociological speculation that the concept of the nation as ‘Motherland’ would not have been prevalent in the time of the epics. I remember that exalted status of ‘Nation’ (देश/राज्य) occurs quite prominently in Mahabharata. This might be very different from ‘nationalism’ said to emerge in the 17th century onwards in Europe.

42 N Venkataraman February 7, 2020 at 12:48 pm

AKji @ 41

I am sorry, I meant the second half of the Shloka.

The attitude of our forefathers clearly elucidated by our scriptures like Maha Upanishad and Rig Veda was ‘Vasudeva Kudumbakam’, and you have used this phrase on several occasions in our blog.

Adi Shankaracharya , most probably in the Annapurna Stotram, said ‘Svadesho Bhuvana trayam’.

When Anandamath was written situation/ background was different and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay felt the need to inject a sense of Nationalism in the people’s mind. In this context both the Shloka and the song and the phrase Vande Mataram assumes added significance.

As I have mentioned earlier Bankim Chandra wrote that only twice before the advent of the British – among the Marathas and Sikhs – we could witness the spirit of nationalism. thus lamented Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in an article under the caption “Bharatvarsher Swadheenata ebang Paradheenata” published in the year 1897.

43 N Venkataraman February 7, 2020 at 3:01 pm

Bhatiaji @ 40
Thank you for your appreciation. And also thanks for sharing your vision and childhood experiences. Today our vision is narrowed; we see that is in front of us, not what we need to see.

Earlier I had commented that I believe the Military Bands play the National Song of India, Vande Mataram during the closing ceremony of the Republic Day along with other popular patriotic tunes. I understand that ‘Abide with Me’ was part of the Beating Retreat ceremony after the Mysore palace band was invited to perform in the Republic Day celebrations of 1950. It was good that the decision to drop ‘Abide with Me’ was revisited and reversed. But I was saddened to note that Vande Matarm was included. Both the tunes could have been played.

Thanks for posting the title song of the film ‘Leader’.The other song that you have mentioned ‘Band mein tha dum , bande matram’ can be considered as a Atmospheric song too. I wonder why didn’t you give the link. A nice song, Posting the link to the song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raaz1VfWxcI

Glade to note that you will continue… and Pradeepji’s return has enlivened us.

44 ksbhatia February 7, 2020 at 6:50 pm

N Venkataraman ji @43;

I was quite late sitting on my desk and thought of posting the links today. Yes ….Bande mein tha dum bande matram ….is a very nice song and has all the qualitative wordings ……qualifying for atmospheric song as well . Thanks for posting the link.

Coming back to ….Abide with Me….here are a few of my favorite links of the prayer/ song which highlights the passions associated with its lyrics and compositions.

Abide with Me w/ lyrics – Katherine Jenkins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16vi5Zey1mk

James Last – Abide With Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQlUAhdvkXA

RMS Titanic – The Awful End – Abide With Me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w9zEXkTEqw

Above listening produced many tingling down my spine.

….to be contd.

45 N Venkataraman February 7, 2020 at 8:43 pm

Bhatiaji @ 44
Thanks for posting the three versions of ‘Abide With Me’. All the versions made great listening. The most emotional moment is when the Violinist takes leave with the words “ Gentlemen, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight.” Here is the clip from the film Titanic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RcVzevWX4U

46 N Venkataraman February 7, 2020 at 8:48 pm

Bhatiaji,
BTW was the last link 44 was from the 1953 version of the film ‘Titanic’?

47 N Venkataraman February 7, 2020 at 8:51 pm

AKji, Bhatiaji, Pradipji,

Back to Vande Matarm.

I was looking for a version of this song by Pankaj Mullick. I came to know of this version during the centenary year of Pankaj Mullick in 2005. I could not find the link to the song then. But I did find a link where Kabir Suman (formerly Suman Chattopadhyay) renders this version. As per Kabir Suman the song was composed by Pankaj Mullick and the Orchestration was by the Spanish musician Francisco Casanovas. I wrote about Francisco Casanovas in my earlier article on Pankaj Mullick (Hridaya Pankaje Rabi Viraje). Kabir Suman adds that besides his father, Suprova Sarkar and Hemant Kumar were among the singers. Here is the link. Kabir Suman renders the song to the accompaniment of guitar, self-played. You will find the song from 02:14.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq5IHwUYojI

Later when I was gathering information for this post I found the version mentioned in Suresh Chandvankar’s article
Issued on Hindustan Records H. 1348 (C.1940)- Audio File Not Available
Vande Mataram – Orchestra with vocal refrain (Pankaj Mullick and others)

I could also find the link to the images of the above mentioned record. On one side is the vocal version with orchestration and on the other side is the Instrumental version with vocal refrain. The label on the side one interestingly refers to the song as Indian National Anthem and mentions the name of Suprava Sarkar,Utpala Sen, Lily Ghosh and others. Pankaj Mullick name is mentioned against direction. But there is no mention of Francisco Casanovas and Hemant Kumar. You can click on the image to enlarge the image.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/INDIAN-NATIONAL-ANTHEM-VANDE-MATARAM-SJ-PANKAJ-MULLICK-H-1348-RARE-78-RPM-VG-/401941248865

Yesterday I could locate a link to both the versions mentioned above.

Although Pankaj Mullick’s name is not mentioned in the singer’s list, his voice is clearly recognizable. And the wonderful orchestration bears the stamp of Francisco Casanovas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufMQpVcQCSg

The link to instrumental version with Vocal refrain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMvsSG8k2j0

48 AK February 7, 2020 at 9:56 pm

Venkataramanji,
The story of your search is very fascinating. I am surprised why they have omitted the most famous name, of Pankaj Mullick. I hope it is him, because there is at least one close voice I find very difficult to distinguish – that of Dhananjay Bhattacharya.

49 N Venkataraman February 7, 2020 at 10:34 pm

AKji,
Kabir suman had mentioneed the name of Hemant Kumar. Could it be young Hemant Kumar/ Chota Pankaj?

50 AK February 7, 2020 at 11:24 pm

Venkataramanji,
You are also having doubts? Between Hemant Kumar and Pankaj Mullick, the voice is closer to Pankaj Mullick. I was only intrigued by no mention of his name

51 N Venkataraman February 8, 2020 at 2:39 pm

AKji @ 50
It was a casual suggestion. I wrote earlier
‘Although Pankaj Mullick’s name is not mentioned in the singer’s list, his voice is clearly recognizable.’
I was quite sure that it was Pankaj Mullick. His nasal tinge is discernible. And you are right. Dhananjay Bhattacharya’s voice is closest to that of Pankaj Mullick.

Then could it be that Hemant Kumar was part of the chorus. The reference to Hemant Kumar came up due to Kabir Suman mentioning his name. The version of Vande Matarm under discussion was recorded in 1940, when a 20 year Hemanta Mukherjee recorded his first film (Bengali) song. I found a line in his autobiography that after participating in a chorus rehearsal in New Theaters under Pankaj Mullick’s direction he went to Kali Studio to record a film song under Robin Chatterjee. The year was 1940. In the same year he was part of the chorus for the popular radio programme ‘Mahishasurmardini’ for AIR under Pankaj Mullick’s music direction. Hemanta also wrote that he came in touch with Suprabha Sarkar and Utpala Sen, who were two of the three female singers mentioned in the (Vande Matarm) record, in the same year. All this could lead us to speculate that Hemanta could have been a part of the chorus.
For two reasons I would like to believe that he was not part of the chorus too.
1) Had he been a part of the team for the recording of Pankaj Mullick’s version of Vande Matarm, he would have mentioned it in his auto biography. But there was no mention.
2) Could the rehearsal of Vande Mataram for Hindusthan Records or Mahishasuramardhini for AIR be held at New Theaters? Not likely.
Hence we can rule out Hemant Kumar.

52 ksbhatia February 8, 2020 at 11:58 pm

N Venkataraman ji @46;

The clip is a superimposition of foto and video as a symbolic representation of old Titanic movie produced in 1953 ; while the song is one amongst the many sung by different famous singers. later in 1958 another version of Titanic was also made with different title ….A night to remember…. .

This song is so famous that at many international events and matches it is always sung before the event proceeds.

53 ksbhatia February 9, 2020 at 12:08 am

N Venkataraman ji @47 ;

I have lost a link of an article where Jagmohan is stated to have been associated as a co composer and singer as well of chorus song of ….Vande Matram. To me the voice of Jagmohan is quite closer to Pankaj Mullick as well.

54 N Venkataraman February 10, 2020 at 4:57 pm

Bhatiaji @ 52
Thanks for the information.
@53

I think the article you are referring to must be either ‘A most popular and evergreen Indian song’ by Suresh Chandvankar or “Vande Mataram @ 78 RPM’ by Akhilesh Jha. I have mentioned both the articles in my list of references.
There are atleast two chorus versions to which Jaganmay Mitra (Sursagar) had lent his voice, one under Anandi Dastidar’s direction and the other under Timir Baran’s direction. And I have posted both the versions in the main article.
A chorus version was recorded under the music direction of Sursagar and another vocal and instrumental version too was recorded under his music direction. I could not find any link to these versions.

55 Hakuna Matata February 22, 2020 at 5:34 am

It was a very informative read. I can understand the efforts and perseverance one has put to write this blog. There are multiple versions of vande mataram where we find experimentation is both music composition and lyrics. The compilation is excellent and reminds us of our freedom strugglle. On personal note, the song of AR Rahman is very special to me espacially because it reflects the idea that India is a mother for every indians irrespective of religion. The original song when only put under the context of fakir sanyasi movement against muslim oppression sometimes diverts us from the fact that India is mother for every Indians and it does not necessarily symbolise our mother as a goddess. Hence we can respect and praise her by saying Vande as well as Salam.

56 AK February 22, 2020 at 6:40 am

Hakuna Matata,
Welcome to SoY and very well said to put Vande Mataram and Ma tujhe salaam in context.

57 N Venkataraman February 22, 2020 at 3:40 pm

Hakuna Matata,
Thanks for your appreciation.
I will echo AKji’s response . If everyone of us start thinking they way you have put it, then there will be no trouble, no problem, and no worries.

58 Sunil Trivedi March 6, 2022 at 7:09 pm

AKji,
It is Pankaj Mullick’s voice, not any other singer, no HK, no jagmohan Mitra, but Pankaj Mullick and Pankaj Mullick’s voice! No doubts in this! And you know I think my case for Pankaj Mullick well from my past comments on posts related to him.

59 AK March 7, 2022 at 11:57 am

Mr Trivedi,
I know you are a Pankaj Mullick-expert and you would not fail recognising his voice.

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: