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Parties mark centenary that was not

Siddharth Varadarajan

Vande Mataram sung, but political sniping sounds a discordant note

New Delhi: In a day marked more by political grandstanding than patriotism, public functions were organised in several cities and towns on Thursday to celebrate the supposed "centenary" of Vande Mataram, the song composed 130 years ago by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee as a tribute to Goddess Durga as the embodiment of India.

Historians have pointed out that nothing of relevance happened to the song on September 7, 1906 to warrant its public singing precisely 100 years later. The song was composed in the 1870s, incorporated into the novel, Anandmath, a decade later, and gradually adopted as an iconic song and slogan of the freedom movement. But due to an official circular issued by the Union Human Resource Development Ministry in July instructing State Governments to ensure the song was sung at 11 a.m. on Thursday to mark its "centenary," political parties, schools and even some government offices in many States across India held events commemorating Vande Mataram.

The official circular was subsequently revised last month following the controversy sparked by its earlier draft, with some organisations, particularly Muslim ones, arguing that the Government had no right to compel citizens to take part in the public singing of a song with denominational undertones.

But with the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party sensing a chance to put the ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre on to the backfoot by accusing it of "minority appeasement," both the BJP and the Congress organised functions to commemorate the song.

In New Delhi, many senior Congress leaders attended a function at the Congress Sewa Dal office to pay tribute to and sing Vande Mataram.

The absence of Sonia Gandhi — which the party's general secretary Ahmed Patel said was on account of her being "unwell" — was seized upon by the BJP, which accused the Congress president of "consciously and deliberately" staying away because of "vote bank politics." Responding to the charge, Mr. Patel said "just because someone cannot attend a function does not mean that a person is not a patriot."

The BJP itself, which was holding a meeting of its national executive in Dehra Dun, sang the song collectively. Party general secretary Vinay Katiyar, said the Government should "consider action" against people opposing the singing.

In States ruled by the BJP — Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan — events were held in most schools and public institutions to sing the song.

But madrasas in Rajasthan and Gujarat defied the order on the compulsory singing of Vande Mataram and many seminaries in Rajasthan declared a holiday.

In Lucknow, a large number of Muslim children sang the popular patriotic song "Sare Jahan Se Achcha" instead of Vande Mataram.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the song was sung in the educational institutes of the urban areas. However, in the militancy infested rural areas, there was hardly any response.