| Postal Stamp Image |
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 |
| Stamp Issue Date |
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30/12/1976 |
| Postage Stamp Dinomination |
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0.25 |
| Postal Stamp Serial Number |
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0836 |
| Postal Stamp Name |
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1ST STANZA OF VANDEMATARAM |
| Stamp Information |
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'Vande Mataram', the immortal song composed by Bankin Chandra Chaterjee, is more than a hundred years old. Though it first appeared in the first instalmant of serialisation of Bankim Chandra's Bengali novel, Anand Mth, in 1881, there is clear evidence to show that it was composed independentaly earlier in 1875. riting in the English Daily, 'Bande Mataram', on 16th april 1907, Sri Aurobindo said: "It as 32 years ago that Bankim wrote his great song.....".
In his novel Anand Mth, Bankim Chandra rote about sanyasis ho left their hearths and homes and dedicated their lives to the cause of their matherland. The characters in his novel personified the motherland as the Mother Goddess and worshipped her as such. They kne noo other deity excepting the motherland and no other religion excepting the religion of patriotism. This spirit was refleccted in the song 'Vande Mataram'. According to Sri Aurobindo, Bankim Chandra perceived three main elements which constituted the moral strength so necessary for serving the motherland. They were firstly Tyaga or complete self-sacrifice, secondly self-discipline and organisation and thirdly patritisam itself as religion. These ideas found perfect lyrical expression in the great song hich enthused and actvated millions of people during the freedom struggle. The song aroused the spirit of intense nationalism.
While the Song became the anthem of resurgent Indian nationalism, its likee 'Vande Mataram' (meaning: I bow to thee, Mother) became the battle cry of freedom fighters all over the country. Rabindranath Tagore set the song to music and sang it at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. He did so again in the Calcutta session of the Congres in 1906.
The impact of the song over the people as so much that the then alien rulers were alarmed. They restored to repressive measures and prohibited the shouting of 'Vande Mataram' in schools, colleges and public places. At thousands of places throughout the length and bredth of the then undivided India, people ere beaten up and jailed by the authorities just for shouting 'Vande Mataram'. The fame of the song spread abroad also. hen Gopal Krishna Gokhale visited South Africa in 1912, a mammoth gathering greated him at Capetown ith the slogan 'Vande Mataram'.
Referring to the 'Vande Mataram' song Mahatma Gandhi rote in the Harijan in July 1939:
"It is enthroned in the hearts of millions. It stirs to its depth the patritism of millions in and outside Bengal. Its chosen stanzas are Bengal's gift among many others to the hole nation...."
In August 1948 Jaaharlal Nehru said in a statement made in Parliament:
"Vande Mataram is obviously and indisputaably the premier natinal song of India with a great historical tradition: it was intimately connected with our struggle for freeedom. That position, it is bound to retain and no other song can displace it. It represents the passion and poignancy of that struggle...."
At the time of constitution-making, although Rabindranath Tagore's song, Jana-gana-mana, as adopted as the national anthem of Independent India, Vande Mataram was given an equal sttus ith Jana-gana-mana.
The following is the text of the first stanza of the Vande Mataram song:
Vande Mataram,
Sujalam, suphalam, malayajasshitatalam, Sasyashyamalaam, mataram,
Shubhrajyotsana pulakitayaminim,
Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,
Suhasininm sumadhura bhasininm,
Sukhadam, vardam, Mataram!
The English translation of the stanza by Sri Aurobindo is:
I bow to thee, Mother,
richly-watered, richly-fruited,
cool ith the inds of the south,
dark ith the crops of the harvests, the Mother!
Her nights rejoiceing in the glory of the moonlight,
her lands clothed beautifully ith her trees in floering bloom,
seet of laughter,seet of speech,
the Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss!
The Posts and Telegraphs DEpartment is privileged to issue a commemorative postage stamp honouring the national song, 'Vande Mataram'. |
| Philatelic Stamp Description |
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The design of the stamp is horizontal and reproduces the first stanza of the song "Vande Mataram". |
| Stamp Currency |
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P |
| Stamp Type |
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COMMEMORATIVE |
| Stamp Language |
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English |
| Stamp Overall Size |
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3.91 X 2.90 cms |
| Postal Stamp Print Size |
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3.56 x 2.5 cms. |
| Number of Stamps Per Sheet |
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35 |
| Stamp Perforations |
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13 x 13 |
| Postal Stamp Shape |
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Diagonal |
| Postage Stamp Paper |
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Unwatermarked adhesive stamp paper |
| Indian Stamp Process |
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Photogravure |
| Number of stamps printed |
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30,00,000 |
| Stamp Printed At |
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India Security Press |
| Indian Stamp's Color |
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Multicolour |
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