MP Kartikeya Sharma calls Vande Mataram a ‘Civilisational Milestone’, urges Parliament to begin daily sessions with national song
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, December 10, 2025 — Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma on Wednesday delivered a powerful address in Parliament marking 150 years of Vande Mataram, urging that the national song be sung collectively before the start of each day’s proceedings in both Houses.
Calling Vande Mataram “a civilisational milestone that gave India its first language of nationalism”, Sharma traced the song’s origin to 1875 at Naihati–Uttar Barasat, a time when India had no Parliament, no Constitution and no national flag. Yet, he said, a song emerged that addressed Bharat as Mother and awakened a new political consciousness across the nation.
He reminded the House that the British feared Vande Mataram because it carried the spirit of resistance. “It travelled from classrooms to jails, from Bengal to the rest of India, and from whisper to war cry,” he said, noting its pivotal role in the 1905 Swadeshi Movement.
Sharma highlighted that political pressure in 1937 truncated the song to only its first two stanzas. He also drew a contrast between its recognition in 1925 and its diminished status during the 1975 Emergency.
Expressing concern over the neglect of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in academic discourse, he said the composer’s contribution had been “systematically erased”, and the historical site of the song’s creation remained neglected for decades until its restoration under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “A civilisation that forgets its creators forgets itself,” he remarked.
Describing Vande Mataram as a “philosophy still in motion”, Sharma said it embodies ideals of self-reliance, moral courage, knowledge and national confidence — values that, he added, resonate with the Prime Minister’s Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.
He ended his address with a unifying message:
“माँ भारती के सामने हम सब एक हैं… राष्ट्र पहले है।”
The speech concluded with a resounding “वन्दे मातरम्।”
Media Interaction:
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Sharma praised the government for reviving national consciousness, noting how the National Anthem in cinema halls reinforces unity among citizens. “The National Anthem is our constitutional identity, and Vande Mataram is the soul of our civilisation,” he said.
Urging a symbolic daily practice in Parliament, Sharma added:
“Before proceedings begin each day, let us stand together and sing Vande Mataram. It will be a daily reminder that despite ideological differences, the nation stands above all.”