RSS marks 150 years of Vande Mataram, 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Munda with call for unity and self

New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Saturday commemorated two historic milestones — the 150th anniversary of the composition of Vande Mataram and the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Dharti Aba Bhagwan Birsa Munda — with Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale issuing statements calling for renewed national consciousness, unity and self-awareness.

Hosabale described Vande Mataram as the “soul song of the nation,” written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875 and immortalized when Rabindranath Tagore presented it at the Congress National Convention in 1896. He said the hymn inspired countless freedom fighters and became a “national proclamation and mantra of devotion to the motherland.” Quoting examples from history, he noted how leaders such as Aurobindo, Lajpat Rai, Bhik