Much before the celebrations of the 150th year of the national song, Vande Mataram, on November 7, 2025, one of India’s leading music directors composed a song woven around the Vande Mataram tune (the album, Maa Tujhe Salaam). It was a song that was immensely popular. So, why the sudden focus on Vande Mataram and a debate in Parliament which saw accusations that words of the original song were muted to appease certain sections, and that all this amounted to a betrayal by the Congress?

The so-called ‘mutilation’ of the song — a line being peddled by the government of the day — was part of an official resolution of the Congress Party’s Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Calcutta on October 30, 1937. The CWC meeting had Jawaharlal Nehru chairing the session and almost all the big stalwarts w

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