Even in many Madarsa’s it’s a routine prayer and Muslim’s like it more after A.R.Rahaman music and voice made it more popular.

@Vijay

Glad to hear that but my friend other side of the coin is that the song makes a larger section among them very uncomfortable !!

@Vijay

I would love to have some links that support your disclosure.

@Nuya

It’s ”National Song” of India.The song Vande Mataram (Bow to thee, Mother) has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom.

Love this song! It was part of our school prayers and is deeply embedded in my heart. Sadly, a major section of Indians (not only Muslims but other castes too) can’t even recite Vande Maataram, let alone love and respect it.

I’m putting here the lyrics of the original song followed by the English translation;

Vande Maataram;

vande maataraM
sujalaaM suphalaaM malayaja shiitalaaM
sasyashyaamalaaM maataraM ||

shubhrajyotsnaa pulakitayaaminiiM
pullakusumita drumadala shobhiniiM
suhaasiniiM sumadhura bhaashhiNiiM
sukhadaaM varadaaM maataraM ||

koTi koTi kaNTha kalakalaninaada karaale
koTi koTi bhujai.rdhR^itakharakaravaale
abalaa keno maa eto bale
bahubaladhaariNiiM namaami taariNiiM
ripudalavaariNiiM maataraM ||

tumi vidyaa tumi dharma
tumi hR^idi tumi marma
tvaM hi praaNaaH shariire

baahute tumi maa shakti
hR^idaye tumi maa bhakti
tomaara i pratimaa gaDi
mandire mandire ||

tvaM hi durgaa dashapraharaNadhaariNii
kamalaa kamaladala vihaariNii
vaaNii vidyaadaayinii namaami tvaaM

namaami kamalaaM amalaaM atulaaM
sujalaaM suphalaaM maataraM ||

shyaamalaaM saralaaM susmitaaM bhuushhitaaM
dharaNiiM bharaNiiM maataraM ||

English Translation;

Mother, I bow to thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.
Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I bow.

Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the sword flesh out in the seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea
And shook herself free.

Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nervs the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine.

Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair

In thy soul, with jewelled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Lovilest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I bow to thee,
Mother great and free!

As for A.R. Rehman’s version, I simply hate him for that. He mercilessly killed the fiery spirit of Vande Maataram by his soft and lifeless rendition. Compare it with the original Vande Mataram from Bankim Chandra Chattopadyaya’s ”Anand Mutt” and you will hate Rehman too. Check the video, you’ll love it!

@Aneez

Thanks a lot!I am very happy to have such an informative comment on my post.Thanks for adding a video as well.

You are right about AR Rahman’s version.Anyway,his version has helped present generation to be familiar with Vande Mataram.

Yea, you are right. At least Rehman has contributed by making the new generation familiar with Vande Maataram.

Aneez

Do you know who was the music director in movie Anand Math?It was Hemant Kumar Mukhopadyaya.

I have got this song in his voice.It’s equally beautifully rendered by him much the Lata way.In words of Lata ”Hemantda was able to compose songs in such a melodious way as he himself was a very good singer”.When U listen this song in Hemant’s voice you realize that Lata has made a right remark about him!!

One thing more.I really wished to add video in it.You did it for me.Many thanks to you once again.

True. Hemant Da was a true gem. His enchanting voice has the power to soothe your nerves even at times when you are highly tense. I have a collection of some of his best songs. Some of my favorite Hemant Da songs are;

1) Chup hai dharti, chup hai chand sitaare...
2) Door ka raahi...
3) Raah bani khud manzil...
4) Na tum hamein jaano...
5) Ye raat ye chandni phir kahan...
6) Tum pukaar lo...
7) Ya dil ki suno...
8) Yaad kiya dil ne kahan ho tum...

@Aneez

Glad to know that you too like Hemant Da.All the songs named by you are the ones close to my heart.

Like to share an interesting information that ”TWIST” song from movie LOVE AAJ KAL that has become a very hot number nowadays is based on the Nagin tune composed by Hemant Kumar.This ”Been Tune” in Nagin’s song was played by Kalyanji Virji Shah Of Kalyanji Anandji.


Like to mention few more songs that were either composed or sung by Hemant Kumar.They are my hot favourites !

1.Jara Nazaro Se Kah Do Ji Nishana-Bees Saal Baad

2.Ek Baar Zara Phir Kah Do-Bin Badal Barsaat

3.Beqraar Karke Humein-Bees Saal Baad

4.Humne Dekhi Hai In Ankhoen Ki Mehakati-Khamoshi

5.Aa Neelein Gagan Tale Pyar Hum Kare-Baadshah

6.Insaaf Ki Dagar Pe-Ganga Jamuna

7.Na Ye Chaand Hoga -Shart

8.Tumhein Yaad Hoga Kabhi Hum Mile Thein-Satta Bazar

9.Lahro Pe Lahar -Chabeeli

10.Main Garibo Ka Dil -Ab-E-Hayaat

Aneez,it’s part of our culture,values,tradition and you rightly said it’s deeply embedded in your heart,which remains forever.
My father is a freedom fighter and worked for INA too.The devotion,patriotism and discipline of INA is still incomparable and this NETAJI,word founds true meaning only in Subhash Chandra Bose and this song was a part of INA prayer.
Aneez,you have answer for every thing,those who don’t knows you well thinks ”you provide only hot link” but I know ...you are great.
Thanks for providing this beautiful link and Sanskrit Version and Translation of Vandemataram.
’Vande Mataram’.
We Salute...

Dear arvind
I don't think any Muslim hesitate to sing the Vande Matram song. Any way if there are objections then what? So many Hindu historians are against these songs. In fact the RSS and family have always tried to impose Vande Matram on Muslim community as a symbol of Hindu hegemony. If they object to Vande Matram then it doesn’t mean that they are not loyal to country.

@Arsalan

India is a secular country.The whole world knows it except the dull-headed Pakistanis.

How can Vande Mataram be against the spirit of patriotism when it served an important role in ending the British Rule?Above all,it’s Constitution and not a song that determines whether a country is secular or not.

Probably, a ”Sickular” mind like yours is unable to intercept the true meaning of that song.

@Brajesh

Why are you trying to justify the objections? Shouldn’t a thing like national song be above objections and protests?

I am more bothered about ”mindset” than ”loyalty”.Anyway,it’s hard to believe that you can be loyal with a dubious mindset.

above objections and protests! You mean to say that if the majority of people are telling a lie we should accept it just because of the reason that majority is supporting it.
No. we have to be rational and should raise questions.

@Brajesh

You sound correct.But you have misinterpreted my comment.I feel there are certain things that are above criticism.We should learn to respect symbols that are representative of national pride.Why are we turning them into controversial affairs?

If ”majority” is telling a lie, you have full right to resurrect the hidden truth.But that has to be done in light of proper arguments backed up by concrete evidences.To enter in mindless criticism cannot be seen as rational behaviour.

Nice observation, Vijay. :-) BTW, I have observed that you seem to cherish all of my hot links. ;-)

Anyway, it felt nice to hear about your father’s association with INA. I regard Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as one of the mightiest Indian to have ever lived on this soil, so you can imagine...

@Arsalan

As per your information it appears that now the national song is ”secular”.That contradicts your viewpoint that”India” is not a secular country.After all,it has adopted the amended secular version of National Song :-))

I am aware of the controversy in regard to the National Anthem.It’s now a thing of past.Let’s live in present as now it has become integral part of Indian minds.

Some Mr Jithin has made an interesting remark in this regard :

” As far as I can understand, these arguments are based on the word “bharatha bhagya vidatha”. Some people thinks the poet says about King George V. But in light of our culture, we are not only considering King as the provider of our fortune, but also the GOD. In this case also, poet talking about the God not only the King. Simply, we Indians considering King as God or God as King. But in Independant India we take this song as our National Anthem as the praising of God, who is still the provider of our fortune. And there is another thing that we use the anthem to give “National Salute” to The President of India.”

****************************************
*
Another gentleman writes:

” Tagore was a great poet - his love for the country can be judged from the fact that he gave up Knighthood. The controversy merely arises from a coincidence. Coincidence of the time the poem was composed and the time King George V visited India. When Tagore was asked to present a song in praise for the King he recited Jana Gana Mana because its a poem that glorifies abstractly and not explicitly any particular person or country. This was taken in the wrong sense by the Press (* were a bunch of idiots then too ! ) and thus the controversy. So my friend the next time you sing the anthem , sing it with pride and josh ! You are , without any doubt , glorifying Mother India !

So whenever we sing our national anthem we are not only praising our mother (INDIA) but also the God.”

**********************************

@Aneez/Vijay

In Lighter Vein:

These ”hot links” have given rise to global warming of different type.Time to take note of global warming caused by the ”skin show”.No need to tell that the global warming we are familiar with has posed great threat to the future of planet.So let this new form of global warming caused by ”skin darshan” don’t attain threatening proportion :-))

Arvind
Things representative of national pride? Is it a matter of national pride to sing a song glorifying the British rule in India?

@Brajesh

I have dealt with the controversy in response addressed to Arsalan.Any further debate in this regard is not going to serve any purpose.

If you feel our national anthem is not representative of national pride,I will not compel you to believe so.

@Maqsood

Controversies always chase beautiful persons and phenomenons.It’s up to us what we prefer to look at -beauty of a phenomenon or silly controversies associated with that phenomenon .

Stupid souls always talk about the controversies as they cannot overcome limitations of intellect.

Look at Michael Jackson.For the genuine souls he will always remain iconic figure in the world of pop music.For the silly creatures he will remain an alleged paedophile.

It’s all in the mind.

@Maqsood

Well,I hate criticism for the sake of criticism.I have already stated to Mr.Brajesh that to indulge in negative criticisms does not serve any purpose other than killing time and waste of words.I am afraid many of the Instablogians and writers on other forums are doing it day and night.

Anyway, going by your love for questioning and analyzing all the phenomenons what has prevented Muslims from analyzing dubious verses in The Holy Quran,the dubious episodes in lives of Prophet Mohammad and host of other wrong practices in Muslim world ?

Why does hell break loose when the outside world tries to rationalize the happenings in life of Prophet Mohammad? Why the spirit which you so desperately want me to depict is missing while analyzing wrong practices prevalent within your society ?

Ironically, when the outside world tries to present the real picture in the same critical way,the Muslim world across the globe lose temper,leading to name calling,fatwas and violence.Aren’t you people sounding paradoxical ?