Vande Mataram

Little tit-bits about Vande Mataram - Indian national song

The song, written by Bengali poet Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1876, was first sung at the Congress Party session in Varanasi in 1905.

Vande Mataram, which translates as "Mother, I bow to thee" or "hail to the mother", became the rallying cry for Indians fighting British colonial rule.

The song was tipped to be India's national anthem, but lost out to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's more secular Jana Gana Mana following opposition from Muslim groups.
But Vande Mataram is still regarded highly and the song is played in parliament at the beginning and end of each session.