NEW DELHI: Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the iconic song Vande Mataram, the Gujarat tableau in the Republic Day Parade on January 26 highlighted the anthem’s role in igniting the spirit of Swadeshi, self-reliance, and freedom in India’s national movement, while honouring the revolutionaries who carried India’s message of independence to the world.
‘Vande Mataram’ is the timeless mantra that awakened the spirit of Swadeshi, self-reliance, and freedom in India’s national consciousness. Marking the 150th anniversary of the song, the tableau pays tribute to Madam Bhikhaji Cama of Navsari, Gujarat, who, along with revolutionaries Shyamji Krishna Varma and Sardar Singh Rana, carried India’s message of freedom to foreign soil.
Her Vande Mataram flag, first unfurled in Paris in 1907 and later presented at the Indian Socialist Conference in Stuttgart, stands as a symbol of India’s revolutionary voice abroad. This legacy is harmoniously linked with Mahatma Gandhi’s propagation of Swadeshi through the charkha and its relevance to the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
At the front of the tableau stood Madam Bhikhaji Cama holding her self-designed Vande Mataram flag, with the slogan inscribed below in multiple Constitution-recognised Indian languages. The central section traces key milestones in the evolution of the national flag, from the Swadeshi movement at Parsi Bagan, Kolkata in 1906, to the Home Rule flag of 1917, Pingali Venkayya’s design presented to Mahatma Gandhi in 1921, its near adoption in 1931, and finally the acceptance of the tricolour with the Dharma Chakra by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947.
The tableau concludes with a sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi, symbolising freedom through Swadeshi and the charkha, set against a grand Dharma Chakra. Folk artists performing to Kasumbino Rang, composed by Zaverchand Meghani, infused the tableau with patriotic fervour, honouring the sacrifices that shaped India’s freedom and continue to inspire a self-reliant nation today.
Republic Day marks a defining milestone in India’s national journey. It marks the day the Constitution of India came into force on January 26, 1950, formally establishing the country as a ‘Sovereign Democratic Republic’.
While independence on August 15, 1947, ended colonial rule, it was the adoption of the Constitution that completed India’s transition to self-governance based on law, institutional accountability, and the will of the Indians. (With inputs from ANI)
