GUWAHATI: The energy in Guwahati’s Srimanta Sankaradeva International Auditorium on 25th September was as patriotic as our national song ‘Vande Mataram’. Thousands of people gathered under one roof to sing Vande Mataram together — marking 150 years since the song first came into being. Organised by Vidya Bharati Northeast Region, the event, called ‘Namami Bharatam’, turned into a huge celebration of national pride, with people from all walks of life joining in.
The event was not like a regular city event but was a part of a much bigger nationwide effort to honour a song that once fired up an entire generation during India’s freedom struggle and still manages to give people goosebumps today.
Indian Army veterans like General Upendra Dwivedi (Retd.), who came as the Chief Guest alongside Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Sanjeev Bordoloi , Dr. Pawan Tiwari from Vidya Bharati Northeast, Dr. Jagadindra Ray Choudhury, Kulendra Kumar Bhagwati of Shishu Shiksha Samiti Assam, event coordinator Gaurav Kalita, and Assam Gaurav honouree Meenakshi Das.
The hall was packed — old students, teachers, everyday citizens, and a huge number of young students, all singing Vande Mataram together, right in step with similar gatherings happening across the country at the same time. Honestly, it must have been quite a moment to witness.
“The Northeast isn’t where India ends — It’s where India begins”: Gen. Dwivedi
Gen Dwivedi pulled the attraction of vivid gatherings, especially the youth with his commanding speech. Interestingly, he didn’t want to be introduced as a former Army Chief — instead, he said he was proud to simply call himself an old student of Saraswati Shishu Mandir. That set the tone for what came next.
He further said, “The Northeast is not the place where India ends, but the place from where India begins. It is the true gateway to the nation.”
You could sense the pride in the room after that line. He went on to connect Vande Mataram to India’s bigger dream of becoming a fully developed nation by 2047, and told the young people in the audience to build their lives around three simple ideas — Attitude, Adaptability, and Ability.
Gen. Dwivedi didn’t hold back while addressing the students either. He told them clearly — stop being the kind of people who only complain or criticise, and instead become the ones who actually solve problems. He spoke about staying open to constantly learning new things, unlearning old habits that don’t help anymore, and relearning better ways — all while keeping Indian values and courage close to heart, even as the world moves fast with technology. He asked students to try something called the ‘Zero-Ten’ rule. Basically, spend the first ten minutes of your morning completely away from your phone. Use that time instead to think about your goals, feel grateful for what you have, and set an intention for the day. Simple, but the kind of habit that can genuinely change how your day goes.
“Vande Mataram is India’s heart”: Dr. Pawan Tiwari
Addressing the august gathering, Dr. Pawan Tiwari said something quite moving — that Vande Mataram isn’t something you just sing on occasions, it’s more like the heartbeat of the country’s shared identity. He connected it beautifully to Assam’s own heritage, talking about Maa Kamakhya, the teachings of Srimanta Sankaradeva, and the bravery of Bir Lachit Borphukan, saying all of it ties back to the same idea — that India stands together, undivided.
Talking to reporters later, Sailendra Pandey, who handles media for Vidya Bharati Assam, said something that stuck — that when the song rises from Assam’s soil, it carries a message of its own. According to him, it’s a reminder that the Northeast isn’t just a part of India’s map, but a big part of its cultural soul and its future too.
By the end of it, ‘Namami Bharatam’ felt like much more than a ceremony — it felt like a reminder. A reminder that the Northeast has always been deeply woven into India’s story, and that keeping that spirit alive in the younger generation is something the organisers clearly care about. Judging by the energy in the hall today, that message seems to have landed exactly where it was meant to.
