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The National Song “Vande Mataram” had set the tone for freedom movement and inspired many leaders to fight against the British, said Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Monday (November 10, 2025) at the 150th year celebrations of the National Song organised by the Department of Language and Culture and NTR District administration in Vijayawada. “The British rulers were so annoyed by “Vande Mataram” that they imposed a ban on it, which only fuelled the struggle for India’s Independence. Every Indian should hold it dear to their hearts,” he said. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Naidu said that the spirit of “Vande Mataram”, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, serves as a tonic to achieve the goals laid down by the great leaders whose sacrifices helped in liberating India from the stranglehold of the British. He said that the nation was proud to have successfully fought the British and for emerging as a global power under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “There are many countries being plagued by leadership crises but India is poised to become the world’s third largest economy under Modi’s stewardship. Whenever he travels abroad, he highlights India’s rich culture and traditions. That should be the spirit people should exhibit,” he added. The Chief Minister said that the Andhra Pradesh government was organising the “Vande Mataram” celebrations in four phases: November 7 - 14, 2025 (inaugural week), January 19 - 26, 2026 (Republic Day Week), August 7 - 15, 2026 (Independence Day and “Har Ghar Tiranga”) and November 1 - 7, 2026 (the concluding week). On the occasion, Mr. Naidu released a book on “Vande Mataram” written by R. Mallikharjuna Rao and another one on C.P. Brown marking his birth anniversary. Minister for Tourism and Culture Kandula Durgesh, MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao, Special CS Ajay Jain, A.P. Creativity and Culture Commission Chairperson P. Tejaswi, NTR District Collector G. Lakshmisha and others were present on the occasion.
