Growing up in Bangalore in the late ’80s and early ’90s had its charm. The city was about to boom into its Information Technology space but it was not just there yet. The school that I and my sister went was relatively small back then. One of the most interesting things about that school was every morning during the Assembly prayer a different song used to be sung. Apart from the national anthem, there was “Sare Jahan Se Achha”, “Guru Bramha Guru Vishnu” and “Vande Mataram”.
So, the complete lyrics of these were known by heart and we were specifically stressed on the correct pronunciation. As a child the song Vande Mataram was difficult to understand since it was in Sanskrit and none of it made sense.
Forward to the year 1997 when A. R. Rahman release an album with the same name and it also happened to be 50 years of Indian Independence. I had managed to purchase the audio cassette and inside that, there was a booklet with the lyrics. Of course, that album was a resounding hit and became a cult classic but I was yet to understand its lyrics in depth.
Last year when travel options were limited, I usually used to go on weekend-long bike rides. On one such occasion, I managed to cover a very unique house which is known as “Vande Mataram Bhawan”. Situated on the banks of Hooghly River at Chuchura (Chinsurah).
Vande Mataram Bhawan
The moment you approach this building it’s very clear it’s something special. The appearance of this building spells out that this is an old house built during the British Raj and thanks to a recent restoration carried out on this building it’s in very good health with a pristine white coat of paint.
This was the house in which Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay used to stay when he was appointed to Hooghly as Sub-Divisional Officer.
Originally Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay hailed from Naihati which when you look on the map is right on the opposite side of the Hooghly river.
He did not build this house but had purchased it when he moved to Hooghly. This house was part of the huge property once owned by Qassim Mallick.
History of Vande Mataram Bhawan
Here comes the confusion which I need to clear out. Even though the name of the building has been given as Vande Mataram Bhawan there is no concrete evidence that indeed it was composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay while he was residing here. To make things clear I have somewhat tried to list down the timeline of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
1839 – 27 June 1838 – Born in Naihati, West Bengal
1856 – Joined Presidency College
1859 – Passed B.A.
1859 – Appointed Deputy Collector
1865 – Durgeshnandini published
1866 – Wrote Kapalkundala
1869 – Wrote Mrinalini
1870 – Vande Mataram Composed
1872 – Started Bangadarshan Magazine
1873 – Wrote Bishabriksha
1876 – Became Sub-Divisional Officer of Hooghly (Shifted to Hooghly in 1876)
1877 – Wrote Chandrasekhar
1877 – Wrote Rajrani
1881 – Wrote Rajsimha
1882 – Wrote Anandamath
1884 – Wrote Devi Chaudhurani
1891 – Retied
1894 – 8 April 1894 – Died
Thus, from the above timeline, it is very clear that Vande Mataram was composed initially in 1870 much before he became Sub-Divisional officer of Hooghly and shifted to this house. However, here lies the interesting bit. When he was residing in this building, he wrote Anandamath in 1882, and in this very book do we see Vande Mataram in a different avatar.
Initially, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay had composed the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram in 1870 which goes like this.
vande mātaram
vande mātaram
sujalāṃ suphalāṃ
malayajaśītalām
śasyaśyāmalāṃ
mātaram
vande mātaram
śubhrajyotsnām
pulakitayāminīm
phullakusumita
drumadalaśobhinīm
suhāsinīṃ
sumadhura bhāṣiṇīm
sukhadāṃ varadāṃ
mātaram
vande mātaram
However, in Anandamath which was written in 1882, he extended the Vande Mataram by additional four paragraphs which goes like this.
Saptakoṭīkanṭha-kala-kala-ninādakarāle
Dbisaptakoṭībhujaidhṛtakharakarabāle,
Abalā kena mā eta bale!
Bahubaladhārinīṃ
Namāmi tarinīṃ
Ripudalabārinīṃ
Mātaram.
Tumi bidyā[j] tumi dharma
Tumi hrṛdi tumi marma
Tbaṃ hi prānāḥ śarīre.
Bāhute tumi mā śakti,
Hṛdaye tumi mā bhakti,
Tomārai pratimā gaṛi mandire mandire.
Tbaṃ hi Durgā daśapraharanadhārinī
Kamalā kamala-dalabihārinī
Bānī bidyādāyinī
Namāmi tbaṃ
Namāmi kamalām
Amalāṃ atulām,
Sujalāṃ suphalām
Mātaram
Bande Mātaram
Śyāmalām saralām
Susmitām bhūṣitām
Dharanīṃ bharanīṃ
Mātaram
Thus it can be safely said that this building is where Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay had composed the song Vande Mataram in its entirety however the first two paraphs which so synonymous with the freedom struggle were composed some 12 years prior.
The Fate of Vande Mataram
If you see the translation of this song from Sanskrit then the last additional paragraphs which were added you can see that this becomes an ode to Durga the goddess. This created a religious divide during the freedom struggle and many Muslim leaders opposed this song to be sung especially making it into a song for freedom struggle.
It is to be noted that Rabindranath Tagore himself had sung this song publicly in 1896 at an Indian National Congress event. In 1937 what was done was to drop the additional paragraphs and only the first two paragraphs were sung at Indian National Congress events to maintain neutrality.
In the year 1950 after independence when “Jana Gana Mana” was selected to be the national anthem of India by the Indian Constitution however, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted this song as the National Song. Only the first two paragraphs were selected as the national song which had equal importance as the national anthem.
What to See at Vande Mataram Bhawan
This house is located right next to the river and after its restoration can easily be toured. Both interior and exterior wise this building is very well maintained. A marble plaque outside the main entrance tells the visitor about the significance of this building. A burst of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay is also placed right next to the main entrance.
Once you go inside you will find the empty rooms but the walls have been decorated with paintings and other informative banners from the freedom struggle.
There is a spiral staircase inside the building which takes you to the upper floor which has a small room on the terrace. There is another room below the ground floor since this house is situated near the river banks thus the drop in land towards the river bank created a space from an underground room.
The ghat at this place is also very well maintained and can get a very good panoramic view of the Hooghly River. There is also a small park that has been built in between the house and the river bank.
How to reach Vande Mataram Bhawan
If you are coming by train then both Chuchura and Hooghly train stations are nearby. From the station, you can take an e-rickshaw and reach the spot (Joraghat). You can also reach Naihati (the other side of the Hooghly River) by catching a ferry from Naihati Ghat to Chinsurah Ghat.
If you are coming with your vehicle then you can park your vehicle nearby and visit the spot. Keep in mind that the road is very narrow thus for four-wheeler parking can be a bit challenging.
I would recommend that you combine other tourist places around Bandel or Chandannagar so that you can have a stopover.
There are no entry tickets for this place and anyone can visit and take photographs.
Location of Vande Mataram Bhawan on Map
Resources
West Bengal Heritage Commission
The Wire
Britannica
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education
Indian Express
Indian Express
The Telegraph