Vande Mataram Vande Mataram Bande Mataram (IAST: ) (English Translation: "Mother, I bow to thee") is a Bengali poem written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1870s, which he included in his 1881 novel "Anandamath". The poem was composed into song by Rabindranath Tagore. The first two verses of the song were adopted as the National Song of India in October 1937 by the Congress Working Committee prior to the end of colonial rule in August 1947. An ode to the Mother goddess, it was written in Bengali script in the novel "Anandmath". The title 'Bande Mataram' means "I praise thee, Mother" or
Of Thee I Sing In addition, as an integrated song-and-story production it produced fewer hit songs than many of the Gershwins' musicals. Ira Gershwin explained, "In the show there are no verse-and-chorus songs; there is a sort of recitative running along, and lots of finales and finalettos." Ira Gershwin recalled that the title song, inspired by the final phrase of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", was somewhat controversial among the production staff. "When we first played this sentimental political campaign song... there were objectors who thought that juxtaposing the dignified 'of thee I sing' with a slangy 'baby' was going a bit too far.