Vande Mataram the novel containing it was banned by the British government, but workers and general public defied the ban, many went to colonial prisons repeatedly for singing it, and the ban was overturned by the Indians after they gained independence from the colonial rule. In 1950 (after India's independence), the first two verses of the song were declared the "national song" of the Republic of India, distinct from the national anthem of India, "Jana Gana Mana". The first two verses of the song are an abstract reference to one's mother and motherland, they do not mention any Hindu deity by name,
If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth "If I Forget Thee, O Earth" is a science fiction short story by English writer Arthur C. Clarke and first published in 1951 in the magazine "Future SF". It was subsequently published as part of a short story collection in "Expedition to Earth" (1953). The title is taken from Psalm 137:5—"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem"—which consists of the writer lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army. The themes in the story exploit the anxieties prevalent at the time regarding nuclear warfare. The work was well received. "Christian Science Monitor" reviewer