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,
Fare Thee Well (song) Fare Thee Well (song) "Fare Thee Well" (sometimes known as "The Turtle Dove") is an 18th-century English folk ballad, in which a lover bids farewell before setting off on a journey. The lyrics include a dialogue between the lovers. The first published version of the song appeared in "Roxburghe Ballads" dated 1710; the lyrics were there given the title "The True Lover's Farewell". "Fare Thee Well" shares several lyrics which parallel those of Robert Burns' "A Red, Red Rose". The lyrics are also strikingly similar to a folk song titled, "My Dear Mary Ann" that dates back to the mid-19th