Vande Mataram (album) "It was the hit of the conference." Amid great hype, the album was released on 12 August 1997, three days before the 50th anniversary of Indian independence. The Indian release had only 7 songs while the international release had two additional songs "Masoom" and "Musafir". Later "Masoom" was released in India in the album "Gurus of Peace" and "Musafir" in the album "MTV Total Mix". The album was met with overwhelming responses. Rahman became the first Indian artist of popular music to go international when "Vande Mataram" was released simultaneously in 28 countries across the world. Rahman himself performed live
I Vow to Thee, My Country are peace" (KJV), in the context of which the feminine pronoun refers to Wisdom. The original first verse of Spring-Rice's poem "Urbs Dei/The Two Father Lands" (1908–1912), never set to music, was as follows: <poem style="margin-left: 2em;"> I heard my country calling, away across the sea, Across the waste of waters, she calls and calls to me. Her sword is girded at her side, her helmet on her head, And around her feet are lying the dying and the dead; I hear the noise of battle, the thunder of her guns; I haste to thee, my mother, a son among