Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay: Architect of 'Vande Mataram' and Nationalism

• PM Modi commemorated 150 years of 'Vande Mataram', calling it a "rallying cry" that energized freedom fighters and challenged the British empire.
• 'Vande Mataram' was written in 1875 by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, a 19th-century Bengali thinker and literary pioneer.
• Chattopadhyay, a civil servant and one of Calcutta University's first graduates, founded the influential literary journal Bangadarshan in 1872.
• The hymn 'Vande Mataram' was embedded in his 1882 novel Anandamath and became an anthem for the Swadeshi movement, later adopted as India's national song.
• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay is recognized as Sahitya Samrat (Emperor of Bengali literature) for his profound impact on Indian nationalism and literature.

Why It Matters: Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's 'Vande Mataram' gave India its patriotic soul.