Patna (Bihar) [India], November 7 (ANI): On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of 'Vande Mataram,' Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the period from today until 2047 is the time to draw inspiration from the national song and create a great India.

Shah's statement came while addressing a celebration in Bihar's Patna, marking 150 years of the national song 'Vande Mataram.

On the occasion, the Home Minister also led the collective recitation of the Swadeshi pledge.

'The time has now come to build the India envisioned and desired by all those great souls. The period from today until 2047 is the time to draw inspiration from Vande Mataram and create a great India,' Shah stressed.

Shah urged the countrymen to take a pledge to adopt Swadeshi on the 150th anniversary of 'Vande Mataram', and said, 'We should all resolve to join the process of making India a great nation by 2047 and take a pledge today to once again dedicate our lives to Bharat Mata.'

The Minister further said, 'Today is a day of awakening Indian consciousness because 150 years ago, on this very day, great freedom fighter and renowned literary figure Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay penned 'Vande Mataram.' Bankim Chandra, through this song, gave the nation a great mantra of national consciousness, which later became the proclamation and guiding principle of India's freedom struggle and, after independence, a reason to unite the country.'

He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the collective efforts of the nation over the past 11 years have accomplished many tasks toward fulfilling the dreams of a great India envisioned by our freedom fighters.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, 'With the collective singing of 'Vande Mataram' today, a phased effort has begun to reawaken India's consciousness over the next year.'

He emphasised that a nationwide campaign will be launched to align lives with the mantra and spirit of 'Vande Mataram.'

'This campaign will be conducted in both physical and digital formats. Shah announced that a social media campaign named 'VandeMataram150' will be launched in all languages, encouraging people to write 'Vande Mataram' in all regional languages to strengthen national unity.'

Shah said on August 15, 1947, at the behest of Sardar Patel, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur sang the complete 'Vande Mataram,' resonating with the first heartbeat of a free India.

On January 24, 1950, during the final session of the Constituent Assembly, Shah said India's first President Rajendra Prasad accepted 'Vande Mataram' as the national song, paving the way for its revered acceptance by the nation, and from that moment, 'Vande Mataram' became a song of national consciousness for all, and today marks the celebration of its 150th anniversary. (ANI)