What is Vande Matram?

Vande Matram is the National Song of India. It is a poem that was composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and published in his 1882 novel, Anandamath.

It is important to distinguish it from the National Anthem of India, which is "Jana Gana Mana." While the anthem holds a formal status for official ceremonies, Vande Matram holds an equally revered status as the National Song due to its deep historical significance. 

It served as a powerful rallying cry for freedom fighters during the Indian independence movement, and its first two stanzas were officially adopted as the National Song on January 24, 1950, by the Constituent Assembly of India.