वन्दे मातरम

Vande Maataram
For some reason unknown these words have been ringing in my mind incessantly today. The Words keep hitting on the outer labyrinth of my mind which receives it with a perturbed indifference. Something seems to be rejecting the sound. As if a something inside me is afraid of these words, the material sound of it.As if a conspiracy inside me is about to be unveiled and the conspirers are making the last attempt to force the sound of "Vande Matram" out of me.
With a loud implosion the labyrinth shattered. And as the sound of its shattering subsided there was a calm. The words rushed in through the newly created passage. It travelled quite a bit inside me and settled down somewhere close to my heart with a strange sensation of peace, hitherto unknown.It was a moment of joy and the whole body participated in the celebration. The blood under my skin had a strange sensation, a feeling of lovely touch. My wet eyes were seeing clearly this beautiful world. Everything around was so fresh, so delightful.
Vande Maataram was surely written by Bankim Chandra in a moment of inspiration.I got to read its translation by Sri Aurobindo. I did not understand the original but was sure that the translation by Sri Aurobindo would be as close to the original as possible except for the limitations of English language.
Here I would like to share my thoughts on this wonderful poem and my understating of the same.
The most striking thing about Vande Maataram is its sound. The way it starts gently like the sound of hustling of leaves in the morning, generates a sense of beauty in the reader and then takes rapid strides towards its crescendo to a very agitated call to the motherland.
"sujalaaM suphalaaM malayaja shiitalaaM" takes you slowly over the calm Indian waters, the green Orchards and the delightfully cool breeze. The poet however does not let the sound of beauty last very long with the introduction of - "SasyashyaamalaaM" - dark fields. The sound suddenly changes at the end of first stanza to that of an uneasy calm. The Dark fields are waving to the Land.
The second stanza does not change the sound much with a continuation of the tone built up in the first. It is in the third stanza that the vibrating agitation appears to set in. "sapt koti kantha kalakalaninaada karaale" - The alliteration sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The sound is the sound of revolt that of a forceful denial of the feeling that India has grown weak in its own Land. The Poet goes on to implore the motherland to rise up. In words of Sri Aurobindo - "Thou who savest rise up and save".
The other easily noticeable aspect of this poem is a personification not into a mere human being but into an apotheosised Deity, the giver of love, peace, riches but at the same time destroyer and protector of her children. She is rich with her streams, beautifully garlanded with her Orchards. She is Vidya,She is Dharma and She is Durga. She is not like Durga but is Durga herself.
The poem does not lament about the fallen glory India but goes on to deny it. This is unlike several contemporary patriotic poems.Most of the verses written during the time of British colonisation of India began with an acceptance of the fallen glory of the country and implored the people of the country to rise up and save her.Her death was accepted and therefore the attempt was towards a resurrection. Bankim Chandra however is sure of the fallacy of idea of India's downfall. He does not believe she has had a downfall and needs a saving. The people of India however need to be saved and he asks the motherland to save her children,the people of India. It is definitely noticeable that as against commonly understood and advocated notion that a country is a collection of its people, this poem has made a clear distinction between the people of India and India - The saviour and the saved.
Vande Maatram, probably revealed it to me according to my ability to comprehend. It is often said that great poetry has relevance at different levels and different meaning at different levels of realization. I do not know which stratum of my being was knocked by this great piece of creation but I am grateful that Vande Matram chose to knock some stratum of me.

My salute the great poet Bankim Chandra for this immortal creation.