By Shafi Ahmed Ko., TwoCircles.net,
When a Muslim has to follow Monotheism that is Allah, singing a song such as Vande Mataram, which is seemingly an idol worship and un-Islamic, will amount to associate one with the Oneness of Allah. None can compel a Muslim to sing the song which is against even secular norms. No Indian has the right to ask the co-Indian to leave the country for sheer indifference of ideologies which can be easily sorted out if one has the political will to establish the religious harmony. Although we don’t live in so small country as Nepal or Bhutan, we have to learn a great deal of good things from them too.
The densely Hindu populated countries like Nepal and Bhutan have their National Anthem purely aesthetic in nature and they do not have any religious affiliation.
National Anthem of Nepal
Hundreds of flowers – Us, one garland – Nepali
Sovereign, spread out from Mechi to Mahakali.
A playground for millions of Nature’s gifts
By the blood of heroes, independent and immovable.
Land of knowledge, land of peace, Terai, hills, mountains
Indivisible – our beloved, motherland Nepal.
Multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and with a large culture
Progressive nation ours, oh hail Nepal!
Loose explanation
The following explanation can help capture the true essence of the Nepalese National Anthem:
“We Nepalese, from different lingual, racial, religious or cultural background are the individual flower of a whole garland of the Nepali race. We have always been sovereign and we are spread out from our territories of Mechi to Mahakali.
Blessed with Nature’s millions gifts and blessed by the blood sacrificed by our Heroes, we are independent and are immovable – standing still with pride.
Nepal – the land where knowledge shines, the peaceful nation consisting of Terai, Hills and Mountains – is indivisible. It is our beloved motherland and we shall preserve its sovereignty at any cost.
A melting pot of diverse races, numerous languages and religions, Nepal is rich in its large diverse culture. We are a progressive people of the progressive nation and we dont look back – Hail Nepal!”
National Anthem of Bhutan
In the Kingdom of Druk, where cypresses grow
Refuge of the glorious monastic and civil traditions,
The King of Druk, precious sovereign,
His being is eternal, his reign prosperous
The enlightenment teachings thrive and flourish
May the people shine like the sun of peace and happiness!
Vande Mataram
One has to see the entire translation of Vande Mataram to understand its full meaning.
As translated by Sri Aurobindo, it reads:
”I bow to thee, Mother,
richly-watered, richly-fruited, cool with the winds of the south,
dark with the crops of the harvests, the Mother !
Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,
Her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,
Sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,
The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss!
Terrible with the clamorous shout of seventy million throats,
And the sharpness of swords raised in twice seventy million hands,
Who sayeth to thee, Mother, that thou art weak?
Holder of multitudinous strength, I bow to her who saves,
To her who drives from her the armies of her foemen, the Mother!”
“Thou art knowledge, thou art conduct,
thou art heart, thou art soul,
for thou art the life in our body.
In the arm thou art might, O Mother,
In the heart, O Mother, thou art love and faith,
It is thy image we raise in every temple.”
“For thou art Durga holding her ten weapons of war,
Kamala at play in the lotuses”
“And speech, the goddess, giver of all lore, to thee I bow!
I bow to thee, goddess of wealth, pure and peerless,
Richly-watered, richly-fruited, the Mother!
I bow to thee, other, dark-hued, candid,
Sweetly smiling, jeweled and adorned,”
The controversy over the song is not new. In 1937 the Indian National Congress discussed at length the status of the song. It was pointed out then that though the first two stanzas began with an unexceptionable evocation of the beauty of the motherland, in later stanzas there are references where the motherland is likened to the Hindu goddess Durga. Therefore, the Congress decided to adopt only the first two stanzas as the national song. To this day the national song of India consists of only these first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, along with the national anthem Jana Gana Mana and Saare Jahan Se Accha.
Sikh institutions and Vande Mataram
Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee or SGPC, the paramount representative body in the Sikh Panth, requested the Sikhs to not sing “Vande Mataram” in the schools and institutions on its centenary on Sept 7, 2000. SGPC head, Avtar Singh Makkar, expressed concern that “imposing a song that reflected just one religion was bound to hurt the sentiments of the Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and other religious minorities. The DSGMC (Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee) has called singing of “Vande Mataram” against Sikh tenets as the Sikhs sought “sarbat da bhala” (universal welfare) and did not believe in “devi and devta”. DSGMC head H. S. Sarna also added that the song “Vande Mataram” had been rejected long by well known freedom fighter Sikhs like Baba Kharak Singh and Master Tara Singh.
Christian institutions and Vande Mataram
Fr. Cyprian Kullu from Jharkhand stated in an interview with AsiaNews: “The song is a part of our history and national festivity and religion should not be dragged into such mundane things. The Vande Mataram is not a national song and any connotation that could violate the tenets of chritianity religion can not be accepted.” However, some Christian institutions such as Our Lady of Fatima Convent School in Patiala did not sing the song on its 100th anniversary as mandated by the state. (Source: Wikipedia)
There must be a strong political will to negate a particular thing that largely disturbs the religious harmony and tranquility of the country. The answer only lies in give and take of policy of political will.
[Photo: www.newscola.com]