RAS question
'Vande Mataram', the national song of India, was composed by which literary figure?
Correct answer: (C) Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
Vande Mataram, India's National Song, was composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
Explanation
Vande Mataram is linked to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay because the Press Information Bureau identifies him as the author of the song and describes it as one of the works through which he shaped early Indian nationalist thought. The song first appeared in his novel Anandamath in 1882; Vande Mataram was later included in Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's Anandamath, published in 1882. Its importance is not only literary. The song became associated with India's freedom movement and was later honoured as the National Song, which is why questions on it often test both cultural history and constitutional-national symbols.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rabindranath Tagore is not the composer of Vande Mataram; the Press Information Bureau links him to Jana Gana Mana and to setting Vande Mataram to music, while identifying Bankim as the author.
- (B) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was not associated with composing Vande Mataram, which is attributed to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
- (D) Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay is a different literary figure, whereas Vande Mataram is attributed to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
Concept
This tests national symbols and the cultural history behind India's freedom movement. RAS repeatedly asks such facts because they connect constitutional identity, literary nationalism, and standard polity recall.