During a session of the Indian National Congress in 1896, Rabindranath Tagore hummed a tune that he had composed; in time, the song ‘Vande Mataram’ assumed the status of India’s freedom anthem, and ever since it has reverberated across the annals of India’s history. Tagore’s stint marked the emergence of the song from its hiding place within the folds of a novel penned by Indian novelist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Its story is splattered across the pages of history; its roots lie in the Partition of Bengal.

A nationalist at heart, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay found his calling in writing after years of studying law and working for the government as a deputy collector of Jessore. He was following in his father’s footsteps; Chandra Chattopadhyaya had served as the deputy collector of Midnapur.