West Bengal tableau celebrates 'Vande Mataram', portrays freedom struggle

New Delhi: West Bengal's tableau rolled down the Kartavya Path here on Monday, depicting Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and his landmark composition 'Vande Mataram' at the front of the float, in line with the 77th Republic Day Parade's overarching theme celebrating 150 years of the national song.

The vibrant tableau's rear end portrayed Rabindranath Tagore, and Khudiram Bose facing the gallows, marking India's freedom movement. The chosen subject for the state's tableau is 'Bengal in the Freedom Movement of India'.

'Vande Mataram', which was initially composed independently and later included in the novel 'Anandamath', fired the imagination of Indians during the colonial era and emboldened them to fight for the country's liberation. It was first sung by Tagore at the 1896 Congress Session in Calcutta (now Kolkata).

The broad theme of the tableaux being showcased by various states, ministries and departments on the Kartavya Path this year is 'Swatantrata ka Mantra: Vande Mataram' and 'Samriddhi ka Mantra: Aatmanirbhar Bharat'.

They showcase a unique mix of 150 years of 'Vande Mataram' and the nation's rapid progress on the back of the growing self-reliance across sectors, dipped in its vibrant cultural diversity, officials said.

The side panels of West Bengal's striking tableau carried an image of an archival page, which says 'Vande Mataram, Anandamath, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee' in Bengali. The middle portion had an equestrian statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, along with a symbolic representation of a group of Indians being beaten by police during the colonial era.

Behind it is a sculpture of freedom fighter Matangini Hazra.

The float's lower side panels depicted in relief a group of Indian personalities hailing from the undivided Bengal region who have contributed to the freedom struggle.

These personalities include Chittaranjan Das, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Sri Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda, Benoy, Badal, Dinesh, Bagha Jatin, Pritilata Waddedar, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Rash Behari Bose.

The middle portion of the lower panel depicted the facade of the historic Alipore Jail (now a museum) in Kolkata.

"The tableau pays tribute to Bengal's enduring legacy, sacrifice, and leadership in shaping India's journey to Independence, featuring a musical performance based on the original score of 'Vande Mataram' first sung by Rabindranath Tagore in 1896," according to an official note shared by the state government.