Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay spent over three decades as a colonial government official. In his spare time, he wrote two lines of Bengali that outlasted the empire he served: “Vande Mataram,” India’s National Song.
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Modern History · ModHist0112
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
Civil servant by profession, nation-builder by pen
26 Jun 1838
Born at Kathalpara, Naihati, Bengal, into a Brahmin family.
1859
One of the first two graduates of Calcutta University; joins the civil service.
1865
Publishes Durgeshnandini, the first Bengali novel.
1875
Composes “Vande Mataram,” publishing it in Bangadarshan, his own magazine.
1882
Publishes Anandamath, the novel built around “Vande Mataram.”
8 Apr 1894
Dies in Calcutta, aged 55.
Two Careers, One Lifetime
Bankim never left his government job to write full-time. He served as a Deputy Magistrate for over 30 years, retiring in 1891 — while producing 14 novels on the side.
Timeline
- 26 June 1838: Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay is born at Kathalpara, Naihati, Bengal, into a Brahmin family. His father later serves as Deputy Collector of Midnapur.
- 1859: Bankim becomes one of the first two graduates of the University of Calcutta. He soon joins the colonial civil service as Deputy Magistrate of Jessore.
- 1865: He publishes Durgeshnandini, widely regarded as the first Bengali novel.
- 1875: He composes “Vande Mataram,” publishing it in Bangadarshan, the Bengali literary magazine he founded in 1872.
- 1882: He publishes Anandamath, a novel built around “Vande Mataram,” set during the 18th-century Sannyasi Rebellion against East India Company rule.
- 8 April 1894: Bankim dies in Calcutta, aged 55.
✅ Must Know
The National Song’s Author
- Dates Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (also spelled Chatterjee) was born on 26 June 1838, at Kathalpara, Naihati, Bengal. He died on 8 April 1894, in Calcutta.
- Vande Mataram He composed “Vande Mataram,” which later became India’s National Song.
- First Bengali Novel His 1865 novel Durgeshnandini is regarded as the first Bengali novel ever published.
- Anandamath “Vande Mataram” first appeared in print in his 1882 novel Anandamath. The novel is set during the Sannyasi Rebellion, an 18th-century revolt against East India Company rule.
- 1950 Adoption The Constituent Assembly formally adopted “Vande Mataram” as India’s National Song on 24 January 1950.
- Career Bankim worked as a colonial civil servant for over 30 years, alongside his writing. He retired in 1891 as a Deputy Magistrate, with the title Rai Bahadur.
📘 Good to Know
Bangadarshan, Other Novels, and Honours
- Bangadarshan Bankim founded and edited Bangadarshan, a Bengali literary magazine, in 1872. He first published “Vande Mataram” there in 1875, well before including it in Anandamath.
- Other Novels He wrote 14 novels in total. Other major works include Kapalkundala (1866), Mrinalini (1869), Bishabriksha or The Poison Tree (1873), and Devi Chaudhurani (1884).
- Tagore’s Tune Rabindranath Tagore set “Vande Mataram” to music. Tagore first sang it publicly at the 1896 Indian National Congress session in Calcutta.
- Sahitya Samrat Bengali literary circles gave Bankim the honorific “Sahitya Samrat,” meaning Emperor of Literature.
- Bankim Puraskar The Government of West Bengal instituted the Bankim Puraskar in his honour. It remains the state’s highest award for Bengali fiction.
Test Yourself
📝 Previous Year Questions
UPSC CSP 2018 — Which of These Four Events Happened Earliest
- UPSC 2018 The correct answer is Dinabandhu Mitra wrote Neeldarpan (1860). This came before Satyendranath Tagore’s 1863 ICS success, the Arya Samaj’s founding in 1875, and Bankim’s own Anandamath in 1882. Asked as: “Which one of the following events happened earliest?” (UPSC CSP 2018, GS Paper I).
⚡ Great to Know
Fiction to Nationalist Slogan
- Real History Anandamath is set during the Sannyasi Rebellion, a real 18th-century uprising by ascetics against East India Company rule. Bankim turned an actual historical episode into enduring nationalist fiction.
- 1905 “Vande Mataram” became a political slogan on 7 August 1905, when thousands marched in Calcutta to protest the Partition of Bengal, adopting a resolution to boycott foreign goods.
- Suppression Colonial authorities tried to suppress the song. In November 1905, a school in Rangpur fined 200 students for chanting “Vande Mataram” in class.
- Abroad In 1907, revolutionary Madam Bhikaji Cama raised a tricolour flag bearing the words “Vande Mataram” in Stuttgart, Germany, the first Indian flag raised on foreign soil.
- Revolutionary Groups “Vande Mataram” also helped inspire early revolutionary groups, including the Anushilan Samiti, founded by Pramathanath Mitra.
- See Also For the song’s own fuller history after Bankim wrote it, including its 1950 adoption as National Song and its 2026 legal protection, see GK0090 — Vande Mataram: From Novel to National Song.
📰 Current Affairs
150 Years of “Vande Mataram”
- 7 Nov 2025 This date marked 150 years since Bankim first published “Vande Mataram” in Bangadarshan. The Press Information Bureau issued a formal backgrounder on the anniversary on 6 November 2025, tracing the song’s journey from a private composition to India’s National Song. (Source: PIB)
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