Vande Mataramrsquo;s Forgotten Cricket Connection

Recently the 'Vande Mataram' was in the news, on the 150th anniversary of its composition, with political colours. We shall not discuss politics here. In 1875, Bengali author Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, known as one of India's most influential 19th century thinkers, wrote a poem, which inspired the freedom fighters in the battle against British colonial rule over India. This poem was first published in his 1882 novel 'Anandmath' under the title 'Vande Mataram'. In 1937 it was accorded the status of the country's National Song.