![]() First espoused indirectly by poet Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s haunting ‘Bande Mataram’ composed in 1875, it made its way into his famous novel Anandmath in 1882. Interestingly, the idea of ‘ Bharat Mata’ first emerged out of Bengal. While the excuse the British used for the division was economic - by pointing that the ‘ Muslim’ East Bengal was poor and so needed special attention, Indians saw this as a blatant attempt to divide the nation and the nationalist movement that was gaining momentum. In 1905, however, it was a major mistake. This was a blatant attempt to use that famous British weapon of ‘ Divide & Rule’, that managed to leave a scar for decades to come. In 1905, the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon decided to divide Bengal along religious lines - into Hindu and Muslim areas. In fact, the first known actual representation of the idea of Bharat Mata comes with a painting by the Bengali master, Abanindranath Tagore, the nephew of poet Rabindranath Tagore. But did you know that the very idea of a Bharat Mata as a deity to be venerated was born as the subcontinent faced a crisis when the British decided to partition Bengal along communal lines, in 1905. Bharat Mata or ‘Mother India’ is a potent symbol, title and war cry. In a land where Shakti, the goddess and the female force is worshiped, it is not surprising that the land itself is celebrated as one. ![]()
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