Vande Mataram doesn't hurt me, but don't impose religion: Javed Akhtar amid row

Javed Akhtar has drawn a line in the ongoing Vande Mataram debate: he has no problem singing the national song, but doesn’t want its religious verses imposed on him. The lyricist and screenwriter, who identifies as an atheist, said he’d happily say ‘Vande Mataram’ a hundred times, as long as the conversation remains about the country and not religion.

Speaking to Indian Express Hindi, Akhtar said he doesn’t feel that saying ‘Vande Mataram’ threatens his religion. In fact, he said he has used the phrase several times in his own songs and has even written versions of the song himself. His objection, he explained, is specifically to being asked to sing stanzas that he believes carry religious overtones.

Akhtar said he has translated the opening lines and the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram into Hindi, following the version suggested by Rabindranath Tagore, and has recorded them as well.

“So far, I have no problem,” he said, explaining that his discomfort begins when religion enters the picture. “As an atheist, asking me to sing those stanzas in which there is religiosity. I have the right to atheism,” he added.

For Akhtar, patriotism and religion are two separate things. He said he has no hesitation in saying ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and means it when he does. “I love my country. I will say Vande Mataram a hundred times,” he said.

The veteran screenwriter also pointed out that he has written Vande Mataram himself on several occasions, using the original tune but with Hindi lyrics.

Javed Akhtar’s argument, he says, isn’t against praising the country. If anything, he was quite emphatic about it. He said he has no issue with describing Bharat as a mother either. If someone feels that the phrase threatens their religion, that’s their position, he said, but he doesn’t share that concern.

“Bharat hai meri maa (Bharat is my Mother)," he said. The problem, according to Akhtar, comes when that sentiment is accompanied by someone else’s religion. "Magar tum apna religion mujhe dere ho. Woh toh mujhe kisi ka bhi nahi chahiye, tumhara kya lunga (Why are you giving me your religion? I don’t want anyone’s religion),” he said.

Akhtar also explained that he never wants to discuss Islam, Christianity or Hinduism in this context. "Aap nation ki baat kijiye, hum aapke saath hain. Ab saath mein religion ke stanza laga rahe hai, woh acceptable nahi hai mujhe (You talk about the nation, and we are with you. But now you are bringing religion into the mix – that is not acceptable to me),” he said, making his position clear.Why Vande Mataram is back in the spotlight?

Akhtar’s comments came amid a renewed debate over the full rendition of Vande Mataram. The controversy centres on its six stanzas, particularly the later verses that describe the motherland in explicitly religious imagery.

While the opening portions focus on the motherland and its beauty, the third to fifth stanzas use imagery associated with Hindu religious figures and describe the nation in the form of a goddess. This has led to objections from some Muslim organisations, which have argued that singing those portions conflicts with their religious beliefs.

The government’s new guidelines have added another layer to the debate, with all six stanzas being made mandatory at government programmes rather than just the opening two.

Akhtar’s position, meanwhile, is less about rejecting Vande Mataram and more about where patriotism ends, and religious belief begins for him. He’s happy to celebrate the country, call it his mother and sing its name. What he doesn’t accept, he says, is being asked to adopt religious belief as part of that expression.- EndsALSO READ | Hrithik Roshan's 5-word reply on BJP MP's 'Vande Mataram' dare to Rahul Gandhi