Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Kangana Ranaut Challenges Sharmila Tagore Over Vande Mataram Stanzas
Sharmila Tagore said some parts of Vande Mataram may be uncomfortable for people who believe in one God.
She suggested that public or party events use only the first two stanzas.
Kangana Ranaut disagreed with how Tagore understood the song.
Ranaut said poems often use symbols and do not always mean things literally.
She said Shakti can mean strength and power, not only a religious idea.
She also described Vande Mataram as connected to India’s freedom struggle.
The Congress said it would continue singing only the first two stanzas at its programmes.
The BJP criticized the Congress over its approach to the song.
Congress leaders said there was no controversy and cited a 1937 resolution.
Sharmila Tagore said the song’s later references to Kali and Durga may be difficult for people who believe in one God.
Tagore said the first two stanzas may be more inclusive for people of different religious beliefs.
Kangana Ranaut called Tagore’s interpretation of art and poetry “limiting and contrived.”
Ranaut said Vande Mataram uses metaphors and that Shakti can symbolize strength and power.
The Congress reaffirmed its practice of singing only the first two stanzas, while the BJP accused it of disrespecting the National Song.
- Who
- Sharmila Tagore, Kangana Ranaut, the Indian National Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
- What
- A dispute over the religious imagery in Vande Mataram and whether only its first two stanzas should be sung at public or party events.
- When
- Tagore’s comments and Ranaut’s response were reported on Wednesday and Thursday; the wider dispute followed Independence Day celebrations on August 15.
- Where
- Tagore spoke in an interview with IANS, while Ranaut responded on Instagram Stories; related political statements were made in New Delhi.
- Why
- Tagore cited concerns that references to Hindu deities may be difficult for people from monotheistic faiths, while Ranaut argued that the references can be understood as artistic metaphors for strength.
Religious Inclusivity
Poetic and National Meaning
Meaning of religious imagery
Religious Inclusivity
Tagore said references to Kali, Durga and multiple deities could be difficult for people from monotheistic faiths to recite.
Poetic and National Meaning
Ranaut said poetry uses metaphors and that Shakti can symbolize strength and power rather than function only as a literal religious reference.
Which stanzas should be sung
Religious Inclusivity
Tagore said the first two stanzas are more suitable for bringing people of different faiths together, and Congress follows that practice at its programmes.
Poetic and National Meaning
Ranaut objected to reducing the song’s meaning to religious practice and defended its broader artistic significance; the BJP described Congress’s position as disrespectful.
Context of the song
Religious Inclusivity
The two-stanza approach is presented as a way to make public and political renditions more acceptable to people with different beliefs.
Poetic and National Meaning
Ranaut said Vande Mataram should be understood as poetry and as an expression of India’s freedom struggle, including a call to awaken inner strength.
- Song
- Vande Mataram is India’s National Song.
- Tagore’s position
- Tagore said the first two stanzas may better accommodate people with different religious beliefs.
- Religious references
- Tagore specifically referred to later mentions of Kali and Durga as potentially difficult for people who believe in one God.
- Ranaut’s response
- Ranaut said Tagore’s view of art and poetry was “limiting and contrived.”
- Ranaut’s interpretation
- Ranaut said Shakti can represent power and strength and that Vande Mataram expresses the spirit of the freedom struggle.
- Congress practice
- The Congress said only the first two stanzas would be sung at its programmes, citing a 1937 Congress Working Committee resolution.
- Political dispute
- The BJP accused Congress leaders of disrespecting Vande Mataram after a video showed Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi conversing while the song was being performed; Congress said there was no controversy.
Sources
‘Come out of Hindu-Muslim mindset’: Kangana Ranaut says Sharmila Tagore’s view of ‘Vande Mataram’ is ‘limiting and contrived’
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Kangana Ranaut vs Sharmila Tagore on Vande Mataram. Which version to sing?
Kangana Ranaut reacts to Sharmila Tagore's stance on Vande Mataram: 'Come out of Hindu Muslim mindset'
‘Come out of Hindu-Muslim mindset’: Kangana tells Sharmila Tagore amid Vande Mataram row
'Please Come Out Of Hindu-Muslim Mindset': Kangana Ranaut REACTS To Sharmila Tagore's Vande Mataram Remark
Kangana Hits Back at Sharmila Tagore on Vande Mataram
