In which language was Vande Mataram originally written?

By Siva Sekaran  |  Express News Service  |   Published: 08th July 2017 07:29 AM  |  

CHENNAI: In which language was the national song, Vande Mataram,  originally written?

This was not a poser to children in a quiz competition. It was a question in an examination conducted for selection of teachers by the Teachers Recruitment Board in 2013. The question echoed in the Madras High Court, which could not determine the correct answer.

Justice M V Muralidharan then directed the Advocate-General to submit the correct answer. “If any advocate or any other parties, who is interested in this case, are also permitted to assist this court and to offer their reply in respect of the subject with relevant records,” the judge said in his interim order on Friday.

K Veeramani of Thailapuram in Villupuram district, a  BA, BEd, wrote the TN TET for appointment to the post of BT Assistant in 2013. Question No. 107 (D-Type) Paper-II asked candidates to answer as to in which language the song Vande Mataram was written first.

There were four answers -- A. Bengali, B. Urdu, C. Marathi and D. Sanskrit. Petitioner’s answer was A. Bengali, as per the BEd textbook.

Claiming that the answer was wrong, he was denied one mark. As he secured only 89 marks, one mark less than the cut-off mark of 90, he was refused selection.

Hence, the present petition for a direction to the Teachers Recruitment Board to award one mark and select him and to keep one post vacant till then.

The petitioner’s counsel told the judge that Vande Mataram was written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in both Bengali and Sanskrit. But, the Additional Government Pleader claimed that it was written only in Sanskrit and later translated into Bengali.

The confused judge directed the AG to appear and submit the correct answer.
The judge also kept it open to any other advocate or interested parties to submit the correct answer with supporting material and posted the matter for July 11.