In 1882, Bankim Chandra Chattopaphyay published a novel in Bengali entitled Anandamath. The novel depicted a band of warriors called santaan or children fighting to free their Mother from colonial oppression. Ninety years later, after India had achieved its independence, it found its way into Amar Chithra Katha or My Picture Book series . Even in its comic book form, Anandamath presents a vision of a nationalist struggle worthy of study.
The foreword to the comic book Anandamath describes the significance of the novel to the Indian nationalist movement; young men being inspired by its characters to join secret societies, the use of the novel’s chant and song “Vande Mataram” as a rallying cry in the Indian independence movement and as the nation’s national anthem. The English-language …show more content…
The British consistently asserted in the period of the novel’s writing, that India was not a nation and that its peoples were bound together only by foreign occupation. If all Indians are the children of Mother India, than the assertion of the colonial powers is wrong, because the peoples of the subcontinent are united as brothers and sisters devoted to a shared parent. However, the comic book does not make clear whether Muslims are incorporated into this family. The only Muslim mentioned in the story is the puppet king of the British.
This devotion is an important theme in Anandamath. The santaan take a vow in the presence of the mother to sacrifice their lives and “give up all worldly ties till the mother is free.” Kalyani, Mahendra’s dutiful wife, carries poison with her, if captured by Dacoits she would rather sacrifice her life than experience the dishonor of sexual violence. Sacrifice is noble and necessary for the liberation of the Mother, but sacrifices must be made to count for something. When the santaan are being killed en masse by the British guns, they told “Fall back this sacrifice is
The foreword to the comic book Anandamath describes the significance of the novel to the Indian nationalist movement; young men being inspired by its characters to join secret societies, the use of the novel’s chant and song “Vande Mataram” as a rallying cry in the Indian independence movement and as the nation’s national anthem. The English-language …show more content…
The British consistently asserted in the period of the novel’s writing, that India was not a nation and that its peoples were bound together only by foreign occupation. If all Indians are the children of Mother India, than the assertion of the colonial powers is wrong, because the peoples of the subcontinent are united as brothers and sisters devoted to a shared parent. However, the comic book does not make clear whether Muslims are incorporated into this family. The only Muslim mentioned in the story is the puppet king of the British.
This devotion is an important theme in Anandamath. The santaan take a vow in the presence of the mother to sacrifice their lives and “give up all worldly ties till the mother is free.” Kalyani, Mahendra’s dutiful wife, carries poison with her, if captured by Dacoits she would rather sacrifice her life than experience the dishonor of sexual violence. Sacrifice is noble and necessary for the liberation of the Mother, but sacrifices must be made to count for something. When the santaan are being killed en masse by the British guns, they told “Fall back this sacrifice is