NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi on Sunday called on the nation to mark the 150th year of ' Vande Mataram ', describing India's national song as "a surge of emotions in our hearts" and "a mantra that connects 140 crore Indians through the energy of unity". "Vande Mataram - this contains so many emotions, so many energies. It makes us experience the maternal affection of Ma Bharati," he said in his Mann ki Baat broadcast, urging citizens to send suggestions with the hashtag '#VandeMataram150' for year-long celebrations to make the milestone "historic and participatory". Composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the 1870s and later published in Anandamath (1882), 'Vande Mataram' became a rallying cry during India's freedom struggle, sung at protest rallies and whispered in prison cells

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