Amongst patriotic songs, I doubt there would be many in the world that would rival the famous Rule Britannia! in pomp, splendour, and sheer patriotism. Rule Britannia has it all: a proud, imposing melody, an affirmation of its fundamental values, religious overtones, upfront intent to dominate, and an in your face superiority complex that would undoubtedly make today's politically correct Britons cringe with embarrassment. It arouses a type of upbeat nationalistic pride that is rare to find in these days of pacifism and globalisation when national identities are said to become less relevant. It can raise goosebumps even on the arms of foreigners. I find it amazing a nation blessed with such an arousing patriotic song could choose the relatively plain God Save the Queen as its national anthem, which could be as representative of a tiny non-descript kingdom as of an erstwhile empire.
I have often thought about whether India can ever lay claim to a national song that arouses the same kind of cultural pride. I believe the India we know today never will, as a very different kind of patriotism dominates there. Considering patriotism has its etymology in patria, or fatherland, it is perhaps more etymologically appropriate to describe patriotism in India as matriotism. India is always a motherland, a mother, Bharat Mata.
One can easily discern two distinct strains of patriotic expression. At the first level, there is matriotism, the Vande Mataram type, the patriot sentimentally relates to his land of birth as a provider, and nourisher, and cherishes her as a son. This stage of patriotism can exist in isolation, with no need for an external stimulus. This sort of sentiment easily ties in with the next stage of a more militaristic patriotism, or nationalism, where the patriot vows to protect his motherland with his blood. At this stage, an external opponent is needed to repel or to defend from. The third stage, which has been absent in India in recent millenia, is when nationalism rises to imperialism and patriotism is related to the subjugation of or domination over other nations. At this stage of nationalism, which would now be decried as imperialism or even colonialism, there is little room for a mother, or motherland. A mother can give birth, nourish, and be defended, but an invading or subjugating mother doesn't make for romantic imagery in a patriarchal world. It is probably at this point that the fatherland comes to play.
I have often thought about whether India can ever lay claim to a national song that arouses the same kind of cultural pride. I believe the India we know today never will, as a very different kind of patriotism dominates there. Considering patriotism has its etymology in patria, or fatherland, it is perhaps more etymologically appropriate to describe patriotism in India as matriotism. India is always a motherland, a mother, Bharat Mata.
One can easily discern two distinct strains of patriotic expression. At the first level, there is matriotism, the Vande Mataram type, the patriot sentimentally relates to his land of birth as a provider, and nourisher, and cherishes her as a son. This stage of patriotism can exist in isolation, with no need for an external stimulus. This sort of sentiment easily ties in with the next stage of a more militaristic patriotism, or nationalism, where the patriot vows to protect his motherland with his blood. At this stage, an external opponent is needed to repel or to defend from. The third stage, which has been absent in India in recent millenia, is when nationalism rises to imperialism and patriotism is related to the subjugation of or domination over other nations. At this stage of nationalism, which would now be decried as imperialism or even colonialism, there is little room for a mother, or motherland. A mother can give birth, nourish, and be defended, but an invading or subjugating mother doesn't make for romantic imagery in a patriarchal world. It is probably at this point that the fatherland comes to play.
The fatherland variety of patriotism has been more prominent in Europe. The Germans, traditionally a proud marital race, still refer to their land as the Vaterland, as do many Europeans. As indicated earlier, the Latin word for fatherland patria is the basis for the word patriotism in English and virtually all European languages.
About India, it can be said that the pacifist culture of non-violence and Gandhism has led to a deplorable dearth of militaristic nationalism. Since violence is abhorred under the Gandhian ethos and not even promoted for self-defense purposes, militaristic nationalism is restricted to the military, who are expected to risk their lives only to defend existing borders and not cross them, or at least retreat back to them after the war, even if it ends in victory. The Kshatriya culture is dead in India outside the military.
As a result there is a corresponding dearth of nationalistic songs that arouse a more jubilant, dominating kind of patriotism as opposed to the tear-jerker types that we have in abundance.
The closest we have are some songs from Bollywood war films, and even they are heavier on the matriotism, or else focus on camaraderie of troops and their missing home etc. For example, we have Desh Mere from The Legend of Bhagat Singh, with its lyrics of defiance and rebellion. Being made for Bollywood films, these songs are ultimately intended for a particular scene in a film and are not very general. In most cases, they depict the independence struggle, when an enslaved nation was trying to break its colonial chains, or else the defensive wars post-independence, where India neglected to use its huge military victories to demand significant reparations or even territory in Kashmir which has been illegally occupied. As such there have been no events in the last 1000 years of Indian history that could inspire unfettered nationalistic pride of the Rule Britannia kind.
To make an Indian Rule Britannia, Rule Bharata, one must either go back tens of thousands of years into the past, and glorify the unification of Bharatavarsha under Emperor Bharat, which was the last time a united India ruled the waves, or else imagine the future when a reawakened (or resurrected depending on your point of view) Bharata will arise, and again be a dominant force in the world, shining effulgently once again in its ancient wisdom and heritage...
