India, Jan. 27 -- Paintings, tableaux and cultural representations centred on Vande Mataram formed the theme of this year's Republic Day Parade on Kartavya Path, marking 150 years since the composition of the national song.

Prints of a series of paintings created by artist Tejendra Kumar Mitra in 1923 were displayed as view-cutters along Kartavya Path during the 77th Republic Day celebrations. The works, originally published in the Bande Mataram Album (1923), illustrated verses of Vande Mataram and were positioned along enclosure backdrops lining the parade route.

Written in 1875 by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Vande Mataram later became a rallying call during the freedom movement. The song was adopted as India's national song by the Cons...