Shimla, July 11 -- Rare gramophone recordings and archival documents reveal that Vande Mataram was widely accepted as India's anthem during the freedom movement, said Akhilesh Jha, founder of the Centre for Gramophone and Allied Studies.

Jha, a gramophone historian, has researched the subject for nearly four decades.

Speaking to HT on the sidelines of a three-day international seminar and exhibition, commemorating 150 years of 'Vande Mataram' and celebrating the vision of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Jha said the exhibition brings together original gramophone recordings and historical documents that, according to his research, shed new light on the evolution of India's national anthem.

"As...