Shimla, July 11 -- Vande Mataram transformed love for the motherland into a sacred national duty, inspiring generations of freedom fighters with courage, sacrifice and hope, said Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Friday.

He was virtually addressing the inauguration of the Permanent Exhibition on Journey of Vande Mataram and the International Seminar on 'Sardar Patel's Vision: Integration, Unification and Federalism', organised by the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla.

The VP said that the nation was commemorating two historic milestones -- the 150th anniversary of the national song Vande Mataram and the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the inauguration,...