Sometimes, history changes in the most unexpected way. One ordinary journey home in a palanquin is believed to have sparked an idea that would eventually give India one of its most powerful patriotic songs. According to Britannica, an unpleasant encounter between Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and a British officer in 1873 became a turning point that inspired the author to ask himself a life-changing question: "What can I do for my country?"
The answer, many historians believe, was Vande Mataram, the song that would later inspire countless freedom fighters and become India's national song.
