Who coined Jai Hind and Bharat Mata ki Jai, India's most popular patriotic slogans?

Jai Hind, meaning hail India, and Bharat Mata ki Jai, or victory to Mother India, are two of the most popular patriotic slogans. On this Independence Day, let us look into the origin story of these.

Who coined the slogan Jai Hind?

There are competing versions of this. According to some accounts, it was coined by the revolutionary freedom fighter Chempakaraman Pillai, when he was working with the Indian Independence Committee in Germany during World War I. Pillai was later associated with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the founder of the Indian National Army or INA. The credit for popularising Jai Hind goes to Bose. The slogan became a rallying cry for Indian nationalists during India's freedom struggle against British colonial rule.

Who coined the slogan Bharat Mata Ki Jai?

There are different claimants to the slogan Bharat Mata Ki Jai, which depicts the nation as a mother goddess. This is the second slogan that became prominent during the Indian independence movement, whose leaders and activists used it to invoke patriotism and resistance against the British. It is widely acknowledged that Bengali nationalist Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay introduced the concept of 'Bharat Mata' in his 1882 novel Anandamath, which also included “Vande Mataram”, later adopted as the national song of India. The imagery of India as a mother goddess was thus born.
The slogan Bharat Mata Ki Jai does not directly appear in the novel, but essentially took shape from Bankim Chandra's concept. There are claims that the slogan was coined by the freedom fighter Azimullah Khan.
It became a slogan of the Indian freedom movement in the 20th century, used by revolutionaries and leaders like Aurobindo Ghosh and Bipin Chandra Pal. The slogan was used during protests, such as the Swadeshi Movement of 1905–1908, and later by nationalist groups.