Vande Mataram to be sung at Red Fort for first time on Independence Day
The national song "Vande Mataram" will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the first time during this year's Independence Day celebrations on August 15. Defence Secretary RK Singh announced that the song will be performed as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the historic venue, following which he will unfurl the national flag and deliver his customary address to the nation.
Singh said the decision honours the song's enduring legacy, as 2026 will mark 150 years since it was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the noted Bengali writer. The song, which first appeared in his novel "Anandamath" (1882), was a prominent rallying cry during the Indian independence movement. It was later adopted by the Constituent Assembly in 1950 as the national song, alongside "Jana Gana Mana" as the national anthem.
The song's history is closely linked with India's freedom struggle. It was first sung publicly at the Indian National Congress session in 1896 and became a widely used slogan among revolutionaries. The British administration banned it for a period, which only enhanced its appeal. Over the decades, it has been a source of both unity and controversy.
The announcement is part of a broader political push by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to give "Vande Mataram" a status equal to the national anthem. The party has advocated singing all six stanzas of the song at official events, rather than the customary practice of limiting it to the first two. In July, Parliament passed a bill criminalising any insult to the song, and the central government has issued a directive that it be the first anthem sung at government functions. Several states have also made it mandatory for schools.
The decision has, however, met with objections from some Muslim organisations, which argue that the full song contains verses incompatible with their religious beliefs because it refers to Hindu gods and goddesses. These groups have historically called for singing only the first two stanzas, which do not contain such references. The controversy over the song's full text has periodically resurfaced in Indian politics.
This year's Independence Day theme has been set to celebrate the contributions of young people towards building a developed India by 2047, a vision popularly referred to as "Viksit Bharat." The theme was announced in a backdrop of student protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi over alleged question paper leaks in competitive exams. Defence Secretary Singh, however, clarified that the planning for the youth-centric theme began well before the protests. "The plan to celebrate the success and contribution of youth at the Independence Day celebrations predates any other event. I can assure you that this planning predates the Jantar Mantar agitation," he told PTI.
Singh explained that the youth of the country are a critical pillar of the "Viksit Bharat" vision. "Youths are a critical part of our journey towards Viksit Bharat because they will both be contributing to it and will be hopefully gaining from it. That is the only reason," he said.
India will mark its 79th Independence Day on August 15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the national celebrations from the Red Fort, a tradition maintained since independence in 1947. The event will be held amid heightened security arrangements and is expected to draw large crowds from across the country.
