The national song ‘Vande Mataram’ will be sung during the Independence Day celebrations at the iconic Red Fort on August 15 — a historic first that firmly sends out a clear message. In another clear message, this year’s theme has been set to celebrate the contributions of young people to make India a developed nation by 2047.
The song will be sung as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the Red Fort. He will then unfurl the national flag and deliver the customary address to the nation, according to the defence secretary.
Defence Secretary RK Singh said as 2026 marks 150 years of the song penned by noted litterateur from Bengal, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, it will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort for the first time as a tribute to its enduring legacy.
The BJP has taken up the cause of the national song, declaring that it deserves as much respect as national anthem “Jana Gana Mana” and advocating that all six stanzas of the song be sung instead of the traditional practice of limiting it only to two stanzas.
In July, parliament passed a bill that makes any insult to Vande Mataram a criminal offence. The Centre also directed recently that Vande Mataram be the first to be sung in the sequence of the opening anthems at government events. Several states have also made it mandatory at schools.
Muslim organisations have objected to singing the full song, contending that it is against their religious beliefs since the verses have references to Hindu gods and goddesses.
As for theme of this year’s Independence Day celebrations — made in the backdrop of the massive protests over question paper leak — Defence Secretary RK Singh said the plan to celebrate the success and contribution of youths “predates” the students’ protest at the Jantar Mantar.
“The plan to celebrate the success and contribution of youth at the Independence Day celebrations predates any other event,” Singh was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India. “I can assure you that this planning predates the Jantar Mantar agitation,” he added.
“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 80th Independence Day on August 15, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the celebrations from Delhi’s Red Fort.
