India News
For decades, Indians have been singing the National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, before every official program. However, the Union Home Ministry has now issued orders stating that the National Song, Vande Mataram, should be sung first. The new rules in this regard were brought into effect by the Ministry on Wednesday.
It is known that the Central Government is organizing the 150th anniversary celebrations of Vande Mataram. The song was also discussed in Parliament recently. The Modi government has made serious allegations that the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s government removed certain verses of Vande Mataram to appease Muslims.
Vande Mataram was written in 1875 by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and was included in his novel Anandamath. Earlier, the Congress agreed to sing only the first two stanzas, which did not contain religious references, out of the original six. However, according to the latest orders, all six stanzas must be sung within 3 minutes and 10 seconds.
Just as everyone stands as a mark of respect while singing the National Anthem, the same protocol must be followed during the rendition of Vande Mataram. The Union Home Ministry has warned that anyone creating disturbances during the singing of the National Anthem or National Song will face legal action, with a maximum punishment of up to three years in jail.
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