Vande Mataram To Make I-Day Debut: Why Was India’s National Song Omitted From August 15 Celebrations So Far?

Published 10 August 2026 · india

News explainers Vande Mataram To Make I-Day Debut: Why Was India’s Song Omitted From August 15 Celebrations So Far? Vande Mataram To Make I-Day Debut

News explainers Vande Mataram To Make I-Day Debut: Why Was India’s Song Omitted From August 15 Celebrations So Far? Vande Mataram To Make I-Day Debut: Why Was India’s Song Omitted From August 15 Celebrations So Far? Published By, Last Updated: August 10, 2026, 19:56 IST For the first time, India’s national song ‘Vande Mataram’ will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort before PM Narendra Modi's speech as part of I-Day celebrations on August 15 Rapid Read Vande Mataram will be played before PM Narendra Modi's speech. In a first, India’s national song ‘Vande Mataram’ will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort before PM Narendra Modi’s speech as part of the Independence Day celebrations on August 15, the Defence Ministry said. Why was it omitted so far?

News18 explains. Vande Mataram was historically omitted from the main protocol of the Independence Day ceremony at the Red Fort due to long-standing national protocol and structural guidelines that prioritised the Anthem or Jana Gana Mana for official flag-unfurling events. Vande Mataram was truncated to its first two stanzas in 1937 to avoid religious contentiousness in a pluralistic society, according to political experts and leaders. However, the full song is now incorporated into official state events following recent protocol changes. WHY WAS VANDE MATARAM TRUNCATED? While the first two stanzas of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s poem are a generalized ode to the motherland, the later stanzas contain explicit references and imagery tied to Hindu goddesses (such as Durga). Due to objections raised by the Muslim League and others over these religious references, the Indian Congress in 1937 — on the advice of figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore — decided to drop the later stanzas and use only the first two introductory verses for public political platforms.

When India became a republic, the Constituent Assembly in 1950 designated Jana Gana Mana as the official Anthem and the first two verses of Vande Mataram as the Song, giving them equal honor but maintaining a secular balance for official state protocols. RECENT POLICY SHIFT The long-standing ceremonial tradition at national celebrations is shifting. For the Independence Day event, Vande Mataram is scheduled to be played from the ramparts of the Red Fort right before the Anthem. Parliament passed the Prevention of Insults to Honour (Amendment) Act, placing Vande Mataram on equal statutory footing with the Anthem and making intentional disruption or disrespect a punishable offense. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Manjiri Joshi At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci...