BMC to be first civic body to mandate ‘Vande Mataram’ at official events following Centre’s new rules

“I have sent the proposal to the commissioner’s office and have been following it consistently. Usually, it takes a month for the commissioner’s office to give a go-ahead to these kinds of proposals. However, in this case, I am hoping that the approval will come quicker,” Khankar told The Indian Express.

According to the resolution, the national song will be sung at any event held at the civic corporation hall, during ceremonies such as Independence Day or Republic Day, and in other formal civic functions.

Furthermore, the Union Ministry said that if the national song and the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, are sung or played together, Vande Mataram should be played first, and the audience should stand at attention during the song.

“Whenever the official version of the national song is sung or played, the audience shall stand to attention. However, when in the course of a newsreel or documentary the national song is played as a part of the film, it is not expected of the audience to stand as standing is bound to interrupt the exhibition of the film and would create disorder and confusion rather than add to the dignity of the national song,” said an excerpt of the order.

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote Bande Mataram in the late 19th century in Sanskritised Bengali. The original version consisted of six stanzas. The song first found its place in his novel Anandamath, set in the late 18th century, when famine and rebellion tore through Bengal.