New MHA Guidelines on Vande Mataram: Protocol, Order and Legal Status

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has issued new guidelines standardising the protocol for singing and playing India’s National Song Vande Mataram at official events, educational institutions, and ceremonial occasions.

Key Guidelines

• Order of Playing: When both are played at an event, Vande Mataram shall precede Jana Gana Mana.
• Duration: The government has prescribed a six-stanza official version of Vande Mataram with a total duration of 3 minutes and 10 seconds (190 seconds).
• Mandatory Standing: All citizens present are required to stand at attention whenever the National Song is sung or played in official settings.
• Occasions of Official Playing:
  • Flag unfurling ceremonies.
  • Arrival/departure of President/Governors.
  • Before/after Presidential/Governors’ addresses.
  • National parades, investiture ceremonies (e.g., Padma Awards).
• Singing Guidelines:
  • Cultural and Public Events: The guidelines encourage mass singing of the official version during National Flag unfurling at cultural or ceremonial functions, excluding parade ceremonies.
  • The National Song should be sung collectively during the arrival of the President at public functions (other than formal state ceremonies) and immediately before his departure.
  • Educational Institutions:
    • Schools have been advised to begin the day with community singing of Vande Mataram to foster patriotism among students.
    • Educational institutions are encouraged to spread awareness and promote respect for the National Song, National Anthem, and National Flag
• Exemptions and Special Provisions:
  • Cinema Halls: Unlike the National Anthem, Vande Mataram will not be played in movie theatres.
  • Documentary Usage: If used within newsreels or documentaries, audiences are not required to stand to avoid disruption.

About National Song (Vande Mataram)

• Author: Vande Mataram is India’s National Song, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and it symbolises devotion to the motherland.
• Composition: It was composed in the 1870s and later published in the novel Anandamath (1882).
• Adoption: The Constituent Assembly officially adopted Vande Mataram as the National Song on 24 January 1950.
• Language: The song was originally written in Sanskrit and Bengali.
• Judicial Interpretation: In M. K. Ramesh v. Union of India (2006), the Supreme Court held that singing Vande Mataram is not legally mandatory but morally desirable, affirming that true patriotism stems from voluntary respect, not enforced compliance.

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About National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana)

• Author: The National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, was written by Rabindranath Tagore and adopted on 24 January 1950.
• It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.
• Language: The anthem is written in highly Sanskritised Bengali.
• Duration: The full version takes 52 seconds, while a short version takes about 20 seconds.
• Legal Protection: The National Anthem is protected under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, and disrespect is punishable by law.
  • Violations can result in imprisonment up to three years, a fine, or both.
• Judicial Interpretation: In Bijoe Emmanuel Case (1986), the Supreme Court held that forcing individuals to sing the National Anthem violates Article 19(1)(a) if they respectfully stand in silence.

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