‘Vande Mataram’ rendered at Red Fort for first time

In a first for Independence Day celebrations, ‘Vande Mataram’ was rendered at the Red Fort complex during the 79th anniversary of the historic occasion on August 15. It was followed by the customary ‘Jana Gana Mana’, the National Anthem.

The mega function commemorates 150 years of the enduring legacy of the national song, ‘Vande Mataram’, as floral decoration on the ramparts depicted the national flag at the centre, flanked by ‘Vande Mataram’ in Hindi.

As Prime Minister Modi hoisted the National Flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort, the ceremony was synchronised with a 21-gun salute fired by the 1721 Field Battery (Ceremonial) using indigenous 105 mm Light Field Guns. Following the flag hoisting, the Army band performed ‘Vande Mataram’. Two Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force also showered flower petals over the venue. One of the helicopters carried the National Flag, while the other carried a flag bearing the words ‘Vande Mataram’. After the flag hoisting, the Tricolour received a ‘Rashtriya Salute’.

After that, flower petals were showered at the venue by two Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force — one carrying the National Flag and the other carrying a flag depicting ‘Vande Mataram’. Written in 1875 by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, ‘Vande Mataram’ had turned into a rallying cry during the freedom movement. It was adopted as India’s national song by the Constituent Assembly in 1950.

The full version of ‘Vande Mataram’ was recently accorded the same legal protection as the National Anthem and was played ahead of and at the conclusion of President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the nation on the eve of the 80th Independence Day on Friday.

The development came days after President Murmu gave her assent to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which provides ‘Vande Mataram’ with the same legal protection as the National Anthem. Under the amended law, deliberate disruption of or obstruction to the singing of the National Song can invite penalties, including imprisonment, a fine, or both.

The Government last November launched a year-long celebration to mark 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’. ‘Vande Mataram’ was initially composed independently and later included in Chatterjee’s novel ‘Anandamath’. It was first sung by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 Congress Session in Calcutta (now Kolkata).

The chant ‘Vande Mataram’ as a political slogan was first used on August 7, 1905, according to a note, ‘150 years of Vande Mataram: A Melody That Became a Movement’, shared by the Government on November 6 last year. ‘Vande Mataram’ was first published in the literary journal ‘Bangadarshan’ on November 7, 1875. Later, Chatterjee incorporated the hymn in his novel ‘Anandamath’, which was published in 1882. It was set to music by Tagore, it is said.