Vande Mataram Row: Govt Issues New Guidelines; Full Six Stanzas Now Mandatory at Official Events

The Govt of India has issued fresh instructions on how India's national song, Vande Mataram, must be performed at official functions, schools, and ceremonial events. Vande Mataram was adopted as the National Song on January 24, 1950, by the Constituent Assembly, and it holds equal honour with the National Anthem "Jana Gana Mana" The order was released on February 6.

For the first time ever, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has made it mandatory to sing or play all six stanzas of the original composition of Vande Mataram by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, a rendition that is about 3 minutes and 10 seconds long.

The Centre is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram.

New Vande Mataram Guidelines

As per the revised government rules for Vande Mataram, the full six-stanza version must be sung at official events. When performed alongside the national anthem Jana Gana Mana, the national song must be sung first, as directed by the Union Home Ministry.

The order also states that all attendees must stand in attention whenever the official version of Vande Mataram is sung or played. However, the rule does not apply to cinema screenings, documentaries, or newsreels, where standing could interrupt the exhibition.

Where Singing Vande Mataram Is Now Mandatory

The updated protocol has now made Vande Mataram mandatory for official events and it will be compulsory to sing in several national and ceremonial functions like flag-hoisting ceremonies, arrival or departure of the President or Governor, official speeches and state functions, Civilian award ceremonies such as Padma awards, School assemblies and public institutional events etc. The government has also encouraged mass singing of Vande Mataram to promote awareness and national participation.

Historical Context Behind the Six-Stanza Decision

Until now, only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram were commonly performed at official functions. This practice dates back to an October 1937 resolution of the Congress Working Committee, which adopted the opening verses as the national song while omitting later stanzas that reference goddesses Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.

The latest directive from the government has brought back the original six-stanza version, reigniting the long-running Vande Mataram debate in India.

Full Six Stanzas of Vande Mataram As per The Govt

Vande Mataram!
Sujalām suphalām malayaja-śītalām,
Śasya-śyāmalām Mātaram!
Vande Mataram!

Śubhra-jyotsnām pulakita-yāminīm,
Phulla-kusumita druma-dala-śobhinīm,
Suhāsinīm sumadhura bhāṣinīm,
Sukhadam varadam Mātaram!

Vande Mataram!

Koṭi-koṭi kaṇṭha kalakala nināda karāle,
Koṭi-koṭi bhujair dhṛta kharakaravāle,
Ke bole Mā tumi abale!
Bahubaladhāriṇīm namāmi tāriṇīm,
Ripudalavāriṇīm Mātaram!

Vande Mataram!

Tumi vidyā, tumi dharma,
Tumi hṛdi, tumi marma,
Tvam hi prāṇāḥ śarīre!
Bāhute tumi Mā śakti,
Hṛdaye tumi Mā bhakti,
Tomārai pratima gaḍi mandire-mandire.

Vande Mataram!

Tvam hi Durgā daśa-praharaṇa-dhāriṇī,
Kamala kamala-dala-vihāriṇī,
Vāṇī vidyā-dāyinī,
Namāmi tvām namāmi kamalām,
Amalām atulām,
Sujalām suphalām Mātaram!

Vande Mataram

Śyāmalām saralām susmitām bhūṣitām,
Dharaṇīm bharaṇīm Mātaram!
Vande Mataram!