Vande Mataram to be played before Jana Gana Mana, says Centre to States and government bodies
The Union home ministry has mandated that a six-stanza-long, 3 minutes and 10 seconds version of Vande Mataram be played or sung on official occasions, including during the unfurling of the Indian flag, arrival of the President at events, before and after her speeches and addresses to the nation, and before and after the arrival and speeches of governors, Hindustan Times reported.
A 10-page order was issued on January 28, according to the report, in which the ministry also said that if the national song and the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, are sung or played together, then Vande Mataram should be played first, and that the audience shall stand in 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,” the note issued in English and Hindi to all states and Union territories, ministries and constitutional bodies, reportedly read.
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote ‘Bande Mataram’ in the late 19th century in Sanskritised Bengali. The original version consisted of six stanzas.
The song was first inserted into the pages of his novel, Anandamath, set during the late 18th century when famine and rebellion tore through Bengal.