Vande Mataram played after national anthem at India's international game
India's national song, 'Vande Mataram', was played alongside the national anthem before a T20 match, a first at an international sporting event, following Union Home Ministry guidelines.
India's national song, 'Vande Mataram', was played alongside the national anthem before a T20 match, a first at an international sporting event, following Union Home Ministry guidelines.
India's national song, 'Vande Mataram', was played alongside the national anthem before a T20 match, a first at an international sporting event, following Union Home Ministry guidelines.
New Delhi: In a first-ever instance at an international sporting event, the national song Vande Mataram, penned by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, was played after the national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana' before the start of India's first T20 International against Afghanistan here on Sunday.
As per the directive of the Union Home Ministry, all six stanzas were played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium as both the national anthem (52 seconds) and the national song (3 minutes and 10 seconds), taking a total of 4 minutes and two seconds.
On February 6, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines governing the rendition of Vande Mataram as part of the 150th-anniversary commemorations of the national song. The guidelines prescribed an official rendition lasting 3 minutes and 10 seconds and required everyone present to stand at attention while the song was being played.
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They also approved the rendition of the complete six-stanza version at formal government functions attended by the President or Governors, before and after presidential addresses broadcast on radio and television, when the National Flag is brought on parade, and on other similar occasions.
The first two stanzas of 'Vande Mataram' were chosen as the national song in 1937 by the Indian National Congress, while the Constituent Assembly of India recognised it as the 'National Song' since 1950.
The decision has so far received mixed responses on social media, with people questioning whether the national song should be played in a sporting arena. It is currently unknown whether both the national anthem and the national song will be sung at the upcoming ICC events.
(With inputs from PTI).