The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a 10-page order stating that whenever the national anthem and the national song Vande Mataram are played together, the national song with all 6 stanzas must be rendered first. With this order, the MHA has formally established the ceremonial sequence that will be followed at official public events.
The order dated 6th February 2026 marks a major shift from the Jawaharlal Nehru government’s adoption of the truncated version of Vande Mataram to the original 6-stanza version written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, which glorifies Maa Durga.
As per the MHA order, the duration for which the original version of the national song shall be played shall be 3 minutes and 10 seconds. The order further lays down the occasions where Vande Mataram shall be played or sung, and protocols to be followed in due honour of the national song. In consequence of Congress’s abject surrender before the Muslim League in 1937, the Vande Mataram song was mutilated, and four stanzas were dropped out of six to satisfy those who, just years later, betrayed the nation.
The Modi government’s decision to officially adopt the full version of the Vande Mataram song coincides with the celebration of the song’s 150th anniversary.
