Vande Mataram is a very old and powerful song. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote it in the 1870s. During the freedom struggle it inspired lakhs of Indians. After Independence, India chose Jana Gana Mana as the National Anthem. On the same day, on January 24, 1950, President Rajendra Prasad said Vande Mataram would also be equally honoured. But the Constitution does not say what the National Song is or how many stanzas it should have.
That question was addressed quite early. In 1937, the Congress Working Committee decided that only the first two stanzas should be sung at national gatherings. The reason was that the later stanzas describe Bharat Mata as Hindu goddesses like Durga and Lakshmi. Leaders at that time felt that the first two stanzas would allow people of all faiths to sing it with comfort. Since then, those two stanzas became the normal version that people heard in schools, functions and in recordings by singers.
Now the debate has come back because the song completed 150 years in 2025. The central government through the Ministry of Home Affairs issued orders saying the official version will have all six stanzas. It also asked for mass singing at public functions, in some cases before the National Anthem. Parliament also passed a change in law in 2026. Under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Amendment, the rule that punishes anyone who intentionally stops the singing of the National Anthem or disturbs a gathering where it is being sung has now been extended to the National Song.
This move has led to two different views. One view says we should keep the full song because it is a historical literary work and should be preserved fully. Many countries have both a full and a short version of their national anthems and songs. Fixing an official full version for record does not automatically mean forcing every citizen to sing it. It is about keeping history complete during an anniversary.
The other view says the two stanza practice was itself a thoughtful compromise made by freedom fighters to keep everyone together. Bringing back all six stanzas changes that long standing practice. If mass singing is ordered at official events and the law now covers the National Song, people who do not wish to sing for personal or faith reasons may feel pressure or fear of legal action. A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court raising this worry.
The Supreme Court has seen a similar question before. In 1986, in the Bijoe Emmanuel case, three children belonging to Jehovah’s Witnesses did not sing the National Anthem in school but stood respectfully. The Court said they cannot be punished and that respectful silence is not an offence. The Court also said that executive orders without clear law cannot take away fundamental rights.
A fair way forward would need to keep these two ideas separate. The state can define what the official text is for archives and ceremonies. It can also decide the protocol for its own official functions. But it cannot punish someone who stands respectfully and does not disturb others. If the government clearly says that six stanzas is the official full text for record, that two stanzas will continue to be acceptable for general singing, and that respectful silence will not be treated as a crime under the new law, then both purposes will be met. It will honour a 150-year-old literary work and it will also honour the inclusive spirit that made Vande Mataram a song for all Indians.
