Full 6-stanza Vande Mataram played at Vijay’s swearing-in, could spark protocol debate
Six-stanza Vande Mataram rendered at the swearing-in of Vijay as Tamil Nadu CM before national anthem, deviating from Tamil Nadu’s usual ceremony order.
Months after the Centre issued fresh guidelines mandating the rendition of the full six-stanza version of Vande Mataram, the song was played in full at TVK chief Vijay’s swearing-in ceremony before the national anthem, in line with the Union Home Ministry’s directive.
Vijay was sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. The full Vande Mataram version was followed by Jana Gana Mana, and then Tamizh Thai Vaazhtu.
In TN government functions, the norm all along has been to start with the Tamil prayer song and end the event with the national anthem. The national song is typically not sung. Starting today’s ceremony with Vande Mataram is likely to trigger a debate, especially the pushing of Tamizh Thai Vaazhtu to the third position. The event concluded with the full version of Vande Mataram, and the national anthem, both being sung once again.
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The Modi government’s decision to revise the national song, Vande Mataram, as adopted by the Constituent Assembly, had triggered a political row in February this year, with the Opposition accusing the BJP of “rewriting history” with an eye on the West Bengal elections.
In a 10-page order, issued to all states and Union Territories on January 28, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released the “official version” of the song written by Bengali novelist-poet Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. The official version includes the four stanzas that the poet had added to his original two-stanza soliloquy but which were not included in the song adopted by the Constituent Assembly. The MHA order mandated the complete six-stanza version, lasting 3 minutes and 10 seconds.