Bihar mandates ‘Vande Mataram’ before national anthem in schools

The Bihar government has made it mandatory for educational institutions to begin the day with the national song Vande Mataram, followed by the national anthem Jana Gana Mana, according to a communication issued by the General Administration Department on 26 April.

The directive goes beyond schools, requiring all government programmes to follow the same sequence, with Bihar’s state song Bihar Geet to be sung at the conclusion. The order has been circulated to senior bureaucrats across departments, divisional commissioners, district magistrates and the DGP, with instructions for strict implementation.

While the government has framed the move as a standardisation of protocol, it has revived a long-running debate over the place of Vande Mataram in public life. Unlike Jana Gana Mana, which is universally accepted as the national anthem, Vande Mataram has periodically drawn objections concerns over its religious imagery and whether participation can be made compulsory.

The issue was at the centre of a sharp political confrontation in Parliament in December 2025, when both Houses held a special debate marking 150 years of Vande Mataram. What began as a commemorative discussion quickly turned contentious, with the BJP accusing past Congress governments of diluting the song’s legacy, including decisions to limit the official use of certain stanzas.

The Opposition pushed back, accusing the government of distorting history, politicising the song and raising questions over attempts to mandate its singing. Leaders argued that while Vande Mataram is an integral part of India’s cultural heritage, enforcing participation risks infringing on individual freedoms and turning a symbol of unity into a point of division.

Courts, including the Supreme Court of India, have generally upheld the importance of respecting national symbols, while also signalling caution against coercive enforcement in matters of conscience.

The Bihar order is significant for extending the requirement across both educational institutions and government functions, and for formalising a specific sequence — national song followed by anthem. It also places the state squarely within a continuing national conversation where questions of patriotism, protocol and personal choice remain contested.

With PTI inputs