Defence Ministry adds full Vande Mataram lyrics to Independence Day invitation cards. Here's what it means
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Defence Ministry adds full Vande Mataram lyrics to Independence Day invitation cards. Here's what it means")
Indian Army, Air Force and Navy chiefs
The move by the defence ministry comes a week after the Parliament gave the national song the same status as that of the national anthem.
Invitation cards extended by the Indian Defence Ministry for the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort will include the complete lyrics of Vande Mataram. The invitation cards will reportedly feature all six stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram, and will be performed during the national flag-hoisting ceremony, before the national anthem is played at the 80th Independence Day celebrations.
Senior ministers, top military officials, bureaucrats, diplomats, students and distinguished achievers from various fields are among those invited to attend the annual Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort.
The move by the defence ministry comes a week after the Parliament gave the national song the same status as that of the national anthem. According to Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, any obstruction or insult to the national song is a criminal offence, with a jail term of up to three years and a fine for offenders. The national flag, the national anthem and the Constitution fall under the ambit of this law.
The government has already made the rendition of all six stanzas of the song mandatory, as against the usual practice of singing the first two stanzas adopted as the national song in 1950.
"People know the national anthem by heart, but few can sing the national song. The lyrics have been provided so that people can sing along," reported Hindustan Times quoting an official.
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An image of Seva Teerth, the new unified administrative complex that houses the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the National Security Council Secretariat, and the Cabinet Secretariat, will be embossed on the invitation card.
