Vande Mataram in Karnataka schools on September 7

All the educational institutions across Karnataka will resonate with the Vande Mataram at 11 am on September 7 to commemorate the centenary celebration of the national song.

In the midst of the controversy brewing over the singing of Vande Mataram, the Public Instruction Department in Karnataka has made the singing of the song in chorus mandatory in all schools, colleges and other educational institutions, including those run by minority religious groups and madrassas. But, the students are required to sing only the first two stanzas of the Vande Mataram.

Penned by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1876, Vande Mataram was adopted as the national song by the Indian National Congress at its Varanasi session on September 7, 1905. Muslim organizations in the country have consistently opposed the song as it promotes worship of nature, which is against the Islamic spirit of monotheism.

According to a circular issued by Commissioner of Public Instructions, Karnataka Government, Madan Gopal, the singing of the first two stanzas of the controversial song is mandatory only at 11 am on September 7 to observe the centenary celebrations of the recognition of the national song.

The decision follows a directive by Federal Ministry for Human Resource Development to the State earlier in August. In a letter written to Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Federal Minister for Human Resources Arjun Singh has urged the Karnataka Government to ensure the singing of Vande Mataram in all the educational institutes.

Singh’s decision had triggered a controversy across the country with a number of minority leaders opposing the Government decision to make singing Vande Mataram mandatory.

But, Madan Gopal told reporters in Bangalore that he would sing the national song by joining the students in one of the school. He said instructions had also been issued to the officials of his department to go to nearby schools and join the students in singing Vande Mataram.