Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, where the full six stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ were rendered for the first time during the ceremony. The event marked 150 years of the national song, followed by the national anthem
Published Date – 15 August 2026, 02:54 PM
New Delhi: In a first for Independence Day celebrations, ‘Vande Mataram’, with the full six stanzas, was rendered at the Red Fort complex during the 79th anniversary of the historic occasion on August 15, followed by the recitation of the national anthem at the grand event.
The mega function commemorates 150 years of the enduring legacy of the national song, ‘Vande Mataram’, as floral decoration on the ramparts depicted the national flag at the centre, flanked by ‘Vande Mataram’ in Hindi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort amid patriotic fervour and multi-layer security.
“For everyone present at this ceremony today, this is also a historic moment. For the first time since independence, Vande Mataram is echoing from the Red Fort on August 15. And as we celebrate 150 years of Vande Mataram today, what could be a more wonderful occasion than this,” he said in his 75-minute address.
Modi said today, “every heartbeat resonates with the chant of Vande Mataram”. “Today, there is ‘Har Ghar Tiranga Hai, Har Man Tiranga Hai’ (the tricolour in every home, the tricolour in every heart) and the country is moving forward with enthusiasm and renewed energy, carrying new resolutions with it,” he said.
Soon after the prime minister’s arrival on the ramparts of the Red Fort, an Army band played the tune of ‘Vande Mataram’ as the guests present on the occasion sang the national song. This was followed by the prime minister unfurling the national flag, and then the national anthem was recited.
Programme booklets issued for guests contained the event details as well as the full six stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’. After the flag unfurling, the tricolour received a ‘Rashtriya Salute’. Flower petals were then showered at the venue by two Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force — one trooping the national flag and the other carrying a flag depicting ‘Vande Mataram’. Written in 1875 by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, ‘Vande Mataram’ turned into a rallying cry during the freedom movement. It was adopted as India’s national song by the Constituent Assembly in 1950.
The government last November launched a year-long celebration to mark 150 years of ‘Vande Mataram’. ‘Vande Mataram’ was initially composed independently and later included in Chatterjee’s novel ‘Anandamath’. It was first sung by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 Congress Session in Calcutta (now Kolkata).
The chant ‘Vande Mataram’ as a political slogan was first used on August 7, 1905, according to a note ‘150 Years of Vande Mataram: A Melody That Became a Movement’, shared by the government on November 6 last year.
‘Vande Mataram’ was first published in the literary journal ‘Bangadarshan’ on November 7, 1875. Later, Chatterjee incorporated the hymn in his novel ‘Anandamath’, which was published in 1882. It was set to music by Tagore, it said.
Modi, in his address, also said the nation remembers with reverence “those great sons and daughters who made the ultimate sacrifices for the freedom of our country”. “Through their perseverance, sacrifice, and dedication, they devoted their entire lives to the single goal of achieving independence. Today, I respectfully salute revered Bapu, all the freedom fighters, and the great revolutionaries who inspired this glorious tradition of sacrifice,” he said.
At the conclusion of his speech, a large number of National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets and My Bharat volunteers sang ‘Vande Mataram’, followed by the national anthem. The NCC cadets and My Bharat volunteers were seated on Gyanpath, opposite the ramparts, forming the words ‘Vande Mataram’. View cutters on the theme of ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’ were installed at Gyanpath.