The national song Vande Mataram will be sung from the ramparts of the Red Fort before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address on August 15, marking the first time the song will feature at the historic venue in this sequence.
The announcement by the Defence Ministry comes as India prepares to celebrate its 80th Independence Day and marks 150 years of Vande Mataram. The song, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, became one of the most recognisable symbols of India’s freedom movement.
According to the revised ceremonial sequence, Prime Minister Modi will arrive at the Red Fort, after which Vande Mataram will be presented. This will be followed by the unfurling of the national flag and the national anthem before the Prime Minister addresses the nation.
The celebrations this year will be held under the theme ‘Yuva Shakti – Leading the Journey to Viksit Bharat’, highlighting the role of young Indians in the country’s development.
The Defence Ministry has also introduced another first by including the complete lyrics of Vande Mataram on the invitation cards for this year’s Independence Day ceremony. The cards carry all six stanzas of the song.
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Senior ministers, military officials, bureaucrats, diplomats, students and achievers from different fields have been invited to attend the celebrations at the Red Fort.
The decision comes days after Parliament cleared the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which provides Vande Mataram with the same legal status as the national anthem. Under the amended law, insulting or disrupting the rendition of the national song can attract imprisonment of up to three years, a fine, or both.
Vande Mataram was first published in Chattopadhyay’s 1882 novel Anandamath. Its opening stanzas were later adopted as India’s national song. During the freedom struggle, it became a rallying cry for the nationalist movement and was used to express devotion to the country.
Its inclusion in the Red Fort ceremony carries added significance given the historic role the song played during the independence movement. The Defence Ministry's decision also places the song at the centre of this year's celebrations marking both the 80th anniversary of Independence and 150 years of Vande Mataram.
The ceremony will bring together the traditional elements of Independence Day celebrations with the newly introduced sequence, with Vande Mataram preceding the flag unfurling and national anthem.
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